Hurawalhi Resort Maldives

What a beautiful place! We had a wonderful stay! The staff was very attentive, kind, and helpful. It’s a beautiful island. The food was excellent, and the buffets were incredible. They have a great wine list. We’ll definitely be back

Picture perfect This goes to the top of my list as just about the best 12 days we have had. Beautiful resort, the very best in warmth, authenticity and hospitality and a house reef that was simply amazing! We arrived on BA flight which was on time; getting through immigration and getting luggage took about 20 mins. We met the hotel rep in a very crowded arrival hall and were quickly taken to the TMA check in which is a short walk. The new Male terminal is very good and a huge improvement on the old one. The TMA check in was fast. Note they are unforgiving for any weight in excess of 25kgs including handbags…it’s 5 USD for each kg in excess. The rep took us in a private car to the new TMA terminal, the Coral lounge is on the second floor and was remarkably quiet with hardly anyone there. I presume the flight cancellations from Middle East must have impacted the footfall. Do go on the terrace overlooking the busy TMA departure terminal for some amazing pictures of the sea plane operations. We waited just over an hour and departed for the resort at 12:40 for 50 min flight to the resort followed by a 5 min speedboat to Hurawalhi. At the arrival jetty we experienced a warm arrival from the team and met Akan our host who was in every respect an amazing person and took care of all our needs for the remainder of the holidays. The information he provided about the resort based on our prior interest on the App showed that he took a real interest in what we needed and appropriate for us. He kept in touch with us on a daily basis. First impressions of the resort was picture perfect well maintained & small but beautiful resort. We had booked a overwater villa on the odd side relatively close to the reef to swim on to. I know lots of blogs suggest upgrading to pool villa, I didn’t see the point when we could swim in the ocean! The room was well apportioned with a full mini bar and excellent amenities from Healing Ocean….we especially liked the factor 30 sunscreen and after sun lotion which was a nice touch. Life jackets, snorkelling equipment was waiting in the room based on information we had provided for checking in. Note that when waiting in the TMA lounge we completed the check in on their app which saved a lot of time on arrival as we went straight to our room. Additional features we loved to were the large bathroom and sun deck. Our housekeeper Sujau was amazing. I have absolutely no idea how we knew we had left for breakfast or dinner but we always found our room immaculate upon our return. Our first evening and on most evenings we enjoyed cocktails at the Coco Bar thanks to Tushar and his team. Sitting on the front deck with a slight breeze from ocean sipping our cocktails was a lovely prelude before dinner. We were on an all inclusive plan. The wine and spirits selection was excellent in the bar and in the restaurants, I’d recommend it as excellent including unlimited laundry twice during our stay. We mostly ate at Canneli which is the main restaurant for all our meals. It is a vast space which does not look crowded. Cold, live, hot foods and desserts was plentiful and the team were only too willing to accommodate my wife who is a fussy vegetarian; she had no complaints! Murrugam the chef was amazing he really made things easy to order for her each meal! Thank you also Chef Rahul and Harshal. We did try Kashibo one evening the ambiance was outstanding, and service faultless. We chose not to go there as it has limited veggie choices and simply because we were spoilt at the main restaurant which we loved! Thanks so much to the warmth and hospitality from Anees, Barsha, Ruwindi, Harry, Saleem, Arun and many more! You made it truly special. During our stay we booked a couple of guided safaris around the house reef, the manta ray safari and turtle safari. The Prodivers is incredibly friendly place for all our outings they were amazing especially Appu. He took us on all our outings and was incredible in helping my wife navigate currents when needed. The house reef is rich in marine life. Countless variety including huge turtles, eagle rays, sharks and many more, we loved all our outings. It was relatively easy swimming to the edge of the reef from our room and following it around, an amazing experience! Watch out for the porcupine rays they sort or creep up on you! We used the Spa as well. Lovely ambience. Choki was exceptional with the Balinese massages - great technique and I loved the experience, having been around many resorts I’d say this spa is easily in my top 5! 12 days went very quickly! I celebrated my birthday during the stay the resort was kind enough to arrange a few surprises, thank you. We arranged an island dining experience with the choice of our food, thank you chef Rahul and Matheen for a really lovely experience! On the last day, out host Aken provided very clear information on timings, we were collected from our room at 9 for a 9:20 departure on the seaplane. On arrival we were bussed to the departure terminal with a short wait for our luggage. Plenty of time for a check in, a very efficient process. There are 350 people who work tirelessly at the resort, led by Bahaudeen the GM, he was a very visible and engaging presence throughout our holiday and noticeably took a lot of interest in the guests. Lots of amazing memories, what will stand out? I suppose the school of spinner dolphins passing by one early morning which we saw from room has got to be up there as the tops! When speaking to the team they all praised Crown & Champa for looking after employees in giving them time off and great facilities to make their lives easier in being away from their families. It shows in their work ethics as this resort by far exceeded our expectations. We cannot wait to return.

An unforgettable week in Paradise. Amazing experience from the moment we arrived to the moment we left. The food was amazing, the service better than anywhere else we have ever been and the sunset pool villa was magnificent. What else can I say? Thank you to Jihane and Mariia for making us so welcome. Anees and Ruwindi for attending our every need in the restaurant with so much passion and pleasure. Tips No need to take shoes unless planning to play tennis/padel. Flip flops or bare feet mostly. Snorkel, mask and flippers provided. Sun lotion, after sun, insect repellent and toiletries provided.

