u/JagrsMullet1982

TLDR: Anantara Kihavah on the Baa Atoll in the Maldives is phenomenal in terms of service, top notch & varied food, eco-lux aesthetics, house reef, and diving options situated in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Hanifaru Bay.

I am home one week from a 7 night stay at Anantara Kihavah where I stayed in an over water sunset villa…bear with me, at 44 I am still trying to surface from the jet lag of a 9 hour time zone change from my home on the US east coast.

u/mayisayhitoyourdog booked this trip for me and my 15 year old son, and before I get into how amazing Anantara Kihavah is, I have to mention that I’d have been lost without Joe’s hands-on coordination in the months before I traveled all the way up to moment-to-moment while I travelled from Malé via seaplane to AK.

I flew business class on Etihad from Boston to Malé with an 11 hour layover in Abu Dhabi. Etihad was great, their lounges made the layovers a breeze (though next time I’d take the option for a 2 night layover in AUH), but I have some auto-immune conditions, many food sensitivities that vary in severity, I work a high stress job with few days off & work far too many hours a week…..so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that I wasn’t in the best shape by the time I got to Malé. I reached out to Joe and told him I was feeling miserable - honestly, a 2 hour delay on the tarmac in AUH meant I missed my original AK seaplane and the Manta Air plane I was being ushered onto would get me to the resort a couple hours sooner, but meant I’d additionally have to take a 20 minute speedboat to AK…..I reached out to Joe in moderate mental/exhaustion breakdown to (I think literally) sob about my “horrific” situation and horrible travel luck. Bless you Joe for dealing with my infinite questions, very specific villa requests, multi property comprehensive packages, that was then capped off with having to deal with me on little sleep, poor food choices, and mentally and physically breaking down upon arrival to a resort half a world away.

I did not get better in the seaplane, in fact, I puked/dry heaved in a vomit bag and sweated profusely )and embarrassingly) through my outfit for the entire 40 minute flight. I am sorry to anyone else on the flight with me; I tried to deteriorate with grace, but fear i may not have been pretty.

I’ll be honest, the next 24hrs are fairly blurry. I know I was deplaned first - for potentially obvious reasons. Because my TA got in touch with the resort and informed them that I was unwell, the team of people who met my son and I knew I was sick and all but carried me onto the boat that was waiting for us. I laid with my head on someone who was not my son’s shoulder for the full boat ride which felt like lasted about 3 minutes as I think I fell asleep…on someone.

There was the traditional Maldivian drum line greeting at the dock, who I drooled by while being helped to the golf cart; cringe. We were given fresh cut young coconuts to sip on, which I promptly threw up after diving out golf cart and onto my hands and knees while my lovely villa host rubbed my back and I wished for the tropical path we were stopped on to open up and swallow me whole to end my misery and embarrassment - if you suffer any of the sudden low blood pressures and/or sodium & sugar drop conditions you know the horrific affiliated nausea and blackout dizziness I’m talking about.

When I got to my villa I was met with electrolytes, prescription anti-nausea meds (compazine or zofran), numerous allergy sensitive in-villa dining dishes, an assortment of desserts and fresh fruits, and fresh brewed herbal ginger tea from their herb garden. I was offered a visit by the clinic’s physician, and declined in lieu of a nap. You’ll notice in the video of the villa we stayed in (I’ll put it in the comments) that the pretty bed decoration is scattered, that’s because I arrived and essentially got in bed. My villa host ordered my son a burger to his very specific specifications (he’s on the spectrum) and showed him how the TV worked and I slept the entire morning. I woke up feeling like a new human in the early afternoon and enjoyed lunch from the in-villa dining menu. That evening at dinner the house physician stopped by my table to ensure I was improved. The following morning at breakfast the house nutritionist went over specific wellness smoothies and shots she felt would be good for boosting my apparently now fragile constitution……lol, I wasn’t always like this. Could I have booked this trip myself and navigated being miserably ill upon arrival without the full court press of support upon arrival? Sure. But, it was really nice to have a bubble of support to float in while I was on a trip so far away in such a vulnerable state. Between Joe & AK, I didn’t think a single thought the entire week I was on the Baa Atoll; everything just appeared or was waiting for me…

Over water villa vs beach villa:
I stayed in a sunset overwater villa and specifically requested to be as far down the boardwalk as possible, with the most privacy, and access to snorkeling from the villa pool deck. The day I checked out I was given a beach villa to use for the day. I’ll put videos of both in the comments. I can’t vacation with bugs, and even though the resort sprays and there are many awesome wildlife that help maintain the mosquitoes, I got bitten a couple times while reading on the garden swing while waiting for my 5:30pm seaplane departure - not to say it was swarms, a few here and there. But there are zero bugs or mosquitoes on OWV areas, and I always prefer zero bugs. Also, the beach villa I was in had exclusively outdoor bathrooms and showers - I feel confident that in the typical beach villas there are indoor toilet and shower options, but I didn’t ask and wouldn’t be able to shower or use the toilet after dark…again, bugs.

