Cinnamon Hakuraa Huraa Maldives — Hotel in Mulaku Atoll

How do you impart such a beautiful, connected, restorative experience to others? I’ll do my best with this heartfelt review. As a solo female traveler to the Maldives for my first-ever voyage to these blue waters, I can completely, wholeheartedly recommend travelling to let yourself be amazed. I booked my trip only 1 week prior to departure so didn’t have months of wondering and planning. I went with muted expectations as I’m NOT a “resort tourist”, and also given that I have food intolerances, really truly feeling and being relaxed on vacation prove to be a real challenge. Not at Cinnamon Hotels Hakuraa Hura!

From my first contact via email to my last moments on the island as I boarded the sea plane, I experienced a beautiful human connection with the friendliest, most accommodating and welcoming hotel crew one could dream to find. Even more, upon arrival, admiring the sea of crystalline shades of blue all around, the very warm personal welcome when descending the sea plane, to personally meeting the Executive Head Chef to help put my concerns at ease that here, at Hakuraa Hura, all of my needs and and preoccupations to find gluten free fare would be no challenge for their team - all of this kickstarted what ultimately was a fabulous holiday. After 1 full week eating 3 meals daily in the main restaurant, I was blown away and dazzled by the vast rich array of island fare, along with Western dishes, fresh salads, fruits, and even GF pancakes or bread upon request.

With the ADORABLE AND CHARMING restaurant staff from the Hostesses, to the Servers, to the various presentation Cooks and Chefs, I always looked forward to these “social” moments of my solo traveler get-away.

You see, the best thing about Hakuraa Hura is that one can decide to be with others in the restaurant, bar, beach or poolside or simply to bask in the gentle waves and sun at your own water bungalow. I simply loved this whole concept!

As for the water villas/bungalows, THIS feature is what sold me on choosing this island, this resort, and ultimately, the Maldives for my winter break “splurge-me” vacation. What a pure delight and remarkable experience getting to hear the waves hitting the lagoon reef, to seeing rays, sharks and fish of any size or color swim by as you bask on your deck above. Then, plop! Jump right into the water yourself and don your snorkeling mask to marvel at the sea life. Attention! Aqua socks recommended!! This was a true marvel and likened to the experience of being on a safari game reserve and admiring the various fauna that would pass by at any given moment.

In addition, the many walkways passing over the water to the main island from the bungalow were also 1. an excellent way to squeeze in extra exercise by walking to meals or activities and gave me the real feeling of not just rolling out of bed, sliding my chair under the dining table, and then moving onto the beach chair or bungalow hammock. You could easily squeeze in movement into your day and from there they just flowed so peacefully going at any pace you liked. 2. Each morning in fact, following breakfast, I looked forward to my morning stroll out along the long pier which was the former sea plane dock and reception. This was a pure delight because just like on safari: you see what you see. I’d spot sting rays, sharks, other types of fish big and small in a panacea of colors all along this walk with the gentle waves and vast expanse of the open panorama before me; simply breathtaking and a true moment to connect with myself in this incredibly beautiful and natural setting. One suggestion I could make to the Resort organizers: that deck off the main restaurant facing the lagoon would be ideal for morning yoga/stretching sessions to start the day with the gentle waves and views.

As for the lagoon, what a marvel and feast for the eyes with its serene calm as you admire it from your dining table!! THIS place forces you to (re)connect to yourself amidst its natural setting. “Farniente” never felt so good! Thank you so very much for this beautiful...

