Huvafen Fushi Review: A Small, Stylish Island 30 Minutes From Malé, With a Spa Under the Sea

Visited by 360 Degree World in May 2017 · Updated October 2026

Huvafen Fushi is a small island in North Malé Atoll, about 30 minutes from the airport by the resort's own speedboat, with 46 villas that each have a private pool, a house reef you can swim to from the beach and a spa with a treatment room below the waterline. The boat runs at any hour, so a late flight does not cost a night in Malé. The compromise is the bill: extras add up quickly here.

What stood out on the visit

The 360 Degree World team visited Huvafen Fushi in May 2017. The island felt wonderfully understated. The team would happily spend a morning with coffee by the lagoon, then slip into the water and snorkel the house reef without needing a boat trip. The underwater spa was another lovely touch.

The speedboat transfer could feel a little long after a flight. The team came away seeing Huvafen Fushi as best for couples who appreciate privacy, excellent food, design and a more intimate island, and as the island to choose when the experience matters more than getting the biggest villa for the money.

What the island is like

An atoll is a ring of coral reef with islands scattered around it. North Malé Atoll is the one the capital sits in, which is why the journey is short.

Huvafen Fushi opened in 2004 and is small, about 350 metres by 150 metres, so it takes ten to fifteen minutes to walk round. Since that visit, the resort closed in 2023 for a full refurbishment, which refreshed every villa and added new two-bedroom villas over the water; the finished work was announced in mid-2024.

It is managed by VERSA Hospitality, the hotel arm of the Maldivian Universal group, whose VERSA Collection also includes Baros and Milaidhoo, and is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

Arriving

The transfer is a speedboat from Velana International Airport in Malé, about 30 minutes across the atoll. The resort's team meets guests at arrivals and takes them to a private lounge before the boat. Standard transfers are shared with other Huvafen Fushi guests landing at a similar time, and a private boat can be booked instead.

Speedboats are not bound by the seaplane daylight rule, which leaves late-afternoon arrivals at seaplane resorts waiting overnight in Malé. A guest landing at Velana late in the evening can still sleep on the island the same night, and the return works just as easily for an early departure.

The villas

All 46 villas have a private pool. Over the water, the Lagoon Bungalow with Pool is the starting point at 130 square metres, with steps straight into the lagoon, the shallow water inside the reef. The Ocean Bungalow with Pool is larger, 160 square metres, with a three-level deck and a freshwater infinity pool.

On the beach, the Deluxe Beach Bungalow with Pool is 196 square metres and has two pools, one in a private courtyard and one facing the sea.

The Two-Bedroom Ocean Pavilions stand further out beyond the other water villas, 330 square metres each, facing either sunrise or sunset. For groups there is a Two-Bedroom Beach House and a Three-Bedroom Beach Pavilion, each 800 square metres with an infinity pool.

For most couples the choice is between the water and the beach: the Lagoon Bungalow for the simplest step into the lagoon, the Ocean Bungalow for more deck and a bigger pool, and the Deluxe Beach Bungalow for the most room, two pools and the beach on the doorstep.

Eating and drinking

For a small island there is real range. Celsius is the main restaurant, over the water, for breakfast and dinner with a broad international menu. Salt, also over the water, serves Japanese food with Latin influences in an izakaya-style setting and opens for dinner, best timed for sunset.

Fogliani's sits on the beach under the palms with wood-fired pizza and handmade pasta. RAW is an organic, plant-focused bistro over the lagoon for lighter lunches, with the RAW Sunset Deck for evening drinks. Vinum is an underground wine cellar used for tastings and long degustation dinners, and UMBar is the beach and pool bar, with cocktails and jazz in the background.

Cardamom is a private dinner rather than a restaurant: a chef, an outdoor tandoor oven and a shared feast. Dinners can also be set up on a sandbank, a small bare island of sand in the lagoon, at a table dug into the beach, or below the surface in the underwater spa itself.

The spa, the children and the island's pace

Huvafen Spa's underwater treatment room sits below the surface, reached down a flight of stairs, with windows onto the reef so fish swim past during a massage. The spa also has overwater treatment rooms, separate steam rooms and saunas for women and men, and an outdoor saltwater flotation pool.

There is an overwater gym and a yoga pavilion.

Children of any age are welcome, but there is no dedicated kids' club, and the island is built around couples. Families with young children will find more to do elsewhere.

The water

A house reef is the coral reef you can swim to from the resort itself. At Huvafen Fushi it is close in, and guests can reach it straight from the beach and from the overwater bungalows. Expect colourful fish in volume, rays and blacktip reef sharks, and guided night snorkelling is one of the island's signature experiences. On some days when the current is running, the resort has closed reef access, and it is a good reef rather than an exceptional one.

The PADI dive centre runs boat dives to the reefs and channels of North Malé Atoll. Boat trips cover sunset fishing, dolphin cruises and excursions to look for manta rays and whale sharks, and the water sports team runs jet skis, windsurfing, paddleboards, kayaks and Seabobs.

Where the compromises are

The cost of extras is the first. Drinks, excursions and the speciality dinners are all charged on top, and this is a recurring theme in recent reviews.

The second is size. The island is genuinely small, so there is little to explore on foot.

The third is children. With no dedicated kids' club and a couples' atmosphere, families with young children will usually be happier elsewhere.

Who will love it, and who won't

Huvafen Fushi suits couples on a honeymoon or anniversary who want privacy, design and good food, and a 30-minute speedboat transfer that runs at any hour. It is a strong choice for a shorter Maldives trip, since no time is lost to a seaplane or a domestic flight. It suits families, and anyone watching every line of the bill, considerably less well.

Common questions

How do you get to Huvafen Fushi?

By speedboat from Velana International Airport, about 30 minutes, after a wait in the resort's private lounge. Standard transfers are shared with other Huvafen Fushi guests, and private boats can be booked. The resort's speedboats run at any hour, so even a late evening landing reaches the island the same night.

Does Huvafen Fushi still have an underwater spa?

Yes. Huvafen Fushi has had an underwater spa since it opened in 2004, and today Huvafen Spa has an underwater couple's treatment room, reached down a flight of stairs, with windows onto the reef. The spa also has overwater treatment rooms, a saltwater flotation pool, and steam rooms and saunas.

Is Huvafen Fushi good for snorkelling?

Yes, for an island this close to Malé. The house reef is close in, reachable from the beach and from the overwater bungalows, with colourful fish, rays and blacktip reef sharks. Guided night snorkelling is a highlight. On some days when the current is running, the resort has closed reef access.

Is Huvafen Fushi adults only?

No. Children of any age are welcome, but there is no dedicated kids' club, and the island is designed around couples. Families with young children usually find more to do on a larger island with a dedicated children's programme.

Is Huvafen Fushi good for a short trip?

Yes. The 30-minute speedboat runs at any hour, so no night is lost in Malé and no time goes on a seaplane or a domestic flight. That makes it one of the more practical luxury islands for a three or four night stay.