Snorkeling & Excursions
The house reef is unreal - eagle rays, lemon sharks, black tip reef sharks, moray eels, giant clams, big fishes, sting rays, etc.
We did 3 manta excursions, 1 nurse shark excursion, and one night dive on the house reef. We went to snorkel; AK’s house reef and dive team helped knock off numerous bucket list dive items from our list. I’m still in a daze trying to fathom everything we saw.

We went during the monsoon/rainy season and knew what to expect from the weather. We went to chase the giant manta migration that annually passes through Hanifaru Bay as the priority of the trip - come hell or (literal) high water. That said, these were not the “catamaran and float with a drift bar and have lunch on the sail back” type snorkel excursions we’ve done in Hawaii and Mexico many times over the years…..this felt more like we were smuggling cocaine in a fast boat through the Caribbean 😂😂

The currents were no joke, the boats are small and fast, the water is rough, and the waves are big. Lots of people were seasick on each excursion we went on. My villa host went to the clinic every morning we had a dive and brought both my son and I anti-nausea medications. I grew up on boats and weathered a few nor’easters with my stubborn father on the Sakonnet Bay…I have able sea legs; I was very grateful for the medications each trip 😂

The dive team are world class and are both from the Maldives and know the waters, and are from international places and came to study the ocean.

Service
Phenomenal. We had the same villa host from the moment we arrived until the moment we left, 24/7. Same for the gentleman who cleaned our villa each morning and did turndown service in the evening. Every staff were aware of my allergy needs and my son’s very limited palate. The director of dining’s favorite expression is, “why not?” to requests that I personally felt were insane….a hamburger at a fine dining prefix caviar lunch, that I was also modifying for my weird food needs.
I’ll spare furthering my gab, but above speaks to the “whatever, whenever, if ever” you need it, it will be done or anticipated. I had expected there being some sort of “medical/health wellness” charge on my final folio for all the numerous extra touch points and medical and nutritional services provided my first 24hrs and then in medications throughout the stay for both me and my son, but there were no charges. In fact, since we didn’t do breakfast our arrival morning and rather numerous options were brought from the in-villa dining, AK covered our lunch that we ordered that arrival day as part of our half board package.

Every member of the team at AK endeavors to create as close to perfection as is possible for all guests.

Restaurants & In-Villa Dining
There are five restaurants:
Fire: Hibatchi & Asian; very fun and interactive and delicious.
Spice: Thai & Japanese; my favorite (we ate here 3 nights) best pad Thai I’ve ever had in my life
Manzaru: Mediterranean & rotating theme cultural nights; very good, don’t sleep on the risottos
Plates: Breakfast buffet and to-order table side; the number of options is staggering and mouth watering. So much of the fruit served, juiced, and put into smoothies is grown by Prem (master of the orchids, omg) in the greenhouse. Rose apples, snake fruit, lychee, passion fruit, longan fruits, etc. I didn’t love the varietal of pineapple served and juiced…more fiberous and less juicy.
Sea: Underwater fine dining & pre-fix caviar lunch and dinner options; an experience not to be missed, and the food excellent.
In-Villa Dining: 24/7 & a lengthy and varied menu. We ordered lunch in every day, and I can argue that nothing tastes better than a meal eaten while gently swaying on a hanging bed over the Indian Ocean.

Nearly everything is scratch made on island. All the breads, jams, juices, smoothies, sauces, gelatos, soups, etc. are made in-house and there isn’t a menu item that can’t be modified. Beverages are not included in the half board package - I spent $60 on 2 bottles of still and 2 bottles of sparking Aqua Panna at dinner more than one evening. In the villas, and at plates (and maybe Manzaru for lunch) you can order complementary as much of the “Kihavah Still” or “Kihavah Sparkling” waters that are bottled on island, but at dinner $15/bottle is the only water offered. I don’t drink alcohol, but mocktails were in the $15-$20 range (and worth it, it’s vacation)…I think we spent about $1,100.00 on lunches, beverages, and my son’s sneaky finger in the minibar that I discovered on our last day.

The food was excellent and ranged from approachable to true fine dining with master chefs.

