Best of the Maldives: Geek Activity – Soneva Fushi

Soneva Fushi Ever Soneva So Celestial Observatory

If the stars you are seeking are not the movie and celebrity type, but more of the celestial sort, then Soneva Fushi resort is the place for you.

When we visit the Maldives, we like to take a night sky star-map so after dinner we can lie on the beach and do some stirring star gazing. With clear skies and no light pollution to speak of, the stars shine out brilliantly. Also, being at the equator, one can see both northern and southern hemisphere constellations.

But if you really want to take this activity to a serious level, Soneva Fushi resort offers its very own “Ever Soneva So Celestial” Observatory.

“Equipped with a striking Meade RCX400 telescope, the observatory in the organic garden is the latest addition to Soneva Fushi’s unique guest experiences and offers magnificent views into the starry sky.”

Top Site – Wikipedia Maldives

  
A new category of posts I am starting in this blog is ‘Top Sites’ on the Maldives.  There are an enormous number of websites and blogs on the subject of the Maldives, and yet I started Maldives Complete out of frustration with the quality of them all.  I found too many of them either too commercial (they provide a little bit of useful information and lots of material on how to book a holiday), or too repetitive (too many peons to how idyllic this beautiful place is with the same pictures of sea life, turquoise waters and tropical flowers).

All that said, a number of websites do stand out for their usefulness.  The first one to highlight is the Maldives entry into Wikipedia.  The entry maintains the high degree of characteristic objectivity and review covering areas of history, economy, civics and culture.

A particular point of pride for Maldives Complete is that the site is featured in Wikipedia’s ‘External Links’ section which is reserved for only a select few highly useful, non-commercial reference sites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best of the Maldives: Celebrity Watching – Reethi Rah

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Tom and Katie Cruise with baby Suri arriving a Male airport

As such an exquisite destination, the Maldives have proven to be quite popular with the jet setting celebrity crowd.

For a bit of fun in the Maldives Complete resort Profiles, we have now added a section called ‘Celebrity Guestbook’ which tracks celebrity reports and spottings on the various islands if you are curious to know who visited where. If you have visited the Maldives and spotted a celebrity or uncovered a celebrity visitor, then add it to the Comments below and we will make sure to add it to the database.

While it seems that most islands have had one celebrity or another resident at one time, the resort that seems to have drawn the most over time is the resplendent Reethi Rah. Reports to date include presenter Davina McCall, Josh Duhamel and Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie, Natascha McElhone, Sienna Miller, Jodie Kidd, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Ashley and Cheryl Cole, Philip Treacy, Sienna Guillory and Gail Porter.

Top Tip – Dine on the Beach

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Many of the resorts hold special ‘beach dinners’ which sometimes are just part of the normal agenda and sometimes incur a supplement charge. Do not miss these. Not only is there usually a distinctive buffet of locally caught seafood and local dishes (or whatever the theme is), but also the pleasure of eating by candle-light with your bare feet in the warm sand and the ocean gently lapping the shore a few feet away is one of the most idyllic dining experiences.

But you don’t have to wait until ‘beach buffet’ night. Most of the restaurants are right beside the beach, but often their tables are under an enclosure. Often the enclosure is not much more than a thatched roof. We always ask if we can have our table moved from the electric light lit enclosed area onto the beach itself closer to the water and under the countless stars. Sometimes the wait staff get a little thrown off balance by the request, but in general the people there are so service oriented, so relaxed and friendly, they are willing to accommodate. It is a small adjustment that transforms each evening’s dinner from delightful to divine.

(The picture above is our family at the Coco Palm beach restaurant nestled in the palm trees during the day to protect against the sun, but where we moved our tables out to the water’s edge in the background at night).