Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu in Baa Atoll is one of the oldest resort islands in the Maldives. The little paradise is a dream destination for divers and snorkelers - or just to unwind. What is there to discover and what can you do in the Kingdom of the Islands? I looked around the small resort island during my Maldives vacation and introduce you to the beautiful island in my travel report Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu. 

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On the first morning on a dream island of the Maldives Opening your eyes is like diving into another world: after the long journey from cold, rainy Germany, the air conditioning is now humming quietly and the sun is shining through the window. As soon as the door of the huge bungalow is opened, you walk into a wall of warmth and brightness because the sun is beating down from the sky. Quickly out onto the terrace, barefoot down the small private path to the beach, which can already be sensed by the sound of the waves and the salty, summer-smelling air.

Video – Impressions from Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu

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The sand shines so beautifully white and the water is a wonderful turquoise blue

The sand shines so white on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu that you have to squint your eyes - and at the same time you want to rub them, because the water is so wonderfully turquoise blue that it can only be retouched. The contrast is huge: yesterday Germany, ten degrees Celsius and rain – today this. The beauty of the sea, the sound of the waves on the outer reef and otherwise just silence in the morning Beach. It's so unreal, you never get used to this change. I could have this every day for the rest of my life.

But time in the Maldives is always very limited - all the more reason to enjoy it to the full. Finally time for a long one Vacation on the island, which I will of course share with you in my travel report Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu. Diving, detox, stand up paddling and relaxing are the order of the day.

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Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu – just let your mind wander

My unique experiences on the dream island

My Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu experiences are my first Maldives experiences at all. Maybe that's why I'm so excited about the little paradise in Baa Atoll. You arrive on the island and immediately feel at home. The great accommodations – whether Water Villa or Island Villa – are super nice and, above all, spacious. Of course, a resort like this cannot be compared with an ordinary hotel room as we usually know it.

Anyway, I'm blown away. Sure, Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu is one of the oldest MaldivesResort islands and there are now numerous islands with spectacular accommodation - some super kitschy with water slides and villas on several floors. Who really needs that? However, the “newcomers” first have to get to grips with the ambience of this destination and the many years of experience with the guests.

Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu is a casual dream island where you can really unwind. You arrive and are torn away from your dreary everyday life in Germany. In no time you'll have completely forgotten about it - and that's what real relaxation means: you forget all the stress of everyday life.

And that's exactly what Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu is ideal for. The small island in Baa Atoll is its sister island Coco Bodu Hithi in no way. If you want, you can simply switch off here and unwind and relax on the dream beach, in the spa or in one of the two bars. The full colors, the strange smells and the warm sun on the skin stimulate the imagination and you can dream yourself far away. But you don't have to. The 4,5-star island with its lush jungle vegetation can be completely explored in just a few minutes on a barefoot walk - a path leads around the tiny island, which is embedded in a turquoise blue lagoon. Nevertheless, there is little opportunity for boredom - there are far enough leisure activities to make your time really enjoyable.

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Maldives trip – the best leisure activities on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu

I will give you an overview of the best leisure activities on a vacation on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu. Because during your stay there is guaranteed not to be bored.

• go diving on the beautiful reefs of Baa Atoll
• swim, swim and snorkel in the lagoon
• relax on the beach on the private beach chair
• eat out in one of the outstanding restaurants
• Stand up paddling, surfing or kayaking
• Dolphin tour company
• snorkeling on a snorkeling trip with mantas
• visit the nearby native island

1. Snorkeling and diving on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu: discover the who's who of the Indo-Pacific

Diving in the Maldives is such a high priority that I heard about it Diving on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu wrote my own post. For divers, the Dhuni Kolhu Dive Center is the first port of call. Base manager Mickey Hogeling (meanwhile the base line of the island has changed - the editor's note.) and his team from Dive Ocean Maldives not only offer visitors a warm welcome, but also a varied diving program at around 35 dive sites around the small island, a large part of which are accessed exclusively from this base.

If you want, you can find the diving entrance directly on the house reef in front. But this is certainly not a reason for any diver to visit Baa Atoll: “One of the most famous spots here is Hani Faru. With a bit of luck, you can see whale sharks and manta rays eating krill together in the rainy season,” reports base manager Hogeling.

