I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the new Huvafen Fushi property. I know that they completed construction at the beginning of July. From what I understand, they are still building things out. However, it is suppose to be an absolutely chic/amazing spot. It even has an underwater spa! Very interested if anyone has any first-hand experience or if anyone has pictures.

I, too, have been looking high and low for any information on Huvafen. We're honeymooning there in two and a half weeks and have been very much interested in finding an objective review, as they've been open for a good 7 weeks now...if nobody else does i'm sure I could post info upon our return...

Um, did you try looking for info at www.huvafenfushi.com

I'll stay in huvafen fushi this Sep. I'm also book the underwater SPA treatment room, but they have "no photo" rule in there. Maybe I can share my photo.

I've been to the website several times - i was looking more for some independant reviews....we'll be there in September as well.

So the mystery continues at the Fushi. The agent that organized my travel is going there in a week. She has promised to come back with pictures. We booked a lagoon bungalow for our honeymoon. I see now that the huvafen site has a few more pictures on it. There are also prices for the bar/restaurants. Any news on when (if ever) the underwater bar will be complete?

Ok, my travel agent just got back from the Huvafen. She had the following to say:

*****
Having just returned from Huvafen Fushi I wanted to give you the latest update on the most marvellous property, which has swiftly become my favourite in The Maldives.

I have just spent to most fabulous week there staying in both beach and over water villas, giving me the opportunity to taste both! When not diving or indulging in the spa we spent most of our time lazing by our private plunge pools and dipping in and out of the deliciously warm sea to indulge in a spot of snorkelling (the house reef is fabulous!).

As I mentioned via Charlotte last week, the wine cellar has now opened and I was spoilt rotten with a beautiful birthday dinner down there before joining guests and management at their wonderful bar, which itself is designed to be sat upon. As with the rest of the resort it features very stylish and ?funky? furniture, such as lit up sitting stools and retro sofas.

They are still working internally on the staff village but as with the Pavilions it is all screened off from the guests and does not intrude on the enjoyment of your holiday.

Whilst there have been delays, Raw and Salt (which whilst then not open, I had a chance to see) are due to open this week which coupled with Celsius offer a fabulous array of food in a beautiful selection of settings. However my top recommendation would be to book a dinner at the pool one night, which is just stunning when lit at night and ultimately romantic. (Not so much for my friend and I, but perfect for your honeymoon!)

*****
She then had these answers to some questions:

*****
A) Any clarity on what the best lagoon bungalow is for afternoon (i.e. afternoon/sunset) light?
Admittedly it is quite difficult as the sun sets really at the end of the jetty where the Pavilions are. Due to the shape of the jetty we are probably best to request a Bungalow toward the end of the jetty but two of these are presently closed so no-one is given a direct view of the Ocean Pavilions which are another good 200m out but are still being worked on.

B) At one point, there was talk of an under-water bar. Is that still in the works?
The underwater bar is still being talked about but has not yet been confirmed or constructed. I?m afraid if it does go ahead it will not be before the next year.

C) How was the underwater spa? And, is there a certain treatment you would recommend that best encompasses the experience there? Also, is this something that should be reserved ahead of time?
The underwater spa is beautiful but the windows start at sort of waist high so they are looking at having treatments designed so you are positioned to enjoy the fish which are attracted to the area by coral which has been planted around the spa. If you want a particular time then it may be worth booking it in advance, otherwise you should be able to get in there at some point when you arrive.

D) As I was looking at the pictures attached, they are two titled "Lagoon Bungalow Pool" and "Lagoon Bungalow Sala." In both pictures, there is a sala. I didn't think that the Lagoon Bungalows had a sala. I thought this was only on the Ocean Bungalows.
The lagoon bungalows have a sala but no second deck, the ocean bungalows have no Sala but two decks down from the main one.

E) How different were the Ocean vs. Lagoon Bungalows? i.e. is it worth the extra money for the Ocean?
Whilst we stayed in an ocean bungalow, having seen the lagoon option we almost preferred them. The Sala is a really nice idea and unless you really want the extra space, Jacuzzi and a better chance to see the sunset, I would stick with the Lagoon Bungalow. The view looks out to a varying degree according to the position on the jetty over the lagoon and island.

we just returned from 7 fabulous days at Huvafen, and it was worth every penny. if you have specific questions please let me know. I also have tons of pictures which will be ready for posting shortly.

