5* Review: Hulhule Island Hotel

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Now, before we begin, legally (so the internet tells me) I am obliged to let you know that I received a heavily discounted stay at Hulhule Island Hotel. This, however, has not influenced my review of the hotel. Just thought I’d get that out of the way.

Now, back to business. A 5* star luxury hotel in the Maldives, sounds like paradise, right? Well, yeah it basically is.

How Do I Get There?

This is the best part! Hulhule Island Hotel is the only hotel located on the same island as Male airport. It is only minutes from the airport. There’s a shuttle bus that will take you between the two. It’s also only a few minutes by boat to the capital city of Male. The staff at reception are always more than happy to organise trip to nearby islands for snorkelling, diving, or just to explore!

The Room

I stayed in a superior room with a king sized bed. It was on the ground floor and had doors that opened right onto the beach with my own little patio area. When I arrived there were mini-desserts awaiting me with a welcome note from the manager (apparently something they do for special guests #vip).  There was also a fruit bowl on the coffee table and complimentary bottles of Hulhule Island Hotel water.

The tech in the room was one of the things that most impressed me. On the wall outside the room door there was a small display screen. Inside the room you can set that screen to display “Do Not Disturb” and “Service Please”, among other things. There was also an IPod dock/charger in the room. The TV had plenty of channels in all languages and the wifi was great.

Comfort is always the most important thing though, and this hotel definitely knows how to make you comfortable! There’s even a pillow menu, printed on a small pillow, so that you can choose your ideal pillow to rest your head on for the night.

Oh and HOW could I forget the Hulhule Island Hotel rubber ducky that I found in the bath? Very nice touch. I’m also happy to report that despite my worries, the noise of planes taking off close-by did not keep me awake.

The Food

Lord, my compliments to the chef because the food in Hulhule Island Hotel is incredible. The breakfast buffet on the 4th floor is nothing less than you would expect from a 5* hotel. Foods from all continents, in all shapes and sizes. One morning, from my breakfast table on the 4th floor, I even saw dolphins jumping out of the ocean and doing flips.

Also on the 4th floor is the sunset deck, perfect for cocktails and watching the sunset. My favourite place for lunch or a snack was Faru Coffee House. It’s open 24 hours and serves amazing burgers (and more). There’s also plenty of other places to eat such as Champ’s Bar and pool-side of course!

The Spa

I was treated to a full body massage at the hotel spa and it was wonderful. Now, I’m not TOO used to massages, I’d say I’ve had about 6 professional ones in my life time. But thanks to my previous experiences I am a firm believer that everyone needs/deserves a full body massage while travelling. I had a full body Balinese massage.

The one thing I will warn you about is that you have to get completely naked and wear only disposable underwear (basically paper pants). But maybe that’s what usually happens? As I said, I’m not a massage expert. After my massage I had a shower in a beautiful waterfall shower and was given some ginger tea. Then I floated out of the spa and back to my wonderfully air-conditioned room.

The spa offers a whole bunch of treatments. Way too many for me to list!

Overall

Overall, this hotel was wonderful. It exceeded my expectations in nearly every way. The only SLIGHT downside is that you can, of course, hear the planes take off nearby. However, as I mentioned before, once inside your room it’s not a problem and everything else more than makes up for it. I would definitely recommend staying here, if your budget allows. Rooms start at just under $400 a night, so it’s not for everyone. But for those of you that can afford it, or want to splash out a bit, you won’t regret it. And hey, it’s nice to have a bit of luxury every once in a while.

For more details about the Hulhule Island Hotel, check out their website here, or to book with them, click here.