We have just returned after two glorious weeks at this resort. This was our third time staying here, and that says a lot. The stay we had was just fantastic, and it was a shame to depart. After landing in Male, we were taken to a provate area whilst waiting for our sea plane. No issues, and after a couple of hours, we were on the sea plane heading to the island. When we arrived, we were greeted by Ali, our Island Host, and the Resorts Manager Bahauddeen. It was nice of them to personally greet us, and welcome us back. Ali was great throughout our stay. Ali took us around the island and showed us anything new or changes. We were given the same room as last time, which was nice that they remembered. We stayed in the Romantic Ocean Villa. We like this because it has great sunset views! It was also nice to see so many of the staff that are still there like Fazeel and Casmir. We were lucky enough to see them on a number of occasions and catch up. They were both great throughout our stay. Over the course of the two weeks, we did a lot. We ate in all the restaurants including Teppenyaki and 5.8. Both are not included in the AIP. We feel you have to go AIP just because of the restaurants included and beverages. Represents good value in our opinion. The buffet restaurant had great food options, and it does our favourite, Beef Wellington once a week. I had the chance to speak to the Executive Chef Harshal about it, and he has been perfecting that recipe for a while! We also did some excursions and activities, such as the golf at a local island, sunset cruise, jet ski, dream island and champagne pavillion. All were great. The reef was fantastic, and saw so many turtles, rays, and sharks. I am not the greatest swimmer, but it was worth it. We really appreciate that this resort is adults only, which is a massive tick for us. We also enjoyed the games room on many occasion after dinner. Finally, we need to say how great the staff are here. From our Host Ali, to Fazeel and Madi at Cannelli, Casmir and Tulsa at JFK, Murugan and Harshal and all the great chefs, resort manager Bahauddeen, Monty at Kuredu for the golf, Ruwinda who greeted us on several occassions, Manjo and Harry who helped with the wine selections, staff at Kashibo inc Teppenyaki and 5.8, our room cleaning attendant who's name I forget. There are so many names I have no doubt forgot, but everyone was kind, helpful, and had a smile on their face (also sorry if I spelt any names wrong!) We even got some gifts at the end of our stay from both Fazeel and Ali, thank you for these. We made so many memories, and we hope to return in the future.

This was our 4th time visiting Hurwalhi, and probably our most enjoyable visited yet. We were greeted by the Hurawalhi rep at the international airport, and he very helpfully escorted us through the sea plane check-in and delivered us to our transfer to the sea plane terminal. Hurawalhi is 40 mins by sea plane from the international airport on Male. I would recommend including some cool clothes in your hand luggage since the sea plane can get very warm; you can change in the lounge that Hurawalhi guests have access to. The island of Hurawalhi is extremely beautiful. It is ringed by a sandy beach that you can walk around, and surrounded by a stunning house reef; the snorkeling was incredible. Just on the house reef we saw sea turtles, reef sharks, Eagle rays, Devil Rays, Sting Rays, Moray eels, octopus, lobsters, and countless species of fish. The coral appeared healthy and extremely colourful. The staff on the island deliver a phenomenal customer experience. All guests have an island host who is always there to answer questions, book experiences, make reservations, or attend to any issues. Our host as Ali, and he made our holiday very special, providing the perfect balance of support - he was attentive without being intrusive. Because we were returning guests, he had looked at what activities we had said we enjoyed during our previous visit, and already made some suggestions for our holiday this time. There are several dining and beverage options. Canneli is the main restaurant. The quality and presentation of the food is outstanding. The whole chef team deserve special mention, but I will pick out Muragan for a special mention. You are assigned a waiter for your stay. For us it was Fazeel, and again, he was exceptional. Not only did he provide us with great service, when he learned we enjoyed snorkeling, we recommended a particular spot on the house reef where turtles had been spotted. When we told him we had not snorkeled that part of the house reef before (it is huge!), he took us out one afternoon to show us where to look. He had a GoPro with him and sent us videos of the turtles we spotted. In addition, when we expressed interest in his painting hobby, he presented us with one of his paintings of the island. Just incredible service - above and beyond! However, all of the team in Canelli deserve special praise, everyone is helpful and attentive. A few people to mention include: - Harry the Sommelier. Very knowledgeable, great advice on wine pairings and suggestions based on what style of wine you like. We also completed a wine and cheese tasting with Harry, which was fantastic. - Zahir the F&B manager. Always seeks you out to say hellp and make sure everything is ok. The main bar is Coco bar. Relaxed atmosphere in the evening and where the entertainment takes place. The Coco bar manager was fantastic - great service and always there to make suggestions on drinks you may like or want to try. The evening music entertainment was also fantastic. This was one area that we felt had improved a lot since when we first visited the island a number of years ago. Live bands and DJs provided a perfect (for us) mix. JFK (Junk Food Kitchen) is another dining option for lunch or evening meal. The food is incredibly and focussed on sandwiches, burgers and pizzas. Special mention to Barsha and Tulshar who both provided us with fantastic service during our stay. They provided attentive service whenever needed. Kashibo is the main a la carte restaurant. It offers an Asian inspired menu. The setting is fantastic, almost hanging over the house reef. As with everywhere else, the service is great and Mundy deserves a special mention for us. The final restaurant is the Undersea Restaurant. We didn't visit on this occasion, but have in the past. It is an experience that you will remember forever. The setting is stunning. Other amenities on the island include: - Prodivers dive centre - offers snorkeling trips and guidance along with scuba dive trips and equipment hire. We went on a couple of trips in search of Manta Rays with the incredibly knowledgeable Marine Biologist, who made the trip very special. - Watersports centre - Champagne Pavilion - watch the sunset whilst drinking champagne! - Gym - Padel tennis court - Tennis court - Football pitch There are many other activities to enjoy which I will have forgotten. We had an incredible 10 days on Hurwalhi and look forward to returning in the future. The island is beautiful, but it is the staff who make it very special.