WhatsAppBook now
Canopy daybed on a terrace, its linen curtains framing a turquoise lagoon

Maafushi · Kaafu Atoll · Maldives

A twelve-room guesthouse on Maafushi

Four room types, two minutes from the house reef. Breakfast included.

  • Breakfast included
  • Free cancellation
  • Best rate here
  • Late checkout

Driftwood, Maafushi

Twelve rooms on the south side of Maafushi, a local island in Kaafu Atoll. The house reef is two minutes away on foot.

Rooms
12, in 4 types
Rates
From $180 per night
Breakfast
Included, 7 to 10am
Airport
35 minutes by speedboat

01The house

Coral stone, teak and lime plaster

Whitewashed veranda with white columns, opening onto a lawn, palms and a long pool
The veranda, late afternoon
Limestone terrace with two rattan loungers beside a small plunge pool
Garden terrace, 10am

Two storeys around a garden and a small pool, built between 2019 and 2023. Floors are reclaimed teak, walls are coral stone finished in lime plaster by hand, and every bed is made with washed linen.

About the house
Timber shutter set in a plaster wall, with palm shadows
Lime plaster and teak shutters
Bowls of watermelon, yoghurt and fruit on a terrace table, with juice and the sea behind
Breakfast on the terrace, 8am

Breakfast on the terrace

Served from 7 to 10am and included for every guest: fruit, eggs to order, roshi with mas huni, fresh juice, coffee and tea.

02Rooms

Four room types

Twelve rooms in all, each with its own balcony, courtyard, veranda or terrace. Rates include breakfast.

View all rooms

Reef View Room

Reef View Room

Queen bed · Sleeps 2 · 22 m² · Reef balcony

First-floor balcony facing the reef.

From $180 per night

BookView room

The courtyard, afternoon

Garden Suite

King bed · Sleeps 2 to 3 · 32 m² · Outdoor shower

Walled courtyard with an outdoor rain shower.

From $220 per night

BookView room

The beach in front of the house

Beachfront Room

Queen bed · Sleeps 2 to 3 · 26 m² · On the beach

Ground floor, the veranda steps down onto the sand.

From $240 per night

BookView room

The daybed, midday

Rooftop Suite

King bed · Sleeps 2 · 34 m² · Private terrace

Private west-facing terrace with a canopy daybed.

From $260 per night

BookView room

Rates through the year

January books up early. May has the most availability. Christmas and New Year are usually full by October, and the two Rooftop Suites go first. From May to October rates are at their lowest and most rooms are free.

See every date
  1. Oct$180
  2. Nov$189
  3. Dec$189
  4. Jan$216
  5. Feb$216
  6. Mar$216
  7. Apr$216
  8. May$180
  9. Jun$180
  10. Jul$180
  11. Aug$180
  12. Sept$180
  • Quiet season ×1.00
  • Shoulder ×1.05
  • High ×1.20
  • Peak ×1.35

Lowest nightly rate for a Reef View Room each month, before taxes. Every room follows the same seasons, from $180.

The house reef at the waterline: coral below, palms and the island above
House reef, 8am

03The reef

Two minutes from the door

The lagoon in front of the house is shallow and sandy for about forty metres, then drops to the reef wall at around twelve metres. Green and hawksbill turtles feed along the edge most mornings.

Masks, snorkels and fins are free to borrow. A guided swim leaves from the beach at 8:30 every morning.

Add to booking
Branching coral with a cloud of small orange reef fish
Hard coral on the reef wall

04Days out

Four ways to spend a day

Small groups with local guides, priced per person. Add them when you book, or arrange them once you are here.

View all experiences
A curved white sandbank in a turquoise lagoon, seen from above
The sandbank, fifteen minutes by boat
Snorkeler floating above coral in clear, shallow turquoise water

House reef, 9am

Snorkeling at the House Reef

3 hours · Daily from 8:30am · 6 guests at most

A guided swim along the reef edge, two minutes from the house.

$35 per person

Add to booking
Curved white sandbank in turquoise water, seen from above, with a boat moored nearby

The sandbank, low tide

Sandbank Picnic

5 hours · Daily from 12pm · 10 guests per boat

Lunch on a sandbank fifteen minutes away by boat.

$60 per person

Add to booking
Small pod of dolphins swimming in clear turquoise water, seen from above

Spinner dolphins, the west channel

Dolphin Sunset Cruise

1.5 hours · Daily from 5pm · 12 guests per boat

Ninety minutes on a wooden dhoni at sunset.

$45 per person

Add to booking
White sand path through palms and gardens on Maafushi

Maafushi, 4pm

Local Island Walk

1 hour · Daily except Friday, 4pm · 8 guests at most

An hour around the island with a local guide.

$20 per person

Add to booking

05Getting here

Thirty-five minutes from the airport

A speedboat crossing open water towards a palm-covered island
Shared speedboat, Velana to Maafushi

Driftwood is on Maafushi in Kaafu Atoll, south of Malé. We meet every boat at the jetty, five minutes from the house, with a trolley for your luggage.

Shared speedboat35 to 45 minutesabout $30 per person, each way
Private speedboatAbout 30 minutesabout $220 per boat, each way, up to 6 people
Public ferryAbout 1.5 hoursabout $2 per person, each way

Approximate crossing times and prices. We confirm the exact time and fare when we book it for you.

Getting here, step by step

On the island

Maafushi, Kaafu Atoll. Select a marker for walking times. Not to scale.

Walking times from the house

  • DriftwoodYou are hereTwelve rooms on the south side of the island. Breakfast on the terrace from 7 to 10am.
  • The house reef2 minutes on footWhere the lagoon drops to the reef wall. Turtles feed here most mornings.
  • Bikini beach6 minutes on footThe beach where swimwear is permitted. Loungers, shade and a juice bar.
  • Ferry and speedboat jetty5 minutes on footArrivals by speedboat and ferry. We meet every boat with a trolley for luggage.
  • Island center3 minutes on footSchool, mosque, shops and the football pitch.
  • Island tea shop4 minutes on footSweet black tea and hedhikaa, the late-afternoon fried snacks. Cash only.
  • Garden café3 minutes on footIced coffee and fresh juice in a shaded garden.
  • Sunset café12 minutes on footGrilled reef fish at the western tip of the island, facing the sunset.
  • Sandbank, this way15 minutes by boatA strip of white sand that changes shape with the tide. The picnic trip goes here.

Reviews

From guests

Sample reviews written for this concept, not real guests.

  • We snorkelled before breakfast every day and saw turtles twice. The balcony is small but the view is very good. Breakfast was good too, the mango especially.

    Hanna, Germany · Reef View Room · February 2026

  • Six nights in May. The rate was a lot lower than January and there was only us and one other couple on the sandbank trip. The outdoor shower was the best part of the room.

    Tom, United Kingdom · Garden Suite · May 2026

  • Booking on the website took about a minute. The terrace faces the sunset and we used the daybed every evening. They also arranged our speedboat from the airport.

    Aiko, Japan · Rooftop Suite · March 2026

Maafushi, 6pm

Book direct

January books up early. May has the most availability. Breakfast is included and cancellation is free up to 7 days before arrival.

Check availabilityAsk on WhatsApp