Overview: Kuredu, Maldives

Kuredu is a tiny jewel in the Indian Ocean that fulfils everyone’s idea of paradise.

At just one mile in length and 540 yards wide it is holiday heaven for 650 guests. Even when full it appears empty and it is full most of the time.

Surrounded by exquisite white sandy beaches and clear warm turquoise sea it is the perfect location for honeymoons and weddings and couples celebrating an anniversary or wanting a very special holiday.

But Kuredu is also the perfect resort for divers and snorkellers as it is just minutes away from some of the finest diving sites in the world.

Geology

The Maldives started as a chain of oceanic volcanoes.

Over millions of years the volcanoes subsided into the ocean often leaving just part the crater exposed. As the volcanoes sank reefs were formed by tiny organisms. Sometimes the volcanoes sank faster than the reefs could grow leaving them under water. In other instances the reefs were left exposed and formed atolls.

Today the Maldives consists of 1192 island.

The People

The indigenous people of the Maldives were the Giraavaru. In the 12th century a visiting Prince from Sri Lanka settled on the neighbouring island of Male and having adopted the Islamic religion ruled the country for 13 years.

The Giraavaru were forced to move from their native island due to changing weather patterns that took the bulk of their island back into the sea and in 1968 they were ferried to Hulhule Island and then eventually forced into apartment blocks in an isolated part of Male.

Today the Giraavaru are almost extinct.

Kuredu was uninhabited until 1987 when construction of the resort began.

Location

Kuredu is located in the Lhaviyani Atoll and is the northernmost resort in the Maldives and also one of the largest.

80 miles north of Male it is a 45 minute journey by seaplane.

Weather

The average year round temperature is 25 – 30 C. May to October is the rainy season although the rain is usually short-lived and often a welcome relief from the humidity which is consistently at around 80% all year. November to May is the dry season.

Currency

The local currency is the Rufiyaa but no-one seems to want it. The US Dollar is the preferred currency.

Tipping

It is customary to tip at the end of your stay with the exception of the man that delivers your luggage to the room who will expect a tip immediately.

Tips are normally given to your cleaner, waiter/waitress and bar favourite barman. $10 for a seven night stay and $20 for a fourteen night stay will be adequate. The average wage for the island staff is around $100 per month.

You should tip the snorkelling and diving instructors direct but also leave a tip in the “tin” in the ProDivers shop for the men that do all the carrying of tanks and equipment etc.

Electricity

Kuredu uses a 13 amp 240v system as in the U.K. You do not need any electrical adaptors.

Communications

There are internet and email facilities at the resort and every island in the Maldives appears to have a mobile telephone mast! It is quite surreal to be sitting on a beach in the Indian Ocean calling your folks back home.

Wildlife

Apart from the hundreds of varieties of fish there are fruit bats, rabbits, lizards, herons and a wide variety of bird-life.