Deluxe Double Room with Balcony
1 king bed · Private balcony
An island quiet enough to hear the sea
A small guesthouse on a local island where the lagoon is a few steps from your door and the day moves at the pace of the tide.
Welcome to Pavona
Where comfort and nature meet
Pavona sits a few streets back from the beach on Gaafaru, a working island of coral-sand lanes, fishing boats and neighbours who still greet each other by name. There is no resort gate here — you step out of the door and into island life.
Inside, things are simple and warm: cool, quiet rooms, home-cooked meals, and a family who will happily rearrange the day around a fishing trip or a late boat. It is the kind of place where you arrive as a guest and leave having made plans to come back.
Explore the beauty of serenity
The rooms
Rest well, wake to the water
Deluxe Double or Twin Room
1 king bed or 2 twin beds
Double Room
1 king bed or 2 twin beds
Standard Double or Twin Room
1 king bed or 2 twin beds
Economy Double Room
2 twin beds or 1 king bed
On-site
Everything you need, nothing you don’t
Free Wi-Fi
High-speed internet throughout the guesthouse.
Swimming Pool
A refreshing outdoor pool for slow afternoons.
Restaurant
Fresh island meals and daily catch on-site.
Breakfast
A fresh start to the day, served every morning.
Airport Shuttle
Easy transfers to and from Malé.
The island
K. Gaafaru
Gaafaru is a small gem at the northern edge of Kaafu Atoll, 62 kilometres north of Malé and set apart from its neighbours by a wide, deep channel. It is the only inhabited island of its own natural atoll, and the reef that rings it is well known among divers for the wrecks resting on its edge.
Just under 1,300 people live here — 1,294 at the 2022 census — on an island barely half a kilometre across. It keeps the unhurried rhythm of a village: children cycling the sand lanes, boats hauled up above the tideline, and evenings that end with everyone drifting down to the water.
- Island size
- 525 × 450 mIsland size
- North of Malé
- 62 kmNorth of Malé
- Residents
- 1,294Residents
Things to do
Days shaped by the ocean
Signature experience
Sunset Fishing
The island’s favourite evening out. Head onto the Indian Ocean as the light turns gold, drop a line, and watch Gaafaru glow behind you — an unforgettable way to end the day.
On the reef
Snorkelling & Sandbanks
Slip into warm, shallow water straight from the beach and drift over coral alive with fish, or take a short boat trip to a bare sandbank in the middle of the blue — just you and the horizon.
Getting here
Reaching Gaafaru is easy
Gaafaru is a short hop north of the capital. Arrive at Velana International Airport, cross to Malé, and take the speedboat straight to the island — no domestic flight, no seaplane, no long wait.
Speedboat
From 300 MVRA fast, comfortable crossing that runs every day of the week — the quickest way to the island.
| Route | Departs | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Gaafaru → Malé | Every day | |
| Malé → Gaafaru | Every day |
- Travel time
- 30 min
- Per person
- 300 MVR
Good to know
Questions we are asked most
Still unsure about something? Write to us at pavonamaldives@gmail.com and we will answer the same day.
Where exactly is Pavona Maldives?
Pavona Maldives is a guesthouse on Gaafaru, an inhabited local island in Kaafu Atoll, 62 km north of Malé. Gaafaru is the only island of its own natural atoll and measures roughly 525 by 450 metres, so everything on it — including the beach — is a few minutes' walk from the guesthouse.
How do I get to Gaafaru from Malé airport?
Fly into Velana International Airport, cross to Malé, and take the speedboat north to Gaafaru. The crossing takes about 30 minutes and there is no domestic flight or seaplane involved. The boat runs every day: it leaves Gaafaru for Malé at 06:00 and returns from Malé to Gaafaru at 15:30. Tell us your arrival time and we will make sure you are met.
Is Gaafaru a resort island or a local island?
Gaafaru is a local island with a resident community of 1,294 people, not a private resort island. You stay in the village among Maldivian neighbours rather than behind a resort gate, which is what makes it far more affordable than a resort — and it means normal island customs apply ashore.
What rooms are available at Pavona Maldives?
Pavona has five room types: the Deluxe Double Room with Balcony, the Deluxe Double or Twin Room, the Double Room, the Standard Double or Twin Room, and the Economy Double Room. Most can be made up either as one king bed or as two twin beds, so couples, friends and families are all catered for. Email pavonamaldives@gmail.com for current rates and availability.
What is included at the guesthouse?
Free Wi-Fi throughout, an outdoor swimming pool, an on-site restaurant serving fresh island meals, breakfast, and airport shuttle transfers to and from Malé. The guesthouse is beachfront, with free parking, room service, non-smoking rooms and tea and coffee making facilities in every room.
Can you swim and snorkel straight from the beach?
Yes. The lagoon is shallow and warm, and you can snorkel over living coral straight from the shore. Gaafaru's reef is also known among divers for the wrecks lying on its edge, and short boat trips run out to bare sandbanks in the middle of the atoll.
How do I book a room?
There is no online booking on this site — you book directly with us. Email pavonamaldives@gmail.com or call +960 917 1738, which is answered 24 hours a day, and we will come back with rooms, rates and transfer times for your dates.
Get in touch
Let’s plan your island days
Tell us when you would like to come and how many of you there are, and we will come back with rooms, rates and transfer times. Someone answers the phone around the clock, every day of the week.
Email usAddress
Pavona Maldives, K. Gaafaru, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives
Phone · 24/7
+960 917 1738