We’ve watched how the single-room villa has blossomed to a couple, then several, then multi-bedroom residences over the years. In the Room Type database, of the 1382 entries, 1090 have 1 room, 207 have 2, 85 have 3 or more…but only Ifuru has a THIRTY-TWO (32) Bedroom Island Reserve.
Siyam Olhuveli is not just covered with vegetation on some of its pathways, but also on its dedicated “Plant Based Bliss” buffet section. Not just a few token mushroom and tofu dishes laid on with some salads, but an extensive array of cooked and prepared plant-based dishes for guests. In fact, all of the Siyam properties have a group-wide objective of 30% of all menu being plant-based
One of the charms of many Maldives islands, especially those with particularly lush vegetation, is that the flora can form a tunnel-like canopy over the paths literally enveloping you in its greenery. The overhead foliage provides an often welcome shade from the tropical sun (especially while you are doing a rare bit of exercising by walking or bike riding from one place to another). It’s easy for narrow footpaths to have such canopies, but we have never seen one span such a wide expanse as areas of Sun Siyam Olhuveli where a sandy lane wide enough for two buggies is densely shielded.
Maldives Complete’s most popular article by far has been “How to Pick Your Perfect Maldives Resort” with 288 comments. But it was written way back in 2013 and the destination, and the considerations around choosing a resort, have shifted a fair bit.
Some considerations are virtually identical …
Some questions are also the same except for my commentary with numbers…
The one question that has changed quite dramatically (and the one which was one of the primary drivers to be creating the spreadsheet which led to the website) is “does the resort have a pool”. When I first published the piece, I noted that “86 out of 132 resorts have pools” (65%…lots of choice but certainly no guarantee). Today, 180 out of 186 – 97%! – have a resort pool. So not so difficult to find a resort with one (in fact, the real challenge is finding one without one). What I noted in my article addendum I made in October 2020 was that the new thing was “private pools” for each villa. These days, 727 room categories out of 1,406 (or 51%) have their very own dedicated private pools. So the question is really more “do you want your own private pools” and it is less a question of finding a resort than finding a suitable room type at a resort.
And as my follow up piece, “How to Pick the Perfect Maldives Villa” noted, the villa “pool” consideration itself has lots of variations, ie. luxury, standard, plunge, jacuzzi.
The inspired resorts are the ones who make the ordinary extraordinary. Siyam World is quite an extensive property and they have laid on a buggy service that operates constantly to make it easier for guests to get from one place or another without have to fatigue their legs or endure an too much time in an overly toasty sunny day. Most resorts put a bench or a simple bus shelter to mark the buggy stops, but Siyam World has designed an colorful collection all inspired by famous cities around the world:
Not only does it add a striking aesthetic to this otherwise boring spot, but the very distinctive decors really help you to remember which stop you want to go or return to (especially helpful after an evening of pina coladas)
Siyam World’s buggy stop reduce the “pedestrian” at their resorts in more way than one.
To add to its collection of colorful Best Ofs, Oaga dazzles with a rainbow of hues even at night.
Ducks aren’t the large bird collection at Siyam World as they also boast over a dozen colorful macaws in their animal sanctuary.