My wife and I have just returned from an 11 night stay at the island staying in a sunrise over water bungalow 347. From arriving at the hotel via seaplane mid morning the staff couldn't do enough for us and we couldn't find fault at all. Our room was ready from the moment we stepped foot on the island and within 30 mins we were unpacking and exploring the resort. The room was fantastic and I would say better than expected after reading some negative reviews in the past. Very large space with big comfortable bed, glass section of floor to look into the ocean below with all amenities required including safe, Bluetooth Bose speaker, fridge, TV, iron & ironing board and plenty of storage for all of the clothes we brought but never wore (as per usual). Washroom is very large with separate toilet and walk in shower equipped with double basins. The only downside i would say is that not everything is included in the mini bar fridge so be mindful that they will come at a cost upon checking out (miniature spirits & crisps) and as you'll soon realise, nothing extra comes cheap in the Maldives. We found the best thing about the room was the balcony overlooking the sea with your own loungers, sofa and steps down into the ocean and this is where we spent a lot of our time. The ocean is always fairly shallow and good for snorkelling right out to a few hundred metres until you see the reef in the distance. Plenty of fish to see including reef sharks and ray (a couple of bread rolls from breakfast usually attract more). This side of the over water bungalows has the sun in the morning and it was fairly hot from 7am onwards but cooled in the shade of the afternoon. The 8sland isn't very big as are none in the Maldives and can be navigated in and around 15mins, although we did get lost a few times whilst we found our bearings whilst walking through the palm trees and footpaths to the restaurant etc. The beach is a little sharp with coral in most places but sandy in others with plenty of sunbeds available in front of the pool/bar area which we never used as couldn't see much point in having the bungalow to lay on the beach. I would still recommend sea shoes as I had an unfortunate encounter with a Stonefish in Mauritius a coupke of years ago in a sandy area and its an experience i wouldn't want to repeat. The pool isn't very big but was never crowded whilst we were there. The buffet restaurant was good and I liked the idea of a table being allocated to you with your room number for the whole stay meaning you knew exactly where you were sitting each visit (I also suspect it's then easier to charge any extras to your room). Room people arriving weren't happy with the location of their table and were promptly relocated without any fuss. The food was great and we couldn't fault it one bit and we ate here 3 times a day although compared to other resorts the meal time windows were fairly short which didn't bother us but maybe would others. Some foods did repeat themselves but there also seemed to be something different each day. The bar on the main island is very good, not massive but plenty of space and seating for the amount of guests when we we there. All of the bar staff were fantastic and there was usually plenty of them. No waiter service though funnily enough. I would have expected this here but again I wasn't fussed as I'd rather get up and get my own. Plenty of choice of drinks but be mindful of the two separate menus on the bar for the 2 types of all inclusive as again, anything from the premium will be charged to your room. Spirits such as Smirnoff and Absolut vodka were included in the basic package so don't just ask for vodka and coke or you'll get the cheap local brew. They weren't shy with the measures as one poor guy found out one night when it looked like he'd not long since arrived and had too much in the sun then proceeded to drop his shorts and urinate at the bar 🤣🤣. His wife wasn't best pleased and he was escorted back to his room by some other guests....every time we saw him after that night he was...

Wow I don't even know where to begin. Cinnamon Hakuraa Huraa made our honeymoon the most incredible and unforgettable experience. I would recommend them to EVERYONE! From the moment we landed in Male we were taken care of. The lady at the airport hotel desk took our bags and led us to the seaplane deak and got us all taken care of. From there we waited in a comfortable lounge until our plane was ready. When we landed at the resort they had drummers, a welcome sign, little necklaces/leis, and fresh watermelon juice waiting for us. All of this just for us! They greeted us by name and gave us a tour of the resort as they brought our bags to our room! There were cute little decorations/sayings written out on our bed with leaves and flowers. It was the most incredible welcome after the long travel it took to get there. The lady at the front desk (I wish I remembered her name) was so kind and periodically checked in on us throughout our trip, always referring to us by our names which made us feel so special and at home! The food and drinks were incredible and Salman was the greatest, most attentive server! He was our friend by the time we left and we still keep in touch with him! Ravindu and Eranga were the best bartenders, we would tell them to surprise us and they would make some incredible colorful cocktails. They always remembered my mango allergy and made sure they kept me safe! They were always so willing to help and never let our drinks go empty without offering another. The spa ladies were so amazing, kind, and respectful. The massages were incredible, my husband thought he hated massages until he came here. We ended up getting a massage every other day, because they were so incredible. The resort is stunning, lush green jungle, white sand, turquoise water. What more could you ask for! They provide free snorkeling gear which is amazing. There is so much to see right outside your room. They also provide free snorkeling boat trips twice a day to incredible snorkeling spots. We saw every fish there is to see, including a lion fish, sharks, turtles, sting rays, and eagle rays! Giulia was the dive instructor and she was phenomenal. She took us on a practice dive and our first open water dive, I could not have done it without her. She was kind, patient, and fun. She would hold my hand underwater when I got nervous and would help walk me through all the steps to make sure I was comfortable. We still keep in touch with her as well, she is amazing. On our dive with Giulia we saw a lobster, octopus, eel, sharks, and LOTs of fish. We had fun on the sunset fishing tour, I got to eat the fish I caught the following night at dinner. It tasted amazing and was such a fun experience. The resort had great events throughout the week, from live music, cocktail parties, movie night on the beach, balinese dancing performances, and more. They also did daily deals and packages at the spa that were impossible to turn down. Our room and the rest of the resort was always spotless. Unlike other resorts we have been to, we never once felt uncomfortable or like we were being scammed. We were treated like kings and queens! Once it came time to leave they made the Covid testing process so easy, they came to us pool side and it only took a few minutes, then are results were sent to us digitally and printed for us when we checked out, they coordinated our seaplane home and made sure we were all taken care of. They even sent us off with a big sign and all the employees waving goodbye, we felt like family. We had a long layover at the airport waiting for our flight since the seaplane can only fly during daylight hours. We thought we would just have to sit and wait but they gave us many options to pass the time, from going to the airport lounge to getting a Male city tour. We felt like we were always being taken care of. We had the most phenomenal honeymoon thanks to Cinnamon Hakuraa Huraa and all their incredible employees. They have set the bar so high for all of our future travels! Thank you Cinnamon...