Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa has been welcoming guests for nearly three decades. For an older, smaller property amid a sea of newer, sprawling five-star resorts, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but Kuda Huraa more than holds its own and the fabulous experience more than outweighs the hotel’s compact size.
For my first visit to the Maldives, it was the perfect entryway, as I arrived by speedboat from Male's Velana International Airport, no seaplane necessary, and left with myriad memories, such as planting coral fragments on the ocean floor dedicated to my children and eating a whole fish while a baby shark cruised past in plain view of the table.
The welcome
A 25-minute speedboat transfer from Velana International Airport brings you to a small jetty on a coral island in North Male Atoll. The arrival is modest by Maldivian standards – there’s no seaplane moment, no sweeping reveal from above – and Kuda Huraa is the better for it. The island is compact, the resort’s 96 villas arranged in the style of a traditional Maldivian village, with thatched roofs and timber floors and the kind of scale that means the friendly staff remember your name quickly. The whole place has a rhythm that’s more village than resort.
The room
The Deluxe Beach Pavilion with Pool is perfect. It boasts 46 square metres of interior, with teak floors, wooden shutters and nautical inspiration. Outside, a private plunge pool leads to a swinging hammock and, beyond that, the shore, well screened by well-placed planting. You also have an outdoor shower set in a walled garden that, for me, is the highlight.
The design draws on the island’s Maldivian village aesthetic throughout – lattice panels, natural timber, woven textures. It’s comfortable and cosy, nothing particularly showy, but still picturesque.
The food
Food is where Kuda Huraa truly distinguishes itself, and the kitchen does so across five restaurants and bars without the drop in quality you sometimes encounter when a resort tries to cover too many cuisines.
The first dinner was at Reef Club, the resort’s beachside Italian restaurant, where I had grilled Maldivian local catch that tasted fresh and entirely of itself.
Lunch the following day was a Hawaiian-style poke bowl with fresh tuna at Cafe Huraa, the all-day restaurant that overlooks the infinity pool and the ocean beyond. It was light and well-balanced – the kind of simple thing that’s easy to do badly and this kitchen does well.
The meal I’ll be describing to people for a while came at Baraabaru, the resort’s Indian restaurant set over the lagoon and inspired by the architecture of Kerala. That evening it was running a special menu by Hari Nayak.
I ordered the catch of the day with a Malvani fish preparation: mango coconut curry, served with roti. It arrived as a whole fish, head and body intact – no tableside carving, just an honest presentation that made it clear exactly what you were eating. The curry balanced sweetness and heat through several layers, a triumphant depth of flavour that can be difficult to achieve. At some point during the meal, a baby shark drifted past in the shallow water just beyond the restaurant. Idyllic.
Hotel facilities
The resort extends across two islands connected by traditional dhow. The main island has watersports and direct beach snorkelling; the water is shallow and clear, and the reef is worth exploring. I took a morning surf session – a first for me – and managed to stand up on the board by the end of the hour.
The Marine Discovery Centre is the other stop worth making, as the team there rehabilitates turtles and runs the coral framing programme, through which guests attach live coral fragments to a metal frame placed on the ocean floor to grow and be monitored. Every six months, you receive an update on how it’s progressing. I dedicated mine to my children and dropped it into the sea, thinking about the time I bring them back to do their own.
Spa and wellness
The award-winning spa has recently been reimagined as Urja Naturopathy Island – urja meaning “vitality” in Sanskrit – and operates on a separate island reached by dhoni – the traditional Maldivian boat – a few minutes each way.
The concept is grounded in naturopathic principles such as self-healing, root-cause care and therapies shaped around rest, cleansing, nourishment and reconnection. I had a consultation with Dr Shristi Paudel, a naturopathic physician, and left with a set of practical lifestyle adjustments to incorporate into my routine at home. The 60-minute massage that followed was excellent.
When the weather is good, the short dhow crossing becomes a small ritual. When it isn’t, it’s a minor inconvenience, so book treatments around conditions if your schedule allows.
Family-friendly factor
The island's scale makes it genuinely well-suited to families. Children can roam freely without the distances of a larger resort, the beach water is calm and shallow, and the watersports and children's club give them enough to occupy the hours you'd like to spend by the pool. The coral framing activity works well for older children, too.
Accessibility and sustainability
Coral restoration is embedded into the guest experience here. Participating in the framing session and receiving continuing updates connects visitors to the reef in a way that outlasts the stay. For accessibility requirements, the resort should be contacted directly.
Value for money
Rates for a Deluxe Beach Pavilion with Pool start from US$1,255 (excluding taxes), although these vary depending on the season, villa type and package selected. Check-in time is 2pm and checkout is 12pm. Also note Kuda Huraa runs on something called ‘island time’, so it’s an hour behind Male.
This review was conducted at the invitation of the hotel and reflects standards during this time