If you need a villa for your entire entourage, then Kihaa has introduced its Signature Residence with 10 bedrooms (nipping the previous highwater mark of 9 by Soneva Fushi’s Private Residence). Many reports have been billing the mansion sized “villa” as the “biggest” which I can’t confirm whether it is or not compared to Soneva’s 5540 sqm.
While there are certainly fewer Instagrammer poseurs than poseuses, performing artists in paradise are second only to footballers (a different kind of performers) and tend to do a bit more posting (PR with their fans I suspect). Here’s the latest collection of presenters, musicians, dancers and other entertainers (not actors who I track separately…stayed tuned).
One of my favourite hangouts for my first stint as a travel writer and destination research in Togo, West Africa was the Café des Artes. The little tea shop displays and sold a variety of works from local artists including distinctive tapestries by an artist named Helga whose pieces are the pride of my African art collection. That local creativity set in a relaxing place to sip cold drinks and nibble treats all came flooding back to me when I stepped into Kandima’s Art Café. The joint sits adjacent to the resort’s art studio (so you can pop in for a coffee break while working on your Maldives masterpiece). The floor-to-ceiling windows look out over one of the rare inland lakes to be found on a resort island while also adds to the visual aesthetic. And if that’s not enough inspiration, the cafe serves cakes as artistic as the surroundings themselves.
The underwater seascape in the Maldives is just as spectacularly colourful as the famous ocean vistas above albeit with a bit of a broader palette. Here is the latest collection of fish soup of the day pictures of these aquatic tapestries…
Every day in the Maldives is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius (and a whale-sized bit of Pisces too), though if you fall under a different sign, you can still find just the right holiday experience on the zodiac constellation at Mirihi. The Island Chief reports:
Not sure why Aquarius isn’t included in the “Water Experience”.
The latest surf-faring air transfer in the Maldives with a distinctly piscatorial picture scheme is FlyMe’s “yellow tuna” inspired seaplane…
The flying fish in the Maldives are the biggest in the world…
International Surfing Day today. Maldives continues to be one of the top surf destinations in the world making for some of the best action photoshoots from there blending the graceful motion of the water and the wave riders.
Laura Enever, Alessa Quizon, & Isabella Nichols [ABOVE]
When we think of coral reefs, we often think of the hard corals whose calcium carbonate exoskeletons are the stuff that this destination is made out of. But just as dazzling to the undersea adventurer are the colourful soft corals that line walls and often caves on the reefs. And the best dive spot for soft corals seems to be Becky’s Caves according to a number of experts I’ve conferred with. It is a site for Advanced divers as the sub-aquatic display, described as “lots of soft corals all coming out like grapes” starts at 22 metres deep. The nearest resort, JA Manafaru’s “Sun Diving School” describes it as
Happy Father Day! Finolhu has a special treat for all fathers out there with its “Man Cave” (their actual name) complete with pin ball, cinema lounge, retro video games, refreshments, etc. All set in a stylishly chic casual denim décor.
When we were first considering going to the Maldives two decades ago, our friends described their trip and how they were on their resort island and saw another even smaller island across the water. They waded out a bit further to get a better look and before long they hade waded all the way across the lagoon to it (Rihiveli Beach). This one anecdote stuck in my mind more than others and seemed to capture the plot-of-sand-in-the-middle-of-the-ocean vibe more than any other illustration of the Maldives.
Since, then I’ve been on the constant lookout for miniscule islands as a part of the distinctive Maldivian aesthetic. With this post, I’ve even introduced a tag for it, “Mini Island”. The latest is this little sandbank with a touch of greenery and a small thatched cabana at The Residence Dhigurah. With the jetty passing so near, it might just be the closest of the detached mini-isles (thanks Francisco – long time fan of the original “mini island” at Rihiveli).
