Resort Segmentation

Maldives resort segmentation table

This recent tour made me realise that I really need to consider “Best of the Maldives” posts by price tier. Reethi Rah, Soneva and Velaa may have everything you can imagine, but few of us have the wallets to go there. Now that the sector as tripled in size since Maldives Complete started, you can find just about anything, certainly in the super premium properties. But it remains distinctive when a more modest tiers property offers such a unique or striking feature.

This musing also got me thinking about the core segments that the Maldives resorts have coalesced into. Actually, they are pretty conventional quartiles that you find in many markets (as illustrated in the chart below which compares them to other products):

These price bands play an important role in user reviews like Trip Advisor. Such star-ratings are not based on objective box-ticking criteria like hospitality association ratings (which has a long check-list of requirements for each grading class). Instead, these ratings really reflect performance against expectations. As a result, you can get a budget burger joint getting 5-star ratings because it is the best $3 burger that you have ever had. Conversely, a white-linen, silver setting gourmet establishment can get a 1-star rating if the meat is overcooked and service a bit slow during your $100 meal.

The key to exceeding expectations is (a) tick all of the boxes for your class (the cake), and (b) add a few special bits above the class (treats) that are valued and memorable. For example, Siyam World sits squarely in the Business Class segment, and yet still snared the crown as one of the Top 10 Hotels in the World in Tripadvisor’s 2025 Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Awards 2025. It sits in the comfortable “business class” of Maldives resorts, but adds enough luxury touches to feel distinctive in that class.

Best of the Maldives: Silent Beach – Joy Island

Joy Island - silent beach

Many guests come to the Maldives for its isolated tranquility from the noisy hustle-bustle of their daily life. A number of resorts either limit themselves to adult guests or offer adult-only areas in an effort to further preserve the quietude from the disturbance by over-ebullient youngsters. Joy Island has gone a step further in providing a silent beach where all noise is prohibited. Much like the popular “quiet cars” on British Rail. In a world of blaring mobile devices and tourists getting louder with ever pina colada they consume, the beach is a treasured sanctuary for the quintessential quiet which drew them to this idyllic paradise in the first place.

Best of the Maldives: Horse Facilities – Siyam World

Siyam - horse fam 3

Romantic pictures of Siyam World’s white horses ambling on the equally brilliant white sands of the resort beaches have filled social media. But equally impressive is the operation behind the scenes that cares for these horses with a service and comfort rivalling the resort guests themselves.

For starters, each of the 11 horses (including 3 ponies) has its own personal caretaker. I toured their farm which included state of the art sables as well as an extensive set of paddocks and exercise areas. Kanbula, who Lori had the pleasure to ride, had a baby herself a few weeks ago who was being trained in one. The horse farm has its own veterinary clinic with its own dedicated veterinarian, Dr. Nora.

The horses are a mix of Arabian and Indian (working horses) bloodlines so they are well suited to heat of the tropics. This breed is used to competing in 20-60km races across the desert. The horses have access to the paddock early in the morning and later in the day when it is cooler as well.

The horse riding is not a touristy gimmick, but rather a true passion project of the owner. The state of the art facility is typical of many such features in the Maldives where the owner has shared their enthusiasm not just for this amazing destination, but for particular interests they have and which gives the property a touch of the distinction and personality.

Siyam World - horse facilities 2

Siyam World - horse facilities 1

Siyam - horse farm 2

Siyam World - horse facility

Best of the Maldives: (Latest) Longest Pool – Sun Siyam Olhuveli

Olhuveli - longest pool 4

Pools are one of the top features of a tropical resort. The very roots of the Maldives Complete website was me researching which Maldives resorts had pools in the 1990s. Back then, I had to go through countless paper brochures and catalogues from travel agents and collate the information into a spreadsheet (which formed the foundation to what become the resort database). Yes, I know the Maldives is surrounded by water in very swimmable lagoons. But we found that our kids could only take so much seawater before salt, salt and coral shards started to aggravate them. While we started every day of our holiday there with a morning snorkel, we also tended to hang out at the pool all afternoon so the youngsters could continue their aquatic cavorting while Lori and I rested on the loungers.

