Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas

From the moment we’ve arrived till the moment we checked in our luggage in the airport upon departure we had a splendid experience. Everything at the resort was perfect and all services are provided in a professional manner. All the staff were kind and friendly. Zidhan our villa host took care of us in a way that beyond outstanding which made our stay a spot in heaven. The resort is surrounded by a spectacular reef making the snorkeling experience unforgettable. Our amazing snorkeling instructor Ammu, not only guided us but he also took my GoPro camera and shot and amazing photos and videos allowing us to fully chill and enjoy the experience.

Kihavah is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful islands in the Maldives. The lush tropical vegetation combined with white sandy beaches and a stunning turquoise lagoon create a wonderful scenery. We stayed in an overwater sunset villa with perfect view over the wide ocean and Baa’s famous chain of islands. All units have undergone a nice revamp and look fresh and bright. The overwaters feature that iconic glass-bottom bath tub and a pretty outdoor shower area. Lovely bath amenities with an exquisite Jasmine scent. The outdoor deck has been extended and boasts now more space to relax, including a new sunken table area. The pool is decently sized. All villas provide of course own bikes and a butler service, our host Zaheen was very dedicated and caring. The beach villas are nestled along the shoreline and boast as well an amazing and huge bathroom and a large outdoor area. They are hidden in the greenery with a high level of privacy. The island can be fully encircled in around 15 minutes. Good news in terms of transfer: A branded seaplane will be added soon 😊. Food-wise there is a large selection. Plates and Manzaru are located beach- and poolfront, whilst the impressive overwater complex houses SEA.FIRE.SPICE.SKY. The spectacular underwater restaurant SEA is surely an absolute highlight. Also, the Japanese-Peruvian FIRE is truly a stunning venue. We opted for the chef’s menu on our last evening, which was absolutely superb. Thai Michelin chef Noom visited the island for 3 nights. We had the pleasure to join him at SPICE’s open kitchen concept on the first evening. The exclusive menu was excellent, and it was certainly a special experience. However, all outlets offer only branded water, no house water which should be available as well. At breakfast, pastry counter could be increased a bit. The focus was mainly on muffins and donuts, yet I am team Danish fruit pastry ;-). Service was everywhere highly attentive and warm-hearted. Unfortunately, weather-wise it was not the best with sun almost only upon arrival and departure. Thus we had no chance to go for a snorkelling trip - what a pity, as the reef boasts such a rich underwater life. There have been marine biologists studying on it in 2022/2023. All insights and research have been published afterwards. The Wonders of Kihavah reef book is available on site and as well as online version - definitely worth reading! Another big pro is the proximity to famous Hanifaru Bay where the majestic Mantas can be spotted with some luck from around June to November. Due to the weather we also missed cocktails and stargazing on the stylish SKY deck which is surely a memorable experience. Brand-new add on the island is a paddle tennis court. Kids and teens will surely be excited with the trampoline park and a climbing wall, both are rare activities in the Maldives. Same valid for Thai boxing class. The culture day where guests are involved in local activities like drumming lessons or palm leaf crafting is a pretty nice idea. On this special event, all staff wear traditional Maldivian clothing. Finally not to miss is the overwater Anantara Spa with its range of holistic therapies and treatments and a resident Ayurveda guru. I absolutely enjoyed the signature massage from the talented Spa lady Mrs. Sangi. Kihavah is such a picturesque island and a true Maldivian hideaway for couples and families as well. We will surely come back again.

We stayed at Anantara for our Honeymoon and it was definitely a good choice: - Arrival: after our arrival in Malé we were immediately greeted by someone from the hotel who took our bags and guided us to a car that took us straight to the airport lounge. In the lounge there's some drinks and snacks and the opportunity to take a shower (which feels very refreshing after long travel). Shortly we were taken to our seaplane. Views are beautiful! Once arrived in the hotel we were taken to the island with a speedboot, where we were greeted by the staff with music. The arrival was so smooth, and before we knew it we arrived in our villa. - Villa: We booked an overwater villa. For our honeymoon there was a bottle of champagne as a welcome drink. The villa is beautiful and spacious, with views of the sea everywhere. We had villa 204 which we found perfect! It's located on the right side, where the wind and sea is much calmer. Villa had so many nice spots to lounge and we enjoyed chilling during the day. Every villa has their own bikes to get around. - Activities: We did some snorkelling everyday, the best reefs out there! We definitely recommend bringing an underwater case for you phone or gopro. One day we went on a turtle quest, we were the only one's so actually had a private excursion. The guys were really experienced and professional. Two days we tried the Manta snorkelling but unfortunately didn't see any manta's. The guys tried really hard to make it work, but that's nature of course. We also played some badminton and took a yoga class. We also enjoyed a couples massage in the SPA one day. This was very relaxing and we would recommend. One little point; the manager of the SPA promised us to do something special for our honeymoon, but this didn't happen. Food: the hotel has 5 restaurants, and all of them are good. We loved having lunch and diner in Manzaru (Italian style restaurant). Also the Tepanyaki restaurant was very good! Spice was our least favourite, because we didn't like some dishes and when we told them about it, they didn't seem to bother about it. Also we had lunch in Sea which is so amazing, truly recommended!! We saw sharks, turtles and stingrays. Also the breakfast is so good, many options to choose from, à la carte and buffet, even some sparkling wine. We were staying on half-board plan however ended up paying a lot extra for dishes. We would recommend to just take the breakfast and then choose what you want for dinner. - Staff: Special shout-out to our villa host Akshey, who was amazing! He was actually doing an internship at that moment, but we think he deserves the job ;-) Such a kind person, who always answered immediately and took care of our all wishes and issues. Also our cleaning boy Juadhei (can't remember it correctly) was very kind. Aboo from the breakfast restaurant was also made for the job, very attentive and kind. In general we had an amazing stay and would definitely recommend. However the price is on the higher side, and they could add some little touches here and there. It's located in the Unesco Baa-Atoll and all you can see is nature and beautiful beaches.

We had a wonderful trip.Everything is amazing . Lots of activities you can do during your stay.Specially food is outstanding. Asian and Italian cuisine is great.our villa is overwater with pool is huge and it has wonderful views. Special thanks to our Villa host TingTing.//

We had a wonderful experience! The Anantara team is extremely welcoming and made us feel at home since the very first day. We will definitely come back next years. Thank you team, thank you Harnie, Matteo, Rooney, Saiph and Reji for all the kindness ❤️