One and Only Kanuhura

One and Only Kanuhura has to be one of the most well-planned resorts anywhere. The sheer quality of service and facilities makes this place a must-visit island. Having just done a manic 10-day tour of Northern India, we were ready for sheer indulgence.

The only issue we had was the delay with the Air Taxi at Male (but this is nothing to do with the resort). One & Only seemed to be the only resort with an air-conditioned lounge at Male airport. We ate fruit and drank beer while everyone sweated outside waiting for the transport to arrive...

The sand is immaculate, staff incredibly friendly. The food is out-of-this-world, even at the main restaurant where food is buffet-style. Breakfasts on the beach are a joy. A chef for your eggs, a chef for your pancakes and a chef for all your fruit....

We stayed in a beach villa. Fantastic bed, made up twice a day. Outside bathroom was a joy. Walk out onto pure white sand and turquoise sea.

Diving is amazing: saw turtles, sharks, rays, tuna...The sunset fishing trip is a blast and they even cook your catch for free the next day. Snorkelling is great too.

Pool, bar and spa was lovely. The treatments are great. The whole emphasis on this island is about being pampered and treated like royalty. I particularly liked the discreet and extremeley competent staff that make the island really work well.

This place is not cheap but you really do get the level of customer care and facilities you would expect for this much cash. Avoid paying $5 for bottled water - the tap water is fine to drink.

We were honeymooners but there were plenty of facilities for young families. Despite there being over 150 people on the island, it felt like we hardly saw anyone. Empty beaches and space.

I really cannot fault this place, and I am a picky and fussy old git. We will be going back, make no mistake.

This is my 3rd visit to Maldives. 1st trip was 20 years ago and 2nd trip was 3 years ago. Each island has offered fantastic beaches and beautiful setting but each has been different. The One & Only Kanahura was a great holiday as the setting was perfect and the size of island to occupiers meant that it never seemed busy despite full occupancy.

We opted for Bed & Breakfast as wherever we go we prefer to have choice. At Kanahura we soon decided that the buffet was not of a standard that suited us. The difficulty was to get into an A La Carte restaurant. I felt those booking B&B should be given priority booking for the 2 A La Carte restaurants as we found ourselves not able to book the Veli Beach Grill at all and managed to eat 3 times in the Olive Tree in our 7 day stay.

The buffet was $50 per person my wife had tummy upset for 3 days therefore begrudged paying $50 for a buffet choosing a small salad and drinking water. At least A La Carte she could have eaten and paid for a small salad only.

The other problem was the booking system we booked several things during our stay and came into the habit of rechecking and reconfirming the bookings because often they did not get confirmed at the destination ie water sports or actual restaurants. On the final occasion our friends with whom we travelled arranged direct with the Manager Mr Sousha who personally reserved our table in the olive tree we took the precaution of checking the reservation at reception later in the afternoon. It was confirmed but when we arrived to eat we were told no booking had been made. They made us a table up indoors away from the beautifully lit pool and the evening sky. Shame as it was our last night there. The A La Carte food in the olive tree was fantastic as were the Poole side pizzas.

The rooms were spotless and very well finished.

There was a great choice of activities and water sports, having said that it was extremely windy and 2 of our boat trips were cancelled. My advice to anyone going to Kanahura is that they book their itinary including meals in advance. The Veli Cafe is supposed to be fantastic seafood grill and we could only claim jealousy when our daughter was taken to eat there by another family.

Next time we go to the maldives I will do a little more homework on the island reefs as the reefs round the island were only considered satisfactory they were not as nice as those of other islands i have stayed at or been to on day excursions. It is always nice to have a beautiful reef on your doorstep rather than depend on organized excursions. I spent approx 1 to 1 1/2 hours a day on the islands reef as opposed to 3 to 4 hours a day i would normally spend had the reef been more interesting. The Veyoge Spa was first class and the Balinese Massage was perfect.Incidentally our previous vacation was to Full Moon resort had a great reef great choice of restaurants all with availability was much cheaper to stay at but rooms were bunched together and the resort was too near the Capital and the airport the resort also felt crowded. At Kanahura the night brought a feeling of island seclusion away from it all.

As a family we enjoyed our holiday and will continue to return to the Maldives

We enjoyed 16 nights at the One & Only Kanuhura from 20.12.2003.

Christmas, my birthday on 30.12, and New Year were all enjoyed in the most beautiful setting.

The beach villa (opt for the breezy side of the island) was lovely, especially the outdoor bathroom. 3 different restaurants to eat in - all superb, with the Veli Cafe, on the beach being the most romantic.

The staff are attentive without being in your face, and are so pleasant.

The whole holiday could not be faulted - excellent !

We also went to Kanahura for our Honeymoon in 2001 and we can still remember every moment - great service, very clean infact spotless and the diving was wonderful - sharks and mantas etc!!! The best money we every spent although it cost as much as the wedding! We would recommend this to anyone, well worth the money. WOW I want to go back now.

Absolutely amazing resort, with fantastic facilities and staff. For a small resort we spent 3 weeks there and didn't get bored once. Great choice of activities as well as plenty of beach to lie on and do nothing!! Kerzner (who own One and Only) really seem to know what they are doing and although not cheap, worth every penny.