The Four Seasons Maldives at Kuda Huraa is the smaller sister property to Landaa Giraavaru, done in the style of a Maldivian village. It's popular to combine this with Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru with the Paradise Twice offer, which includes a speedboat transfer to Kuda Huraa, direct transfer from Kuda Huraa to Landaa Giraavaru (no stopping in Male) and a return seaplane transfer from Landaa Giraavaru to Male. Plus, enjoy complimentary daily breakfast for two, upgrade at check-in if available and a $100 spa credit as thanks to Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits.
This review is part of a trip report including Etihad First Class and luxury resorts in the Maldives and Southeast Asia. For the prior posts, please see:
Review of Etihad's Lounge at Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)
Etihad First Class 787-9 Dreamliner Review
Review: Wingtips Lounge JFK for Etihad First Class Passengers
Review: Etihad First Class 777-300ER NYC to Abu Dhabi
Review: Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi AUH Terminal 1
Four Seasons Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru Review
Four Seasons Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru Restaurant Reviews and Menus
Four Seasons Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru Activities: Top 10 Things to Do
TravelSort Clients receive these Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits, when reserving the Four Seasons Maldives at Kuda Huraa:
- Upgrade of one category, based on availability at time of check-in (excluding signature suites and villas)
- Daily full American breakfast for two people per bedroom, served through In-Room Dining or in the hotel restaurant (including buffets)
- Spa credit of USD100 once during stay (not applicable to products)
- Complimentary basic Internet (up to 2 devices) in all guest rooms, complimentary premium Internet (up to 4 devices) in all suites.
Four Seasons Maldives at Kuda Huraa Lobby and Check-In
Our transfer from Landaa Giraavaru to Kuda Huraa was just 25-30 minutes and provided some lovely views, which I'll share in a post on Trans Maldivian seaplane transfers. As at Landaa Giraavaru, there's a buoy that the sea plane lands at, which helps minimize the noise for those at the resort. You then board a speedboat for the short distance to the resort.
We were welcomed by management and staff, and soon sitting down in the airy lobby by reception:
Our lemongrass infused welcome drink wasn't quite as striking as the coconut welcome drink at Landaa Giraavaru, but it was cold and very refreshing, and the munchkin preferred it.
Soon, we were off to our Beach Pavilion with Pool that I'd booked for our first night; I'll cover our Sunset Water Villa in a separate post.
Four Seasons Maldives at Kuda Huraa Beach Pavilion with Pool
Kuda Huraa means “little island” in the Maldives' local language, Dhivehi, and true to its name, the island is very walkable. The island is much more landscaped than Landaa Giraavaru, which has been left with more of its natural jungle, and there are lovely bursts of magenta bougainvillea on many of the paths.
Beach Pavilions and Bungalows are each tucked into foliage, so that even though they are spaced quite closely together they feel very private. Here's the entry from the beach:
Each pavilion has its own plunge pool, and even though we only had 20 minutes or so until dinner my son insisted on splashing around in ours, which he enjoyed immensely. An adjacent thatched roof bale offers welcome shade during the day:
The Pavilion itself consisted of a bedroom with a King bed, sofa, tables and large flat screen. As at Landaa Giraavaru and all Four Seasons, Kuda Huraa features incredibly comfortable Four Seasons beds. These were the most comfortable beds of our trip, and we slept very soundly.
There was a bowl of welcome fruit (not quite as elaborate as at Landaa Giraavaru) and also a very sweet kids' welcome amenity for my son, which I immediately hid since he has enough energy without bouncing off the walls from a sugar high 😉
Between the bedroom area and the bathroom is a walk in closet space, with more than ample room for our little carry ons and clothes. The bathroom offered dual vanities, with the toilet behind a door to the right, and walk-in shower to the left.
Opposite the sinks was a large soaking tub, although since we were there just one night we showered and didn't have occasion to use it.
In addition to the indoor shower, there's an outdoor courtyard with stepping stones to an outdoor shower. The outdoor space also had a convenient rack for hanging swimsuits and other wet clothes to dry.
Outdoor Swimming Pools
Breakfast each morning at Cafe Huraa overlooks the main pool area, although we only had time for a swim our last day. Even though the resort was already very full during our stay, due to spring break and the approaching Easter holidays, the pool was never crowded. After all, you don't come to the Maldives to swim in a pool when the ocean and marine life is so amazing 😉 Nevertheless, my son loved his brief pool swim, and the water seemed the perfect temperature–refreshingly cool but not cold–given the outdoor heat.
Practically as soon as we sat down a smiling pool staffer brought us ice cold water, sunscreen, and refreshing towels. And I guess there must be some guests that do spend a fair amount of time by the pool, since there was a “Zzzzz” sign to use if you were sleeping and didn't want to be disturbed!
Next to the large main pool is a children's pool, a good choice for younger kids who may not be confident swimmers yet.
And for couples or those seeking a completely tranquil experience, there's the Serenity Pool located near the Reef Club, which is for quiet use by those age 16 and older.
Four Seasons Maldives at Kuda Huraa Restaurants and Dining
The resort offers several restaurants: Baraabaru, serving Indian dishes; Reef Club, with Italian cuisine; Cafe Huraa, where the daily breakfast buffet is served, along with all-day dining; and Kandu Grill, with fresh caught seafood is displayed on ice and grilled to order.
Four Seasons Maldives at Kuda Huraa Activities
Kuda Huraa offers snorkeling and diving, dolphin watching cruises and surfing fun as well as other water sports such as X-Jetpacks, parasailing, Standup Paddle Boarding (SUP). There's also tennis (on a nearby island), spa treatments (again on its own island), the complimentary Kuda Velaa kids' club and more. I'll cover Kuda Huraa activities in a future post.
The Verdict
Four Seasons Maldives at Kuda Huraa is a lovely small island closer to Male that is a nice complement to Landaa Giraavaru, for those who want to stay at more than one resort in the Maldives but don't want to have to go through Male again to get to the second resort. I did prefer the beach and sand at Landaa Giraavaru, which was the whitest and finest of all the Maldives resorts I've been to. And while it's hard to compete with all the diving opportunities in Baa Atoll, I was very pleasantly surprised by our turtle safari, where we were able to see 4 turtles in addition to a rich array of fish while snorkeling.
Kuda Huraa is also a favorite in its own right for surfers, since there's world class surfing here during the summer months. Additionally, as I'll get to in my review of the dining and restaurants, I loved the Indian cuisine at Baraabaru–it was superb, and highly recommended. And of course, as I noted, the Four Seasons really does have the most comfortable beds, giving us the best nights of sleep during our entire trip.
If you've stayed at Four Seasons Maldives at Kuda Huraa recently, what was your experience?
Related Posts
Four Seasons Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru Review
Four Seasons Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru Restaurant Reviews and Menus
Four Seasons Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru Activities: Top 10 Things to Do
Disclosure: I paid for my stay, which was booked with Four Seasons Preferred Partner benefits. The views expressed in this post are my own.
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