Exceptional luxury, unparalleled hospitality
For the initiated, the Maldives needs no introduction. For the uninitiated, it is time to have it on their bucket list. Worth every dream and every dollar one would invest. Yes, invest, not spent.
Maldives is as exceptional as exceptional gets, not just for tourism, but for the sheer exhilarating experience of the blue seas, the tranquility of the Indian Ocean, the activities, the weather, the Maldivian hospitality and food and beverage for every palate, type and sheer spread of cuisine. With hospitality at another experiential level, the Maldives is a magnet for the prima donna global hospitality brands who have long invested in the island nation for the long-term and continue to build on their investments with more exclusive islands assets. Some local or may one call them niche brands don’t just coexist, they more than match their global counterparts.
At last count, 1,190 islands on over 26 Atolls and they make the beautiful Maldivian nation of under half-a-million a traveller’s elevated and exceptional experience which begins the moment your airplane approaches Male’s Velana International Airport. Soaking in the sights of the clear blue waters, the glowing and white beaches, these are views with few parallels. Velana is well-served airport that is being modernised and expanded to serve the ever-growing inbound tourist inflow. The modes of conveyance to your resort is on well-appointed speedboats sent by the resort or one can board a seaplane from the adjacent and world’s biggest seaplane terminal. The Maldives boasts of the largest fleet of seaplanes, over 60 of them and growing.
Four Seasons, Maldives - Kuda Huraa, Landaa Giraavaru and private island, Voavah
We humans can be greedy, especially when one wants to keep coming back to the Maldives and I have had the privilege of being there often and this June as a guest of the Four Seasons. In 1996, Four Seasons was one of the earliest investors in the Maldives and today, it boasts of three fantastic resort islands – Kuda Huraa, Landaa Giraavaru and the ultra-luxury private haven (and exclusive island) of Voavah.
Armando Kraenzlin, the gentle but sharp Suisse, better known as the man behind the success of the Four Seasons in the Maldives, is the General Manager of Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru. He is also the Regional Vice President and oversees Four Seasons Resorts Maldives, Four Seasons Resorts Bali and Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai. Armando joined Four Seasons in 1999.
Kuda Huraa – Exotica Redefined
A 30-minute sail by a speedboat from the Velana International Airport in Male takes you to Kuda Huraa, built in 1996 and last renovated in 2016 where you are welcomed by a warm welcome of claps, drum beats and music at the arrival deck. This 12-acre resort was Four Season’s maiden investment in the Maldives. Ever since, they have gone from strength to strength, upping their investments and spread in the island nation. Not only have they made exceptional hospitality available to the discerning global guest, they have also created direct and indirect employment for the locals and their large expat workforce.
Tranquil, exciting and exotic, Kuda Huraa is an oasis of well-appointed and designed responsible luxury, led by the tall and athletic Frenchman Didier Jardin, the General Manager, who joined Four Season many summers ago in 1994. Didier is best summed by Four Seasons themselves as ‘a sailor, diver and fire fighter; sky diver, adrenalin-junkie and visitor of more countries than he can count’.
Any resort in the Maldives is pleasing to the sensoria’s but it takes a lot to keep the ship in shape and well stocked to serve the discerning guest bang in middle of the ocean, especially when a stay here can set one back by big bucks. One can’t be found wanting in service and experience, be it the villas, facilities, out in the sea or in resort activities or for that matter F&B and Four Seasons Kuda Huraa does a top-notch job across these, especially when there are hardly any local resources to fetch and go for in an imports based environment.
Be it the experience, furnishing or layout, the Kuda Huraa perfectly blends local traditions and architecture in design, setting and experience beautifully. A case in point is the typical Maldivian open-to-sky bathing area in each villa which gives one a feel of a traditional Maldivian village. Each island resort is a complete ecosystem that leans little on the outside world for daily routines like service and maintenance, barring for supplies of consumables and perishables. The local Maldivian talent is exceptional, the way they’ve taken to their limited available vocations, like fish to water, in this case, hospitality and they more than match up to their expat colleagues. Ever smiling, pleasant, articulate and efficient, they are a lesson for any to learn from as best practices.
What I can assure any incoming guest who has Four Seasons in the Maldives on their radar, Kuda Huraa has loads of offerings to keep you hyper busy all through your stay of as many days, be it activities on island, in resort, on the beach, off the beach in the sea or the extremely generous food and beverage offerings. There are four restaurants that offer healthy eating options – Western, Asian and Maldivian specialities. Special arrangements can be made for dinner under the stars on the yoga platform, romantic beach barbecues, Robinson Crusoe picnics and private parties of any size. Guests can also opt for in-bungalow dining, available 24 hours, from a sunrise champagne breakfast to a romantic starlit dinner.