In addition, there are still comparatively few in the Baa Atoll Hotels, but many dive sites, which only a few dive centers are familiar with, reports the Dutchman. Manta rays throughout the year, sharks, whale sharks, dolphins, turtles and beautiful corals spoil divers at many dive sites around Dhuni Kolhu. And these are just the shooting stars: The marine life is so rich that the who-is-who of the Indo-Pacific can actually be found underwater. Especially about Hedge and Dolphins We always look forward to our dives. So far I know sharks from the Red Sea. And I’ve also been able to spot Thailand sharks. I am therefore curious to see what the situation is like in the Indian Ocean and whether we will actually see any big fish.

The trips start in the morning with a two-tank dive. In the afternoon there is another dive including a boat trip. The divers don't actually have to worry about anything. The device is cross-checked on the Dhoni – the typical Maldivian boat. The water is so warm that you can only jump into the water with your shorts on. On every dive, sooner or later a blacktip or whitetip reef shark appears. Sharks in the Maldives so there is enough. Eagle rays can often be admired alone or in formation. Every spot is full of surprises and the divers come out of the water with a big grin after most tours.

Snorkeling on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu: on a manta hunt in the Baa Atoll

But the diving experience only becomes truly intense when you start to take a really deep interest and information about marine life. If desired, the diving tours can also be arranged by the marine biologist accompany the island. Chiara Fumagalli has turned her dream into a career: The 41-year-old works as a stationary scientist on Dhuni Kolhu.

"Many divers now want to get to know the foreign world into which they are immersed. With us you can inform yourself in detail "

It is a walking underwater dictionary and is full of useful background information about all the flora and fauna of the Baa Atoll. “Many divers now want to get to know the strange world they are immersed in better. You can get detailed information from us, ”reports the native of Milan. This can be done either directly under water or during lectures and courses that take place regularly on Dhuni Kolhu.

But by far the most exciting thing is doing field research together with Chiara. The Italian is really a marine biologist with body and soul - and 24 hours a day. She knows many manta rays and turtles by name because they meet her again and again and she can identify them offhand. Barely submerged, Chiara begins to explore and document everything with her underwater camera - and of course to show it to her buddy. A reef dive could hardly be more exciting and varied!

Chiara has created a turtle and manta identification project where divers can participate by taking photos of animals or donating to the project. On the snorkel tours to the Manta Hotspots, the biologist is the first in the water and her eyes sparkle after an encounter, as if she had for the first time observed such a majestic animal. "All of our projects have a dual purpose," says the charming Milanese, underscoring that her work is anything but a prestigious project.

“One of them is to give our guests excellent experiences with Wildlife to enable and raise awareness of nature conservation. The other is to collect valuable and precious scientific data that is valuable in understanding these key species of the Maldives. ”Fumagalli is one of the leading voices when it comes to animal and nature conservation in the Maldives. Diving on Dhuni Kolhu is not just about diving, it is about exploring and discovering. That has its own charm.

Discover many marine animals while diving in the Baa Atoll

When diving in Maldives holidays - and in this special case when diving in Baa Atoll and on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu - divers can discover an incredible number of marine animals. These are, of course, the typical suspects, who are found in large numbers all over the Indian Ocean.

Marine animal	Best time for sightings
Mantara	May to November, sightings possible all year round
whale Sharks	May to November
Dolphins	year-round
Whitetip reef sharks	May to November, sightings possible all year round
Hawksbill sea turtles	year-round
Loggerhead sea turtles	year-round

The dive center: Dive Ocean Maldives Dhuni Kolhu (Dhuni Kolhu Diving Center)

The top-equipped dive center from DiveOcean Maldives on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu (Dhuni Kolhu Diving Center), which opened in 2008, is perfectly integrated near the main building of the resort diagonally opposite the spa area. The small team is very friendly and helpful, so you feel like you're in good hands right from the start. Since I visited, the base management has changed - the base is now managed by Nausicaa from Italy and Mario from Germany. Divemaster Asif and Compressor Boy Delowar are still part of the staff today.

