DThere are two Maldives, the way from one part to the other is short and expensive. There is about 600 meters between the Kuramathi resort and the neighboring island of Rasdhoo, you could swim or stand-up paddle across it. If you want to stay dry, a hotel ship takes you to Rasdhoo for a short trip. The crossing is free for the all-inclusive guests, the others pay $18. If you want to book a crossing individually, you pay double or triple, depending on the number of passengers.
The question of why one should go to Rasdhoo in the first place is not entirely unreasonable, at least from the perspective of hotel guests. In terms of tourist offer, the island cannot compete with the resort, although tourism has steadily developed since the first guesthouse opened on the island in 2011. Today there are around 30 of them, many of which show that their owners have gained experience in the island state’s luxury retreats and are now trying to implement it. But no matter how beautifully they fold the towels into swans, the small private accommodations cannot really keep up with the resorts, nor with the range of activities, spa treatments or children’s entertainment. The culinary offer, which rarely goes beyond curry variations and grilled fish in the restaurants of Rasdhoo, is no reason for a trip. And Rasdhoo, like all so-called, has no chance at all local islands, against the most compelling privilege of the hotel islands: alcohol is still only allowed there. For the majority of travelers to the Maldives, this makes a stay on the inhabited islands of the Muslim country unthinkable from the outset.