insideKENT Magazine Issue 89 - August 2019 | Page 155
perfection personified. Our own two-bedroom water
villa with pool is without doubt my favourite hotel
room, EVER!
Our on-call golf buggy took us along the water villa
jetty depositing us at the end of our private walkway
entrance where the main door opened to reveal a
huge patio area perfect for washing off sandy toes
and for depositing snorkels and flippers before the
floor-to-ceiling glass doors opened into the large,
airy and modern living space. Sofas, record players,
widescreen TVs, WiFi, full-size bar, separate kitchen
with American fridge and microwave, and a guest
bathroom. To the left was the master bedroom –
king-size bed with views from the patio doors to the
pool deck and ocean beyond, as well as a separate
dressing area and a huge outdoor bathroom with
enclosed and outdoor showers, bath, WC and double
vanity. To the right, a mirror image layout; huge
bedroom with ample space for a cot, the kids’ own
dressing area and outdoor bathroom. And of course
there was the main event, the huge sliding doors
that peel back to reveal a totally private outside deck
with infinity pool, swing seat, loungers, dining table
and steps straight into the ocean.
I’d have stayed on that deck forever – and would
have done if not for the lure of the rest of the island
to explore and the fact it was nearly dinner time…
Underpinning everything at Finolhu is a real sense
of fun, high standards and flawless personalised
service. Food is superb from the sumptuous world
buffets of the main Baa Baa Beach Diner (where the
waiting staff had learned the children’s names within
an hour) to the pre-bookable à la carte offerings of
The Baa Haa Grill that serves delicious North-
African-inspired hot stone cooked BBQ meats and
mezze featuring fresh hummus and flatbread with
a plethora of spices. The barefoot, desert island Crab
Shack – a 20 min sandbank stroll or 5-minute boat
trip away – offers views back to the main island, as
well as the freshest tastiest fish. And sophisticated
over-water fine dining is covered by Asian restaurant,
Kanusan...the slow-cooked braised beef cheek with
asparagus, mushrooms and shallot-scented truffle
teriyaki sauce is to die for. everything from baking to reef arts and crafts and
storytime. It also has its own pool and offers
babysitting services, which we took full advantage
of as we headed to the award-winning spa.
The playful reference to its atoll location plays out
through the sheep statues which decorate the Baa
Baa Beach Diner to the shisha-smoking sheep of the
Beach Bar – much to the delight of my toddler as
‘baa baas’ are his favourite animal bar none! Finolhu
[email protected]
www.finolhu.com
Mermaids in the pool, fire eaters for the evening
entertainment, record players in the villa, campervan
cocktails or glow-in-the-dark paint party evenings –
Finohlu has you covered!
Grab a snorkel, mask and flippers from the dive shop
and head off the beach to explore the reef, join one
of the organised dive trips from the dive centre, or
join the sunset dolphin cruise to fully appreciate this
unique marine habitat.
The Balinese-inspired sanctuary left us more relaxed
than ever as our couple’s massage smoothed away
any last elements of pre-holiday tension. My youngest
daughter, having hugged about 20 members of staff
and receiving a personalised send off from most of
the kids’ club staff, cried when we had to leave – I
think inside we all did.
finolhumv
FinolhuMaldives
finolhu_maldives
Kuoni (01227 463800 or www.kuoni.co.uk ) offers
seven nights all-inclusive at Finolhu in a Lagoon Villa
including flights on Emirates from London Gatwick and
transfers in resort. The price for selected departure on 8th
September 2019 based on two adults sharing is from £3,688
per person with a saving of up to £511 per couple. To book
please quote ref: 1911176.
There is also the Oceaneers Club, a fabulous kids’
club whose dedicated and passionate staff cater for
teenagers to toddlers from morning till night offering
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