Castaway at Kanuhura Maldives

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  Beach at Kanuhura

  © Sun Resorts

Laidback luxury is the order of the day at Kanuhura, one of the most well established five-star resorts in the Maldives. The resort has been on the scene for 10 years and celebrated the fact this spring with a party where Ibiza-favourite Toni Moreno was the guest DJ (wonder how hard they had to persuade him to fly to a tropical island to play on a beach?).



The resort’s longevity means its service is polished, its people settled, its grounds mature, its flora abundant and there’s a quiet confidence about Kanuhura which says that whilst resorts may be opening up all around it in the Maldives - the number is nudging its way up to 100 – on this island, it’s business as usual.



Wherever you’re flying in from, there’s going to be a swift transfer waiting for you to drive you over to the resort’s private lounge at Mahe’s seaplane ‘terminal’. This is where you hang out before you are whisked off down to the island on a seaplane, the ubiquitous mode of transport in this neck of the woods. 

Start getting used to the cold towels you get handed in the lounge, as they are as common as sand in the luxury world of the Maldives and usually proffered just at the right moments. In the little lounge at Mahe, there was also a shower if you wanted to freshen up, and cool drinks for a quicker solution. A drink was all I had time for really, as the wait to catch the seaplane was blissfully short and I was soon up in the air and back down again 40 minutes later in the beautiful Lhaviyani Atoll where there are just four resorts and a whole lot of blissful escapism.



There are 100 villas on the island (and over the water), but you would never have known it during my stay, with just enough guests drifting around to make you feel you have made the right choice of resort and have arrived on a desert island rather than a deserted island.

The island is such a good size, with so many different activities and nooks and crannies, that you need never feel you are either stuck for something to do, or waiting for anything for very long at all.

In fact the private beach area outside my villa was sanctuary enough for me, with a short stroll to the bath-warm water or along the – quite wide – beach to the main pool area, where a DJ doggedly put on some afternoon chill-out music every day, and ice cream and sorbets were dutifully doled out.

The pool area forms the main hub of the island, with the Thin Rah and Olive Tree restaurants grouped around it and the Handhuvaru bar with its sandy floors inside and chic furniture out on the beach for staring off into the sunset and sea with a cocktail in hand. Also close at hand is the haruge, which is a Maldivian art and cultural centre where you can see locals at work on carvings and handicrafts, which is quite a unique feature for a Maldivian resort. There are also several other rooms which the resort puts to good use, such as a cinema room for movie nights complete with popcorn, and a place for teens to hang out. 



Kanuhura is a great place for families – the kids club has its own little pool, beach, playground and busy range of activities for the smaller visitors, with full timetable of events and play ideas for 4-7 year olds and 8-11 year olds. Everything from talent shows, to pizza making, obstacle courses and yoga were on the packed daily schedule for holidaymakers at the K Club Kanuhura! The club is down at a quiet part of the island, near one of the other restaurants, the Veli Café, which serves up incredible Asian-inspired meals at night. The resort also makes sure to organise mealtimes to suit both the family market and ‘couples only’ dining hours so everyone’s kept happy.



The resort shows its age in its furniture in guestrooms, which is more ‘traditional’, shall we say than the likes of Huvafen Fushi and not as rustic-luxe as the Sonevas of the world, but the soft furnishings pop with colours and all the essentials such as super-comfy beds, large TVs and DVD players, surround sound and free broadband internet are available, as well as the obligatory outside bathroom. Some of the in-room touches are surprisingly sweet – such as Bill Amberg designed guest directory and notebook. In the over-water villas, refurbishments are ongoing and adjustments to the terraces include the addition of over-water hammocks so you can chill out lying over the Indian Ocean. 



My only other quibble would have been that the location of the spa is questionable, yes – it’s handily in the mix with the main areas, restaurant, pool and such, but a spa needs a sense of arrival, a sense that you could stagger out into the sunlight and stumble back to your villa unseen or on a golf buggy, not when everyone is walking to and from the restaurant. Its decor was also a little dated but that is soon to be revamped, and I could not fault the therapist and the treatment was earth moving. Treatments can also be taken at the Kandhu-Olhi Pavilion on the beach behind the chef’s garden and the spa also puts on free classes every day, such as beach yoga, Thai stretch and candlelight meditation.

The island has a very natural and peaceful feel and is certainly big enough to mooch around on for a decent week-10 day holiday, with endless activity suggestions on the daily ‘Breeze’ newsletter – whether that be nature walks, sunset fishing, ‘mind, sound, resonance’ technique at the spa to help you chant your way into meditation, or learning how to make a Maldivian curry. 



There are heaps of on-the-water options too, from wake boarding to underwater scooters and beautiful snorkelling around the lagoon and more than 40 excellent dive sites just short boat rides away. The boat trip may even be accompanied by pods of dolphins, often spotted around the island.



The piece de resistance for many may be the trip to Jehunuhura island – just a five-minute boat ride and you are truly on a tiny, barefoot desert island, with cabana daybeds scattered on the beach, fresh grill-style dining at Kandu and complete tranquillity during the day. Or at night, it’s the ultimate romantic spot at night as you dine by candlelight with your feet in the sand on Carpaccio of snapper, seafood consommé and grilled filet of beet followed by a tiramisu – all with the lights of Kanuhura twinkling in the distance.