The Maldives, in my opinion, is the most romantic destination to visit in the world. My husband (fiancé at the time) and I spent six days at the Four Seasons Resorts at both Landaa Giraavaru and Kuda Huraa; it was our favorite romantic getaway yet! In this blog post, I share all the details about our experience there and how you can create your own magical trip to the Four Seasons Resorts in the Maldives.

GETTING TO THE MALDIVES AND THE FOUR SEASONS RESORTS

My husband and I are from Seattle, so our first step in getting to the Maldives was a 14-hour flight to Doha, Qatar. We opted for a two-day layover in Doha to see some sights there before catching the 6-hour flight to Male (MLE) Airport in the Maldives. Once we landed, a representative from the Four Seasons was waiting for us at arrivals to guide us to their lounge at the airport, where all the paperwork for our stay was filled out. We then took a short air-conditioned van ride to a dock and boarded the Four Seasons speed boat that whisked us away to our ocean oasis for the next few days, Kuda Hurra. This luxurious resort was just 20-30 minutes away, still in the North Male Atoll.

From the van to the boat to the seaplane, which I talk about later in this post, it is important to remember the amount of luggage you bring along. Since transport involves a boat ride or a small seaplane, the amount of luggage you carry will drastically affect your ticket rate.

We decided to spend our three nights at Kuda Hurra and then take a seaplane to Landaa Giraavaru for four nights. Remember that the seaplane tickets are not included in the room charges. Landaa Giraavaru is best reached by seaplane as it is much further north than Kuda Hurra, requiring about a 30-45 minute flight to reach the island. This flight is one of the most scenic we’ve ever done, as you are flying over incredibly blue water dotted with islands surrounded by pristine white sand beaches. We were both glued to our windows the entire flight.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

You can choose to go to the resort any time of the year and have a blissful experience. But the best time of year for YOU will depend on you and what you are looking for. The Maldives is warm and sunny year-round but has distinct dry and rainy seasons. There are certainly pros and cons to visiting during each season. If you are looking for drier, less humid weather, the best time to visit will be from November to April. However, it will be busier during this time, possibly making things more expensive for you. If you want a less busy time of year with moody vibes and tropical rain showers from time to time, then the best time to visit will be May through October. During this time, the islands get close to nine inches of rain every month.

• Avoid crowds: visit during the rainy season (May-October).
• Water sports: Surf season is mid-February – November. Canoeing or kayaking is best experienced from December – January
• Bioluminescence: June and October.
• Cheapest flights: Late fall/winter
• Cheapest lodging: May through August

WHICH FOUR SEASONS RESORT SHOULD I STAY AT?

The two Four Seasons Resorts in the Maldives are Kuda Hurra and Landaa Giraavaru. They are both incredible properties; you can’t go wrong picking one over the other. But depending on timing, activities, room selection, budget, etc., you might prefer one over the other. We opted to split our five nights in the Maldives between Four Seasons Kuda Hurra (2 nights) and Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru (3 nights). We stayed at Kuda Hurra first, then took a seaplane to Landaa Giraavaru for the last leg of our trip. Below is an overview of each resort and the experience we had there, which will hopefully help you decide which resort to stay at in the Maldives.

FOUR SEASONS AT KUDA HURAA

This was our first time staying in an overwater bungalow, and this resort and experience completely blew our minds. The Four Seasons at Kuda Huraa is on a private island, making it the perfect stop for solitude, calm waters, and complete relaxation. The resort features a lagoon, flower gardens, a private spa island, spacious new beach pavilion suites, luxurious beach bungalows, and of course, the famous overwater bungalows. The resort is absolutely beautiful and was awarded a Five-Star rating by Forbes in 2020. The different room types allow you to choose the right room to match your desired experience and budget. Whether you are in a beach pavilion room, beach bungalow, or world-famous overwater bungalow, each room will have the luxury and quality you’d expect from a 5-star resort.

During our time at Kuda Huraa, we stayed at one of their sunset water villas with a pool. The first thing you notice when you walk into the room is the beautiful view of the ocean right outside the big windows in your room. The room also features some day beds, a pool that you can jump into basically straight from your bed, and of course, private access to the crystal clear waters right off the deck. One of our favorite features was the massive floating overwater hammocks, perfect for lounging on and listening to the waves.

