Stay Mikado

Die Ausflüge zu den anderen Inseln, da diese die typischen Sandstrände haben, die man auf den Malediven erwartet.

Das Entgegenkommen mit Ausflügen und Essen, da es aufgrund mangelnder Teilnehmer keine Yoga Gruppe gab. Freundliches Personal.

1. The staff: I can’t say enough about the amazing staff. I had exceptional service from everyone. They were very friendly, attentive, and responsive when I asked about or needed anything. They took extremely good care of me.

2. The food: I’m vegan and was assured there would be vegan food during the retreat. The meals were simple and I always had more than enough to eat. Staff let me know at each meal which foods were vegan and which weren’t. When vegan meals weren’t offered in the main buffet, staff made vegan meals just for me.

3. The excursions: I enjoyed the daily snorkeling at various beaches and a shipwreck, island visits, and dolphin cruise.

4. The yoga: Yoga was offered daily in the evenings on the hotel rooftop. The teacher led us through gentle stretching, slow movement, deep breathing, and guided imagery. I practice both vinyasa and yin styles of yoga and the yoga practices here felt extremely slow to me. Overall, it was a good reminder for me to slow down, breathe, be present, and experience yoga in a different way. The slow yoga pace fit perfectly with the slow island vibes.

5. The accommodations: The beds and pillows are comfortable. The rooms are clean and have AC. Staff cleaned the rooms daily.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about my time during this retreat. It was the perfect balance of activity and relaxation. I am so grateful to the amazing staff who made my stay delightfully memorable.

I really enjoyed my stay at Stay Mikado mostly thanks to the lovely staff, including Ameen, Charlotte and Teresa. The flexible atmosphere but structured routine (with absolutely delicious meals!) made the experience equally relaxing and fun. Surfing every morning and exploring private islands in the afternoon was a dream. I spent the days taking beautiful photos and videos with Ameen's drone on uninhabited private islands all to myself (something I've never experienced in 10 years of traveling), snorkeling around colorful corals, canoeing in crystal clear waters, practicing yoga with Charlotte's sunset sessions and even welcoming the President of the Maldives to Thimarafushi with all of the warm and welcoming locals. Stay Mikado offers such an authentic and local experience that I'm confident you can't get elsewhere in the Maldives. It offers affordable luxury and access to the real, raw island life thanks to someone assisting you every step of the way—from the time you touch down to the time you're sad to say goodbye!

Tha Atoll is still quite preserved from mass tourism, a pure heaven on earth for those looking for a real disconnection and relaxation. I really enjoyed my vacation at Stay Mikado - the staff is caring, the services and catering are good and if you’re into water sports, you will be served! A special thank you to the owner, Ameen, and our yoga teacher, Charlotte!

Ameen has built an amazing surf camp with great facilities - a bar with pool table, table tennis, shisha, karaoke, a private beach and more!

He also provided great extra activities with snorkeling, bonfires, dolphin trips and barbecues. Diving is also an option and so is yoga!

- Schöne Dachterrasse

- Coole Bar mit Spielbereich

- Yoga classes waren super

- Surf spot

-Personal sehr freundlich und hilfsbereit

It was more a surf "retreat" than a surf camp for me. I could go surfing 2 times a day as I pleased, with a boat. And access to a great wave(mikado). We had really nice days with proper big swell, overhead beautiful waves, and other days with really small waves but still fun. And in-between days. I was there at the end of the season, so not as consistent. At peak season you will have great surf everyday. I had a nice group of people while I was there at different level and we got to hang out after the surf which was nice. The food is good, everything you need, and the rooms are very nice and confortable. Ameen will take care of everything you need and a great host! There are a few boards but the choice is limited. I used a few hard tops while I was there and worked out fine while I was there. Maybe bring some fins with you just in case. The Guesthouse is great with a nice terrasse on the third floor for sunsets and a cool breeze when the day gets really hot!

Weather, water quality, lack of crowds

We had a great time at Stay Mikado. The hotel rooms are clean and modern and have everything you need. The staff are friendly and helpful. We enjoyed our surf lessons with Paul. Despite the big swell which was a bit overwhelming for us (beginners with some surf experience) for the surf few days, he made sure we were safe and still able to catch lots of waves. The private island tour was amazing.

