Annama Lodge and Dive

I went on a friend's recommendation for a properly local, Maldivian, off the beaten track experience and Annama exceeded all my expectations. Momo discovered all his dive sites himself and had a different recommendation for every day based on current, tide, weather and what I was hoping to photograph. We dived so slowly, it was blissful! Just me, a great buddy, and all the time I wanted to compose my images. The dive boat takes upto six, so small groups are possible, but as a solo diver with specific requests, it was perfect. He's also a fantastic naturalist and spotter and found everything I asked for. If you had a nervous buddy, or are someone with anxiety, this would also be a great option because there is all the time in the world to get comfortable, wait for your ears, feel confident, dive within your limits etc. etc. The rooms in the lodge are big, with aircon, hot water shower and fast wifi. The seafood was the freshest you're ever going to get. Often the fish came home with us after our day on the islands. I cannot recommend it enough for long, slow, chill dives.

We stayed at the guesthouse for two weeks, and it was fantastic! The house, the location, and the beach with its own little hut are amazing! But the best part is Momo and his entire team. They are all wonderful, friendly, and helpful people who ensure you have a great vacation. Whether it's a beach holiday, snorkeling, diving, boat tours, or other excursions, there are so many options, and Momo has plenty of insider tips. Plus, you can experience the real Maldives there. Absolutely recommended!

We, family of 4 with 2 teenage daughters, stayed for 2 weeks at the Annama Lodge. It was the best Maldives experience we had, after visits on the Holiday island, Kuramathi and Kuredu. While we loved our holidays on the resort islands, the individual service provided by Momo, the owner of the Annama lodge, beats every resort experience. The lodge is small, only 7 rooms, but very clean and the rooms are big with huge, comfortable beds. The AC has no problem keeping the rooms at a pleasant temperature. The food, at the open air, attached restaurant is very tasty and always fresh. Very often, the fish we got was caught between or after our dives just 2-3 hours before. The Sashimi, Maldives way, prepared by Momo himself, was a dream. We will miss it. On top of everything, we once asked for a local dessert. Since, almost every evening we got delicious local cakes baked by Momo’s wife. We felt like part of his family. Diving with Momo was also a great experience. I’m a dive master myself, with almost 1000 dives, but I’ve rarely seen such a patient, relaxed but careful dive instructor. My wife and daughters, got their Open Water diver qualifications in a fun but also thorough way. Especially my wife, who had a previous bad experience trying diving, was charmed by Momo’s way of teaching and became an avid diver! Momo knows the best dive spots around the atoll and when to choose them depending on the weather, wind, currents and time. We were always the only boat at every dive spot! Such an individual experience is great! 50m from the lodge we had a 2 km long beach all for ourselves for most of the times. Once in a while, there were 1 or 2 local families at the beach. The water in the lagoon is clear and in all shades of turquoise and blue. You can swim for km without any danger inside the lagoon. All 4 of us agree - it was our best holiday ever. We will go back as soon as we can. On top of everything, the Maldives experience at Momo’s is far from expensive. You pay 10 to 20% from what you’ll pay at a resort for a way more personal experience.

We, a family of 4 from Germany, spent 2 amazing weeks at Annama Lodge. We enjoyed the whole package offered: nice, comfortable, big rooms (king size beds, AC, en suite bathroom for every room, balcony for every room, a big balcony at the first floor with sea view), a beautiful, charming sitting room at the first floor with 2 hammock chairs, a shady open air restaurant next to the lodge where we had dinner every night, amazing local cuisine with ingredients from Momo’s (our host) garden, fresh fish caught on our diving trips by boat, fresh fruits served at every meal (3 meals/day), private beach with shade, beach chairs, a beautiful lagoon where you can snorkel and discover the amazing underwater world. Diving with Momo is really great: me and our 2 teenage daughters made the open water dive course with PADI certification; Momo is knowledgeable, experienced, calm, witty and very friendly; after being certified, we made fantastic diving trips by boat to beautiful dive sites, some exclusively known (and discovered!) by Momo. We also did boat trips to deserted islands, where Momo explained us a lot about the islands’ history (an old, historic mosque) and amazing nature; to beautiful beaches on sandbanks in the lagoon, dolphin watching, fishing trips are also an option. Momo and his team were taking care of us at all times, like a big family, with a good positive energy, showing us that the local experience can be more interesting, adventurous than what we learned on resort islands (3 times previously to this vacation). We will definitely come back; can only recommend the Maldivian experience at Annama Lodge.

Momo (manager) and his staff were always helpful and made our holiday unforgettable. Despite booking very late, he organized our transfer from Malé to Hoarafushi. Momo is an experienced and patient dive instructor and knows unique diving locations. Even as a beginner in diving, I could enjoy many amazing dives. The beach is very close and lovely. Many new palm trees and plants are planted so that the beach will get even better in the future.