Cheetah_SA

I am happy to say that I have stayed at Angsana Ihuru. Their reef is a phenomenal. It has everything you could want from a close-by encircling reef - even a wreck! We were also able to kayak to Banyan Tree (which is related in some way) to visit the marine conservation centre and snorkel there. I found the ability to do that quite a thrill. I cherish, among others, my pictures of schools of large, motionless batfishes. (So much easier to photograph than the more hyperactive species.)

But you are right to worry about the rooms. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with them but they are not spacious by any standards and do not exude any sense of grandeur or indulgent luxury. That said they are very comfortable and the friendliness of the staff, the relaxed ambience and the exquisite reef seemed like luxury, albeit of a different sort. As a snorkelling enthusiast you will know that most of the Indian Ocean is still recovering from the coral bleaching event caused by El Nino and the warming of the ocean. Some reefs were turned into lifeless debris. But Angsana and Banyan Tree are extremely vigilant about the health of their reefs and were among the first to pro-actively attempt to regenerate the corals. I would stay in a primitive grass hut just to have those healthy corals as my playground.

I know that once one has experienced certain levels of luxury you get spoiled for anything less, so I am reticent to say that Ihuru is up to your standards. But in my view the rooms at Angsana will not blight your enjoyment of the island if you get a big kick out of wonderful reefs. And of course anywhere you go in the Maldives they will make a huge, and totally genuine, fuss about your young child.

Just curious, though: why don't you want to go back to Huvafen Fushi? It sounds like it ticked all your boxes so why take a chance on somewhere else?