With 96 beach and over-water villas on offer, you can choose from a Deluxe Beach Bungalow with Pool, Beach Bungalow with Pool, Family Beach Bungalow with Pool, Two-Bedroom Beach Pavilion with Pool, Water Villa with Pool, Family Water Villa with Pool, Two-bedroom Water Suite with Pool, Three-bedroom Water Suite with Pool or Two-bedroom Royal Beach Villa.
Guests can indulge in activities like yoga at the all-new Yoga Pavilion else walk across to the Relaxation Area where a pond with private seating and soft colour scheme with copper accents soothes the senses or opt for the Secrets of the Sea Night Spa Ritual, the magical 150-minute ritual that focusses on the vagus nerve – the body’s memory-maker and relaxation centre – for a soul-soothing experience beneath a blanket of stars.
If you happen to be a sea-lover, you can adopt an entire surf lifestyle at Kuda Huraa. The on-site pros from Tropicsurf, Noosa, Australia, run classes and courses for guests aged six and above. Guests can enjoy easy take offs and long rides in some of the world’s most consistent and warmest swells, with expert instructors on hand to help maximise every wave. The resort also operates its own PADI 5-Star IDC Centre with air and nitrox diving and multilingual team offers courses for all abilities and daily dive trips. Within five to 30 minutes of the resort are 30 excellent dive sites where one can catch a glimpse of manta rays. But you need to be as lucky as me to spot a few as sightings conventionally happen here between May and November.
Landaa Giraavaru – Next Level In Luxury
A classified UNESCO Biosphere Reserve built in 2005, The Four Season Landaa Giraavaru island resort boasts of the next level in luxury with 103 villas, set on an exclusive island in the Baa Atoll. What most tourists arriving here enjoy the most is the breath-taking once-in-a-lifetime 40-minute flight on a Four Seasons American-built Twin Otter Sea Plane from the Velana International Airport, Male to the backwaters of Baa Atoll, a short swimmable distance from the resort. For those of us who have never taken off and landed on the sea, this is an experience with few parallels.
The 44-acre island in Baa Atoll is a composite, all-encompassing, serene and tranquil uber-luxury resort – a perfect confluence of Maldivian tradition, culture and architecture along with Western modernity with some incredible facilities that the discerning guests expects from such an exotic and expensive vacation. Not to forget, responsible hospitality protecting and caring for the environment with best practices – zero plastics, in-house glass bottled water, waste generation control and protection of sea life, especially corals, turtles, manta rays…
The FS and ownership teams have worked well with the visionary Lankan architect Murad Ismail to deliver a stunningly beautiful and well-appointed resort in the Baa Atoll where they have not compromised with any environmental issues. The resort is green and brings in much needed local vegetation/ flora and fauna which will not survive the local weather but will thrive and contribute to the local ecosystem.
When it comes to cuisine, there are a plethora of options. You could experience refined Italian fare, breathtaking sunset views and an unparalleled atmosphere at Blu Beach Club even as you relax beneath the shelter of poolside cabanas while indulging in Neapolitan pizza, genuine gelato, and expertly curated menus designed by Italian Chef Gaetano Trovato. Or savour the diverse tastes of Lebanese, Moroccan or Armenian cuisines during dining hours at Al Barkat, the overwater restaurant dedicated to the 12th century North African scholar who established residence in Baa Atoll. If your taste buds are craving for Asian or local delicacies, head to Café Landaa and take a seat within any of the three dining pavilions, topped with charming thatched roofs and divided by serene reflective ponds. And then relish a lavish spread originating from the tandoor and curry kitchen.
Alternatively, you can also immerse yourself in an extraordinary culinary experience by joining the chef at the teppanyaki counter, situated at the heart of a captivating water garden, where your meal unfolds before your very eyes. Craving for a satisfying dinner following an action-filled day in the Maldives? Indulge in the day’s freshly caught seafood and an extensive array of organic, top-quality meats along with salads and Asian cuisine – all while wiggling your toes in the sandy embrace of Fuego Grill’s beachside setting.
A brief stroll from the resort leads you to an ocean-bound deck where a tranquil atmosphere prevails and you reach one of the most laidback bars in the Maldives, Seabar. Sink into plush cushions while relishing the signature frozen margaritas and savouring tapas-style delights. As you bask in this intimate overwater environment, take in the captivating sight of lemon sharks and reef fish gliding through the turquoise waters beneath. While Seabar can host you post-five in the evening till midnight, guests can stop in to sip exotic juices, tropical cocktails or enjoy a refreshing fresh coconut at the luxury beachfront bar, Blu Bar.
