30TH BIRTHDAY AT KIHAA MALDIVES

The Maldives is one of those dream destinations that never disappoints and Kihaa Maldives was up to all my 30^th birthday wishes.

The island is pristine with beautiful beaches and is famous for the proximity to Hanifaru Bay, where is possible to snorkel and dive with manta rays and whale sharks.

Since my honeymoon in 2016 I just knew I wanted to go back to the Maldives again, so when it came to my 30^th birthday celebrations I could only think of one place.

As I’m living in Pakistan it was actually easier this time because there was less flight hours involved.

My toddler, 18 months at the time of our trip, was also coming with us. We were looking for a large island resort with an all-inclusive meal plan and a beach villa with easy accesses everywhere as occasionally our little one would be on a stroller.

When we found Kihaa Maldives we loved it straight away! The island is large with a lot of space to keep a baby entertained. We also loved that the resort won the Family Friendly Resort award in 2018 and all the recommendations praised it as a family friendly island.

KIHAA MALDIVES

Kihaa Maldives is a beautiful island resort located in the Baa Atoll near Hanifaru Bay, a UNESCO protected biosphere reserve.

The island is perfect in every way with large areas of white sandy beaches, countless palm trees and green areas to hide away from the sun, beautifully decorated facilities and completely pristine lagoon waters.

There’s a sense of peace and serenity around as the 124 villas are all very spacious, distanced and feel very private. Everything is decorated with nature elements, greens and browns and every detail is eco-friendly.

Perfect for any type of group: the honeymooners, groups of friends or families with kids, the island provides lots of diverse experiences.

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HOW TO GET THERE

We flew in from Islamabad where I’m currently living into Male the capital.

When we landed we were assisted by a hotel representative that was there waiting for us at the airport. He guided us through the domestic flight terminal to a lounge where we spend a few hours waiting for our domestic flight.

The domestic flight is normally a 40 minute trip but end up taking about 1 hour and 20 minutes as the weather conditions were so bad!

We were received by another hotel representative in the domestic airport that guided us through the all process to collect our bags and then took us to our speedboat that took about 5 minutes to get to the resort.

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We arrived late in evening at about 10pm because of the delay in the domestic flight times but grateful to be there in Kihaa Maldives. The resort staff was quick to give us fresh towels, drinks and check us in.

On arrival we were assigned to an exclusive islander, similar to a butler that was our person to go to all time we were there.

OUR WATERFRONT BEACH VILLA WITH PRIVATE POOL

There are several options of accommodation in Kihaa Maldives. All villas are very spacious with a variety of options with or without pool plus the over water villas as well. They are all in direct contact to the beach and sea.

The waterfront beach villas with a private pool caught my eye straight away as I thought to myself ‘how beautiful would it be to woke up, just open the door and have the sea just there for a dip?’

I can tell you it was perfect! These villas are located at the opposite area of the reception area which makes it very private and it felt almost like our own private island. We had lots of fun swimming in an out of the sea with our toddler and every day was super easy and stress free.

Every day we had a little moment during our son lunch time nap to just relax outside in our deck with our sun loungers and private pool. Couldn’t ask for better even when raining!

The villa was decorated to be in harmony with nature. Everything is wood and they used recycled products to restock the room. There’s a really cool outdoor rain shower which was so much fun to have the three of us having a shower together!

The room itself features a comfortable king bed, two side sofas, a bathroom with outdoor rain shower, separate shower and bath tub, and an external wooden patio equipped with beach chairs facing the ocean.

RESTAURANTS AND & BARS AT KIHAA MALDIVES

As we were travelling with our little toddler we wanted something really easy that would have some variety of food. One of the reasons we picked this resort was that they had an all-inclusive meal plan very reasonably priced that met our budget.

The Malaafaiy restaurant is the main restaurant near reception, centrally located in the island just a few steps away from both main pools. They served three buffet meals a day with various food choices, mostly Asian food but also some European and American dishes.

We had all our main meals there and the food was reasonably good with different choices everyday to suit both us and our toddler.

The staff was always excellent quickly setting up a highchair as soon as they see us coming through the door and putting fresh water on the table.

Near this venue there’s the Sangu a La Carte restaurant, a smaller space for a la carte meals. We didn’t make any meals there but looked very quirky and romantic for couples with ocean views.

Adjacent to both spaces there’s the Undhoali bar looking into the infinity pool. A selection of beverages is available and all sort of cocktails from the all-inclusive menu. Every afternoon they served a snack too, perfect for a pool break in those large sun sofas.

Opposite to the other side of reception and near the beach pool it’s the Raaveriya bar where we would go all the time from the beach and pool to get all sorts of beverages. The staff there were excellent and were very good with our son who they just adored.

Just across this bar is the Wine Loft that holds a selection of fine wines and a little private dining venue. We didn’t make any meal there but it looked beautiful for a romantic night.

WHAT TO DO AT KIHAA MALDIVES

Kihaa Maldives is a family friendly island with some key features that will make it a memorable experience!

The large white sandy beaches and shallow waters of the lagoon made it really easy with our toddler. He had so much fun running around!

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There was a children playground and a kid’s club with the possibility of leaving your little one for free for two years and above.

Our son was 18 months at that time and we paid a little extra for that service so that me and my husband could both go on a snorkel excursion during my son’s nap.  An in-room babysitting service is also available.

The Maldives is the perfect place for snorkeling and diving, just like we did during our honeymoon. Kihaa is the closest resort in the Maldives to Hanifaru Bay, where is possible to swim with manta rays and whale sharks as they come to the area to feed. Our trip there was so incredible!

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In the island there are also two massive swimming pools, a full-service spa with beautiful looks into the ocean, a gym and a tennis court.

You can experience as well a variety of water sports included in the resort list of things to do such as a fun tube, water Ski, wakeboarding, and windsurfing, Catamaran or JetSki.

Kihaa Maldives has also some trips you could book free of charge on some specific days of the week. There was dolphin watching, turtle quest, night fishing and sunset cruises.

The dolphin watching was incredible, I didn’t believe it when I actually saw the dolphins swimming, and they seemed to be somehow attracted by my son who was calling them. Will never forget the happiness and the excitement on my son’s face!

Mostly we spend a lot of time alternating snorkeling between me and my husband while running after our son, swimming around, eating and drinking.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Kihaa Maldives was the best choice to spend a break away with my family celebrating my 30^th birthday! The island is beautiful with crystal clear waters, incredible sunsets, really calm and perfect for the relaxation I was looking forward!

Swimming with manta rays was also an incredible experience and seeing the happiness on my son’s face every day we spend in Kihaa was the best thing in the world that I will cherish forever!

The facilities were perfect for a family like us, everyone was always friendly, we loved to have our own designated islander that would always look for us at meal times and evenings to check we were happy.

We also really loved our beach villa with our own private pool and such a difference for the duration of our time!

Would you like to book a stay at Kihaa Maldives?

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