Name: Maldives Oceanic Village
Address: Cute, Vaavu Thinadhoo 10020, Maldives, Felidhu Atoll, Felidhu Atoll, Felidhu Atoll, 10020, Maldives
Rating: 9

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Maldives Oceanic Village

Felidhu Atoll

My wife and I came with our 2 teenage daughters and our 2 adult friends. 
We loved and hated our stay....I will explain the good and bad and hope it helps you make a good choice. 

The Good:  the snorkeling off the beach in front is amazing.  We're divers and have been all over the world, and this was one of, if not the best snorkeling  we've ever experienced.  The beach is beautiful, the water like a pool. There are 2 brand new 3 man kayaks available for use at anytime. The rooms are simple, clean, nicely decorated with a modern design, & beds very comfortable. We enjoyed exploring the atoll, visiting other nearby islands, and diving, which was extremely reasonably priced. (Blue horizon dive shop- Rita is great!; single dive- $65 rental included) The 2 non-English speaking men from Bangladesh were so sweet and did everything they could to make our stay special. Flowers on the bed, set up tables for meals on the beach just steps from the water.  They cooked the fish we caught perfectly.  They were both kind and eager to do anything for us. 

The Bad:  Ok , so I know all alcohol is not allowed in Maldives...but it was really missed....we're not heavy drinkers but would have loved a beer or drink at sunset. (We found out that you can bring a bottle of alcohol into Maldives, no one checked at the airport and if they did I confirmed with the immigration officer that all they do is take the bottle from you and give you a claim ticket that you can get it back when you fly out.)
The mosquitos are big and plentiful. All of us would get multiple bites after seconds outside. High % deet bug spray helped, but we really couldn't sit outside in the lounge area of the guest house because of the mosquitos so our group of 6 crammed in a room to hang out all on the bed together.  Even eating, sometimes we had to hold our plate and keep moving around to avoid the mosquitos. (Tip: the mosquitos are worst at dusk, so we would walk to the end of the jetty at the harbor to sit and escape the mosquitos.)
The air-conditioning didn't work in one room making it hot and difficult to sleep.  This took 3 days to fix.  In another room the toilet clogged and wouldn't flush for the last 4 days. Despite reporting this, it was never fixed for the remainder of our stay. (the plumber came and said that we would have to wait until next week when a plumber from Male could come.  This is to be expected on an isolated island with no cars and only 60 people. Everyone is eager to help but immediate repairs are not easy to come by. So without getting too gross, there was no other toilet except in our room so we had to use it for 4 days without flushing.  The scent and embarrassment having to share this (even with my spouse) was tough!  
Especially important to note that the toilet in room 4 directly faces a glass door to the bedroom and also the glass door to the outside...so when doing your business you have to ask whoever is sharing your room to look away, or they have to leave altogether.  Then be sure to close the curtain to the outside or anyone can see directly into the toilet ( yes the one that wont flush). 
The water in all the rooms smelled like sulfur (rotten eggs).  Good thing we are all good snorkelers and divers because the shower water smell was so strong that had to plug our nose while washing our hair (no easy feat...you try it). 
The other thing to know about the rooms is that the toilet and shower are outside.  So when you shower or use the toilet expect hundreds of mosquitos.  We did find a solution although a bit odd... Before using the toilet strip down and then when you sit grab the butt sprayer and use that to shoot water at the attacking mosquitos. You won't go unscathed, but it seemed to cut down the bites bit. 
I know you can't avoid bugs on a hot island...just be prepared; My daughter was in another room and one morning saw a garden snake crawling across her drapes which the guys promptly killed and removed. 
Meals are very simple.  Expect fish with rice, curry, or pasta every night, a small salad and fruit for dessert.  

It would have been nice to have met the English speaking owner/manager. If he is there during your stay communication might be easier. 

Good and bad considered, it's a reasonably priced local alternative to a generic high priced resort. I hope the above will help you set your expectations appropriately so you enjoy your stay. 


Nice

The duration of our stay was 6 nights. We decided to go to Thinadhoo by ferry. As promised, one owner of the hotel, Shiru, met us at the ferry terminal in Malé and travelled with us to the hotel. 

The 6 hours with the ferry were no problem. It was very interesting and on the sundeck of the ferry you can relax. We even saw dolphins and flying fishes. The costs are approx. 4 $/Person.

The room:
The bed was decorated very nice on our arrival. The room equipment was of high value. The bed was very comfortable. We sleped very well in it. In the open bathroom the water smelled a little in the beginning.

The service:
The cordial staff was the best i have ever met. Thank you Halim. Your warmly way made this to a special trip. He was there for us when we wanted and tryed to make everything possible. 

The food:
We booked full board meal. Breakfast consisted of toast, sausages, eggs, sweet cake, fruits: every day in a different way. For lunch and dinner Rafi cooked a varity of delicios fishes, pasta, indian curries, fried rice/ noodles and fruits for desert. When the weather was good, the meals were served on the beach :) We always got as much water,  softdinks and coconuts as we wanted.