There is plenty of aquatic life that might swim by as you’re lounging in these hammocks. Several black tip sharks and rays came by the villa while we were there. When you do see these creatures, or any animal in the wild, please respect its space. Blacktip sharks are harmless and super cool to see in person. The rays that visit are also harmless and nothing to be concerned about if you encounter one while swimming around the villa.

After swimming around the villa, you work up quite the appetite so I am happy to report that the food at the resort is outstanding; we could not get enough of it! You can dine at the various restaurants at the resort that feature Indian, Italian, Western & Asian, steak & seafood, and salads & sandwiches. There is also a cocktail lounge as well as in-room dining.

This was the in-room floating breakfast that we ordered our first morning at Kuda Huraa. 10 out of 10 would recommend trying this at least one morning during your stay.

THINGS TO DO AT THE RESORT

• Lounge at the pools
• Visit the Marine Discovery Center
• Learn to surf
• Get a massage
• Enjoy the sunset from your bungalow
• Various water sports such as paddleboarding or windsurfing
• Tennis
• Get your sweat on at the fitness center
• Visit the recreation center to book a fishing or snorkeling trip

OUR FAVORITE EXPERIENCE WAS TAKING A COOKING CLASS

We learned how to make some fantastic Indian food from a chef that walked us through how to make naan, chicken curry, and so much more. We later feasted on the fruits of our labor, which was delicious!

FOUR SEASONS AT LANDAA GIRAAVAR

After our luxurious stay at Kuda Huraa, we flew to Landaa Giraavaru via seaplane. The flight time is only about 30 minutes to the Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru. We flew over beautiful blue waters and were memorized by the whole journey.

Please note that I did NOT fly the plane.

Once we landed, a boat came to pick us up and took us to our home for the next three nights. We stayed in the Sunrise Water Villa With Pool at Landaa Giraavaru. The second we walked in, we were in awe of the beautiful room! The ocean views, lounge area, and infinity pool were simply stunning! Landaa Giraavaru is a bit bigger of a resort, so each room has a bike you can ride around the resort. This was a fun and easy way to quickly get around the island.

The food at Landaa Giraavaru was even better than at Kuda Hurra! Our favorite restaurant was the Blu Beach Club for breakfast/lunch and Al Barakat for dinner.

These are the dining options at Landaa Giraavaru

• Poolside bar – Beverages and light bites. Lounge by the pool and enjoy some wine and refreshing cocktails.
• In-villa dining – If you are not feeling up for going out, try the in-villa dining. All the best food, straight to your doorstep.
• Cafe Landaa – Asian and Local Cuisine
• Fuego Grill – Asian and Local Cusisine
• Al Barakat – Arabian
• Blu Beach Club – Italian
• Seabar – Beverages and tapas. Great for frozen margaritas and tapas-style plates.

THINGS TO DO AT THE RESORT

Besides walking the beautiful white sand beaches or relaxing at your villa, there is no shortage of other activities that you can do at the resort.

• Lounge at one of the 4 pools
• Go catamaran sailing
• Relax at the spa
• Try Windsurfing
• Visit the 24-hour fitness center
• Learn at the Marine Discovery Center
• Dive with sharks and rays

A FEW MORE ROMANTIC OPTIONS

• Treat you and your partner to a romantic spa day
• Take a private island tour
• Have a private dining experience on the sandbank

OUR FAVORITE EXPERIENCE WAS BUILDING A CORAL REEF TO HELP THE FISH!

Our favorite activity at the resort was building a coral reef together to help support the underwater ecosystem around the island. We hand-picked and attached the little coral pieces to a frame and then added our nameplate and ID number to the frame. With this ID number, we can check back in on our reef from time to time to see how it is growing. Visit https://reefscapers.com/four-seasons/ and search “Matti” and you can see where our reef is and how it is doing. If you visit Landa Giraavaru, see if you can find our reef!

We highly recommend visiting either of the Four Seasons properties in the Maldives. Everything about the resorts (the food, the rooms, the location, the spas, the pools, the activities, etc) is world-class. You will feel like royalty your entire stay.