Dhawa Ihuru

This is our 18th time in the Maldives ....first time in Dhawa and what a little gem of an Island. The Island is very small and it takes about 10 minutes to walk around it.....slow pace. House reef is really good with plenty of fish and a few nice big sharks and turtles. You can snorkel all around it. We were welcomed by Elena and she explained everything to us in detail. Our room was gorgeous and so close to the sea.....amazing....with everything you need for a comfortable stay..... Our roomboy Majid is absolutely fantastic....surprize decorations on the bed for my birthday and ever so often little presents on our bed....today there was beautiful sarongs with our names embroidered on it....very special indeed. Sajita working in dining area is an exceptional hostess, always smiling and asking how we are. A few waiters so far who are also to be mentioned is Pawan at breakfast, Maaif making yummy juices in the morning, Salmaan running round and always friendly, Husham tonight aswell. The food is really excellent....every night different themes and 3 times a week a set menu....the Chefs are so good. Well so far we are enjoying our 2-week stay.... the only dissapointing thing was ....hubby arranged a picnic lunch on a sandbank for my birthday and when we arrived there we hardly start our lunch when 2 more boats arrived with 20+ people ...totally spoiled my birthday.......the food was fantastic but what a dissapointment....we left early. Being to the Maldives so many times before and always visited a deserted Island or sandbank this was very dissapointing.....that's the whole idea to be alone and not have 20 strangers there too....well one more week to go let's hope there will be no more disappointments.....but otherwise the Island is gorgeous.... Will put on my list to visit again. Read less

My wife and I came for a 5 day break at the end of a tour of Sri Lanka. We are snorkelers and that was our specific focus during this time The room was close to the dining and bar areas but was not affected by this in any negative way. In fact it was very convenient as the bar staff were always happy to top up an ice bucket for the evening beverage. It was also nicely sheltered on the western side given the wind was generally from the East in our time here. We had a jacuzzi bath which was fun. Food was very good and as we were there only 5 nights the buffet nights and special themes worked well without repeats. Breakfast was excellent and we managed to make ourselves keep lunch fairly light although there was always plenty to tempt us with. As other reviews have commented, the staff are a real strength for Ihuru, from Hussain who kept our room immaculate and tailored the replenishments to the things we actually wanted, the restaurant waiting staff standouts included Salmaan from the folk night as well as Sujena and Adam. Plus all of the bar staff of course! The managers were always about and happy to chat. The snorkeling was varied but always at least good, there is clear evidence of coral regrowth but it does have a way to go whilst in our time there there was a haziness to the water so the deeper water wasn’t really visible down the wall as you swam, probably due to dredging and resort developments in the area rather than on Ihuru itself. The morning swim sound the island was a wonderful start to the day and at 1 km was quite doable even though neither of us qualifies as a spring chicken any longer. We saw the Hawksbill Turtles, Black tip and White tip Sharks and a Black Eagle Ray as well a myriad of the usual suspects on a reef in the area. We did swim at Banyan but found the access points much further from the beach than on Ihuru and were less impressed by their reef. This is a delightful resort that is easy to reach from the airport but away from the busy area near Male. Well managed and the exceptional staff are its strength. Read less

The island is eco-conscious and trying their best to maintain a healthy ecosystem. The staffs are very professional and friendly- we have allergies to scented laundry detergent and they got soda crystals (as we requested) to launder our sheets and towels separately. Our house keeper Khaleel kept our place very nicely clean and tidy too (our clothes were folded and put away). Overall a very enjoyable stay and will be back again! Read less