Chris Callaghan

Review of Cinnamon Hakuraa Huraa Maldive...

We booked the Cinnamon Hakuraa Huraa last minute d...

We booked the Cinnamon Hakuraa Huraa last minute due to another holiday being cancelled, and what a great decision it was. We have stayed in many hotels/resorts in the past but this is far superior to anything either of us have ever experienced.
The trip started with a sea plane ride from Male, which lasted around an hour with a stop at another island on the way. The views were absolutely stunning. It was almost like an excursion in itself.
Upon arrival at the Cinnamon we were greeted by staff with garlands and bongo drums. They really make every guest feel like a VIP. The check in process was an absolute breeze, and we were quickly whisked away on a golf buggy to be shown around the resort and taken to our over water bungalow. The bungalows were built in 2019 and probably haven't been stayed in much since then due to covid, and it really showed. They were absolutely gorgeous inside. I'm usually very picky when it comes to room quality, but I couldn't fault them one but. The bungalow was spotless and the quality of craftsmanship was absolutely superb. The see through floor was a great touch. We saw stingrays and sharks under the floor on a daily basis. Snorkelling on the in house reef was also brilliant. Such a massive variety of marine life literally on your doorstep. We probably snorkelled 4-5 hours a day every day.

The resort was extremely quiet when we arrived, and got busier towards the end of the week. But even at busy periods, the only time you really saw other people was at meal times. Absolute bliss.
The buffet food was very good, although sometimes a bit cold. They had a wide variety of foods to cater to all types of people. Our waiter Samir was exceptional. So friendly and attentive.
Free snorkelling excursions go from the reception twice a day, every day. The boat takes you to an amazing reef about 10 minutes from the resort and you have about 45 minutes of snorkelling time there. Some people on my trip saw manta rays on this trip.
The dolphin excursion was fantastic. So good in fact that we went twice, and saw dolphins both times. They were so close to the boat it was unbelievable.
The dive centre on site also offers excursions that aren't dive related such as turtle and manta Ray snorkelling. We went on the turtle trip and saw 3 turtles. Unfortunately the speed boat broke a few days before we left and they were unable to get it fixed in time for us to do the manta Ray trip.

Staff at the resort were all absolutely incredible. Every time we saw a golf buggy drive past they'd stop and ask us if we wanted a lift somewhere. All the gardeners and ground maintenance staff would always stop work when you walk past and say hello with a big smile. It made us feel quite bad as we weren't bothered if they carried on working as we passed, but it was really nice to see.

The check out process was brilliant. A letter arrives in your room the night before departure detailing your wake up call, luggage removal and departure times for the following morning. When we left all the staff came out with a big "see you soon" sign and waved us off as the plane took off.

We loved this resort so much that we will be back in April. It may be expensive, but its absolutely worth the price.