Kuramathi in the Maldives unveils new villas

Last month I joined Universal Resorts, Maldives to celebrate the relaunch of its Kuramathi Island Resort at One Horse Guards Avenue in London. Also present were staff from UK exclusive partner Kuoni, its top travel agents, and a celebrity seal of approval came from Denise Van Outen, a regular visitor to the Maldives.

At the more affordable end of the scale, Kuramathi is a popular choice in the Maldives. It’s well suited for those who fear claustrophobia on a tiny island as its long, thin island stretches more than a mile, so plenty of room to stretch the legs. It tapers into an endless sandbank – the sort of place that sunset dreams are built on.

In the past year, Kuramathi has added a range of new villa product, including two-bedroom beach houses; deluxe water villas; water villas with pool; sunset pool villas; and sunset water villas with pool.

Asma Rasheed, director of business development, Kuramathi Island Resort, explained the rationale behind the new product: “Families are a significant part of our business but we lacked two-bedroom units to accommodate them. We are all about giving our guests more choice – we already do that with our Select All-Inclusive Package, providing flexible dining, and now this gives them even more flexibility when they choose their accommodation.”

She hoped the new villas would inspire the wow factor, but stressed the resort was committed to keeping prices affordable: “Our new pricing is not far off from our existing pricing. We want our past guests to come back and enjoy the new product.”

Room service will be offered in select villas – the island has never offered it before but Rasheed said the new rooms were at a level where guests would expect it.

And there are a couple of new restaurants, with Kobe offering Teppanyaki cuisine over the water and Inguru serving Asian fusion cuisine. Existing venues have been upgraded – The Reef is now over water, Laguna Bar has had a facelift and there’s a new Champagne Loft with sunsets in mind.

Despite unrest on travel forums about the impact of the building works, Rasheed said disruption had been minimal and guest feedback had been “99% positive” about the redevelopment. “We’ve always said the island offers something for everyone and this is just an extension of that. Now we have the range so that, dependent on budget, guests can pick and choose what suits them. They could start their holiday in a garden villa and upgrade [to the new higher categories] to complete their holiday in a really special way.”