INTRODUCTION

Me and my husband first visited the Maldives (Sun Island) in November 2004 for our Honeymoon and we found it pure paradise, since then we have been back to the Caribbean and it just doesn't measure up so we now save hard all year for 2 weeks in paradise.
We visited Kuredu Island for the last 2 weeks of May 2006 and as i have read many reviews to decide which island to visit this year i felt it time to write my own review on this fantastic island.

LOCATION

Kuredu island is located in the Lhaviyani Atoll in the North of the Maldives, it is one of the largest islands, we went on the 19th May 2006 for 2 weeks the weather was very hot approx 32(c) and above and the climate is very humid.

The Maldives does have a monsoon season so before booking it is advisable to do a little researh to confirm the best month to go, i always go between November and May each year.

GETTING TO PARADISE

The flight to Male is approx 10 -11 Hours.

Most tour operaters offer this island, i have heard that First Choice offer the best flights although i have not been on one yet but have booked with them to go this November(vilemendhoo island) so will update you then. I have travelled with Brittania and JMC and would not recommend either as you will probably have read in many other reviews as i have.

Once in Male you are taken by minibus to the seaplane terminal where you are given a little ticket with a flight number, you watch the small tv screens to see your flight and go to the gate(they also shout over the microphone but can be hard to understand). We waited about 20mins for ours.

The flight by seaplane to Kuredu is about 30 - 40 mins.

It is a very small airport but was fairly organised, while waiting we bought a few ice cold drinks and expected to pay quite alot being at an airport but a 500ml bottle of coke was just 1$ which we were
surprised at.

NOTE :- Sunday seaplane flights do not take your luggage (not sure why) they follow by boat so it is worth packing a light change of clothes in your hand luggage, the first time we went and our luggage was not with us i was in panic mode (being our honeymoon) but there was no need it did arrive a few hours later by boat.

ARRIVING AT PARADISE

Once you arrive at Kuredu you are met by some staff playing the drums they give you a cold fruit juice and a cold flannel to refresh yourself. Check in was very swift and you are given a map showing wher your room is located, your luggage is taken by the bel boys which we gave a tip to on their arrival.

ACCOMADATION

Our room was a standard beach bungalow (no upgrades left), it was a detatched bungalow on the beach front with an outside bathroom, it was very basic but clean and tidy.

Don't worry the wall is very tall so no-one can see into your bathroom, my mum worries about this when i mention an outside bathroom as she really can't imagine it but i assure you in the heat you appreciate why it is outside.

I would have preffered a beach villa as these looked fantastic but by the time any were available i really didn't want to pack and unpack again, if i come back to this island i would book a beach villa.

The roomboy came everyday and changed the towels and bedding and a clean beachtowel is left outside your room everyday. Although there are no TV's in the room there is a CD player but to be honest i did not miss the TV at all and i am big on my soaps!

EATING (Buffet)

I am the most picky eater you will ever meet as i don't like anything in a sauce, currys, veg, salad...it doesn't leave much else to eat but i found the food fantastic which is a mission in itself for me!

Breakfast is my favorite, omlettes cooked to your liking with whichever ingredients you want, my husband had the chefs making chilli ones although at first they looked at him very strange by the end of the 2 weeks other guests were also asking for them so it looks like they've now become part of the morning breakfast! You can also get bacon, eggs (to your liking) sausages, and even beans as well as pastries and bread which is straight from the oven.

Lunch and dinner, there is fish on the menu everyday and they cook it in front of you, asking what fish it is they tell you different kinds as it is whatever they have caught that day and you can see this being brought in if you walk down the jetty after evening dinner.

They have a grill on each evening with chicken, beef or lamb on and as i prefer my steak well done it wasn't too much hassle for them to cook it that little bit more.

Curry's are a plenty luckily for my husband as he loves them so no complaints from him!

They have a choice of vegetables and stir fry on every evening in the buffet restaurant so you won't go hungry

Deserts are fabulous, about 5 different ones on each night.

RESTAURANTS

On the island are three other places to eat.

Beach Bar - here you could get snacks all day but they are not included in the all inclusive package but are reasonably priced.

Italian - this was open lunch and dinner again payable and very reasonable and very nice as they did me a plain chicken which although sounds simple when i ask for it in some restauants it still comes covered in some kind of sauce so they get my vote.

Seafood and grill Bar - this only opened on an evening and you did need to book, it wasn't included in the AI package.
This suited me and my husband as i don't like seafood but i do love steak so we were both happy.

