Michaela2022年1月

Great accommodation right next to the beach, delicious food & helpful host willing to help with anything we needed. Kids loved the lovely terrace with a swing!

Michael2021年12月

We had an amazing stay with our two kids at the Koimala Beach Inn! We stayed for two months, and wished we could have stayed at least twice as long. The location is perfect. It feels tucked away, quiet and private, but it's very close to the main bikini beach area (50-250m, depending on which part of the beach you want to go to) as well as restaurants, shops, etc. The food is delicious. Our booking only included breakfast, and we were originally planning to try some of the other restaurants on the island for our other meals. But the food at Koimala was so good and so reasonably priced, and the atmosphere was so pleasant, that we ended up eating almost every single meal there. Yes, for two months! The kids loved the food too, and Abdulla was very kind and creative about adjusting meals to fit our preferences when necessary. (For example, adapting fish dishes to suit a non-fish-eater.) The breakfasts (in particular the two Maldivian-style breakfast options) were delicious and filling and the included fruit plate was a nice touch.(We later found out that they also offer half and full board options, so ask about that if you're interested.) The rooms are well-designed with nice touches like rain shower heads, universal power sockets and gentle indirect lighting. Traveling with two small children, we also really appreciated the built-in desk and shelves that gave us lots of space to put things out of reach of little hands. There were also lots of nice extras included that we didn't expect, like free filtered drinking water, beach towels and beach chairs, and free snorkeling gear to borrow. Each meal in the restaurant included free drinking water and fruit juice, which was a very nice touch. We were happy to see that Abdulla was making efforts to reduce plastic waste on the island by using stainless steel straws (the kids loved them) and reusable glass water bottles. For us, the garden was even more important than the room itself. It was the thing that made us choose Koimala when booking our stay, and it was even better than we expected. The photos in the listing don't do it justice. The garden is compact, but is designed in such a way that it really defines the atmosphere of the guesthouse. There's nothing like sitting on a swing hanging from the coconut palms, gazing up at the stars and enjoying a gentle tropical breeze. The restaurant tables are also set in the garden (under a thatched roof), so you can dig your toes into powdery white sand and watch the swaying palms while enjoying your meal. This won't be relevant for everyone, but since we had two small children with us (ages 1 and 4), the garden was incredibly practical as an outdoor play space. It is walled, with a gate/door at each entrance, so we could let the kids run around freely without worrying that they would disappear. This was particularly nice during meals, and also as a covered play space during the occassional rain shower. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the people at Koimala are amazing. We quickly felt at home there, and by the time we left, everyone there felt like family. Abdulla works tirelessly to be sure that all of his guests are happy and taken care of. (He used to work at some of the most exclusive restaurants and resorts in the Maldives, and is clearly master of the 'guest experience'.) He's also a really nice and interesting guy, and we loved just chatting with him, hearing about his experiences, interests and plans, and learning more about the history and culture of the Maldives. Faruk, Lakey and Auntie all quickly befriended our kids and carried them around, took them for walks, helped them to pick fruit, etc. We miss them all and still keep in touch. tl;dr: Book Koimala. You won't be sorry.