Comfortable In Itself For Yourself

Dhuni Kolhu has benefited from other resorts passing it by for price, ultra design and amenities. Now it is comfortable with what it offers. It is high class but unpretentious, an award-winning package of those key Maldivian elements - diving, snorkeling, beach, island and accommodation.

Baa Atoll is not one of the country's renowned dive areas, but a good reason for that is that until recently there was only one resort in the whole atoll, Soneva Fushi. Dhuni Kolhu, still the only resort in the south of the atoll, has discovered a number of very worthwhile thilas. Some specialise in colourful soft corals, others, in stronger current, boast sharks and barracudas. Manta rays can be seen all year round at one or other of the four manta points within range and there is even a good chance of seeing a whale shark, between June and November, around Hanifaru.

Snorkeling From The Beach

For these reasons, diving is popular here, particularly in the high season, when there are plenty of repeaters. But whether you dive or not, there's very good snorkeling to be had here. The reef drop-off is accessible around the curved part of this D shaped island, although a portion of that is restricted to high tides. It is the Deluxe Villas that have less access to the reef, although they do share one easy access point. (And they do face south for all-day sun).

I must say my brief snorkel was impressive: adult and juvenile Picasso trigger fish being a great start in the shallow water, quickly followed by a float over two dark grey sting rays, a close encounter with a juvenile turtle, striking parrot fish, a yellow and black box fish, a black tip reef shark, the same turtle on the way back and an adult clown trigger fish near the shore again.

Fine Natural Beach As Nature Intended

The beach is another highlight. There isn't a room without a good bit of beach in front of it. The sand is allowed to move around the island with the seasons, as it should. Consequently a few Beach Villas occasionally need a bit of pumping or sandbagging to counter seasonal erosion. The original sand is as fine and lovely as anywhere in the country.

An unusual sight is a number of the Beach Villas sitting directly on the beach, as it were without the clothing of surrounding trees and bushes. Obviously this is brilliant for beach views but not so great for privacy. As a broad generalisation, Italians and Germans like this whereas British and French prefer the rooms on the west side (the straight side of the D shape). Here the rooms are hidden away and there is a big beach that faces the sunset but also a few boats and there isn't direct snorkelling off the beach.

The Villas

The Deluxe Villas face south, they have good privacy, even at the beach side and access to snorkeling off the beach. Otherwise they are almost identical to the Beach Villas. The differences being a sunken bath at the back and a plunge pool in front.

These island rooms are not big but they feel lovely, spacious and airy. They are not straight-edged rectangles but circular, unevenly plastered, with rustic terra cotta tiles and a conical thatched roof. They fit in to their surroundings and so make you feel a better fit too.

The Lagoon Villas also have a comfortable rustic feel but are, at the same time, markedly a step up. The style is a kind of Maldivian gentleman's retreat. The floor is of polished wooden panels, there is a large, aged writing desk, a lacquer vase, local craft objects and a glass bookcase with useful books and a cd player. An espresso coffee machine fills out the picture. They are delightful rooms. But the first couple are very close to shore and just half of them face the daytime sun, while the other half face northwards. On the other hand, the snorkeling is most easily reached from the north-facing rooms.

The two Sunset Lagoon Villas at the end of the jetty are nearly twice as big as the other rooms on the island and they take the gentleman's retreat idea to its stylistic conclusion. But these aren't pretentious rooms, they are fun but they work really well. Quite a few guests book one of the rooms for their final 24 hours, when they will have a bbq on the deck, sip champagne in the pool and look out to nothing but a distant uninhabited island.

The Best Robinson Crusoe Island

That distant, uninhabited island is called Embudhoo and for me it is the crowning glory of Dhuni Kolhu. You can visit it one couple at a time. One couple during the day with a picnic, the other couple stays overnight. During the high season it is booked out day and night, everyday. Funny how we will go half way around the world for authentic simplicity.

On the island is just one cadjan (palm frond) hut with two string jolis (seats), a pair of rough wooden chairs and a weathered table. A black tern sat on the entrance pole, white terns flew down to distract us from their eggs laid on the beach. This is as close to nature as most people will ever get.

Many a resort owner would overdevelop Embudhoo but the people behind the Coco Palm resorts have always been environmentally strong. Dhuni Kolhu, in fact, won the President's Green Resort Award way back in 2001. Since then it attained a Green Globe Certificate for its operational standards and won a number of other awards, including Kuoni's Green Planet Award for 2007-08.

The recreation centre, reception and restaurant are oddly cavernous places and the main bar doesn't look out to the beach or the sunset but, apart from these quibbles, Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu is a fantastic Maldivian package.

Review written February 2011