Diving on Dhuni Kolhu is informal: If you want to get in the water, simply add your name to the list the day before. There are dhoni trips every day. The tours are suitable for beginners, advanced and professional divers as there are dive sites of all levels of difficulty.

The Dive Center serves 35 different diving spots, many of which are exclusively served by this base. Besides the above, one of the most famous diving spots is Hani Faru. Manta rays and whale sharks can be observed together there during the rainy season. A highlight of the diving center is that manta rays can be observed in this area all year round.

DiveOcean Maldives on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu (Dhuni Kolhu Diving Center): Equipment of the diving center

diving Center	DiveOcean Maldives on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu (Dhuni Kolhu Diving Center)
Contact details	Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu Island Resort, Baa Atoll, Republic of Maldives Phone: +960 660 00 11, Email: dhunikolhu@dive-ocean.com.mv
Website	www.dive-ocean.com
Diving instructor	four multilingual instructors, one divemaster
Languages	English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
Necessary documents	Diving certificate, logbook, no medical certificate (but strongly recommended!)
Diving	House reef diving, independent diving with appropriate training, night diving, boat trips, longer diving trips on request, no technical diving, children's diving from the age of eight
dive sites	35 dive sites that can be reached in an average of 25 to 45 minutes
bottles	7l, 10l and 12l aluminum diving bottles
Valves	DIN and INT
Nitrox	available free of charge (for Nitrox certified divers)
Boats	2 dhonis (maximum 22 divers)
Vocational Training	according to PADI standards - Discover Scuba, Open Water Diver up to Dive Master and Assistant Instructor
Equipment	Equipment of the brand “Mares” can be borrowed for a fee -
Safety	Emergency oxygen available, decompression chamber (in Bandos), hospital (in Male)
Payment	in cash with US $, Euro, Sterling Pound, Swiss Franc, Yen - Credit cards: Visa, Master Card, American Express

Video: Mantas in the Baa Atoll - a unique experience

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2. Bathe and swim in the lagoon of Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu

By now you've read so much about diving and snorkeling - of course, this is not the only leisure activity on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu. During your vacation - even if you are a die-hard diver - you can take a few days to just relax and let your mind wander.

You have your very own loungers on the beach that you can use to your heart's content. Or you can splash around in the lagoon of the resort island and drift with pleasure. Of course, you can also go swimming and do some physical activity. The motto is to come down - relax and unwind.

3. Enjoy the culinary delights of Dhuni Kolhu

Of course, you can also spend the whole day eating and drinking. Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu has several excellent restaurants for you to indulge in. You can basically feast the whole day - from Maldivian to international cuisine, everything is included. However, you should either move a lot during the day or plan two to three kilograms more body weight for the return flight.

4. Stand up paddling on vacation in the Maldives

In the Maldives you can really take off with a SUP or a kayak. You can paddle wonderfully in the lagoon in particular - while colorful fish, turtles and even sharks swim under your board. Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo of it on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu - hence a symbolic picture of the sister island Coco Bodu Hithi.

5. Snorkel with manta rays and dolphins

If you're lucky, you might even meet and snorkel manta rays during your Maldives trip. The large rays are common in Baa Atoll. However, the main season is in the rainy season between May and November. Dolphins, on the other hand, can be found all year round. Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu offers special dolphin tours and manta tours, which are accompanied by the stationary marine biologist. Super exciting, educational and informative!

6. Visit a Maldives native island

In the vicinity of Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu there are two local islands that you can visit on a boat trip: Thulhaadoo and Hithaadhoo. On the islands with small villages, which usually only have a few hundred inhabitants, you can get to know the authentic life of the locals and discover the original Maldives.

Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu – tiny island, huge offering

If you're up for it, you can experience some underwater adventures with Mickey Hogeling and Chiara Fumagalli. With so much action, island life shouldn't be neglected either. Because the small island has existed for so long, it is full of understatement: “Compared to other islands, Dhuni Kolhu is very natural and surrounded by a white sandy beach. The bungalows offer a lot of privacy and some even have a private pool. The cuisine on Coco Palm is excellent and not least the reason why the island has so many repeat guests every year,” reports guest relations manager Olivia Burkhard.