Ameen and his team were amazing. We were treated as kings.

The experience of living the island life but with the benefits of comfortable accommodation.

Ameen was a great host and provided us with some amazing experiences during our vacation on Thimarafushi island.

The island itself is very small but you get to see the real life of Maldivians & recharge from 'big city life'.

The hotel was very clean, with all the necessary facilities & equipment.

There is one private beach close to the hotel (10 min walk or 5 min on bicycle), where you can sunbath & swim in bikinis, the beach is clean enough & getting cleaned up by Ameen's team regularly. We also spent some really nice sunrises & sunsets there, including wonderful barbecue dinner organized by Ameen and the team.

The surfing spot is approached by the boat, there are normally two surfing sessions a day. It's a reef break and it's not an easy spot for beginners (just to keep in mind). However the waves were mostly quite great - steady & long. We faced a pause in waves for a few days - but that happens, it's just the nature.

Besides surfing we had a few snorkelling trips - swam with turtles and eagle rays, which was awesome.

You can also buy additional activities. For ex., we went to the private island for a few hours - a very cool place as if from an old Bounty commercial. Loved it!

During our stay Ameen took some great photos & videos of us including underwater ones and from a drone. Instagram ready)

Overall it was truly a great experience and vacation - both active and relaxing, meeting new people and having some time for yourself. Thanks to Ameen and his team!

All of the staff and people on the island were very nice and helpful. The guidance on the day of my arrival until getting onto the domestic flight was well arranged too.

The hotel is very close to the meeting point for your daily surf trips. Ameen really tried his best to fit other activities in the schedule when requested. He also took some videos with drone and GoPro which are a lot of fun to review!

The food was amazing each time, you surely will not be hungry on this trip! Other than this the rooms were also nice and clean.

All in all I had an amazing experience and would definitely like to come back!

Rooms & accommodation service

I spent 12 days at Stay Mikado in August - could not make a best choice!

There are several spots around, generally at least one always works decently and the wave quality is phenomenal, especially considering that is rare to find more than 10 surfers in the line up and many times you can even be alone (!).

Accommodation is clean and comfortable, service is perfect and the food is sooooo good and abundant!

People in the hotel were nice, being a mix of families, couples and solo travellers.

There was also a Yoga teacher and she was great.

Only point, I would be wary if you are a complete beginner: waves can be intimidating and it is all reef breaks. Personally I think it is a great spot for Intermediate and advanced.

We went to Thimarafushi for surfing and it was the best decision ever. We had some great surf at 4 surf spots nearby (quick boat ride) and enjoyed the amazing hospitality at Stay Mikado. We stayed for 3,5 weeks and felt like home from the very beginning.

Excellent food, extremely friendly staff in the hotel and at the surf boat we went out twice a day with, everything was organized so well (also the transport from and to Malé including flights), super clean hotel, it was hard to leave.

Thimarafushi is a super lovely authentic local island. This means shoulders should be covered, which was no big deal for us. There is also a very nice tourist beach where you can hang out in bikinis ...

We will definitely come back.

Thank you Ameen and your team - you are special!

Consistent surf spot for all levels except very beginners accessible by boat. Quiet island for for more authentic experience among locals (less toutisty). Staff extremely friendly and rooms very clean and comfortable. Variety of food at the restaurants, local recipes and lot of fruits

Thimarafushi area is not that popular with tourists, and that is the beauty about it: a lot of untouched nature and totally deserted islands. The surfing spot is 10 minutes away from the hotel by boat.

Every day we were going on a boat trips, to snorkel on a reef or see the dolphins. Everything was organized with a personal touch and care. The hotel itself is very cozy and well maintained, they were serving tasty food in huge portions. The host Ameen took a lot of nice pictures and videos free of charge:)

Everything about this holiday has been wonderful. Perfect place to spend peaceful time - do yoga, snorkeling, surfing or visit other islands. The hotel is very nice and clean, the staff are very friendly, kind and helpful.

My boyfriend and I came to learn surfing. This was our first experience. All members of the hotel staff were helpful. Everyone wanted to make sure we had everything we needed. At that time, we were the only guests, so we scheduled surf lessons and meals according to our convenience. Our coach's name was Ashraq. I think he's a great teacher. We could also decide what we wanted for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Excursions were reasonably priced.