Fushifaru, Maldives

Fushifaru opened its doors in November. We visited the island in early December and feel it shows great promise. Owned by local Maldivians the island is small to mid sized with 49 villas only 5 of which are overwater. It has a traditional feel with a contemporary twist and is looking to offer a more boutique style holiday, that kind of no news, no shoes vibe.

Surrounded by a decent beach with lovely soft sand in most areas - mainly profiting from the necessary groynes which protect the island from the powerful currents of the channel each side. The stunning turquoise lagoon invites you to wade in for a swim with a chance of seeing Dolphins and Rays dipping in and out of the channels.

Accommodation is either Sunset or Sunrise and offers Beach villas with or without pools, plus a few water villas which are spacious and light with steps directly into the beautiful lagoon.

The main restaurant, again a classic style with a mix of sand and tile floors, overlooks the lagoon and will be a full buffet setup. As always during soft openings there is a limited choice but even during our short stay as the new Executive Chef arrived the standard went up a notch or two.......again very promising and we plan to return in 2018 to test the water.

The new Grill restaurant is just opening with feet in the sand dining under the stars headed by a Malaysian Chef. Asian influences with local fish await plus a decent choice of New World and Organic wines. The staff throughout the island are warm and friendly and our first impressions leave us wanting to return.

In our opinion this little island will fall into the 4 star plus/boutique range and we can't wait to revisit.

Fushifaru is located on the eastern fringe of the Lhaviyani Atoll, just a 35 minute Seaplane ride away from Malé. Fushifaru Thila, a protected marine reef and a renowned dive spot lies on one side of the island (both a boat ride away) and a sand bank on the other.

Please note that the island is currently in soft opening period which will mean that there can be some facilities not open or fully operational.