Guest User
February 27, 2024
There’s something magical about Huvafen Fushi. You feel a sense of peace and tranquility like few other places in the world. We both decompressed within hours, not days. Whether that was the seamless greeting at the airport, where we freshened up in the HF private air-conditioned lounge before being escorted a short distance to the waiting boat transfer, which was also air conditioned luxury; or whether it was the warm greeting at the pier, where we met our Thakuru (butler) who was our guide, our fixer and our friend for the week. Vicky was incredible - he always seemed to appear at the right moment and was always available on call. Like all the staff, he was authentic, helpful, respectful, unobtrusive, and our day didn’t seem complete unless we’d had chance to chat to him to share the experiences of the day. Naturally, he was full of useful information and suggestions for us newbies, and a large part of why the holiday was so memorable and enjoyable. We split our stay in half, staying initially in a beach bungalow, before moving to an overwater bungalow, just for the experience of seeing sharks swimming underneath through the glass viewing panel in the floor. There was a distinct windward and leeward side to the island, and thankfully our bungalow was on the windward side, which meant a lovely breeze all day. All the accommodation has now been refurbished I believe, and the rooms are elegant, functional and luxurious. The outdoor shower in the beach bungalow was a joy to use. The food was excellent across all meals and all restaurants. Salt served delicious Japanese style cuisine, Celcius was the restaurant for breakfast and dinner, with a really comprehensive and varied menu. Foglianis was the casual lunch restaurant, which again was great. The fresh reef fish ceviche was a particular favourite. Service was superb, just the right spacing between courses, and lovely engaging staff. It’s unfair to single people out, everyone was amazing, but Juma always made us smile and Chef Dhulan came out to say hello and share the recipe for his incredible Asian style beef dressing. There are several activities/experiences which you can book at extra cost, but we just preferred to relax and take advantage of the wonderful house reef for snorkelling. We saw eagle rays, stingrays, nurse sharks and reef sharks in abundance. The highlight was swimming under the overwater restaurant, which the sharks kind of use as home. There were about 20-25 swimming around, so take a GoPro and you’ll get some amazing footage. We also did the coral planting experience with the in house marine biologist, which was pretty cool and helps to replenish the reef. It’s the least any of us can do. And now we have an excuse to go back, to see how it’s growing! A quick word too for the GM, Noel. Under his leadership and tutelage, the operation is seamless in its excellence. His team are clearly motivated and empowered, which makes life so much easier. My wife and I both had a lump i