엘비스 블랑쿠라(Lvis Blancura Hotel)

Small boutique hotel right by the bikini beach. Location is marvelous as you are 20m away from a beautiful beach and blue sea. Of course you do not find the endless open buffet tables you find in 5-6 star resorts but you aren't leaving the dining area feeling hungry. They arrange tours out to the reefs and diving spots at reasonable prices. The staff is very helpful sincere.

Having been travelling to the Maldives for the past 28 years this was our first "guesthouse" experience. We stayed in a village room a minutes walk from the main hotel. 10 days of blissful peace. Transfer from Male airport arranged by the hotel with transfer taxi on arrival at Dharavandhoo. Room very comfortable, spotlessly clean, enormous bed and bathroom with choice of indoor or outdoor shower, toiletries provided. Outside seating area with water, tea and coffee making area available 24hours. A very useful drying area also provided making it very simple to wash and dry swimwear etc. Free WiFi available, we had good speed when using the Internet. Beach towels and yoga mats also provided. Excursions available from the hotel, good snorkeling from the hotel beach and also boat trips to other sites are an option. Unfortunately the Manta rays had left Hanifaru before we arrived but still a beautiful area to see turtles, sharks, many small fish varieties and hard corals. We were fortunate to see dolphins frequently over our stay. The bikini beach and local beach are kept very clean, sunbeds are provided by the hotel. Staff are truly lovely, nothing is too much trouble. The kitchen team went above and beyond to cater for our 3 years old Granddaughter's tastes every day. Food excellent, better than any of the resorts we have previously stayed at. The Maldivian night buffet meal was beyond excellent, no drummers/dancers but true Maldivian food, just perfect! Owners also take an active role in excursions , dealing with guests needs, arranging transfers etc and are very approachable. Wishing I could remember everyone's names, but to all at LVIS you now have a very special place in our hearts, we will see you all again, it took 28 years to find you we won't lose you now!!!!!

Excellent small hotel located right on bikini beach. Friendly staff, they really make you feel a valued guest. Rooms are complete and clean. Food is of excellent quality and with the buffets they have a good variation or when they serve a la carte they have plenty of choices. So a well deserved 5 out of 5 stars.

The rooms have a good size and are equipped with everything you need: enough storage space, hairdrier, fridge, safe, etc. We could sleep very well in the bed and the AC provided a much needed cool air. The rooms get a quick clean every morning. There are lots of different possibilities to chill in the garden and on the beach which is directly in front of the hotel building. The island does not offer many places to eat, but fortunately the food provided by the hotel kitchen is cheap and tastes very good. They even managed to provide something different for the dinner every day on our 7 days stay. The tours provided are OK, with the Mantas snorkeling tour being the main one that is done every time there is a possibility to see these cool animals. Unfortunately most of the tours are very weather dependent and get canceled pretty often. The hotel reef is great, filled with hundreds of different fishes. Flying foxes flying around on the island are another cool animals you can spot. The internet was very slow. After a small sandy part, the entrance to the water is filled with stones and dead corals so it is best to have shoes on. The island does not offer many activities, so if you are not snorkeling or diving it is not much else to do.

Very quiet place, connected to nature, clean place and comfortable. What made the difference in this place was the very attentive staff that help us to book flights in a day that other hotels told us that nothing was available. Service was great and they treat us like king and queen. Thanks so much to Lishan, Sumesh, Biraj and Sohel. For sure a place I will go back.

You have a huge buffet with different choices. They will also cook other stuff if you ask for it. The location is amazing and the full hotel area is very clean and calm. The stuff is super friendly and helpfull they organise your tours and give you many tips around the island. They will pick you up at the airport carry your baggage and welcome you with a selfmade fruit drink. Highly recommanded! Also there is a riff right in front of the hotel where you can see turtles, rays and so much more!!

This was my 4th visit to Dharavandhoo and I have always stayed at this small hotel without any complaints. Dharavandhoo is a local island with the only airport in the Baa Atoll, therefore it is very convenient to travel here from Male, the capital city of the Maldives. The LVIS Blancura management has always helped me to book my domestic flights between Male and Dharavandhoo all these years without any hiccups. This hotel has 3 room categories, I always take the highest room category, which are the rooms located in the original building that is located right on bikini beach. The room rates here are very affordable, I paid USD100 per night for my room and it includes breakfast for 2. The rooms of this hotel in the village are slightly cheaper but away from the beach. Guests have a small drying yard with clotheslines to hang out their washing, if you wish to wash your clothes. Since this is a local island, visitors can wear bikinis and swimming trunks only on bikini beach and not on the public beach closer to the village. Recently, the Maldivian government had to construct a rock wall in the sea just off the shoreline of bikini beach to protect the beach from sea erosion. Even though the scenery looks a bit different now, we can still swim and snorkel from the beach as usual, and there are still plenty of reef fish to see just off the beach. The meals here cost USD10 per person for lunch and USD15 per person for dinner, and it includes a Friday local buffet dinner plus a barbeque dinner on Wednesdays. These are the cheapest and best meals anyone could ever get in the Maldives, which is famous for exorbitant high-end resorts! This hotel also organizes full-day snorkeling and sandbank picnic excursions for their guests at USD45 per person, including lunch. The manta snorkeling trips to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Hanifaru Bay costs USD60 per person. Please remember to bring your own snorkeling equipment(mask, snorkel & fins) because this place doesn't have any water sports gear to rent out. The staff of this hotel are very friendly and helpful, they can help you to make arrangements for just about anything you wish to do or see around these islands. Kudos to all the staff and the management of this hotel, for their excellent service rendered to me all these years! Please take note that this hotel doesn't serve any alcoholic beverages nor serve pork. This place doesn't have any after-dinner entertainment, loud music, wild parties or anything like that. Dharavandhoo is ideal for a quiet and relaxing beach holiday, for snorkeling and scuba diving with mantas, whale sharks, giant stingrays, eagle rays, moray eels and lots of tropical reef fish. Bonus tip: In the evenings, you can get to see lots of giant stingrays and sharks gather in the sea next to the fish market, which is located next to the harbour. This is the nightly entertainment for visitors and it's complimentary! I wish everyone Good Health and Safe Travels always!

Excelent guesthouse right at the bikini beach ( we have been to many many local islands and this is very rare). The staff is out of this world, so kind and helpful! Great rooms, with everything that you may need, simple but good breakfast, great and very tasteful dinner by the beach, water, coffee and tea facilities, very good wifi. The beach is very relaxing but unfortunately there are rock barriers all around. So close to Hanifaru bay and many other excursions and day trips. The snorkeling is gorgeus and just steps from your room. Very good welcoming and easy transfer out with the shuttle bus from air company Manta Air - great flight with amazing views! Thank you very much guys! Alexandre from Brazil

Stayed at this beach front beautiful hotel with an excellent service. Went to hanifaru bay for 3 days and had a stunning time with the number of minimum 80 plus mantarays. I would 100% recommend this hotel to stay. Food here is excellent and rooms are cleaned. Beach is just infront of the hotel and its white soft sandy beach.