You could stay at Anantara Kihavah for months and never tire of the facilities and experiences on property. In fact, you can return every year for your whole life and still be surprised and delighted by their offerings. I’m not making that up, there are numerous families that return year after year because the hotel offers so many incredible experiences and keeps coming up with new ways to compete against the other hotels in the area.
The Spa at Anantara offers 6 overwater treatment rooms with beautiful views and a tranquil environment. The relaxation area includes a cold plunge, steam, sauna and relaxation areas for men and women. There is also a medi spa and a room dedicated to nail care. The spa environment is so relaxing and the treatments are divine. I had the chance to try the Anantara Signature Massage and it was absolutely 5 stars.
Anantara Kihavah also has the only overwater observatory in the Maldives. Thanks to the lack of light pollution, the stargazing is fabulous. The hotel offers a stargazing experience for guests that includes a history of our galaxies, canapes and champagne as well as a look into our galaxy and beyond through the massive telescope. It’s a really unique experience that we can highly recommend doing. Our guides were so passionate about stars and spent a long time with us showing us every star and planet they could find.
Excursions at Anantara Kihavah can be managed by your butler. We had the chance to try both the Manta Ray snorkeling as well as a scuba dive and both were excellent experiences. Hanifaru Bay is home to the largest Manta Ray feeding station in the world and it’s located only about 35-40 minutes from the property. This unparalleled access to some of the best sea life in the world is something to consider for your vacation. We were extremely lucky the day we went on the Manta excursion, as we saw about 100 mantas and a whale shark.
Yoga and wellness activities are a huge part of the Anantara experience. The hotel offers a number of activities throughout the week, as well as private lessons with the gurus. We partook in a private aerial yoga class at sunrise and it was a blast. They say vacation is the time to try new things, right? Anantara has so many unique activities, it’s worth trying some of the unusual ones.
While we were there, Arun, the wine guru, was finishing up the plans for a sommelier certification that guests can take part in if they stay for more than 4 nights. This unique experience includes a number of tastings around the property: over water, in water, on sand bars and more. Continuing to innovate and provide experiences that are unique like this is what differentiates Anantara Kihavah from a lot of other high end hotels in the area.