We have been coming to Maldives for the last 20 years. This year we chose to re-visit this resort after our previous visit in 2015 when it was called Per Aquum Huvafen Fushi. Although the service was great then, it needed lots and lots of maintenance. This time around everything was perfect, from arrival to departure, including staff, facilities, room, dining, and best of all the Spa. At many points, we felt the whole island was working as one to provide service with a smile from senior management down to the leave blowers. At every island we have been to during the past 20 years (25+ resorts) there was an understandable downside of Mosquitoes. Not here. Not sure how they are dealing with it but we haven’t felt the typical nuisance we experience in other places. Beaches and Landscapes were also perfect. All cleared up and cleaned although we experienced multiple rain storms during our stay. This time, We stayed at a deluxe beach bungalow that for the first time we had two small pools, front and back. Typically such rooms would have just one. Both were cleaned periodically. Amenities provided were just right. Housekeeping staff were very proficient at what they do, twice a day the room would be cleaned and replenished. A small but understandable issue we had was restaurant menus. Resort has 2 restaurants and 2 bars that provided food and quick bites but alas limited selections. If that could be scaled up it would complement an already great holiday spot. We attributed that to low season and occupancy rates so we accepted that. Location is important too. About 30 KM from male. The furthest we know of to use a boat and be forced to use a seaplane. So it is just far enough.…
We just spent two incredible weeks at Huvafen Fushi as a family of 4 (2 adult kids). Having been to several different top properties across the Maldives, Huvafen was essentially an alternative to Gili Lankanfushi to us, as we felt like our favourite place has sadly become too noisy with the growing civilisation. So, in this review I will compare Huvafen to some of the other places we have seen, but also try to objectively reflect on our time there. Firstly, let me say that we had an absolutely wonderful vacation at HF and we enjoyed ourselves from the moment we stepped onto the island until we left. The island is certainly a magical place, both in terms of its nature / surroundings, as well as the people working and living on there. After two weeks on the island, we truly felt like part of the family and we were extremely sad to leave. Now, you might ask - why did you only give 4 stars if it was so wonderful? Honestly, this was not an easy decision at all. We had a heated discussion in our family and even after some weeks our opinions are still split - ultimately however we agreed that there are some small, but important, points that stopped us from giving this place 5 stars. But believe me, if 4.5 stars were possible, we'd give them that! But first, let me describe the numerous positives of Huvafen Fushi, that made our vacation here so wonderful: 1) The island location is perfect, only 30 minutes by speedboat from Male, but at the same time extremely quiet with no other large islands or noice pollution around 2) The island lagoon is stunning, with the water being crystal clear and very clean. The overwater bungalows have beautiful blue water in front of them (also deep enough to swim properly - which can be an issue at some Maldives properties), while the island bungalows have beautiful white sand beaches in front of them 3) In terms of activities, Huvafen really offers something for every taste. The island is extremely calm and relaxing for those who just want to spend their holidays doing nothing (the Spa is also amazing for that, including the incredible underwater spa), but at the same time offers a great variety of activities. We went windsurfing and catamaran sailing quite a few times which was extremely fun (Thanks to Aneel and the rest of the watersports team!!), as well as scuba diving (Thanks to Musto for taking great care of us and showing us lovely dive spots!), snorkeling, a sunset cruise and a super cool session with the Marine Biologist in the underwater spa (Highly recommended!!!) 4) The Thakuru (butler) service is great because it really feels like your well-being is at the center of your Thakuru's attention. Our Thakuru Yoonus took exceptional care of us and made us feel like no request was impossible! After a while, we didn't even have to voice our wishes anymore - he would simply pick up on them even before we could think of them and just make it happen. Big kudos to Yoonus, he was a GREAT part of why this vacation was so relaxing and care-free 5) Everybody at Huvafen is extremely attentive and concerned with our well-being. We were even offered to move to a more wind-protected villa when the weather was acting up! 6) The villa lay-out of the 2-bedroom ocean pavilion with pool was perfect for us, with 2 large bedrooms and spacious outdoor and indoor areas. We didn't stay in the smaller villas, but they looked extremely spacious as well, I would say larger than your average villa on the Maldives. The amenities in the villa are as you would expect, we especially appreciated the daily fresh tropical fruit basket and the very clean and attentive housekeeping service 7) The salt restaurant was an absolute delight, with its Japanese Fusion kitchen. The food tasted delicious every time we went there, just as the cocktails that accompanied our meals. The service was also outstanding, with the waiters and chefs being very friendly. Especially Shammu was outstanding, extremely professional service and a great person to talk to! This guy could easily be the resort manager in some years! 