A Beachfront Guesthouse in the Maldives
Belmar Beach is a 15-room guesthouse on the bikini beach of Bodufolhudhoo, a local island in Ari Atoll, with a house reef you can snorkel straight from the sand.
What is a guesthouse in the Maldives?
In the Maldives, a guesthouse is a small hotel on a local island: an inhabited island with its own community, rather than an island given over to a single resort.
The sea is the same. The reefs, the manta rays of Ari Atoll and the white sand are there whether you stay on a resort or on a local island. What changes is the setting around you: friendly locals, quiet streets lined with tropical plants, and a pace of life guided by the ocean.
A guesthouse is also smaller. Belmar Beach has 15 rooms across two floors: an intimate alternative to a large resort, with warm personal service.
Local island or resort island?
On a resort island, the hotel is the whole island. On a local island you stay inside a real Maldivian community, and you see island life beyond the resorts: you can explore the village and chat with the people who live here.
For swimming and sunbathing, Bodufolhudhoo has a bikini beach: a designated area where tourists can swim and sunbathe freely, with soft white sand and clear turquoise water. At Belmar Beach, that beach is right in front of the hotel.
Why Belmar Beach: a guesthouse on the beach
On the beach, facing west
The guesthouse sits on the beachfront and faces west, so every evening ends with a sunset over the lagoon. The ground-floor beachfront rooms have direct beach access: step outside your door and you are on the sand.
On the bikini beach
Belmar Beach stands on the island's bikini beach, so there is nowhere to walk to before your first swim. The lagoon in front of the hotel is calm year-round, which makes it a good place for families with children.
The house reef from the beach
Snorkel straight from the beach. Within minutes you are over coral with sea turtles, reef sharks, octopus and hundreds of species of tropical fish.
A restaurant on the sand
Bistro by the Sea is our ground-floor restaurant, opening directly onto the beach. Fresh reef fish, Maldivian curries, pasta and pizza, with the ocean in view at every meal.
What a stay at our guesthouse includes
Nine room types
From beachfront doubles on the ground floor to suites with a balcony and sea view upstairs, across 15 rooms. Every room has air conditioning and free WiFi.
See all rooms →Meals on site
Choose Bed & Breakfast, Half Board or Full Board when you book, and upgrade at any time during your stay. Our kitchen is happy to accommodate allergies and dietary requirements.
The restaurant and meal plans →Excursions from the beach
Manta ray snorkeling, sunset fishing, sandbank trips and dolphin cruises leave from the beach in front of the hotel. Whale sharks are a full-day excursion to South Ari. A dive center and water sports are on the island too.
All activities →Getting to a local island guesthouse
There are three ways to reach Bodufolhudhoo, in North Ari Atoll, from Velana International Airport in Malé.
Speedboat
A 90-minute ride from the airport straight to Bodufolhudhoo, with scheduled departures every day.
Seaplane
A 20-minute flight to nearby Gangehi, then a 5-minute boat ride that we arrange for you. Reserve it at least 4 days before you travel.
Public ferry
About 5 hours on the government ferries, daily except Fridays.
Send us your flight details as soon as your travel is booked, and we arrange your transfer. At the airport, our representative meets you at Counter D17 in Terminal 2 arrivals.
Bodufolhudhoo itself is small and quiet, with local shops, a mosque and its bikini beach for visitors.
Transfer options and times · Public ferry schedules · About Bodufolhudhoo island
How to choose a guesthouse in the Maldives
Before you book a guesthouse, these are the questions worth asking, and how Belmar Beach answers each one.
- Is it on the beach or inland?
- On the beachfront. The ground-floor rooms have direct beach access.
- How far is the bikini beach?
- No distance at all: the guesthouse stands on it.
- Is there a house reef?
- Yes. You snorkel the house reef straight from the beach.
- How long is the transfer from Malé?
- About 30 minutes by seaplane and boat, or 90 minutes by speedboat.
- Can you eat on site?
- Yes. Bistro by the Sea is on the beach, with Bed & Breakfast, Half Board and Full Board.
- Who answers your questions?
- Our front desk, on WhatsApp, in English, Italian, Russian, German or Spanish.
We reply in your language on WhatsApp
Write to our front desk on WhatsApp in English, Italian, Russian, German or Spanish and we reply in the same language, usually within the hour, before you book or during your stay.
Message us on WhatsAppQuestions about staying in a Maldives guesthouse
What is a guesthouse in the Maldives?
How is a local island different from a resort?
Is there a bikini beach?
How do I get to Belmar Beach from Malé airport?
Which meals are available?
Can I see manta rays and whale sharks?
Which languages does the front desk reply in?
How do I book?
Stay on the beach in the Maldives
Check availability for your dates, or message us on WhatsApp with any question about your stay.
Check Availability