To clarify, there’s no hotel actually called Male Airport Hotel, for this review, the Male Airport Hotel is essentially the Airport Alba Inn, which is about a 5-10 minute drive from Male Airport. There’s no hotels inside Male Airport and all of the ones that call themselves Male Airport Hotel are about the same distance. First think you should know, and I’ve touched on this in my Maldives Destination Guide, is that many of the flights into Male Airport (Velana International Airport) arrive later at night so you have no choice but to find a hotel either in Male, or near the airport.
Male Airport Hotel
If I was you, don’t bother going into Male city to get a hotel. Yes, for sure, you can find something better but it requires a short speedboat ride over and it’s a real pain, especially late at night with kids and suitcases in tow. The Male Airport Hotel we stayed in, the Airport Alba Inn, is plain jane at best, but if you can put up with some very basic accommodation for 1 night, I highly recommend you do it because it’ll make arriving at your Maldives resort, that much better and makes it much more convenient to get your sea plane the next morning.
Male Airport Hotel Alba Inn Room
Anyway, the Malé Airport Hotel we stayed in was called the Airport Alba Inn, they don’t have a website so that should tell you something already. It’s a 5-10 minute drive from the airport, and it’s basically just a room to sleep in for the night. It’s about 3 stories and essentially just a shitty apartment. Our room at the Malé Airport Hotel was literally right next to the reception, which was actually convenient, because if you wanted anything you just opened the door at whispered to the receptionist what you wanted. It’s literally right outside, so if you open the room door, you might come face to face with whoever might be checking in.
Male Airport Hotel View From Room
The Malé Airport Hotel is not that bad though, it’s about a 2 star hotel I would say, but the room was clean, shower worked, and the staff were quite nice and got us checked in quite fast. As long as you don’t expect anything decent, most people I know will be fine here for 1 night, especially if your sea plane is early in the morning. We’ve also stayed at a hotel in Male city, which was much, much nicer, but honestly, I’d rather stay in this Malé Airport Hotel than have the hassle of taking kids, suitcases and back packs across on a speedboat, then followed by a taxi, to one of the Male city hotels.
Don’t let the photos put you off – the Male Airport Hotel is not that bad! They give you a nice little breakfast, some eggs and some toast, and again, the staff are nice. Just manage your expectations and you’ll be right bro. The Airport Alba Inn, Male Airport Hotel has a facebook page here.
