Hotel con colazione inclusa a Huvafen Fushi

Our visit to The Maldives was delayed from 2020, so plenty of research had gone into finding the perfect resort for us to stay at, and we hoped this would be Huvafen Fushi. From the moment that we were warmly greeted at the speedboat transfer lounge through to the wonderful, friendly, welcome once we arrived on the island, we knew we had made the right choice. We had seemingly stepped into something between a dream and paradise. We had the pleasure of visiting Huvafen Fushi in mid-November for a 5 night stay. It would be no exaggeration to say that it is the best holiday we have ever experienced, and are already looking to rebook. The things that were important to our stay were :- an overwater bungalow with a pool, an excellent coral reef, good food and the type of service that feels genuine and warm, while still to the standards of a 5 star resort. We can attest to the fact that Huvafen Fushi ticked each of these boxes perfectly. Our room was a lagoon view overwater bungalow and was simply wonderful. Being able to access the crystal clear water from our room was fantastic, as was relaxing on the comfortable sun loungers and in the pool while watching rays glide by. The coral reef around the island attracts a wide variety of fish and by the end of our first day had snorkelled with a turtle and sharks straight off the beach. The food was delicious, and in particular the Sri Lankan curry and seafood platter were stand outs. As expected, alcohol in The Maldives is expensive, (330ml bottle of beer approximately $12 plus tax and tip), but some cocktails were not too bad in comparison. An excellent Mai Tai in Umbar was $16 for example. All of the staff were first rate, but we would like to mention three members of staff whose hospitality helped to make our time on the island even more special. Jamielee working in Umbar was lovely, remembering us and our favourite drinks each night. Noel Cameron (the manager) was great - a friendly guy who we could see helping out at meal times etc, and proactively checking in with guests to make sure everything was as it should be. Finally, our villa host Shaana was such a sweet, friendly girl - always on hand to make restaurant and spa reservations for us, offering buggy rides, bringing us an umbrella when it rained. When it was finally time to leave Huvafen Fushi, it ended in a similar way to how it began - seeing 7 or 8 members of staff waving to us from the shore. Unfortunately this time they were waving goodbye instead of hello. Although we were sad to be leaving we were happy to have discovered such a gem in The Indian Ocean.