How to honeymoon in the Maldives: Hulhumale

In search of lovers’ paradise

Being the beach bums that we were, there was no better way to spend our honeymoon than on a tropical island.

Yes, I know the Philippines is a tropical island (a group of many, in fact) and a beautiful one at that, but we wanted to experience this famous country because BEACH.

The Maldives is composed of 26 atolls in the Indian Ocean. An atoll is a round-shaped group of coral-formed islands. Because of this, the usual transportation mode between places is by ferry or speedboat.

The capital of the Maldives is Malé, which is a different island from where the airport, Velana International Airport, is located. Attached to the airport island is Hulhumale, a smaller, quieter, more suburban version of Malé.

Hulhamale: the suburban side of the Maldives

Hulhumale is a suburban island attached to the airport island where most tourists find overnight accommodation before going to their island destination.

Note that you can also get to the island where you will be staying at right away via speedboat.

Since we arrived at night, we opted to stay at a guesthouse in Hulhumale. Our host was waiting for us at the bus stop on Nirolhu Magu (that’s the name of the street; magu = road or street), and we walked about 2 minutes to the apartment-style building.

If transitioning to another island, there is no need to stay in a fancy hotel room

We booked the place on Airbnb and it was good for an overnight stay: neat, had an ensuite bathroom, a closet, and Wi-Fi access.

The host was very helpful, and toiletries and towels were provided.

You have to dine on the beach

We left our bags in our room and then took a stroll to find a place to eat. It wasn’t that hard. We just turned a corner, walked into an alley near our guesthouse, and voila! – we were at an eatery fronting the beach. Well, there was a road in between, but they set up tables and chairs right there on the sand. Just how I like it.

I was very excited to try Maldivian food, so I ordered local: tuna fried rice. It was very spicy and quite to my liking.

It was only about 10 p.m. (1 a.m. the next day in the Philippines), and I would have wanted to take a stroll, but my groom was tired and wanted nothing but to snooze in bed.

Stroll around Hulhumale in the morning

In the morning, we woke up at 7 a.m. and decided visit Male. We wanted the see the Maldivian city life and I needed to find an optical shop. I had left my contact lenses at home and I wanted to be able to see clearly when I went snorkeling.

Our host said there might be a couple of optical shops in Hulhumale we could check, but we opted for the chance to see the capital.

I actually like Hulhumale better than Malé because it is more spacious – wider roads, less vehicles, more open spaces and less people. And it has a beach!

Of course, Malé, being the capital, is where you can get almost anything.

We could’ve taken the bus that goes around the island, but it was such a lovely day for a stroll. We really packed light so we could be free to walk around.

At 7 a.m., most of the eateries and shops were still closed. We just walked on, hoping for a place open to have breakfast.

We took Dhigga Magu, the beachfront street where we ate the previous night. The morning sun shone on the white-sand beach. Beautiful as it was, this man-made beach was actually created for Hulhumale by taking sand from other islands.

The effect is very appealing. No structures on the beach (as it should be). All buildings, most of which have shops and eateries occupying the first floors, are set back on the opposite side of Dhigga Magu.

On the beach are chairs and tables where customers could enjoy their food, with the ocean as the backdrop and the sound of the tide washing up on the white shoreline.

Some shops offer water sports like jet skis and water cruises. You can actually spend your entire vacation in Hulhumale and still get whatever Maldives has to offer.

For me though, I still want the whole island experience. I want that unspoilt beach with fishes swimming in shallow waters. I just got excited again!

Find eateries and shops along Huvandhumaa Hingun

We turned towards the park on Huvandhumaa Hingun (that’s the name of the street) and passed by a commercial center with shops, a market and some eateries already open.

I really liked walking on the wide tree-lined road and the big open space.

Spend an hour or two in Hulhumale Central Park

We reached the park and it was vast. Just a huge space of green grass with trees here and there. You can really let your children run around here and you won’t have to worry about where they are – there isn’t a lot of places to hide. The whole area is just big wide open space.

We finally reached the other side of the island, where there was a ferry terminal for Male.

Hulhumale ferry terminal: when you want to visit the capital

We bought tickets to Male at the terminal and waited for the ferry. There is free Wi-Fi if you use a local SIM card. Soon the ferry arrived and all passengers boarded.

Ferry trips are scheduled about every 15–20 minutes, so you need not wait long.

The ferry trip from Hulhumale to Male took about 15 minutes.

Although I wasn’t planning on visiting the capital, I still got excited when I saw the tall buildings of Male from the ferry as we approached the dock.

That ends our stay on Hulhumale. I think you can actually spend your whole trip here because it has everything. There are beachfront hotels right there on Dhigga Magu or you can stay in one of the guest houses on Nirolhu Magu (like we did).

The beach is mere steps away, and you would not mind the walk because Hulhumale is very suburban. The streets are very conducive for strolls, there is a nice park, the shops close late and the eateries close even later. They do open late, too! Water sport equipment rentals are available, so you won’t miss out on all the water fun.

For us, though, Hulhumale was just a stop. Our main destination was a local Maldivian island on Ari atoll, quite a few kilometres away. Before we got there, we had to stop over the capital, Male.

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