If you’re planing a family holiday in the Maldives with kids, then Kuredu Island Resort & Spa should be high on your list.
With its crystal clear water, 160 resident turtles, baby shark and manta nursery, fabulous brand new Kids Club, swimming pools, white sand and sunset on the amazing sandbar – there is literally nothing more you could want to complete your dream Maldives experience. It’s the perfect Maldives family holiday.
We had a fabulous time, made new friends and relaxed on the whitest sand and in the bluest water. We even caught and ate emperor fish on a fishing excursion. So much fun!
Where is Kuredu?
Kuredu is in the Lhaviyani Atoll atoll, 145 kilometres – about a 40 flight by seaplane – from Male. The resort will organise your connection from Male airport to the seaplane – which is only a few minutes from the international terminal. The seaplane flight is amazing as you fly over water in so many shades of blue, tiny islands and atolls – and it’s so much fun to watch the barefoot pilots manually flying the plane. As usual when we are on aircraft, Emmie slept 90% of the way.
On arrival you’ll step off onto the jetty and escorted onto the island and the whitest of white sand. You’ll be greeted by staff drumming and clapping and it’s a really lovely welcome to the start of your adventure at Kuredu.
About the island:
Kuredu is the second largest island in the Maldives but that said, it’s still not that big and takes around an hour to walk around. There are three resorts on the island and facilities are shared where appropriate – the other two pools are 12+ and adults only, but Kuredu’s beach front pool is more than sufficient for little ones and there is a shallow baby pool right next to it. And of course, you can swim anywhere!
Rooms:
We stayed in a Jacuzzi Beach Villa spa room – one of the most popular on the island because they are right on the beach! You literally walk out of your room onto the beach. Each morning I would open the doors to sunrise and wander a few steps for a dip in the ocean. Bliss! The bathroom is outdoor and huge – who doesn’t love an outdoor shower?! There’s also a daybed and spa which Emmie enjoyed a huge bubble bath in.
Check out all the different style rooms here including family pool villas.
Dining:
There are all-inclusive packages here at the resort which are really helpful as everything is already organised for you. You can check them out here. We had full board and it’s a lot of food all day – there so much delicious food at breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as afternoon tea. The buffet restaurants are so nice – the floor is sand, the staff are amazingly attentive and kind and the variety of fresh food – including my favourite Maldivian breakfast – is huge. And in what is the signature style of this resort, there is so much space for guests as there are two main restaurants for meals – so it never feels busy or crowded.
The Beach restaurant:
We were treated to a birthday dinner here at the Beach Restaurant and it was easily one of the best meals I’ve had. I mean imagine – our table was literally in the sand on the beach, lit by candlelight and under the stars. It was an amazing setting complemented by the incredible dishes and wine.
When you visit Kuredu you must dine here. Emmie had lamb chops and I ate grilled lobster (and to be perfectly honest I don’t usually like lobster and this was AMAZING!). The service from Suma our waiter was perfect and the experience really was something special – it’s a must when you visit Kuredu.
Kids Club:
The Kids Club is sparkling new and is really impressive. The garden is shaded and full of swings and climbing equipment including a rock climbing wall and a pirate ship!
Inside there’s a huge ball pit, craft tables and a huge movie screen that lowers from the ceiling for movie night – kids sit in beanbags and watch a movie together…adults are welcome too, we watched Transylvania 2.
There’s brand new child sized bathroom, an air-conditioned room in case the kids need to cool down or nap – there are two beds – plus a nursery for smaller children.
Soni who runs the Kids Club is absolutely lovely and takes such good care of the children. The Club is open from 9am – 6pm complimentary and from 6pm – 9pm is $10 per hour. Children from 3 -12 years old are welcomed, with kids under three requiring a carer or guardian to be with them – babysitters can be organised at the resort.
Bike hire and water sports:
We hired bikes and rode around the island – lots of fun but you do run the risk of a sore bum if you’re not used to riding! There are lots of water sports to try – from snorkelling and scuba to paddle and row boats and stand up paddleboarding.
Turtles! Island snorkelling and house reef
The island is home to around 160 turtles and you would have to be very unlucky to not see some when you snorkel out at the main beach and house reef. We spotted four on our first snorkel including this awesome oldie. We also saw reef sharks out the front of our villa. For marine life this resort is really great – especially for turtles! Everyone wants to see turtles!
Amazing excursions:
There are many day trips to choose from on the island – like snorkelling the house reef, visiting turtle sanctuaries, snorkelling trips to other islands and fishing expeditions. One of the great things about Kuredu is that they never crowd any of their activities, there is always lots of space and room to move. The average amount of people on a boat trip is eight, and the boats are huge! There are more people on the sunset cruise but still, the boats are in no way crowded.
We went on a fishing trip and we had the BEST afternoon. I do recommend you take this one if you can. We went out into the ocean and the crew set Emmie and I up with hand lines and gloves – we were the only ones aboard! The crew baited the hooks and showed us how to cast to feel for bites and to pull the line in.
It was so much fun. We sat there gazing over blue water, lines in our hands, watching the crew reeling in fish to take home for the island staff and waiting for our bites. And then we both caught a fish! Em actually caught two but one was a trigger fish that we threw back – not good eating! We both had a delicious emperor fish which the crew began filleting while we pulled up the anchor and headed off for a snorkel.
Oh woowwwww the water was so amazing. It was the bluest blue and there was no one around. We glided over corals and fish of so so many colours. We spotted a turtle and sea cucumbers and had a really lovely snorkel around before heading back to the boat.
Onboard our lunch was ready – our freshly caught emperors had been grilled and served to us with a fresh salad, fruit and drinks.
After lunch we motored home to Kuredu – happy happy happy. If you’re visiting the Maldives with kids then this is definitely a trip the whole family will love.
Sandbar:
Like a magnet the sandbar pulled us to it every day…a long white tail of sand stretching out from the end of the island – it is just so beautiful. The white sand is so bright and is lapped at either side by crystal clear water. If you want to laze around nearby there are sunbeds and a gorgeous love swing.
Sunset is stunning from this point, you’ll be seeing every night from here most likely.
Sai Kotari:
In the evenings head out to Sai Kotari at the end of the jetty for drinks, sweets and an amazing view of the ocean at night. Seats overlook at the water where a big spotlight has been placed – you can watch sharks, turtles and fish swim past you.On the way out look in the water around the boats for sharks, and to the left of the jetty on the sand check out the bioluminescence.
The Nursery:
There’s a certain part of Kuredu island known as the nursery – it’s where baby sharks and stingrays come to grow. It’s truely amazing to see little black tipped reef sharks gliding past, and tiny rays hanging in the shallows. We loved the nursery and it’s a fabulous spot for kids to grow their interest in marine life.
Social – parties and events:
Check the social calendar online before you leave for the island – there’s a weekly white party and a 70’s disco as well as live music and a crab race – we bought a crab, not the winning crab – although if we had kept bidding on the one Emmie wanted we would have won the race (but spent a lot of money!). So pack some costumes and get ready for some fun pool parties and events each evening!
We had a fabulous time at Kuredu. It’s new focus on families makes it a fabulous Maldives resort for families. We also loved the Sun Siyam Iru Fushi, the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa and we spent some lazy days on the local island of Thulusdhoo. Read this for tips on choosing the best Maldives resort for your family.