Wow - now I'm excited - my husband and I go out to Huvafen Fushi in a fortnight's time!! At the moment I am only booked in the most basic room category - beach villa with plunge pool. Should I be upgrading to something else do you think?
Also, is there still alot of construction going on that as guests you are aware of? If so, any parts of the island we should ask to avoid with our accomodation?
Finally, how is the food and drink, and how expensive? Ditto spa treatments....
Thanks!

bkurt01-
Any/all pictures would be appreciated. Please send anything you can to:
[email protected]
Great! Really looking forward to things. Any "inside tips" that we should be aware of?

Please send me your travel agent's where you were able to get good rates for Huvafen Fushi. We plan to go there for our honeymoon in February. Thanks!

you are all welcome to see the photos we took - they are in a 'maldives' folder at my yahoo photos site: http://photos.yahoo.com/bkurt01

regarding travel agents (and i'm in the US), we didn't use one - actually we don't ever use one. I book all our own travel. I emailed the hotel directly for the ratecard and booked through them.

rmcintosh- can you give the name of the travel agent you used? Her comments were do detailed- it sounds like she is a good resource for booking a Maldives holiday.

Hi bkurt

Thanks for all the pictures - looks great. I'm going to HF in a couple of weeks and had some quick questions please... What did you think of the underwater treatment room? Worth paying the $30 per person per hour? Also, how good is the house reef for snorkelling? Should we take take our own snorkel gear or can we hire it there?

Thanks!

regarding the underwater room - definitely worth the 30 bucks once at least - at that point play it by ear as to whether you want to repeat. you may have gotten your experience in your first session. definitely do not go and not see it though!!

i was told the house reef was great but we're not divers so i'm not sure. snorkling gear is free of charge and readily available (flippers and mask)...

just back from there. really woderfull place. the house reef is great and the spa is splendid including the underwatrer room (worth every penny). Diving gear & school are top standards. they took me to dive in Manta point where i saw a dozen of Manta rays. I would recommend beach bungalows for families and sea ones for couples. Take your musquito repellent and try the expresso chocolate desert in the restaurant

rmcintosh- have you gone yet? Be sure to post your review when you get back!

Just got back from my stay in the Maldives. Spent 3 nights and the Four Seaons and then 5 nights at the Huvafen Fushi. I'll limit this review to just the Huvafen Fushi. First, we stayed in a Lagoon Bungalow. The rooms were absolutely fantastic. The best word to describe the resort is "chic." Everything about it can be explained with "chic." For instance, the rooms have amazing minimalist decor with remote control lighting (with five settings depending on mood), remote control window coverings, bose sound system with controls on the deck/bathroom/bedroom, rain-water shower, huge bathtub...it's all just amazing. I've spent time in high class resorts from Bali to Sri Lanka to Italy to Tahiti...this place beats them all. The actual physical property can't be beat. Everything is just very well appointed. The bar has funky furniture, the pool has 2,000 fiber optic lights in it, even the transfer boats are cleverly named "Flow" and "Liquid." Like I said, the actual physical structures, furnishings, decor, etc...can't be beat. The house reef offered excellent snorkeling (about 4x better than the Four Seasons). I could go on here for a while about all the good things about the Huvafen Fushi.

Since most don't want to hear all the good...let me give a summary of the bad. Prior to leaving, a group of 6 of us had a meeting with the manager (Nick) to discuss our issues with the resort. I guess most of these have been addressed with him in the past and they are actively making efforts to improve each of these. I have no doubt that things will be improved within the next 3 months...we were just too early in the process. It was frustrating to see all these flaws...because this place could be amazing if it works out the kinks. Anyway, here are the major pain points we had:

1) When each guests arrives, they are assigned a Thakaru (butler) who is responsible for the guest. They really haven't figured out the role of this Thakaru though. Each guest seemed to have a varied experience...ranging from a Thakaru that actively went to ends to set up massages, dinners, tastings, etc...to ones that did absolutely nothing and were just reactive to the guests needs. I think the Thakaru's existence was suppose to be a proactive one where they actively engaged the guest and helped them to plan/orchestrate things. The resort has a lot to be offered, but often it required the guest to query for something before they realized they could have it. For example, we ate at the pool one night on the suggestion of our travel agent....other guests had no clue this was even an option. There was also a private island that guests could reserve for the day....but no one knew this was an option. There was a wine tasting...again that people didn't know about. All of this was being worked out though and the resort was starting to put together a daily posting of activities/events/suggestions for the day. They are also retraining their Thakarus to have a more pro-active stance on things.

