Page 32 - Off The Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 2 of 2)

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BEACHES BEACHES

Ihuru

ABOVE Vacationers flock into the azure waters of Maya Bay
vs Ko Phi Phi FORGET KO PHI PHI?
on Ko Phi Phi, while tour boats buzz back and forth

THE BUILD-UP When travelers first started
They may have filmed The Beach on Ko Phi Phi, but it can’t be a fantasy island combing the Thai islands for the perfect beach,
Ko Phi Phi ticked all the right boxes. Hidden
getaway if you have to share it with a crowd – Ihuru is the real desert-island deal by a curtain of cliffs, Maya Bay was the perfect
place to escape from prying eyes and indulge in
some island escapism.
you can get. Basking beneath the palm trees, the
NEED TO KNOW
swish villas of the Angsana Maldives Ihuru Resort & THE LETDOWN The Beach was the fantasy –
*IBWBOEJQQPMIV
LOCATION Ihuru lies in the "UPMM Spa are a favorite of the fashion set, who come here Maya Bay is the reality. These days, its enclosed
Kaafu Atoll, in the northern lagoon is a magnet for sea-borne litter and tour
Maldives, 8 miles (13 km) )PSTCVSHI 'BBEIJQQPMIV to be pampered by expert practitioners in the spa,
"UPMM "UPMM boats whizz across the short stretch of water
from the capital, Malé
*OEJBO or left alone to rock gently on a Maldivian swing in
0DFBO *)636 between Ko Phi Phi and Phi Phi Leh
SIZE Ihuru is only 490 ft "SJ "UPMM .BMÏ front of an empty stretch of sand.
(150 m) in diameter all day, undermining the castaway vibe.
."-%*7&4 There is an interesting parallel between the
DAYTIME ,PMIVNBEVMV
TEMPERATURES "UPMM )BEIEIVONBUIJ two islands. Both saw visitor numbers dive after
"UPMM GOING ANYWAY? Ko Phi Phi has bounced
Jan: 86°F (30°C); Apr: 88°F
4PVUI )VWBEIV *OEJBO the 2004 tsunami but, while Ko Phi Phi responded back impressively from the Christmas 2004
(31°C); Jul: 88°F (31°C); "UPMM 0DFBO
Oct: 86°F (30°C) to the disaster with yet more resort developments, tsunami. Reconstruction and new building has
Ihuru stayed true to its desert island roots. It is focused on smaller, more intimate bays, rather
luxurious, certainly, but the resort buildings and than the heavily-developed beaches along the
When you close your eyes and picture the perfect villas are scattered like fallen coconuts between the sandy central isthmus of the island. Among the
island paradise, do you imagine an ocean of beach palms, and the first footprints on the beach every best of the new developments are secluded
towels and the thumpety-thump of outboard morning will probably be your own. The whole resorts on Hat Laem Thong and Ao Lo Bakao.
motors? Almost certainly not. There are four purpose of an island getaway is being able to get
essential ingredients for an island retreat – sand, away from it all – who wants to get away from it all
sea, peace, and seclusion – and Ihuru has them all. with everybody else?
This is a proper desert island: the only noise comes
from surf breaking over the distant reefs and the
rustle of palm fronds, and the only reason to stir is PRACTICAL INFORMATION
the incoming tide. Thailand’s Ko Phi Phi has the
Getting There and Around When to Go
surf and the palm fronds, of course, but
Fly to Malé International Airport The seasons in the Maldives
the constant flow of tour boats is the nautical on Hulhule Island. From here are dictated by the southwest
equivalent of rush hour in downtown Bangkok. it’s a 20-minute speedboat ride monsoon, which soaks the
Formed from the tip of a submerged volcano, to the island. islands with rain from May
Ihuru is not so much an island as a beach with shade. Where to Eat to October. December to March
is the most popular time to
Set in its own mini-atoll, the island is a single copse The chefs here prepare delicious
dishes using local fish and visit, but those in the know
of palm trees, ringed by icing-sugar sand. Ihuru does choose the “shoulder” season
seafood combined with sauces
not have beaches (plural) – the whole island is a from the Maldives, Asia, and (Apr and Nov) when the weather
beach, fringed by a turquoise lagoon of warm water the Mediterranean. The Riveli is balmy and the water as clear
and encircled by a sheltering curtain wall of reefs. You restaurant is spread out under as Evian.
may well want to explore its breathtaking undersea the stars, but you can go one Budget per Day for Two
step further with your own Assume on paying around
world, or you might just prefer to doze beneath a
private table beside the surf. US$550, including
palm tree or stroll along the sand. There’s no pressure accommodations and three
Where to Stay
– which is rather the point of coming here. gourmet meals. Alcoholic drinks,
Guests at the Angsana Maldives
Under the Maldives’ unique model for tourism, Ihuru Resort & Spa stay in pampering in the spa, and dive
every developed island is home to a single, self- elegant but understated thatched trips around the atolls are extra.
contained resort. Compare that to Ko Phi Phi, villas that spill out onto the For example, a 2-hour
beach beneath a canopy of palm aromatherapy massage is US$85.
where poorly-planned resorts are springing up
trees. Of the 45 villas, 20 have Websites
like mushrooms after April showers. On Ihuru, the
open-air jet pools. www.angsana.com/ihuru/index.
accommodations are as private and secluded as

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