The Property
Beautiful. It’s the Maldives. Everything is very clean, and the aesthetic upscale but eco and representative of Maldivian culture. I found everywhere to be pristine, tasteful, elegant, and designed to invite relaxation and environmental beauty.
The beach is maintained every morning for the coral and flip flops (☹️) that wash up overnight from the tides and currents that travel between islands. I circumnavigated the island every morning just after sunrise (I don’t sleep well or much anywhere) and couldn’t believe the undertaking completed every morning before (most) guests wake up.

Spa
I skipped spa days for snorkel days. I heard it’s lovely though. All treatment villas are overwater and have the option for full ocean view with sliding doors open toward the water.

You’re Still Here?
Thanks for reading. I love living vicariously through other peoples trips and hearing honest reviews of properties….I found Anantara Kihavah mentioned on this sub I think. I’ve more than once been accused of being pedantic - I can’t help myself, I love the details of all things everywhere. It makes me very good in my career, but I can be a tricky traveler. Anantara Kihavah and u/mayisayhitoyourdog gave me the most beautiful, breathtaking, awe inducing week of my life….it didn’t feel real; it was like stepping into a dream where time stopped and every wish immediately came true.

It was a heck of an adventure to get there, and if you can I cannot recommend it enough. Sorry for typos/wordiness I am still on an 8pm-3am circadian rhythm 😂

Somewhere in Baa Atoll near Hanifaru Bay

📷 GoPro12

The smoothie cups aren’t freezing fast enough.

“I’d like to speak with your manager.”

(second pic as proof)

Just shy of 2 weeks post op from repairing the first of two busted ACLs. Short breaks from the cone, short breaks from the crate…always time for a Hawaiian shirt 🤙🏼

Apologies in advance that I don’t know how to embed photos into the body of the text. I’m very much on the geriatric side of “geriatric millennial” and largely terrible at technology.

I happen to work in a very niche conceirge field where I have traveled at the highest levels of luxury and exclusivity; privately owned private jets, police escorts through cities, private entrances, the best hotels, full floor suites buyouts, teams of servants, etc. All to say, I’ve seen and have often first hand experienced the highest of high end travel. I can’t afford PJ’s & police escorts, but the opportunities I’ve had through my work have afforded me an understanding of exactly what I want in travel and what I personally put a high value on when I travel.

What I want most is quiet, room service, ocean front private balconies, and not to have to ask for the things I need and find comfort in. I spent 6 nights with my (almost) 15 year old son in a King Club Level Suite, and I had a second room in my name for my (almost) 80 year old mother for 5 nights in a King Club Level Room at the Ritz Turtle Bay booked and coordinated by u/mayisayhitoyourdog and I still can’t quite fathom the perfection that was our time at the resort.

I know, “it’s a Marriott” and have seen the controversy, but honestly, I just don’t get the hate. This is my second stay at Turtle Bay and, personally, I find the staff to be world class, the rooms and suites to be well appointed, everywhere in rooms/on resort to be immaculately clean, the Club Lounge & staff to be exquisite, and the food overall to be fantastic.

Welcome to my love letter to Turtle Bay, where I spent 6 nights relaxing after a pretty epic 9 nights snorkeling on Maui.

TLDR: I love the Turtle Bay resort and staff.

Perhaps it’s because my TA is FANTASTIC and put in a lot of work coordinating my stay with the resort prior to my arrival, or maybe it’s because I had a club level king suite and a club level king room both in my name simultaneously…regardless, from the moment we arrived until the moment we checked out, not an opportunity to make us feel special or welcome was missed. We never met a staff person who didn’t know our names, I never wanted for anything, and despite being there mid-April after the horrific rain storms and during unprecedented humidity I never saw mold or mildew anywhere on property, in bathrooms, or on lounge cushions.

My mother and I spent every day either in a poolside day bed, in a beachfront daybed, or on the complementary loungers on the beach. I talk and burrow into the minutia of my clients lives for 80+ hours a week and it’s an occupational downfall that I’m incapable of not eavesdropping/people watching/chitchatting…..when I’m on vacation to relax, I need not to see or hear anyone. Around the resort, in the elevator, sitting in the hot tub - sure, let’s chat. When I’m trying to read or take in the view while I get some sun or eat lunch? I don’t want to hear or see you….any of you 😂 the daybeds by the pools (specifically #3 & #4) and the daybeds on the beach provided exactly what I was looking for - we didn’t see or hear anyone other than the surfers and the attendants who kept me flush with ice cold lilikoi mojito mocktails. The beach daybeds are great too - I prefer the food that comes from Roy’s Beach House on the beach, and also the daybeds comes with a Yeti bucket that the beach attendants keep full with ice, juices, and waters throughout the day. They’re not included in the resort fee, and are $300-$350/day for the daybeds, but for the privacy and comforts they provide I find them very very worth it. The loungers and umbrellas at the beach are complementary/included in the resort fee and are actually awesome too! I enjoy the adult’s only pool and jacuzzi area in the evenings to read after dinner - staff really ensure that the area remains 18+, which I appreciate.

