Kanuhura is a slim, oval island, 1km long and 200m wide, in the northeastern part of Lhaviyani Atoll, to the north of Male.
Guests arriving at the airport take a 35-minute flight by seaplane, arriving in style on the shallow blue waters of the lagoon, to be greeted by staff waiting on the immensely long wooden jetty.
The jetty continues across the island, bisecting it neatly into the main hotel area on one side - with free-form pool, restaurants, bars and some Beach Villas - and the “wilder” end, with watersports centre, bar and discotheque and further Beach Villas and Duplexes. It then extends out beyond the shore, splitting into two runs of stilted Water Villas & Suites, each with an outdoor bathroom and wooden steps leading down into the water and the reef beyond. A beach of fine white sand rings the whole island.
“I see One&Only Kanuhura, Maldives as the marine version of a deluxe safari lodge,” says general manager Michael Luible.
The main buildings convey this ambience: low, wood-framed, with thatched roofs and long, louvred shutters usually open to the elements, they cluster around the linked swimming pools which are crossed by Japanese-style bridges, looking straight out over the beach and lagoon.
To one side of this area is the renowned Veyoge Spa. Guests step across the threshold and find themselves in a world of low lighting, Asian voices and delicate scents, where more than 40 different treatments are on offer from trained therapists.
At the entrance are a juice bar and spa café flanked by a gym, beauty salon and exercise and yoga studio, providing a perfect bridge back to the real world.
Restaurants include Thin Rah, serving the best of European and Asian cuisine, the Mediterranean-style Olive Tree, and the laid-back, open-air Veli Café.