Dhawa Ihuru

This beautiful boutique island surrounded by its own lagoon is only a 25 minute speedboat ride from Male International airport, so not long after a long haul flight until you set foot in paradise! Upon arrival you are greeted at the jetty and led to the 'barception' (the reception is located in the bar!) and offered cold flannels and a cold drink. Check-in is seamless before you are shown to your villa. Villas are sea facing, some have rain showers, some jacuzzis, all have outside bathrooms with a shower which we love. The room itself is tastefully decorated with a super king size bed, aircon, daybed, table and chairs, flatscreen TV (with your welcome message), suitcase storage area, safe, drawers, wardrobe (a bit on the small side but adequate) and mini bar. The mini bar contains soft drinks, beer and wine. There are also branded spirits, snacks and chocolate included in the AI package and replenished daily. The beach can be accessed directly from your villa. There is a deck area with table and chairs, parasol, swing bed, lounge bed and two loungers. So you can choose somewhere different to relax every day! The villas are serviced twice daily to a very high standard. There were a couple of minor issues when we arrived but these were rectified quickly. The staff make it their business to ensure that you have everything you need from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave, nothing is too much trouble. There is one bar and one restaurant, more than enough! The bar offers the usual beer and wine plus a reasonable selection of cocktails included in the AI package. The restaurant is a mixture of buffet and table service on set menu nights. Don’t be put off by this, there is plenty of choice. All food is cooked to a high standard and well presented. The island itself is small (no water villas here) and very well kept. The sand paths and beaches are cleaned daily so the island is always pristine. You can walk around on the beach at low tide, it gets a bit trickier at high tide but not a problem if you don’t mind getting a bit wet! Ihuru is a snorkelers paradise. The house reef here is excellent with easy access around the island, all clearly marked. Great for novice and expert snorkelers alike. There is also a PADI dive centre (we don’t dive so cannot comment on this) plus a water sports area where you can get snorkelling equipment free of charge. Above the dive centre and water sports area is a gym (we didn’t use this either so cannot comment). The spa is located internally on the island, meet and greet is relaxed and attentive before you are escorted to your private garden treatment room. I definitely recommend visiting the spa during your stay. Ihuru is in close proximity to its sister island Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru. Speedboat shuttles operate daily every two hours. There you can frequent a Thai or Japanese restaurant (shaped like a stingray with far reaching views of the ocean and an infinity pool), swim or snorkel, visit the marine lab or just stroll along the wide beach enjoying the view. It was nice to be able to do this, as you get a good view of Dhawa Ihuru! Light pollution at night was a bit of a negative for us: Male and its ever growing surroundings can easily been seen from the island. There are new resort islands appearing all around the Maldives which affects the currents, we found the sea to be quite rough at times, something we are not used to in the Maldives. We have been coming here for many years so remember what it used to be like. That’s progress for you but doesn’t detract from the beauty of Ihuru itself. If you’re a Maldives newbie you wouldn’t even think about it. In closing I’d like to give a shout out to some of the staff. Aushan our room boy was lovely, he decorated the bed beautifully and even gave me a soft toy to take home. Barman Don mixed a wicked cocktail. Adam our waiter was experienced, polite and attentive. He always appeared at just the right time to bring food or clear the table and was always happy to stay and chat for a while. Eni, the maitre'd was also friendly and attentive. So if you’re looking for a little piece of paradise, quiet and unpretentious you might want to add Dhawa Ihuru to your shortlist. We were so glad we did, we thoroughly enjoyed our time here.