It’s official! Baros has its own plot of sand and this one is actually a “registered” sand bank. The only resort to do so with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Best of the Maldives: Black Sand – Conrad Rangali
“Admire the black volcanic sand imported from New Zealand on the floor, which gives a stylish counterpoint to the white sand floors throughout the rest of the resort.”
The place to celebrate New Zealand Waitangi Day today is in the Maldives is Conrad Rangali. Their distinctive plot of sand is as black as the Maldives beaches are white. The juxtaposition is sort of a geological circle of life. The black sand comes from relatively recent volcanic eruptions while the Maldives themselves are anciently defunct volcanoes.
Their marketing manager Katherine Anthony elaborates…
“Yes, the black sand in the Cheese and Wine Bar (the only place we have it) is volcanic sand from New Zealand. We liked the contrast with the white sand that we have everywhere else throughout the resort.”
Best of the Maldives: Food Lighting – Jumeirah Vittaveli
Drizzles and stacks are a bit done to death on the gourmet tables. The cutting edge of cuisine involves a touch of techno. Jumeirah Vittaveli does this with its lighted bowls for its desserts. If Dhuni Kolhu adds the ice, Vittaveli adds the fire.
Best of the Maldives: Cold Sorbet – Iru Fushi
One of the few things you do want kept freezing cold on your Maldives holiday is your ice cream dessert. A challenge to savouring ice cream is to enjoy it in hot weather when it is more “ice” than “cream”. Iru Fushi finesses this with their own dive into the cold…
“The sorbet is served in a double cup (glass).. a round one with ice cubes to keep the temperature and a small conic one fitting in.” (thanks Paola)
2nd Worst Place in the World to Snorkel
Maldives may be the undisputed best place in the world for snorkelling, but the worst place still gets some head-shaking contenders. Above is a picture making its rounds on the Interwebs identified as “Snorkeling in Michigan”. It does come with a disclaimer that “Alcohol may have been involved”.
Best of the Maldives: Lawn Bowls – One & Only Reethi Rah
Super Bowl Sunday.
And in the Maldives, the most super bowl you will find, complete with astro-turf, is One & Only Reethi Rah’s “Lawn Club”. The club has an superb all-weather lawn bowls pitch
Be up! (A short bowl is a wasted bowl).
Seth-urday Buffet
My other popular blog (I have 4) has a semi-regular piece called “Seth-urday” featuring material from Seth Godin who I have referenced here on a number of occasions as a bit of an inspiration to the whole “Best of the Maldives” section. This week, Seth published a post “The buffet problem keeps getting worse” which illustrated another perspective for my obsession with resort esoterica…
“Here’s the thinking that leads just about every all-you-can-eat buffet to trend to mediocrity. ‘Oh, don’t worry about how fresh the mashed potatoes are, after all, they’re free.’ Indeed, as far as the kitchen is concerned, each individual item on the buffet is ‘free’ in the sense that the customer didn’t spend anything extra to get that item. The problem is obvious, of course. Once you start thinking that way, then every single item on the buffet gets pretty lousy, and the next thing you know, the customers you seek don’t come…Successful organizations often beat the competition by turning the buffet problem upside down. ‘Let’s make these the best mashed potatoes in town–who knows, next time, that guy out front will bring his friends.’ The mashed potatoes aren’t free, the mashed potatoes, the wifi and everything else you do are an opportunity. The cheapest and most effective marketing you’ll do all year.”
While it is an illustrative metaphor, Maldives resort are literally dominated by buffets for much of their food service. A number of my “Best of the Maldives” pieces have indeed been buffet items picked out from obscurity for their distinction. I guess I am now on the hunt for the best mashed potatoes in the Maldives!