8) The infinity main pool is very calm with no kids playing around. We usually don't go to "public" areas in these resorts and prefer to stay in our room, but here even we enjoyed ourselves and spent some days by the main pool 9) I joined the complementary morning yoga every morning, and with max. 2 other guests this really felt like a private session. The Yogi master Basheer did an amazing job at personalising the sessions, while making it possible for everyone to follow 10) Most of our waiters from the main restaurant Celcius (like Mua and Kassi) were really great too - always a smile on their face and great service! Bijay even started to remember our specific fresh fruit orders for breakfast - that is what I call personalised service! Now, let's discuss the reasons why we as a family thought we can't give this resort 5 stars. Please keep in mind, that these are complaints on a very high level - and can probably be overlooked by many. But do keep them in mind when booking HF: 1) One of the main issues for us was the awkward layout of the buildings on the island. The island itself is very small, so the staff village has been kind of spread across the island - leading to the staff walking around in their private attire on the main walkway (which is neither nice for the guests nor for them...). The staff village itself is made out of buildings that don't look very appealing (old and not the "Maldivian" nature vibe you want to see) - which wouldn't be an issue of the staff village was better hidden. Sadly, however, the large building are mostly exposed - so you can see them from the lagoon and Salt restaurant. Not a very nice view to have during your idyllic sunset drink... Moreover, the football court is built on the most beautiful stretch of sunset beach (the other beaches are separated by stone walls every 50 meters to avoid sand erosion we guessed), and as the football court is surrounded by a rusty old fence, this just gives off weird slum-like looks - not a 5-star luxury feeling you'd expect. So, while the layout cannot be changed now, I would definitely suggest to HF to try and cover the staff area a little better with some palm trees (especially on the side to the Salt Restaurant and around the football court)!! 2) Besides the Salt restaurant (which, like I said before, was OUTSTANDING) and the breakfast buffet, the remaining food was sadly at most average and a main point of disappointment during our stay. Let me summarise why: - The main restaurant Celcius offers a la carte dinner most nights, and while the quality is okay, the tastes and creativity among different dishes just doesn't offer enough variety. If you are only staying from some days you will be fine, but otherwise you will find yourself repeating meals pretty quickly. Moreover, most of the fish dishes were basically the same (grilled fish with veggies), as well as the 4/5 different curries with a very similar tasting base. From most other resorts we know that they offer (high-end) buffets or themed nights at least 3-4 times a week, but here they only have a Maldivian buffet once a week, which is honestly underwhelming. Compared to Gili Lankanfushi, where they have around 8 live-cooking stations per themed night, here the food is mostly already prepared - which just has more of a cheap buffet vibe. - The in-room lunch menu was more than underwhelming with extremely limited options on the menu and uninspired tastes. Gladly, we started to memorise the lunch menu from other occasions (like the dinner menu), so we appreciated that they were willing to prepare those for us at lunch. It would be nice, however, to have some more creative, healthy and tasty options on the in-villa dining menu besides your classic pasta and sandwiches (like Summer Rolls, Sushi or Asian Noodles). - We opted for an "Arabic dinner" as a destination dinner - which will cost 250 USD per person. This is a normal price by Maldivian standard, but keep in mind tat wine and water will be extra. The starters were quite nice (average Arabic Mezze), but the main course felt a bit like an overflow on your place (we couldn'T even finish half of what we were served), with some sauces that were not tasty at all.. We would prefer quality over quantity at those prices and locations... So, all in all, a little bit of a revival and creativity on the F&B side would be much welcomed. Paying so much money for this resort, you'd expect more gourmet-style dishes and more of a "wow" factor when it comes to food... (Or just look at Salt - you did it right there) 3) A minor, but absolutely ridiculous thing that just didn't sit right with us was that we were being charged 5.50 USD per bottle "house-made" water. Seriously Huvafen!?!? Paying so much money per night, you'd expect to at least have water included in your half-board meals.... 