For just about everyone, waking up to gentle lapping of the ocean against sun-drenched beaches of the Maldives is a dream come true. The country’s vivid marine life and plentiful relaxation and romantic occasions lure travellers hungry for outstanding experiences to determine for themselves that all those ‘picture perfect’ and ‘paradise on earth’ reviews do hold water.

To ensure, however, that care for the natural environment doesn’t take a back seat when offering luxury services, Hurawalhi is proud of its comprehensive and ever-expanding efforts to reduce the environmental footprint, and its awareness raising campaigns among guests and local communities.

Hurawalhi’s main sustainability endeavours include:

Building material: Extensive use of natural materials and smart architecture and design that allows for optimal use of natural conditions.

Solar panels: For eleven hours a day, 2,735 panels help power the resort. The sun takes care of 30% of the resort’s total consumption.

LED lights are used at the entire resort.

Line drying: We’re greening the spin cycle by line drying about 4,000 items a month.

Heat recovery system: Waste produced by generators is converted into electrical energy used for guests’ hot showers.

Glass water bottles: A vast majority of drinking water is obtained from the desalination plant at the nearby sister resort Kuredu. This water, which comes is reusable glass bottles, is complimentary for guests and constitutes an important reduction of plastic waste.

Paper straws: Single-use plastic straws have in large part been replaced with paper straws.

Rainwater is used for irrigation.

Greenhouse and herb garden: our gardeners grow lemongrass, snake gourd, mint, sage, ginger, chilli, curry leaves, onions, spinach, basil and rosemary, among others. Island-grown coconut is used for dishes as well as in the Maldivian Island Paradise spa treatment.

Local fish is caught using sustainable fishing methods.

Regular island and beach clean ups.

Smart systems in villas: air-conditioners use inverter technology that continuously regulates the temperature; combined with sensors in doors that switch the unit on/off, guests get to enjoy comfort while practicing good energy conservation behaviour. An energy efficient lighting system is in place.

Hurawalhi is a car-free resort. Electrical buggies and bicycles are in use.

Marine Biology Center: a Manta Trust research facility with a resident marine biologist who educates guests and local communities on the importance of manta rays and care for the fragile environment in general.

Prodivers Maldives: the ‘Maldives’ Best Dive Center’ (2018 Tauchen Awards) has ocean conservation at its heart and adheres to all PADI and Project Aware guidelines on the protection of the environment.

The Olive Ridley Project: Hurawalhi reports sightings of sea turtles for the purpose of identifaction and research purposes, and supports the foundation’s ghost net removal efforts.

Hurawalhi encourages the use of bio-degradeable sun block. It is available for purchase in the Prodivers shop.

Healing Earth bathroom amenities – the Healing Ocean product range is an exclusive bespoke collection of eco-friendly products with carefully selected targeted formulas of natural spa-quality active ingredients.

Events to join many international environmental campaigns, such as Earth Hour, Earth Day, Oceans Day, Wildlife Day.

Hurawalhi is proud of having received the Travelife Gold Certification already in its second year of operation.