Hurawalhi Island Resort & Spa

Crown & Champa is a very well-established Maldivian hotelier that built its reputation on a mix of larger, high-volume & smaller, boutique islands in the four-star bracket. In 2016 they made their first step into the highly competitive 5-star field with the opening of the 90-villa, adults-only Hurawalhi in the Lhaviyani Atoll, nearby to sister islands Komandoo & Kuredu.


The 30 Beach Villas (all with pools) and 60 Ocean Villas (some with, some without), constructed with extensive use of natural materials, are modern, spacious and comfortable, without being overly fussy or grandiose. The Ocean Villa jetty is a very graceful design, snaking away from the island, and belying it’s true extent from almost any viewpoint. Access to the lagoon from the sun decks is provided by gently sloping, deep steps: no graceless, fin-clad clambering up and down steel ladders here.

The pleasing aesthetics extend to the main areas, from the sand-floored welcome pavilion and adjacent boutiques, to the main & over water restaurant and bar complexes. The fitness and wellness centre, with aerial yoga and second floor treadmill views over the lagoon, is particularly impressive. Other activities include football, tennis & padel courts, and we loved the games room: table tennis, pool and pinball that weren’t being hogged by 10 year-olds. The small, overwater Duniye Spa is perhaps the most understated element.

Snorkellers will love the house reef, surrounding the island, with only the arrival harbour area and deep channel at the end of the water villa jetty off limits. A handy guide shows clearly where the best spots are for beginner, novice and advanced snorkellers, and maps the multiple channels available to reach the drop off. We were very impressed by the abundance and variety of marine life both in the lagoon and on the reef edge.


Dining is delightful. The main Canneli Restaurant offers high-quality, extensive buffets and live cooking stations, with ample seating indoors and out, giving plenty of space between tables. JFK (Junk Food Kitchen) serves delicious, streetfood-inspired dishes with a strong meat-free menu, while Kashibo is the beautiful over-water Asian fusion eatery featuring a Teppanyaki table and small but well-stocked wine cellar. Kashibo would grace many a resort as a signature restaurant, but Hurawalhi’s trump card is the excellent ‘5.8’ underwater fine-dining experience. Next to Canneli, Coco Bar doubles as a pool bar by day and cocktails & entertainment magnet in the evening. Kashibo also has a bar in a super overwater setting, but our favourite place for drinks is the Tattinger Champagne Pavilion: bubbles & canapes at sunset are a must. A range of meal plans are available, starting on B&B, while the All Inclusive Plus plan places Hurawalhi amongst the very best in the Maldives to offer an AI package. The AIP plan is pretty extensive, and we think worth the premium, although it doesn’t include 5.8.

As is evidenced time and again, you can have all the state-of-the-art facilities in luxurious surroundings (the hardware), but it counts for nothing if it’s not backed up by the resort team’s organisation & service (the software). What really shines through at Hurawalhi is the decades of experience in running resort operations in the Maldives: the island purrs like a well-oiled machine, we found service exemplary in every outlet and have great confidence in the management team.

When it comes to ticking boxes, Hurawalhi is a complete, modern, adult-oriented resort. It’s a little pricey, but far from the very top end of the scale, and yet it delivers comprehensively in a way that some very prestigious and more expensive brands struggle with. The venture up-market for CCR has been an unqualified success and Hurawalhi is a worthy addition to our Highly Recommended list.

Is Hurawalhi perfect? Well, no, we once received warm milk with our tea at breakfast, so there’s always room for improvement ;-)