4) The interior design of the villas does feel outdated, as well as some of the exterior on the "public" areas of the island. FRom what we could tell, simply not a lot of money has been invested in renewing things since the launch in 2004... (we think?). My father summarised the the design of the interior as "Airport lounge vibes mixed with strange James-bond like technologies from the 2000s". While the furniture is not really something to be bothered by (I guess this is more of a personal taste), the pipes and cables sticking out in random places across the island are just not that pretty to look at. 5) While most of the local employees were absolutely lovely, we did miss the "social" character of the island a bit. This might also be due to the guests Huvafen attracts (Mostly Arabic and Russian couples that completely keep to themselves - the bar was always empty), but we would have also wished for some more interaction by management. Lots of other resorts have some sort of management cocktail and management will be around during dinners to speak to guests. Here, management seemed more like a back-office job, but somehow missing the guest-hosting part. 6) Lastly (and we know that this is a very personal thing), Huvafen runs on Male time. Most other resorts in the Maldives have adopted "island time" (one hour ahead of the regular local time), leading to an additional hour of sunlight in the evening with sunset happening at 7pm rather than 6pm. I understand how this can be confusing to locals, but as a guest we always appreciated the more "normal" sunset hour, as you could go directly from sunset to dinner. Here, we did have to "wait" in the dark for 1 hour before we could go to dinner. So, to summarise again, we really did thoroughly enjoy our stay at Huvafen Fushi! The negative points are really just something to be aware of and maybe can act as a small suggestion to management for how to make this resort from almost-perfect to perfect. We truly believe if Huvafen was renovated and had a few minor touch-ups on the points mentioned before, that this could be our next go-to place! Thanks a lot again to everybody who made this stay wonderful, especially - Our incredible Thakuru Yoonus - Aneel and the rest of the watersports team - Shammu, our lovely waiter from the Salt restaurant…
It was our second visit to Huvafen Fushi and it was again pure bless. Noel and his team attend to every wish there guests have with friendliness and efficiency. The Accomodation, food and attention to detail made our time, a week of relaxation and enjoyment. The privacy of a small island combined with great service, food and Accomodation makes Huvafen Fushi the perfect place to enjoy the good things in life. Particular in times of bad news all over the word a week here is food for your soul.
We just spent 8 nights in Huvafen. The place is stunning and everything is of a high standards. All the processes went very smoothly and easy from the reservation until we left. The staff was very friendly, helpfull, always smiling and it was pleasure to chat with them and learn a lot about the Maldives and their culture, economy and sea life. Our butler Haneef organised our stay perfectly and he did great job with everything we asked It was also pleasure to chat few times with General Manager. We thought also it was very nice touch that he came at out departure to say good bye. Our ocean bungalow with pool was beatifull. Unfortunately we weren't lucky with the weather so we couldn't do excursions due to rough sea. In this case we wish there was a bit more land entertainment. We had a complimentary coctail class which was great and we d be happy if there was more of activities like that ie cooking class or even maldivian language class. We d be happy to pay for it. We booked spa few times and it was amazing. Underwater dream massage is a must to do and you get to see a lot of fish and some sharks there. Spa manager was very helpful and patient with us whenever we cancell, move dates or change treatments. Food in the restaurants was really good and the menu in Celcius was perfect. There was a bit of everything from different cousines ie italian, indian, maldives. We also tried Salt restaurant and we really liked it. Cardamon (Indian) dinner was a great experience and scenery was beatiful. The only dissapointing thing was that on the wine menu you could only choose between two red wines per glass. Towards the end of our stay menu changed and there was only one red wine available per glass. We like a glass of red wine for our dinner and a bit of bigger choice would be appreciated especially knowing that you have a wine canteen with capacity of 6,000bottles. Overall we were very happy and we really enjoyed our stay despite unluck with weather. We will certainly be back bur probably in a dry season:) …
In April 2022 we were lucky enough to spend two weeks in The Maldives. Our first stop was Huvafen Fushi, an intimate 44 bungalow resort, which turned out to be a brilliant choice. As soon as we landed at the airport in Male we were met by the Staff at Huvafen. The hotel has one of the few private waiting areas in the airport to sit and enjoy some air conditioning while waiting for the speedboat transfer to the island. One of the big benefits of staying at Huvafen is its proximity to Male. The atoll is only a 30-minute boat ride away and the boat is always ready and waiting to go. If you happen to go to an outer island, you will be subject to the domestic flight schedules and you may end up sitting in the airport and waiting a long time either coming or going. When we arrived at Huvafen we were met by a number of staff including Vicky, our Thakuru for our week-long stay. As a Thakaru, Vicky would tend to any inquiries we may have including questions about the resort and recommendations for reservations for dining, diving and spa treatments. The beauty of the Thakaru system is that it eliminates any need to call or visit a front desk or reception area. Everything has the personal touch. Vicky was fantastic. He was polite, friendly and had a great sense of humour. He took wonderful care of us. While at Huvafen we thoroughly enjoyed our overwater bungalow, which had a stunning sunset view and a pool. The room was a contemporary design with a thatched roof and all the amenities you could ask for...and it was huge (about 1500 s.f.) with a living room/bar area, bedroom, bathroom and an enormous deck with a plunge pool. We spent most of our time lounging on the deck enjoying the pool and dipping