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Kaani Grand Seaview Hotel Maafushi Review

While we were on Maafushi Island in the Maldives, we stayed in the Kaani Grand Seaview hotel, which is also this review. 

If you would like to learn everything about Maafushi and how to get there, things to do and prices for a budget holiday in the Maldives, check out my article below.

We booked the Kaani Grand Seaview due to the reviews and the cost of the rooms. 

We wanted a family room with a sea view, which was the best option. 

How to Get to Kaani Grand Seaview Hotel Maafushi

boat to Kaani Grand Maafushi

Once we had completed the booking online, I had booked through my American Express travel portal. They had an offer for £100 cashback when spending £400 on Amex Travel. I messaged the Kaani Hotels on Instagram

They provided me with a WhatsApp number, and from there, we just communicated swiftly with them to arrange transport. 

There are a few options for travelling to Maafushi from Male airport. 

Option 1

You can take the hotel speedboat, which is the easiest and most comfortable way and what we did. 

They have several transfers a day, but if, like us, you arrive earlier you can just wait in the airport and enjoy a coffee. 

We had to wait for 2 hrs as we arrived at 12 pm and the boat was scheduled to leave at 2 pm. 

The transfer cost with the Kaani hotel speedboat is only $20 per person per way. This includes children, so even though my daughter is only 2 years old, we still paid for her.  

Once it was time for the boat, we went to the Kaani hotel stand outside the airport arrivals terminal. We were escorted to the boat opposite the airport. 

Don’t worry, the airport is small so you will not get lost. 

The whole process took 10 minutes with loading our bags. 

Option 2

The other option is to book a private boat to take you; however, the quote I received was $250 for up to 6 people, and since we were only 4, it was not worth it. 

We decided to wait in the airport for the speedboat; after all, we were doing the Maldives on a budget at the first leg of our journey. 

Option 3

Your last and cheapest transfer option in the Maldives is the local ferry; however, this takes about 2 hours, and you will have to catch it from the port. Although it only costs $2 per way.

You can read more about Maafushi and transfer in my Maafushi guide. 

Kaani Grand Seaview Hotel
Hotel Entrance

Arrival and Check-in at Kaani Grand Seaview 

The speedboat ride to Masfushi takes about 40minutes, and it is an enjoyable ride as you pass by several resorts. 

Once we docked into Maafushi, we had Kaani Grand Seaview hotel staff waiting to escort us to the hotel. 

Reception

Since they have advanced knowledge of our names and arrival time, the check-in process was easy and swift. 

The hotel is located in the island’s tourist area and just on the tourist (bikini) beach.

Your walk to the beach is only one minute. 

The Lobby

Family Seaview Room 

The Family room

The room we were allocated was on the last floor and a corner room; it was a family room with one double bed and one single bed. There is a cheaper option of a quadruple room, but they are corner rooms, so they don’t have a full sea view. 

The view from our room was fantastic

The hotel is a few years old but well maintained. 

The bathroom was a good size, and there was a fridge in the room we used. 

bathroom was spacious

Of course, the best part of the room was the balcony and its view. 

Also, during the day, we could even hear the Athan at times for prayer. 

Our view

Facilities

The hotel has a small gym on-site as well as a spa. We did have a nice foot massage. It is not a luxury experience, but for a budget hotel, it was excellent and relaxing. 

Most people who come to Maafushi or the Maldives in general, especially on local islands, have a budget holiday and explore some of the tours available. 

The hotel offers plenty of tour options which are very reasonably priced. 

Some start from $55 per person for half a day exploration, swimming, lunch and sandbank. 

You can also book many water activities with the hotel or the Maafushi dive/water centre. 

We had asked for a personalised option with dolphin watching, lunch and swimming and the price they had offered was very good in my opinion at $250 for 4 people for 3 hours. Considering the Waldorf Itaafushi charges five times this, I find that the experience is similar but on a smaller budget. 

The gym

Food options Kaani Beach Hotel 

One of the things that let the hotel down is the breakfast and dinner situation. From reading reviews on Tripadvisor before booking, I knew I shouldn’t have high expectations from breakfast; however, the experience was disappointing. 

Not everything was covered, so there were flies in many fruits and cheese options, so we ended up with boiled eggs and toasts. 

breakfast area

There was not much choice. Also, latte and espresso are an extra charge, so just keep this in mind, 

If you consider going for a half board, I would advise against this as there are many restaurants and options around the hotel. 

I was initially considering going half board, but after reading the reviews, I am happy we had the freedom to choose. 

On our second morning, we were offered breakfast at the Kaani Palm Beach hotel, which is just next door. Although the hotel is newer and modern, the breakfast was similar. 

Things to Know 

There is a mini-market within the hotel, and also there is a supermarket five minutes walk where you can buy food, snacks and drinks. We bought a lot of drinks and also milk for my daughter. 

I would advise against leaving food on the balcony since there are crows that like to attack it. We left a bag one night, and it was all over the floor in the morning. 

There are plenty of food options around and also souvenir stores in the tourist area. The island is tiny so everything is very close and I would recommend you shop and check prices for souvenirs as they are cheaper than at Male airport. 

the beach

The hotel charges everything in US dollars and also the mini-market. The supermarket gave me options for local currency or dollars. 

When travelling, I use a Wise or Revolut card since the currency exchange is cheaper and much safer if using it in such places. 

the hotel from the beach

If you want to take cash out, there is an ATM of the Bank of Maldives on the island, and it is where we took money out for tips. 

I do recommend taking money either in local currency or in USD and giving some tips out since the staff are friendly and do long work hours. 

The staff are always welcome and happy to help, and we did have a great time. 

You can watch my Youtube video on Maafushi Island here.

Overall 

romantic dinner at night

The Kaani hotels offer a great budget option for travelling to the Maldives on the cheap. You can find the Kaani Grand Seaview for £60 a night. Considering you are in the middle of the Indian Ocean surrounded by beautiful nature, it is an excellent price. 

Our stay was relaxing, we had a great time, the room was spacious for the whole family and a one-minute walk to the beach. 

Overall I would happily go back and visit any other of their properties or the Kaani Grand Seaview hotel again.

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