Hurawahli: A Lovely Little Barefoot Traditional Maldive Island

We arrived in Hura and were met with the drums and a warm welcome from the friendly GM and Assistant GM, Mr. Bahau, who could not have been any kinder to us during our stay—he really made our stay special! We spent quite a bit of time chatting with the friendly GM also, who is Japanese, Akira Shiota. We talked mostly about the seafood business and Japan as we were in Japan a few weeks ago, our third trip and a favorite country. Our butler, Afrah, gave us the island tour and took us to our villa of choice—259 the last one on the jetty. So happy to be assigned this room as it feels like the best one on the jetty! Hura is an intimate little island which feels similar to PHH in size and vibes.

The overwater villas are exquisite!

It typically takes us a couple days to settle in and get a proper feel for the resort, The room at Hura is smaller than Dusit Thani, our last resort, and less upscale than #51 at Park Hyatt with its floor-to-ceiling glass, but it is really lovely, with an understated elegance and the deck is quite large with a comfortable sofa and colorful pillows to hang out in.

The two-person large, open-air shower in the bathroom is a nice touch! The views are stunning, a rainbow of aqua colors to the horizon broken up only by the blindingly beautiful large white sand bank shimmering in the distance. There are other islands within the view so it is not quite as remote as PHH, but like Como Cocoa, which we loved, it is not a deal-breaker and everything else makes up for it.

The dining at Hurawahli was Michelin star in quality and presentation

The food at Canneli, the buffet restaurant, is absolutely amazing—top-tier for the Maldives and of Michelin star quality with artistic flair and presentation. There are a handful of this quality that we have found in our 19 resorts… to our surprise, we even had fresh oysters flown in from France every evening we were there! We were very impressed with the food at every meal as well as the dining atmosphere in the buffet, which is very romantic and lovely in the evenings with tables lined up along the water’s edge and the mood lighting in the palms. I think we will be taking all our meals in the buffet, although I’m certain the other restaurants, including the magical 5.8 undersea restaurant, is a delicious gourmet experience as well! Coco Bar is in a gorgeous setting near the pool.

The open air Coco Bar area

We had the pleasure and privilege of meeting the executive head chef at breakfast, Harshal Antil, and chatting with him and the assistant GM for some time. He is from India and is also in charge of the upscale sister resort Kudadoo Maldives private island. We are foodies and especially enjoyed talking with him about all things seafood, including the smoked fish, which we do for subsistence purposes in Alaska. He is on top of his game and was voted Maldivian chef of the year, which is quite an honor in the Maldives.

The beautiful Sulha Spa

The dreamy, “take your breath away” beauty of Hurawahli island and the multicolored turquoise waters surrounding it are exquisite! From the champagne pavilion at the end of the jetty, and the lagoon stretching out behind it towards the sunset is reminiscent of Room 245 in Vakkaru, with endless shades of blues and greens reflecting in the sunlight.

The private sandbar where a couple could spend the day

Did I say how much we enjoyed this island? I need to mention the reef! We swam clockwise from our room the first day and made it to the end of the island and headed back the same way. I think the length of the jetty is the same length as the island itself... we saw large schools of the tropical fish of all sizes and colors, as well as a huge stingray resting on the sandy bottom, numerous black tips and turtles. We had a fair current for a while then fought the current coming back up the reef. It’s not a circular island you swim around, rather, you lose the drop-off for awhile near the jetty and boating areas then pick it up again.

The Champagne Pavilion for the gorgeous sunsets

Today we swam around the island, but we went out from our room and turned left, which worked out much better! The end of the island out from the overwater villas is very fishy and we saw four eagle rays, many turtles, and black tips… it was fair current all down the other side of the jetty where the even-numbered rooms are, and we didn’t get the current against us until we were around the undersea restaurant area on the other side—then it was a little push to swim back to our villa 259. The reef is quite good and we feel fortunate all three islands have had amazing reefs!

There is a well-located gym with views out over the water and a game room which we have used often to play ping pong. It is an unpretentious adults-only, low-key island which suits us well and we have enjoyed it immensely! We loved lazing on the deck after our swims, and our infinity pool was a good size—the biggest of the three resorts by far.

The lovely infinity pool

The staff were all lovely and full of smiles! I can’t name them all but Afrah, our butler, was helpful, our house cleaner, Asset, did a great job, and the waiters, Anees, Jessica, Shurrey, Salaam, and all the others were wonderful!

You reach your Maldive Resort by seaplane or speedboat depending on what atoll it is in

Hurawahi is a 35 minute seaplane ride from Male and the views along the way are incredible!

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Maldives page.