into the water for the occasional snorkel. My wife thoroughly enjoyed the diving with excellent personal service and great dive sites. Dining was an adventure. Every morning there was a beautiful breakfast buffet overlooking the water where you could sit with your feet in the sand. All the food was fresh and delicious and personal requests were welcomed. We usually filled up so much at breakfast that we skipped lunch. Dinner was typically at one of two locations or you could splurge and have a private dinner on a secluded beach location. The Japanese Restaurant was fantastic and it was attached to a beautiful indoor/outdoor Bar. The personal service from the manager Mirza was just great. He talked to us about everything from the menu to the various sharks that swam around the restaurant at night. Mirza was a pleasure to deal with. The Main Pool area was also a regular stop for us as it was a huge, infinity pool with a great ocean view. It also allowed us to mingle with some of the guests. Next to the Pool was a Bar area that we often stopped at after dinner. One night the hotel even brought in a band, which was a real treat after going two years of Covid without any live music. I treated my bad back to a number of massages at the Spa. My therapist was excellent. The location of the Spa was a gorgeous, quiet lagoon and it was always a treat to visit with a special drink and a cool towel waiting for you when you arrived. I have nothing negative to say about Huvafen. Our stay was pure pleasure. We knew going in that The Maldives would be expensive and it lived up to that billing. However, you can't put a price on happiness and great service. Easily the best service we've ever had traveling the world. After Huvafen, we went on to another resort and our Thakaru, Vicky, even made arrangements for us to connect with a friend of his who was a Mr. Friday at that resort. Just another example of Vicky going above and beyond. Many thanks to all the folks at Huvafen Fushi who made our stay so memorable. As is so often the case, it's the people that make the difference. I even had the pleasure of staying up late and watching the staff Football Tournament, which they played under the lights after having worked such long days. The sense of camaraderie and fun amongst the players and all the staff who turned out to watch was evident. Huvafen is a tight knit community and it shows. If you ever get the chance, go to Huvafen and enjoy the Five Star life!…
We spent a week in heaven for our honeymoon, we enjoyed every moment and got to experience many magical moments on the island! The pros: _ Quick transfert from the airport so from the moment we landed in male airport, we checked in in our room an hour later, a big Plus! _ Laid Back vibe and design of the hotel, amazing vegetation on the island. _ Shuzaan our butler was perfect, his service was spotless! _ Great service overall _ Ocean bungalow was great comfort and really spacious with the best views especially during sunsets, really recommended! _ Good pizza and tasty fish (Tuna and Reef fish) _ Salt restaurant: quality of food, staff, ambiance and view WOW!!! _ Excellent reef for snorkeling with many colorful fishes, sharks, turtles and mantas. _ Very beautiful beaches with crystal clear water around the hotel with many ones where you get the beach only for yourself _ Great dive center with Musto that has been an excellent coach for my first Dive. The cons: _ interior design of the room, a bit outdated but we still really enjoyed it. _ two islands on the horizon from pool area, one sandbank with many cargo ships around it and one further with high rise buildings, they damage the view a bit at first but you get used to it after a few days. _ Low quality bread, pastries, vegetables and fruits at Celsius restaurant _ Multiple times we saw plastic (bottles, small plastics etc..) on the island beaches and in more remote places of the island, the hotel should have 2-3 employees patrolling all the beaches during the day and clean up as much as possible, I am sure they clean once a day in the morning but unfortunately it is not enough.... That should be a priority of the hotel to clean any plastic ASAP for the guest to never notice it. _ High ugly antenna on the island (i think for internet and cable TV) that you can see from some area of the island, kills a bit the magic when you have it in sight. They should hide it more with high trees or make it smaller. _ Massage was average and very expensive. _ Massage complex built in the middle of what would have been by far the most beautiful beach/lagoon on the island. We overall had a wonderful stay and would really recommend the island for honeymooners it is magic! Also we traveled end of April/beginning of May and had some very windy and cloudy days for the last part of our stay, I would recommend to travel between December and April to have the best weather possible (more magic moments when there is no wind and the sea is flat without any sea current)…
My husband and I visited in April 2022 and stayed in a Lagoon bungalow. It was fantastic. We stayed for 6 nights, and had a wonderful time. Our butler Naadi was great, super kind and helpful. Our bungalow pool was perfect, as was the main pool and the snorkeling. We spent most of our days relaxing but also had great massages and did a dolphin sunset cruise where we saw tons of dolphins. The food and drinks are incredibly expensive but that was to be expected and I'm sure that would be true of all resorts in the Maldives. Also, note that some Trip Advisor reviews indicate that this property is adults only, but that is not accurate. Overall, a fantastic stay and we would love to return one day.
