By Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa has been honoured with the prestigious Forbes Travel Guide’s Five Star Award for the fourth consecutive year. The Five Star Award represents properties which deliver an outstanding experience and consistently offer a highly customized level of service.
Following the pandemic, travelers flocked to big, iconic destinations, like Paris, Rome and the Maldives. While those destinations will always have their allure, vacationers are now seeking out more meaningful trips where they can embark on once-in-a-lifetime experiences, like a safari. They also are booking trips to smaller metropolitan areas, cities rich with culture, gastronomy and activities but without the crowds.
Forbes Travel Guide’s 2024 Star Awards reflect these trending tastes among travelers. For the 66th annual list of the best hotels, restaurants, spas and ocean cruises, FTG explored destinations offering meaningful experiences as well as smaller U.S. cities that are often overlooked. The awards also expanded to new destinations, including Azerbaijan, Curacao, Iceland, Kenya, Sardinia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
FTG compiles its ratings using an objective, independent and data-driven process. Incognito inspectors pose as everyday guests and stay at hotels, board cruises, receive spa services and dine at fine restaurants around the world. They test some 900 exacting standards—such as whether a room is designed to promote sleep quality or whether the food-and-beverage choices support a guest’s well-being—emphasizing exceptional service, which accounts for 70 percent of a property’s rating.
Newer standards focus on the guest experience, such as ensuring “cocktails are dynamically interesting and photogenic” and even asking if the inspector would “readily recommend this property to others.” The remaining 30 percent comes from the quality and condition of the facilities. Finally, inspectors are now required to reflect on whether there was great value in the experience.
Fringed with coral reefs, traditional thatched-roof bungalows and local craftsmanship, Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa combines Maldivian heritage with tropical luxury. The smaller of the country’s two Four Seasons properties, the 96-room resort is a family-friendly paradise with plenty for couples to love, too.
Extending across three majestic islands, this opulent resort is home to the Maldives’ first private spa island, a world-class surfing tournament and an impressive sea turtle conservation sanctuary.
The first of its kind in the Maldives, The Island Spa at Kuda Huraa is a romantic retreat tucked away on its own islet. For the ultimate in relaxation, opt for the after-hours Secrets of the Sea ritual performed at night on the beach beneath a canopy of stars.
Guests can also get up close and personal with the cutest residents of Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa: the two species of sea turtles (hawksbill and green) found at the Marine Discovery Centre sanctuary. Feed the adorable reptiles and learn about the rehabilitation program that is educating island communities across the Maldives.