The food is in fact a unique selling point of the island: if you want, you can feast all day long. In addition to the fantastic à la carte menu in the Cornus restaurant, the main Cowrie restaurant has such a varied and fresh buffet with many fish specialties that you wonder how such fresh food can be transported to such a remote location receives. You can see the answer yourself every day: the fisherman carries the fish he has just caught on his shoulder into the kitchen for dinner!

If you need a change of scenery after a few days, you can try a little island hopping: the local islands of Hithadoo and Thulhadhoo are practically within sight of Dhuni Kolhu. Thulhadhooo has a mosque, an internationally oriented school and many friendly locals, who may initially be a bit reserved with visitors, but warm up relatively quickly. Typically Maldivian artifacts are made and sold in small shops and factories. The simple life of Maldivians is in stark contrast to the luxury of the resort islands.

For whom is a holiday on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu suitable?

The vacation is incredibly suitable for me. I am the ultimate target group. But all jokes aside: The island of Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu is the ideal retreat for anyone looking for a relaxing beach holiday with a... luxury vacation and Wellness holiday want to connect. The Maldives are generally just predestined for this. When you come to Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu, you don't need to expect any big adventures. But there is a lot of relaxation, sunbathing and swimming and really fantastic food every day.

And if you're up for it, you can also experience a whole lot of little adventures. Stand up paddling in the Maldives, surfing, snorkeling with manta rays, dolphin tours, diving with sharks, visiting a local island and various boat tours ensure that you are guaranteed to never get bored. The whole thing isn't exactly cheap, but you can get really good bargains on the island, especially in the low season.

The Resort - Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu - long-established resort island in Baa Atoll

Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu is a small island in the Baa Atoll, on which the luxurious 4,5-star resort of the same name is located. It belongs to the Coco Collection, which also belongs to Coco Bodu Hithi belongs. On the island there are 98 villas in different price ranges - from the "normal" deluxe villa to the exclusive Sunset Lagoon Villas, which are built into the lagoon. The round, free-standing bungalows on the island are seamlessly integrated into the exotic jungle vegetation Beach and the lagoon and offer maximum privacy.

Inside, the villas are equipped with all the amenities your heart desires: a king-size bed, air conditioning and a living room area combine with the highest living standards local atmosphere.

The main house with the reception, the restaurants, the spa and the diving center can be reached in a few minutes. There is also a lounge area and a shop where you can buy everything you need for your daily needs. The wifi near the main building is the most stable of the entire island and absolutely okay for such a remote location.

Restaurants and wellness on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu

There are also two restaurants on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu: The "Cornus" restaurant offers selected Maldivian, Indian and Thai cuisine in an exclusive atmosphere with sea views. The “Cowrie” restaurant offers fresh, international cuisine with many well-known specialties such as sushi, various animal and vegetarian dishes, pasta and of course a large selection of salads, starters and desserts. In addition to the restaurants, there are two bars where you can enjoy a cocktail or a cold beer at sunset.

The spa area offers a comprehensive wellness program with Thai massages, whirlpool and Ayurveda treatment. Of course, guests can let off steam with water sports: diving, windsurfing, catamaran sailing, snorkeling, dolphin watching, as well as visiting the local islands of Hithadoo or Thulhadhoo or an exclusive overnight stay with dinner and breakfast on a completely deserted island. That too Stand Up Paddling in the Maldives you should definitely try it out.

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A vacation on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu is like a short, beautiful dream

My conclusion

Back home, I get pure wanderlust when I think back to the wonderful time I had in the Maldives and on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu. A week with a full program on Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu is not only far too short, but can also be quite an attractive affair with many exciting experiences.

When you return to Germany afterwards - ten degrees, drizzle - the paradise and the adventures with sharks, manta rays and turtles feel like something from a faraway dream. And yet: a trip like this stays with you and stimulates the imagination - as if dreams were learning to fly.

You can find all information about Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu directly at Coco Collection. 

Travel report Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu - Have you already been to the Maldives or are you planning a trip? Share your experiences in the comments.