To achieve a physical and mental separation from the mundane stresses of the West, you couldn’t define a better spot. To ensure absolutely no stress during your holiday, each of the villas is assigned a butler to deal with anything and everything, from unpacking bags to changing flights home. The personal service is taken to the extent that the butler is the person who serves at your table and delivers room service.
They get to know your wishes, habits and quirks in order to serve you better, but it’s a tough job to get just right and it depends to some extent on every other aspect of the resort functioning perfectly. Currently the butler service of Kanuhura and Soneva Fushi have the edge, partly due to the training and partly due to their years of experience. Island Hideaway only opened in late 2005. Its rates compare with the top resorts so it should reach their heights of service in time.
Island Hideaway has taken its cue in looks and decor from Soneva Fushi, which to my mind is an excellent way to go, though it has fewer rooms and the island is less developed. However, the entire island is scheduled to be refurbished and is likely to be closed from May to December 2012. This is set to bring many significant changes including new water villas - let’s hope that the resort doesn’t lose too much of its character in its efforts to expand.
The beach is untouched, with wonderfully fine and soft sand continuous around the crescent-shaped island, and bulges at each end. The island is thick in screw pine rather than palms but the rooms are set so far apart that total privacy is assured. Each room has 2 bicycles, though there are also club carts for speedier transport.
There are 6 categories of rooms all built in that luxurious rustic style that is so right for Maldives. Every roof is thatched, every wall and column deliberately uneven; the floors are wooden, the textiles are cotton in plain earthy colours. The differences between categories are essentially size - of the rooms, the surrounding enclosure and the pool.
The 7 176m2 Funa Pavilions and the 7 385m2 Raamba Retreats don’t have pools and have less of a beach in front. The 20 550m2 Donakulhi Residences are perhaps the ideal compromise between price, size and position. The 5 705m2 Jasmine Garden Villas have a 10-metre infinity pool and floating dining pavilion connected. With your butler bringing all meals if you wish, there is no need to leave the villa. The ultimate rooms are the 2 1,420m2 Hideaway Palaces that sit by the beach bulge and enjoy several infinity pools and 8 separate thatched pavilions.
Near the spa are the final 2 rooms, the 235m2 Spa Water Villas. These have a 2-table treatment room, a sauna, a steam room, a bedroom and a separate lounge that opens on 2 sides to the turquoise lagoon and deeper blues on the horizon.
The spa itself also has 2 treatment rooms over the water. These are considerably more popular than the land rooms, which are so large they lack the desired intimacy of a top spa setting. It is run by Mandara Spas from Bali, with wonderful therapists and a delightful menu of therapies. The most popular is a Bali full body massage and their signature treatment is the Mandara Massage, involving 2 therapists and 5 different techniques.
The whole resort is well set up for families. Most of the rooms are more than large enough, there is a play centre attended by young female staff who also babysit (and the butler, of course, is happy to help), there are kids’ meals, a kids’ pool, and a large shallow lagoon ideal for swimming and watersports. And as all unpowered watersports are free of charge, this is perfect for families.
Snorkeling is reasonably good and is accessed on 1 side, just off the beach by the big swimming pool. This is actually a narrow channel much used as a short cut by dolphins and many other of the big pelagics, including occasional mantas. Manta season here is between September and January when, at a feeding station 15 minutes away, hundreds at a time have been experienced.
In this channel too is the marina for which Island Hideaway was originally conceived. It is just the spot to tie up your yacht when cruising down the Arabian Sea. Otherwise just fly in, boat across from the regional airport and fall in love with a beautiful resort that is going to get even better.