p56-57 ttg_lux_tried and tested maldives 5/3/10 16:19 Page 56
tried & tested
By April Hutchinson
S
een one Four Seasons you’ve seen them all,
right? Wrong. Naturally, there are elements you
would reliably expect to find at any of its resorts
around the world, but in the Maldives the group
runs two distinctly different properties.
Checking into both Landaa Giraavaru and Kuda Huraa
on a recent trip, I found the hotels far from homogeneous,
FOUR SEASONS
each enveloping me in a unique atmosphere. And they
MALDIVES
won’t necessarily appeal to the same clients either.
With the Maldives a consistently performing destination
even in the recession, it’s certainly made good sense for
Four Seasons to have two properties there, especially as
the likes of Ritz-Carlton, Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula and
Jumeirah are still nowhere to be seen. That other groups
such as Banyan Tree, Anantara, Hilton and Six Senses
also choose to have more than one resort there shows
the importance the sector places on the Maldives.
It’s also an opportunity that has been spied by British
Airways with the launch of its direct three-class service
from the UK. The front cabin was packed during my pre-
Christmas trip – families booking chunks of business class
may be a thing of the past on some airlines; not on this route.
Despite what some critics may dismissively say of the
Maldives, no two resorts are the same – not at this end of
the market anyway. This clearly applies to Four Seasons’
Maldivian double act. Kuda Huraa was refurbished after
the 2004 tsunami, reopening in 2006. At the time plans
were already afoot for Landaa Giraavaru (pictured left), an
all-singing, all-dancing Four Seasons imbued with effort-
less chic, grander proportions and a more modern twist.
Kuda Huraa may have been the original resort, but the
result of the newer one has been to make Kuda feel like
the diffusion version of a top designer – like when
Matthew Williamson creates a range for Debenhams.
It’s lovely, but you get the feeling there’s better out
there, should you have the money. But whatever their
differences, both resorts certainly provide impeccable
service and top-notch cuisine.
HOW TO BOOK IT
■ A nine-night Maldivian stay with Four
Seasons costs from £6,780 per couple.
This includes three nights at Four
Seasons Landaa Giraavaru and three
nights at Four Seasons Kuda Huraa
with breakfast, as well as three nights
full board on the Four Seasons Explorer
(a private three-deck, 11-cabin
catamaran), flights with British Airways
and resort transfers (valid April 12-
December 20, 2010).
■ A week at Four Seasons Resort Kuda
Huraa costs from £2,000pp including
breakfast, flights with British Airways
and speedboat transfers (part of a
“stay-seven, pay-for-five” offer, valid
over May 11-July 31 and September
18-October 24).
■ A week at Four Seasons Resort Landaa
Giraavaru costs from £2,365pp,
including breakfast, flights with British
Airways and seaplane transfers (part of a
“stay-seven, pay-for-five” offer, valid May
11-July 31 and September 18-October 24).
Carrier: 0161 491 7660,
carrier.co.uk
Four Seasons:
fourseasons.com
56
tried & tested
spring 2010
ttgluxury.com
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