By Verne Maree
Issue 84 - July 2009

Kudos to Kuda Huraa

It’s lovely to arrive in the dark and wake up in strange surroundings, especially such stunning ones. Having trundled along the boardwalk to our over-sea villa, I thought I was prepared for the early-morning view over the lagoon, but this was our first visit to the Maldives and I was entranced, blown away, gobsmacked.

The banana-shaped atoll, thirty exciting minutes by speedboat from the Malé airport, is just large enough to accommodate a string of beach villas on either side, with as many villas again built out over the water at one end.

Huraa for the Villas!

Having already spotted a few electric-blue fish swimming around the stilts the night before, I couldn’t wait to be kitted out with mask, snorkel and fins. We were also advised to buy reef shoes, US$40 from the dive centre, to protect our feet from the coral. Being able to slip off your private deck into the water was great fun. The current was strong, though, and most of the coral here dead. But there were colourful fish to be seen, and when a curious ray swam directly under my floating body – and that in only waist-deep water – my heart skipped a beat.

The beach villas are lovely, too, spacious affairs with large bathrooms and private outdoor areas boasting a pool, outdoor furniture and, best of all, your own little stretch of white, sandy beach and that unbelievably turquoise Maldivian sea.


Huraa for the Food!

Even if you’re not normally a breakfast person, you should acquire the habit when it’s included in your package. Breakfast at Café Huraa was superb: everything from fresh fruit and raw honey dripping off the comb to eggs any way, smoked eel and dim sum.

The aroma of prawn-shells singeing on the barbecue lured us to the special Sunday night buffet feast at Indian restaurant Baraabaru. Highlights were the lentil- and rice-stuffed vegetables done on a griddle; spinach-marinated lobster and giant shrimp from the tandoor; and a procession of baskets of fragrant naan bread.

The resort also has an Italian restaurant, The Reef, which has spectacular sunset views from its alfresco deck.


Huraa for the Spa!

Surely all masseuses go straight to heaven, as a just reward for having brought such bliss to others during their time on Earth. It’s a one-minute ride to the spa island from the main jetty in a cute little dhoni with an ornately carved prow, ensconced in its cushioned interior like a Maldivian princess. Yini from Bali gave me an outstanding one-hour signature Kuda Huraa massage, a blend of Thai pressure point, Filipino hilot and Malaysian hurut techniques. Memorably, this was an over-water treatment room: I looked down through a pane of glass set into the floor to the myriad reef fish in the water below.

A sublimely located yoga pavilion juts out over the sea just beyond the pool, and one morning at seven I joined the instructor and a sleepy-eyed bunch of fellow guests there. We literally saluted the sun as it rose over the ocean horizon.

There’s a lovely stretch of beach with comfy loungers. It’s patrolled by a hot but smiley staff member on a bicycle, who regularly proffers cool towels and refreshments. You can snorkel off this beach to have a look at the coral cages that have been set up by the in-house marine biologist team. Basket-like structures onto which fragments of coral have been attached, they will augment the reef, and are already attracting colourful schools of fish.


Coral “Bleaching”

Resident marine biologist Katie explained that the bleaching of the coral was due to El Niño, not to the 2004 tsunami. Coral is colourful because of the presence of algae, which lives symbiotically with healthy coral in the coral’s horny structure. Bleaching occurs when coral that is under stress, for example the high temperatures brought by El Niño, expels its algae; why it does so is not known. If the heat is short-lived, the coral may take back the algae; otherwise, the coral will die after about two weeks.

Points to Note: Four Seasons Kuda Huraa is busiest during the first six months of the year, and generally fully booked months in advance for Christmas. February is still and windless, best for photography, and the rainiest months are June and July.