Sun Siyam Oluveli has eclipsed the previously title holder of “Longest Pool in the Maldives” by 10 metres with its 210m behemoth. Provide not just a pool, but a pool adventure. It is 1 metre deep except at either end there are segregated sections for small children that are just 0.45 metres.

One of my favourite parts of this feature is its proximity to the entry level duplex rooms, Beach Pavillions. Usually, having a pool right outside your door is a luxury feature for the high-end villas, but this the closest-to-villa economy villa pools in the Maldives. And a big one at that…

Olhuveli - longest pool 3

Olhuveli - longest pool 1

Tour 2025 – Review

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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.

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Tour 2025–Joy Island

Tour 2025 - Joy Island 1

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).

Tour 2025 - Joy Island 2

Tour 2025–Siyam World

Tour 2025 - Siyam World

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.

 


Tour 2025–Sun Siyam Olhuveli

Olhuveli tour 1

Having trouble even choosing what type of Maldives resort go to? Consider Sun Siyam Olhuveli which kind of offers the best-of-both across a number of criteria:

  • Large and Small – By linking 3 different islands you can have the experience of strolling around the perimeter of your own smaller island before cocktails, but also have access to an expansive array of activity, amenities and restaurants available across all three (in fact, the property features 23 dining outlets).
  • Family and Adults-only – The main island of Olhuveli remains a very family-focused property (with a large kids club that has different activities every hour of every day), but the Romance island is adults-only for those who prefer more mature solace.
  • Lagoon and House Reef – The main island and Dream Island form a very protected lagoon for those who prefer the sheltered shallow calm of ocean swimming, but the main entry side features a very accessible house reef in one direction and another lagoon packed with coral croppings for easy and sight-packed snorkeling. You are also a 15 minute boat ride from the South Male Atoll’s best dive site, Kandoom Thila, where we happened upon a group of 27 (!) eagle ray (and the group the day before saw over a dozen grey sharks)
  • Chill and Vibrant – Similarly, Olhuveli is very active and vibrant, Dream island has few things going on, and Romance is completely chill for those who like to dial up their own particular level of energy. The Romance Bar offers an idyllically peaceful adults-only bar and infinity pool with an expansive view of the turquoise-dappled waters.
  • Budget and Luxury – The resort offers duplex villas distinctively situated next to the Maldives’ longest swimming pool under $400/night with an attractive AI plan, but also features premium restaurants with such gourmet delights as lobster sushi. We enjoyed a lovely wine tasting featuring a range of interesting wines (the Level 3 sommelier Sathish informed us that he favours floral wines at the resort because they tend to be enjoyable in the heat.

Sun Siyam Olhuveli has long been a top choice for a quality value-for-money option, and with the addition of Dream Island and Romance Island, the options and value have expanded even further so you can have your cake and eat it to.

Olhuveli tour 2

Tour 2025 – JEN Maldives

Tour 22 - Hotel Jen

Hotel JEN (then “Holiday Inn Male”) was our first experience with the capital city and since then remained our go to pied a terre in Male. We loved its uniquely elevated perspective on the azure tapestry of the seascape as well as its tasty menu and refreshing mocktails.

This trip we decided to add an actual stay there during our 2025 Tour. While not a “resort” per se, it is one of the best value for money stays in the Maldives. $200/nt gets you 5-star room facilities, ROOFTOP infinity pool, delicious food. And while there is no beach, there is access to Maldives’ vibrant capital city.

We chilled at the rooftop restaurant and pool on a particularly toasty day. It was an especially convenient leg to our journey arriving in the afternoon with little time left in the day to get to a resort and enjoy much resort time.

It’s Official, Snorkeling Day

World Snorkeling Day 2025

Back in 2010, I was on a crusade to get the Maldives recognised as the best snorkeling in the world. One of the classic PR tactics for getting some visibility is to get declared a national holiday (eg. Scotch Tape Day and Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day). But when looking for a “World Snorkeling Day”, I couldn’t find one…so I declared it. I was a bit presumptuous of me, but (most) every 30 June, I posted a celebratory piece of the nascent (celebration) with a nod of the Maldives’ pre-eminence in this domain. Well, as it turns out, the initiative as stuck, and now National Today has acknowledged World Snorkeling Day.

May your Snorkeling Day be filled with exciting snorkel spottings and the tranquil dazzle of underwater grandeur.