Per my post “Should I Keep Maldives Complete Going”, I have pondered in recent months whether Maldives Complete is still worth the big investment of time and money. But then I have visit like this year where I am so warmly welcomed and supported and find so many great things to write about that my sprit and perseverance is lifted. So, I have lots of material and motivation on the heels of this trip to keep me going for some time now.

A few overall reflections of the destination itself in the aftermath of this year’s Tour:

• NEW AIRPORT – After seeing the construction over the past few years, the new airport actually “opened” (well, the opening ceremony but only limited flights operating out of it to beign wth) during our stay which is a major milestone in destination maturity. It looks quite impressive and will provide a modern change from the, albeit charming but nonetheless limiting, premises of the decades-old incumbent designed to serve a few flights a day. Things like gates, expanded retail and dining, increased security and passport capacity to reduce queues will all make the visit experience more comfortable. It does come with some side effects like a 20-minute traffic jam to get from the seaplane terminal to our boat transfer which will take some time to iron out.
• EVOLUTION – Prompted by the massive change of arrival venue next door while still arriving at the same arrival hall that we did in the 90s, we thought about all that had changed in the Maldives as well as those things that remained stubbornly the same. We remembered how we used to be able to sit up on the bow of the small speedboat with the wind in our hair on the way to our island, but now the transfer boats are much bigger and we all have to sit in the back and wear life jackets. Something different – We remember being enchanted by the many tropical fish swimming around the transfer quays, but now there are hardly any. On the more positive side, the staff areas have become much more sophisticated. For example, Siyam World had a massive complex for their staff with some rooms and amenities you might find at some economy resorts. Something the same – resort gift shops with the same tired cheap tat and overpriced boring jewellery.
• SEGMENTATION – I realise that with the growth of the resort types, I really need to consider “Best of the Maldives” commendations by price tier. Reethi Rah, Soneva and Velaa may have everything you can imagine, but few of us can afford to go there to experience it. .
• INFRASTRUCTURE – Also, a lot of “Best Ofs” on the blog are now really “firsts” in the history of Maldivian tourism, but now many are commonplace. Luxury décor and feels easier than ever with the new generation of materials like engineered stone and vinyl flooring which provides the elegance of natural aesthetic that is cheaper to buy and much harder wearing. We are currently in the middle of a major house renovation nd are opting for these ourselves because they make so much sense, provide so much selection and look so great. Luxury is commoditizing.
•  JULY WEATHER – Don’t like the weather?…wait a minute. Especially, if it is raining. Towards the end of our stay, we had regular showers which meant that several times through the day, the sky darkened, it bucketed down rain for 15 minutes, then stopped and the sun came out. It can affect activities so you do need to book important outdoor activities early in your stay to give you a postponement backup option.
• GUESTS – There seemed to be a surge of Russians. The majority at every resort. Maybe it’s pent up demand (I know Russian market dropped massively with the invasion of Ukraine). But their foreign currency reserves are supposed to be at an all-time low so not sure how people are getting the dollars to take out of the country.

Joy Island is an ice cream sundae of a property – vanilla ice cream topped with some tasty sauce and a few colourful sprinkles. The vanilla ice cream is the basic (quite basic) build, design and décor. If IKEA did resorts, Joy Island would be a showcase – simple, popular styling, cost effective. The chocolate sauce is the quite distinctive buffet. For a value priced property, this buffet was a good as any premium product. It featured a tenderloin beef station and fresh grilled calamari station. And it’s paste station was manned by a Italian chef making proper carbonara (not just serving up some pre-made cream sauce). The sprinkles were a few Best of the Maldives pieces I uncovered including a literal sprinkling with a sand walkway on its water villa jetty. One of my first-world problems in the Maldives is sub-baked jetties burning my tender toes.

Joy Island offers an economical resort options with few frills but without being fresh and current (rather than tired and worn like many cut-rate properties).

Siyam World busts all sorts of myths not just about the Maldives, but even about itself. With all of the eye-catching innovations like its extensive water activity park, it’s Bond-like Seabreacher, and completely unique horseback riding, one might be mistaken (and many are I observe) that Siyam World is just a playground on some island sacrificing iconic the natural charms and allure of the destination.

First the litany of Maldives myths that Siyam World destroys:

• Nothing to do – The classic Maldives misconception which Siyam World completely lays to rest. At Siyam World, there is EVERYTHING to do. Entire focus of the group is Experiences and Siyam World leads the way with its vibrantly active options.
• Nothing new – With so much development and an ever-present arms race to provide distinctive offerings and features to lure guests, the stream of innovations has definitely seemed to slow down in the Maldives over recent years. But I came away from my visit with 23 (!) Best Of the Maldives features of new and creative offerings to feature in future posts.
• “Wow” limited to super-premium properties – I have often said that a super-luxury property HAD to have a “Wow” factor as table stakes (eg. underwater restaurant, observatory, marine centre), but Siyam World makes “Wow” the centrepiece of their proposition at their value-priced 5-star property. In fact, their AI package is named the “Wow All-Inclusive”.
• Big islands weak house reefs – Most of the bigger properties in the Maldives sit atop outer reef plateaus which tend not to have dramatic or accessible reefs. But Siyam World is situated on an inner atoll island with a classic house reef drop-off easily accessible from its arrival and other jetties. We snorkeled it finding it alive with block corals (yellows and burnt oranges which touches of mauve and bright violet).
• Not affordable – Recently, the Maldives dropped in its global ranking as a top destination due to the concern by guests that it was just not affordable. And while many billionaire havens have set up properties here, the destination has dozens of other resorts that are still wallet-friendly, and Siyam is definitely one of those. Siyam has mastered the art of scale economies and passes those economies onto its guests. It is situated in the Noonu Atoll near on of its early properties, Iru Fushi, so it can share logistics and resources across the two operations.

All of these features are offered on an island which still maintains the expansive azure vistas and lush greenery for which the Maldives has rightfully become famous. Lush vegetation pervades the property so you don’t see any villas or buildings on the land as you go around. It feels like you are navigating an extensive tropical jungle. And on the aquatic side, you are situated in the northern atoll of Noonu where the sites are less dived, less crowded (we were the only divers at all our dive sites) and perhaps a bit healthier with cooler water.

All the mystique of the Maldives with none of the myth.