Shout out to the pool and beach attendants who asked every day if my son would, “be having his burger down here with you, or if you’d prefer if we sent it to the room?” They never missed a beat, including my broody teen who enjoyed the WiFi and the AC over quality time with his mother and grandmother….”it’s fine because I can see and hear the ocean from the balcony any time I want”….at 15 he comes with a rider: “I prefer the plane seats where I don’t have anyone sitting next to me, but the big seats where I sit next to you are fine. I prefer when the hotel has room service, but as long as I can hear the ocean from the balcony it’s fine”….I may have set a high expectation for his young age, oops; I digress and regret nothing.

The Club Lounge is excellent and I can’t say enough about the staff there. I brought my mother to celebrate an upcoming milestone birthday and to celebrate finishing cancer treatments. I just wanted her to experience a, “everything’s taken care of, everything’s beautiful, heaven on earth” type of getaway. My TA made staff aware ahead of our arrival, and I can’t tell you how much they delivered in making her feel welcomed…like royalty. She couldn’t fathom everyone knowing her name, knowing what type of wine she liked and offering her a “heavy pour” in a glass of wine to bring to her room at the end of the night, bringing her fruit and coffee and pastries in her room on her first morning when I mentioned she was jet lagged and not joining me for breakfast. My son loved heading there solo and grabbing sodas and developing unique high five routines with the guys who work there during the day, and all the kid friendly snacks offered and rotating daily.

My mother and I were both blown away at how over the top everyone went for my son, who while friendly to everyone and happy all the time, is on the spectrum and very particular about how he likes things. When we arrived they mentioned knowing my son would be sleeping on the foldout couch in the suite, and offered to bring up a mattress topper before making the bed during turndown service; they offered to unmake and remake the foldout everyday, but we didn’t need that. My son has grown to love turndown service - I didn’t have my room fully serviced everyday, but the turndown service where they brought us extra towels and emptied the trash was lovely, and they coordinated all in room service around when they knew I wouldn’t be there…..as I said, I love to chit chat, but in my room (like my daybed) I prefer not to have to chat or be “on”.

There were personalized touches everywhere at every turn. I’d walk into the lounge in the morning and someone would immediately rush to start my gluten free toast. A specific fruit I found I loved (longan fruit) would magically appear on a plate in my room some nights. If I was curled up reading on a couch or watching the waves in the club, pineapple juice and my favorite coconut crunchies would waft over without me even asking. I like lots of towels in the room and I somehow always had an abundance of fresh towels and it seemed wet towels vanished the moment they hit my bathroom floor. I never heard another room door close or person from my balcony…I don’t mind hearing the background resort noise, but nothing makes me more insane than being able to hear noise from other rooms or conversations on other balconies. Beach totes, branded glasses wipes, chocolates at turndown, extras of anything I mentioned I liked (excellent mouthwash), etc. all just appeared in my suite daily. Additionally, the gift from my TA and the resort was just over the top…thank you so much, Joe; for everything.

I asked Turtle Bay to treat my mother, son, and I to peaceful, quiet, stay with enough amenities on resort to allow us to stay put without feeling bored . I’ll spare you reviews, god knows this is already too long, but the sunset horseback ride is a must, the bike trails are gorgeous, the walking trails unfathomable, Roy’s was excellent, Alaia was great, but honestly the food in the club was phenomenal each meal, each day….and a full bar from 5pm-close.

Turtle Bay (and my TA) delivered big, and then some. The last thing I’ll add is how wonderful all of the staff are, and how difficult it was to tip some of the staff who did the most. I was chasing pool and beach attendants and lounge staff who tried rebuffing my cash (unsuccessfully) by telling me that my tip was unnecessary, “you’re here to relax and this is my job”. The resort, the views, the food, the suite/room, the balconies, the amenities….everything…was wonderful; but it is the people who work there that make Turtle Bay special and are why I’ll return again. Not having to ask for anything, having all needs anticipated, immaculate cleanliness everywhere, great food, and beauty unlike anywhere else is the world…thank you Turtle Bay, thank you u/mayisayhitoyourdog.