2) The food service was terrible. This was probably most attributed to the fact that they have a food/beverage manager that is in transit right now. They have been flying solo and it shows. Drinks would show up 20 minutes after they had been ordered. Service was really spotty. Food would be cold when it got to the table. All stuff that really isn't noticeable after one dinner...but adds up after you experience the same thing each night. Again, this has been addressed and a new manager should be on the job soon.

3) Food at Salt is bad. My wife/I thought that the food at Salt was unvaried and bland. Celcius offered great food. Salt just didn't cut it though. Everything kind of tasted the same and nothing really got us excited. They often ran out of things on the menu too...which made a limited menu even smaller.

4) Service lacked. I can't exactly pinpoint this. It just seemed like the guests weren't catered to. I mean, you got something when you asked for it...but it often took asking for it in order for you to get it. The Four Seasons would anticipate needs and address those before the guest knew they needed it. We attributed a lack of service to a general lack of management. Aside from Nick (the acting GM), no other managers were visible. At the Four Seasons, you were first greeted by a restaurant manager and then a waiter. You really felt catered to at the Four Seasons. You just didn't feel this at the Huvafen. I think they are putting too much of an emphasis on the Thakaru. This just creates a single point of failure though. Again, hard to pinpoint, but no one we talked to would say they had "amazing experience." Most were frustrated by this because they knew that if this one aspect had just been marginally better...the resort would be the best in the maldives. The rooms/structures/little aspects all make this resort the best...the service has a ways to go though.

5) We stayed in a Lagoon Bungalow. I wouldn't stay in the beach bungalow at all though. The cheaper beach bungalows face the interior bay where all the boats arrive/depart. This isn't scenic...and it is busy with activity. We would have been really dissapointed if we had one of these rooms.

Anyway, there are a lot of great aspects to this property. I bet if we had delayed our visit by 2 months, I would have a completely different write-up. The management was obviously recognizing some of these problems and also making changes on the fly. We noticed changes in service as the week progressed. We were really frustrated because it seemed like the resort had so many things right...and was so close to something truly amazing. After talking to the GM we had a new-found optimism in the property. I wish had been there 2 months from now...but still had an amazing stay. We thought the Four Seasons was great...this place blew it out of the water.

rmcintosh-
Thanks so much for your detailed post. I have really mixed feelings now, having just booked Huvafen for a week in May. I am very curious about your 4 Seasons experience and how it compared to the Huvafen. The travel agents I talked to (and I spoke with several different ones before booking with one) all said the 4 Seasons was a bit worn down and not comparable to the Huvafen and other brand new resorts in the Maldives. They said it was showing its age and seemed to have more families lately. Did you find this to be the case? We had planned to stay at the 4 Seasons until we heard these reports, and then changed our plan. We are booked in a Lagoon Villa at Huvafen, which looks fantastic on the website, but we would have also had one at the Four Seasons. Also, we booked the half-board option with dinner and breakfast at the Huvafen, mainly b/c the a la carte menus on their website look so pricey it seemed a good deal to book meals in advance. Did you take pictures of the resort? I'd love to see them! Thanks for any input,
euro

Although the Huvafen still has a ways to go in the service department, I would definately recommend it over the 4 Seasons. In my opinion, they are two different beasts. Each has a different vibe to it. The 4 Seasons is a bit aged, but it is still immaculate. The grounds/rooms/etc. are all very clean. However, the property does show its age a little. It is a classic place with amazing service. A drawback (at least for me) was that it was packed with families. We estimated that around 30% of the property was families. The pool had a ton of kids in it and even the restaurants seemed to have kids running around. Not that we are against that...it was just a bit of a surprise. The 4 Seasons seems a little more planned and club-like also. They have a daily list of activities...it just seemed more communal in its approach. The 4 Seasons is a classic property...like most 4 Seasons. It did feel a bit big and a bit too communal though.

In contrast, the Huvafen is a very chic and exciting place. Compared to the 4 Seasons, I would say that the clientele is younger, more stylish...and there are far fewer kids (we only saw 2). Someone that likes Ian Schragger hotels or South Beach would like the Huvafen. Someone that stays at the Plaza in New York would like the Four Seasons. Depends on who you are and what you like. The rooms are MUCH better at the Huvafen. The property as a whole is just MUCH better than the 4 Seasons. People keep more to themselves at the Huvafen. It wasn't as social of a place as the 4 Seasons and didn't have the "club" feel that the 4 Seasons had. It is designed that way too. People more keep to themselves and enjoy the amazing bungalows. There was a difinate difference in the clientele. Much more edgy fashion and people sipping martinis/cocktails. Not sure if that all makes sense.