On the lower level of Al Barakat, extending over the lagoon is Shisha Bar, a pre-dinner destination adorned with curtained sofas and intricate lanterns. Open only between 7 pm and 10.30 pm, it establishes a captivating ambiance ideal for enjoying cocktails, Turkish coffee and shisha. If you are having a dip in the pool and need a little refreshment, the Poolside Bar helps you with wines, cocktails and refreshing tropical drinks throughout the day along with a menu that serves salads, sandwiches and lighter fare to keep the family fueled up and ready to play. The guests even have the option of customised menus wherein they can go in for a vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, kosher, dairy-free or Ayurvedic spreads.
The resort also offers wellness options where you can rediscover your consciousness and set out on a fresh journey towards health, harmony, happiness well-being, balance and contentment. With the sturdy foundation of Ayurveda, yoga therapy, wellness and planetary wellbeing, bolstered by an accomplished team of Ayurvedic doctors, naturopaths and yoga therapists at AyurMa, you’ll uncover personal and collective encounters. These experiences are thoughtfully crafted to foster a sense of compassion for self, others, the oceans and the planet. So, one could choose from ayurvedic treatments like Abhyanga, Udvartana, Shirodhara, Sarvangadhara or Navarakkizhi else opt for alignment rituals wherein seven extraordinary multifaceted treatments open and align the body’s chakras (energy centres) for optimal emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual balance.
If you want to catch a glimpse of the largest ray fish in the world which are highly intelligent and highly threatened, then take an exhilarating speedboat trip to hotspots where you can snorkel with mass gatherings of manta rays and whale sharks. The best months for spotting the two is between June and October. You can also join the Maldives’ only full-time manta ray research project, swim with dolphins and turtles in the lagoon and help turn previously empty reef flats into thriving coral ecosystems.
The Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru also runs four interactive ocean conservative initiatives – coral reefscaping, turtle rehabilitation, manta ray research and fish breeding. These are led by 15 marine biologists based on the island and operate out of the resort’s Marine Discovery Centre. In the last one decade, government-licensed Turtle Rehabilitation Centre has rescued more than 30 turtles in a decade and returned them to the wild or rehomed the ones deemed non-releasable in overseas aquariums. The Trainee Marine Biologist Programme at the resort motivates teenagers and young adults to dive into what it takes to be a marine biologist.
Not this alone, the resort is also committed to preserving and regenerating the environment and leaving a positive and enduring impact on the local community. So, you will find eco-friendly buggies used for guest and staff transportation; linens and towels replaced every third day unless otherwise requested; energy saving guest room controls and building systems including LED lighting and water heat pumps in all guest rooms that improves energy efficiency by 70 per cent; elimination of single use plastics from guest rooms; drinking water bottling plant programme that eliminates 292,000 plastic bottles annually and recycling partnership with local company to recycle used engine oils, kitchen oils, batteries, glass, aluminium and metal among many others.
Voavah – An Extraordinary Hideaway
Having an island entirely to yourself is no longer a distant dream, for the rich and famous. The Four Seasons Maldives Private Island at Voavah has made it a reality. Comprising a 19 m yacht, dive centre, spa, beach house, seven bedrooms and a resident pod of dolphins, this place is a travellers’ ultimate fantasy. Anywhere you look up from here, the vast blue skies welcome you, something unheard of in cities.
Once here, you can stroll on the sandy beach or laze around in the shady open-air lounge, have a rejuvenating swim in the crystal-clear waters with sharks to give you company or dance away to glory at a pool party. You can even indulge in snorkelling or kitesurfing, get nitrox certified, explore long-forgotten wrecks or work your way up the PADI ladder to become a Master Scuba Diver. For the fitness freak, the place has a well-equipped gym and for the book worms a full-fledged library.
And if you have kids with you, you don’t have to worry about them getting into wrong hands while you are enjoying your life here. For, the place has 24-hour security, with regular patrolling, and CCTV and night-vision cameras. Your kids can learn about marine biology as the place offers lessons in that, besides snorkelling and swimming classes, turtle tours, beach games, water sports and traditional crafting.
The best part is Voavah doesn’t give you any set itinerary – you can make one for yourself as per your interests. Well-aware that preserving cultural heritage is key to long-term sustainability, Voavah has collaborated with local Boduberu (big drum) bands to promote cultural dance, and Maldives’ last remaining lacquerware artisans – a group of five families from Thulhaadhoo, Baa Atoll – and holds on-site workshops, demonstrations and sales. It also has a tie-up with a cooperative on the nearby island of Fulhadhoo that produces the coral frames used in its Reefscapers Coral Propagation Project.
The icing on the cake is despite being a remote mid-ocean location, there is no problem of connectivity. Private jets ply between Voavah and Velana International Airports, from where you can take up private seaplanes for journeying further.
As I reflect on my past trips to the Maldives, I can’t help but be transported back to the enchanting memories forged within the embrace of the Four Seasons during this recent visit. The splendour of this experience has etched itself into the fabric of my being, destined to be recounted and cherished for countless years to come. Thank you, Four Seasons for hosting me…
