Jimmy Im / Business Insider
The heart of Kudadoo, "The Retreat," was steps from my residence. It has a bi-level spa, over-water infinity pool, restaurant, bar, gym, recreation area, and both a wine and cheese cellar.
- In January, Kudadoo Maldives Private Island by Hurawalhi was voted 2019's best new luxury hotel by the team at Luxury Travel Intelligence.
- I recently spent four days and three nights at Kudadoo, and it didn't take long to see how it got that title.
- All 15 villa residences at Kudadoo are overwater, and, as I quickly found out, they're also huge.
- The resort is adults-only: It only welcomes guests over the age of 15.
- With a 24-hour butler, breathtaking views, complete privacy and the luxury of "all-inclusive" room service (what Kudadoo calls "in-residence dining"), I rarely left my villa.
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- Editor's note: The writer paid a discounted media rate for his stay at the resort.
Since I began travel writing 15 years ago, I've stayed in hundreds of luxury hotels, so it takes a lot to impress me.
I've also stayed at 10 ultra-luxe properties in the Maldives. Even so, Kudadoo, a private island resort that opened December 2018, managed to exceed my expectations. Quite frankly, it blew me away.
And I'm not the only one who's been thoroughly impressed by the resort. Supermodel Naomi Campbell checked into Kudadoo in April.
"Sheer bliss. Thank you @kudadoomaldives. Wearing my Elizabeth Taylor Kaftan," she wrote on Instagram.
It is also, according to its website, the only fully solar-powered private island in the Maldives.
Here's what it's like to stay at Kudadoo.