Huvafen was brilliant, If you are lucky enough to meet Shuzaan (butler) & Greg (diving instructor) then just know you will have the holiday of a lifetime Only downfall was the massage (price doesn’t justify quality at all, but I’m sure they will see this review and sort that out so for next time I have the massage of a lifetime (as that is the type of resort / people they are) From the second we landed in Male, we were well looked after by the on-site Huvafenfushi team based at the airport. Our whole stay was made to feel like we were alone on a tropical island with some of the most kind hearted people who are always at your service. For us Shuzaan was one of a kind, this guy hits the mark every single time, if he was to ever leave Huvafenfushi, I think we would go wherever he goes in all honesty, our holiday was made so perfect and special thanks to Shuzaan, he went out of his way to make sure that we were having the best time and if we needed ANYTHING, Shuzaan could help us (even if it meant travelling back to male to get us what we needed) We will miss him a lot… Another honourable mention is Greg (diving instructor) - you guys definitely do not pay him enough money ;) Greg is so passionate about his job that it really shows in the way he instructs. I personally could have sat and talked to Greg all day everyday of my holiday. We have worked with other diving instructors in the past who like to do the bare minimum and you can tell by the way they present themselves, however Greg always came with a big smile on his face, with plenty of jokes to make us laugh as well as a wealth of valuable knowledge to help with our diving careers / experiences. We will seriously miss Greg & hope he decides to stay at Huvafen as again he is one of a kind!!!! Another honourable mention is Kessi, we really liked Kessi as you could tell he genuinely cared about your day, your hobbies, etc. Kessi no matter what the request, got it sorted for us and has a wicked personality, we also hope Kessis stays with the brand ahead of our next Visit! We look forward to booking with you guys again soon (as long as Shuzaan and Greg are still there :) )…
We stayed for five nights in April - it was our third time in the Maldives and the resort was perfect. I want to thank our butler (Shuzaan) as well as other staffs like Kaasi, Anastasia, David, and others that I can't all name here. They made our stay memorable. Specifically, they were all very helpful but not obtrusive. Shuzaan was able to help us with everything and all of our requests, whether big or small. As with everything, you only truly find out how things are when there is a problem - Huvafen has a departure service where one of the staff helped you to the airline counter at Male. Here was where things when wrong. The airline had issued with our paperworks, etc... The staff from Huvafen was so helpful with everything - we ended up missing our flight and had to fly out the next day. He was instrumental in helping us book a hotel in Male overnight, get us COVD retested again, etc.... Without him, I don't know what we would have done. Please recognize this as above and beyond service and is a reflection of the resort. As I told the manager during our stay - great place, great people which are the most important, and we highly recommend to all and will be back.…
I and my husband stayed at the Huvafen Fushi for four nights (two in beach bungalow, two in ocean bungalow) and every moment was irreplaceable. 1. Amazing bulter - Suzaan was amazing! When I think of Maldvies, he would be a big part of this precious memory with his great smile and warm hospitality 2. Wonderful breakfast - Do I need to say more? 3. Thank you Dr.Welma - I got sick as I had allergic reaction to several things and Dr Welma was so kind and professional. 4. Great HK - I've been to many five-star resorts and hotels, and the housekeeping at Huvafen Fushi showed one of the most outstanding HK service. 5. Every single bit was beautiful. Thank you! Me and my husband plan to return to Huvafen Fushi in future with our future child later. Thank you for all the great memories!…
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