Imagine a place that offers a level of intimate luxury and beauty ensconced on a private pear shaped island where guests find themselves immersed in an environment of untouched lush vegetation, surrounded by a thriving reef and crystal clear waters. Welcome to Anantara Kihavah Villas.
Set on Kihavah Huravalhi, one of the most pristine Maldivian islands, the resort is just 35 minutes by seaplane from Male International Airport. Following the scenic flight, guests arrive to a postcard-perfect setting surrounded by the jewel-coloured waters and uninhabited islands of the majestic Indian Ocean.
78 spacious private pool sanctuaries, ranging from 260 to 860 square meters, are either poised over the water with sweeping ocean views or nestled along a pristine stretch of private beach. Comprising 74 one-bedroom villas and 4 two-bedroom residences, each hideaway boasts large personal infinity-edge pools, dining pavilions, expansive wooden sundecks and ample lounging areas complete with swinging daybeds, hammocks and sun loungers. All villas feature his and hers walk-in wardrobes, rain showers, outdoor showers and over-sized bathtubs big enough for two. Sunken glass bottom bathtubs in the over water villas offer a mesmerising view of the sparkling ocean, both below and beyond the adjacent infinity-edge pool.
Seamless style is achieved with contemporary interiors featuring local accents in every room and colour schemes that take inspiration from the surrounding coral reefs. Guest villas are at one with the natural tropical surroundings with coconut trees jutting through some of the luxury villas’ natural wood floors and lush canopies offering shade and seclusion. All the comforts from home, and more, are provided by a Bose home theatre system and iPod docking station, 42-inch LCD television, a custom stocked wine cabinet and in-suite bar, a Nespresso machine, tea facilities, complimentary high-speed internet access and a selection of books for leisure reading. The 2-bedroom residences additionally include an expansive indoor living room, marble flooring, pantry, guest powder room, and luxurious sunken bathtubs placed in open-air splendour. To further enhance the experience, all villas and residences are indulged by a discreet yet attentive personal Villa Host 24 hours a day.
Guests at Anantara Kihavah Villas will be spoilt for choice when it comes to dining, with six restaurants and bars each offering a distinctive setting, menu and ambience. Highlighting the resort’s idyllic location in the dazzling Indian Ocean is the exclusive Sea. Fire. Salt. Sky. signature dining experience. This unique under and over water gastronomic concept features four remarkable venues, each offering a different type of cuisine that is as unique as the perspective. Oenophiles will delight in the impressive underwater wine cellar, the first in the Maldives, featuring over 6,500 bottles, 320 labels from 14 countries and 22 labels available by the glass. The wine cellar also offers intimate dining for a small number of guests.
At 49 metres, the swimming pool is the longest in the Maldives and Sunshine Butlers are always on hand with fruit skewers and cold face towels to cool sunbathers down. Casual lunches of crisp salads and traditional pastas are served poolside. In the evening the upstairs restaurant, Manzaru, transforms into a leisurely Italian delight offering regional specialties.
As the day slowly drifts away with the setting sun, guests can indulge in the ultimate romantic dining with personalised ‘Dining by Design’ experiences, where a specially devised menu is prepared by a personal chef, and served at a table for two in dreamy locations, from an isolated sandbank in the Indian Ocean to the deck of a private yacht – anywhere of the guests’ choosing.
Recreation and leisure facilities include a tennis court, bicycles, fitness centre, boutique, gift shop and a library with a range of books and films as well as iPads. iPad lovers and workaholics on holiday can check-out an iPad just as though they are borrowing a book from the library.
Anantara Kihavah Villas also has a specially-designed Thiththi Boli Kids Club for younger guests of 12 and under, which offers daily complimentary supervised activities including full and half-day programmes, as well as a Kids menu.
Traditional Maldivian activities invite guests to delve beneath the surface of this fascinating culture, with an array of experiences and excursions that stir the senses and arouse the imagination. Guests can choose to tune into the authentic rhythm of Maldivian life by learning how to play the Bodu Beru drums or joining a Maldivian dance class. Creative traditions unfold in traditional lacquer ware and weaving classes. A local chief of the region has set up a museum on a nearby island teaching guests traditional Maldivian customs such as the age-old star gazing method of fishing.
‘Elements Kihavah’, the experience club, is a bespoke and exhilarating journey of adventures taking guests in, on, under, above and alongside the turquoise Indian Ocean to discover and explore the greatest paradise on earth. Whether scuba diving or snorkelling, experienced instructors, first class rental equipment, comfortable dhonis (traditional Maldivian boat) and reef dive sites cater for beginner and experienced explorers alike. The coral reefs are home to a variety of marine ecosystems that vary from planktonic organisms to sharks, crustaceans and sponges. Dolphins, turtles, mantas and even whale sharks can be seen thriving in their natural habitat.
Guests can experience an element of adventure in deluxe surroundings on board an array of luxury boats, including the 25 meter ‘Ocean Whisperer’ yacht for deserted island exploration or a romantic dinner on the ocean, wave skiing and wakeboarding behind the ‘Velocity’ and Impulse’ speedboats, or soaring through the sky with ‘Freebird’, a fully-rigged parasail boat.
A resident Marine Biologist at the resorts’ Bio Centre will gladly suggest sites to explore and share valuable marine ecosystem information or help guests to play their role in Anantara Kihavah Villas’ coral adoption programme.
Other island journeys steeped in exotic rejuvenation and deep relaxation is the Anantara Spa. Offering a therapeutic range that combines traditional Asian therapies and luxuriously pampering Elemis products, all spa treatments are delivered by highly skilled and comforting hands.
The spa comprises of six over-water treatment suites, a beauty salon and a spa dining concept accompanied by a relaxation area with large sweeping decks and a Jacuzzi that is suspended over the ocean. Local ingredients play an important role in the treatment menu itself, with some of the therapies drawing on the generous healing benefits of the islands abundant coconut fruits such as the signature Maldivian Massage designed for couples, comprising an Essence of White Coconut Scrub, Essence of White Coconut Wrap, and concluding with an Anantara Muscle Tension Release Massage.
Ensuring that Anantara Spa is a comprehensive experience, guests can indulge in the Vita Spa menu of nutritious and delicious cuisine. Mirroring the personalised approach of Anantara Spa treatments, the spa dining menu invites guests to select their meal creation, where they will choose one item from each of the ‘Revitalising’, ‘Nourishing’ and ‘Energising’ sections to culminate in a perfectly balanced meal.