Activities:
The use of canoe was complimentary. We also booked a sandbank and a fishing trip. This was both really impressing. But the main activities were snorkling relaxing on the beach. We went snorkling at the house reef directly at the hotel. The reef was very nice. Directly in front of the guesthose women have to wear shirts on the beach, 100 meters away the bikini beach starts. Only few people were on the fantastic beach.

Things you should consider: 
On this Island are a lot of mosqitos. We brought 2 bottles of mosquito repellent with us and used it all.
The guesthouse does not accept credit cards. We brought all the money in cash to the island.

Traumhaft schön zum Entspannen

We stayed in Maldives Oceanic Village for 6 nights in April 2015. It was our favourite one of 5 different hotels we stayed at in Maldives. It is a small guesthouse with only 4 rooms. We stayed in a third room and it seemed to be the best and most private. The hotel staff is very nice - Inke and Sisei were great! Only 50 locals live on the island so it is nice and quiet, not too many tourists. At times it felt as if we were the only visitors there. Great place for snorkelling and the beach is amazing. Spent several nights looking at the stars on the beach with no-one else there, only endless sky full of stars. Got to see a turtle, rays and sharks there. 
In Maldives Oceanic Village all meals are served on the beach which in a resort they ask hundreds of dollars for. We took a local ferryboat to the island, it took 5,5 hours to get there but we enjoyed every minute of the ride as it was clear blue water around us and we got to learn more about local life. We had a truly wonderful time at Maldives Oceanic Village!

I recommend Maldives Oceanic Village for everyone!

We found out the Maldives have two faces:

First come the ridiculously overpriced Resorts (approx.120 of them, out of the 1,200 islands). If your dream for paradise is connected with a spa, thai massage and occasional cocktails by the swimming pool, Oceanic Village definitely is not your place.

After 2009, the Maldivian Government allowed inhabited islands (roughly 200 of them are out there) to benefit from tourism as well. So, small villas appeared in some settlements and that is where the second, much more attractive and humanly face shows out.

Oceanic Village is actually a set of several small villas (bedroom + rain shower in each), located 50 meters from the beach in a small island with 50-60 inhabitants. The facility is ran by two partners, Abdullah and Shirhaan, with a small team of local boys and a magnificent cook from Bangladesh. 

The rooms are spacious, clean, a nice mix between traditional architecture and modern appliances and style. BTW, much better looking than some in the 4-star resorts we have been checking. Sea is warm (29 degrees C in the middle of January), beach is literally uninhabited (really, no joke). All meals are served 5 meters from the water. Half of the island is a real jungle, coconuts are right above your head and you can have a fresh one anytime you ask for it ... for free and served with a wide smile :)

Here comes the main difference with the Resorts, and in two words it is: personal attitude.

We had the chance to spend the week with Abdullah (BTW, one of the two partners / owners will be there all the time). He and his boys really made us feel as part of the island family. No questions were left unanswered, no requests were neglected. Mind it, these guys were up at 6.00 am in the morning, and went to bed after us.... and they never stopped smiling. We did snorkeling at different neighboring islands and went out fishing for tuna and red snapper, cooked deliciously on our return and served fresh and still steaming... We were surprised with a trip to the neighboring deserted island only to have a small Friday evening traditional snack, food prepared by the mothers of Abdullah's boys. We played volleyball with the local youngsters, and on the last night, they gathered specially for us on the beach in front of the villas and made an improvised concert of local island songs, accompanied by several drums. The concert ended with everybody dancing. It was touching and really emotional.

Even if there were minor imperfections (and you can find some everywhere), we forgot them. Actually we did not care for them, as for the first time in years we managed to "reset" completely and to forget all our worries and business problems. That place is damn close to Paradise, or at least to our vision for it !

Thank you Abdullah and company, we will be back !

We will come back again. For sure!

Everything is easy at Oceanic Village, just relax!
My wife and I spent one week there and time went so fast. The staff is fantastic, the guys helped us with everything we needed. The food is very good and the cooks are okay to adapt their schedule. As an example we had a late dinner after a night dive, and everything was ready to satisfy our hungry stomachs when we returned.
The room is cleaned on a daily basis and made up with nice artwork on the bed.
Thinadhoo island is very small, the beach is the tropical kind you see in magazines and I couldn't stop watching the turquoise water. Two times in a row, we walked along the beach late in the evening and thanks to the full moon we were able to spot stingrays and even baby sharks swimming close to the beach. The last morning, we saw dolphins playing around from the beach where we were having breakfast.
Thanks again Oceanic Village Team!

We went diving with Blue Horizon and had a lot of fun over and underwater. Shakko and Rita are very professional, the dive sites are amazing and we saw a variety of species including eagle rays, reef sharks, turtles and schools of fusiliers. The night dive with nurse sharks in Alimantha is a must.
And we had a chance to see dolphins riding with the boat. That really left me with a smile for hours.

Unforgettable.
And highly recommended.

Tips:
- Prepare for mosquitoes, they're especially around in the evening. Don't hesitate to apply mosquito repellent on the speedboat before your arrival as they seem to love you more the first day.
- If you're prone to sea-sickness, consider taking motion signal pills before you board the speed boat as the ride can be a bit rough.

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