EXCURSIONS

Kuredu offers plenty of different excursions which you can book and these are fairly cheap i think it cost us about £10 (each) to go on a snorkelling trip and the most expensive was about £50 going off to a desserted island

I would highly recommend the NIGHT FISHING trip, this was fantastic and whatever you catch they will cook for you to eat, that is if you are lucky enough to catch anything. The guys that take you on this trip really do look after you, they put the bait on your line and show you exactly what to do and if you catch anything they will unhook it so you don't have to touch the fish if you don't want to, they do speak good english too.

The ISLAND HOPPING trip is good if you want to see how the Maldivians live and where they go to school, the guides from the hotel which take you are very informative and don't mind you asking questions but i won't say too much as i don't want to spoil it if you go. i would advise to take lots of water and suncream though as for some reason this local island felt even hotter! oh and don't forget to do a little haggling in the shops.

There are lots of other trips, like going to a desserted island for a day or even overnight if you dare as well as lots of snorkelling trips where

you really do feel like you have put your head inside a fish tank as there are so many fish you really can't imagine. (it was my first time this year)

There is a seperate PADI dive school here which my husband used on more than one occasion, (i don't dive but feel safe enough by myself on the beach having a bit of quiet me time). The dive school offer seperate snorkelling and dive trips that you book the night before they leave a timetable out for you to sign up and they charge it to your room, you can sign up as late as you want as long as its not full. We met some friends in the same situation as us on the second week so we sent the boys diving and they signed up as late as 2am walking back to the room one night drunk to learn to Free Dive....they regretted this when they had to get up early the next day !

My husband didn't see a Whale Shark here as he wanted but there were lots of turtles and you didn't even need to go diving to see these as they were just off the house reef, he even went turtle watching at 8am in the morning they are seen more at the back of the island but i did see one at the front when i was learning to snorkel and this gave me that little bit of insperation i needed as at the time i was struggling with my mask butsee this made me more determined to master it.

HOUSE REEF

The house reef you need to swim to off the jetty and it is about 50m
and you do need to keep an eye out for the boats and planes comming in but once you get to the first buoy that is there as a marker to show you the start you just drift along.

The people in the dive centre are happy to tell you where things are on the reef before you go and it is a good idea to have a quick look at the map of it in the dive centre as if you drift in land too soon you will miss the ship wreck as i did :-) .

GOLF COURSE

There is a small golf course on the island (the only one in the maldives) it is a 6 hole pitch and put but be warned it is 10$ a game per person which isn't bad until they then charge you a further 10$ for 3 golf balls so if you think you might try it take some balls.

I had never played golf and so was talked into entering a tornament which i did so well in i was well known to the guys working on there, then the best bit was winning nearest the pin one night (yes i won my husband he didn't even get one on the green) i was well pleased so much so i took a photo. The only thing i didn't manage was a whole in one so i was gutted but since comming home i now have a few cheap clubs of my own to practice with down on the driving range just in case i go back to Kuredu i want a hole in one !

ENTERTAINMENT

Most evenings there is some kind of entertainment be it a golf tournament a crab race or some live band.

CONCLUSION

This island is fantastic especially for a first timer as its a fairly large island where you can either be with people or find a quiet part of the beach for a bit of time alone as there isn plenty of it.

Its got plenty of choice when it comes to food and you don't have to go to the same restaurant every night, if you want a treat and don't mind spending a little you can dine else where, they will even do a romantic meal just for the two of you on the beach under candle light.

You make the holiday what you want, you can relax or be active its entirely up to you.

I found the staff very friendly and helpful, the rooms clean and tidy and above all waking up with the beach on your doorstep is pure paradise!

I will definately return to this island someday but at the moment there are lots of other islands to see as each one is different in its own little way, this ws my second trip to the Maldives and i liked each island for different reasons so this year i have chose an island purely by reading other peoples reviews and am going to Vilamendhoo in November for our wedding anniversay so look out for my next review then!

TIPS

• Take spare clothes in your hand baggage
• Take a torch as it is low lighting on the walk back to your room
  (being drunk doesn't help)
• Don't forget your golf balls
• Mossi cream highly recommended (they do spray the island on an evening though)
• Take plenty of suncream as not much choice in the shop
• Don't forget hair conditioner like i did it was very expensive and not very good.
• You don't need to take many shoes unless in your room you have sand under your feet at all times including in the restaurants so heals are a no no.

Hope this review has helped you decide which island will be best for you.

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