Best of the Maldives: Open Community – Oaga

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Oaga - open community1

Happy staff make happy customers and I applaud a range of efforts by resorts to make the staff area as appealing as the rest of the island. Oaga invests so much into making its staff area and restaurant top notch that it is completely open to guests who are welcome to eat there with the staff if they like. They call it their “Open Community” concept. They take as much pride in the staff chef Aboo (see photo below) as they do any of chefs at their guest F&B outlets. Lori and I had a delightful lunch and were very welcomed by the staff taking their own midday refreshment there.

With the post, I’ve added the new tag of “Staff Area”.

Oaga - open community 2

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Best of the Maldives: Villa Reflective Glass – Oaga

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Oaga - reflective glass 1

It’s great to have expansive floor-to-ceiling windows to bring as much of the outdoor paradise into your villa, but with most beaches being open to all, you then become a bit of a fishbowl to the guests passing by. You had to decide whether to opt for view or privacy with your curtains.

Oaga has provided the ideal best-of-both solution with reflective glass on their villa windows allowing you to look out and no one else to look in. The glass also reduces the glare and heat from the glasshouse windows into your villa. And if you want to get a front and back bathing suit shot for Instagram, you can do that too.

Oaga - villa reflective glass

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Best of the Maldives: Murals – Oaga

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Oaga - murals 2

I’ve long been a fan of local artists providing the colour and panache to the Maldives resorts. The local artist community is thriving in recent years with more and more properties embracing their inspired work. But Oaga has gone well beyond just commissioning some lovely pieces to hang on the villa walls, and has set loose an platoon of palette wielders to provide every nook and cranny of the island with vibrant designs and decoration in the form of dramatic and gigantic murals.

I’ve already shared Oaga’s pool mural. The rooms have murals especially the Bodu Haruge Beach Villas with Private Pool have their own special storied behind them:

  • “One slanted wall of all the villas have a large mural, hand-drawn using black ink by process-oriented artist Moosa Mamdhooh Ahmed (aka. Mamdhu). He has based this series of murals on folktales and mythologies, most of which depict epic Maldivian tales. Fun facts: The artwork on our tote bags come from this series and you can meet the artist himself at the Suvāsthi Retail Gallery.”

Here is a sampling of the many I came across during our stay…

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Oaga - murals 4

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Oaga - mural and grafitti

Oaga - mural 4

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Oaga -murals 2

Oaga - murals

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Best of the Maldives: Island-Made – Nika

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Nike - construction

When I say “Island-Made”, I don’t mean made on “an” island in the Maldives…I mean made on *the* resort island. Not just a lot of it…all of it. The classic Nika property was one of the first resorts in the Maldives and was constructed entirely in the traditional manner of using coral stone for the material. Various heritage displays are replete with thatched structures, but actually more common are using the rock formed of old coral.

And Nika didn’t stop there. Hotel Insider article “Nika Island Resort – championing local heritage” describes how the resort furniture was all hand-crafted by local artisans:

  • “Every single item here was made on the island,” says Edo, beaming.
  • “Even the bed?” I ask.
  • “Yes. Even the doors. They may not be perfect, they may not have machine-like precision but they have individuality. It’s their imperfections that make them beautiful.”

Nika - coral construction

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Best of the Maldives: AI Activity – Oaga

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Oaga - ai activities

In many destinations around the world, “all-inclusive” has a sort of down-market perception of value pricing, but in the luxury-packed Maldives, even the most exclusive properties have AI offerings (primarily for customer convenience, not budgeting). As a result, there is a bit of an arms race of packing in the most features to each resort’s AI, but Oaga has thrown everything including the kitchen sink if there was an experience you could have with the kitchen sink:

Conventional

  • Complimentary return speed boat transfers from the airport.
  • Meet & greet at the airport, welcome drinks and amenities upon arrival to the resort.
  • Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner at Kaa Kada/ La’ Fuh Dan, dine around a la carte with 5 street carts offering a global selection.
  • Unlimited selection of alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages from our standard beverage menu, from Raa Baa.
  • Mini Bar refilled once a day and includes – canned beers, soft drinks, packed juices and a wine bottle menu.
  • Complimentary non-motorised watersports; Stand-up paddle board and Kayak throughout the stay for 30 minutes per day.
  • Complimentary snorkelling equipment during the stay.
  • Complimentary use of Pulse recreation activities: Darts, Beach Volley, Archery, Foosball, outdoor calisthenics gym and so much more.
  • Daily entertainment and indoor games at Raa Baa.

Special Experiences

  • High-tea in the evening at Jeymu café.
  • 1 Thashibari (In-Villa Dining) experience per villa during the stay.
  • 1 Float-stagram (floating breakfast or lunch) experience, per villa per stay.
  • 1 beer or gin tasting experience at Sobi Bar, per villa per stay.
  • USD 50 credit per villa per stay towards one theatrical dining experience at Samaasaa.
  • 1 Learn a Dish (cooking class) experience with our Chefs.
  • 1 Cocktail Apprentice (cocktail making class) experience with our F&B team.
  • 3 excursions per person per stay; Sunset Cruise, Sunset Fishing, Guided House Reef Snorkeling.
  • Complimentary beginner snorkelling lessons in the lagoon.
  • 20minute guided motorised watersports per villa per stay; Jet ski ride & Fun tube.
  • 1 Scuba Dive in the house reef (for certified divers) OR 50% off on Discover Scuba Diving (for non-divers).
  • Wellness:
  • Daily complimentary Hin Dhemilun (stretching) / Bandu (core workout) classes.
  • 1 Dhulhaheyo (wellness) experience activity at Hoba Spa [Vah Buru (full body workout) or Araam Adu (Sound healing)], per person per stay.
  • Complimentary morning and evening rituals.
  • 1 time Free Flow (art class) experience with our Resident Artist.
  • 1 Take Notes or Dance Lab experience with our Resident Musicians/Performance Artist.
  • 5 pieces of laundry per villa per day.
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Best of the Maldives: Rocket Car – Sun Siyam World / Ohuveli

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Sun Siyam - rocket car 2

None of the Maldives resort islands have cars primarily because there is no room for roads. But what does have room is the expansive ocean surrounding them all. Sun Siyam World and Sun Siyam Olhuveli have made that their own speedway for the latest watersport thrill ride in the Maldives:

  • “Siyam World and Sun Siyam Olhuveli are excited to unveil a thrilling new adventure designed for those seeking an unforgettable, high-speed experience on the water: the Jet Car. Available at the water sports centers on both islands, these powerful, stylish vehicles are perfect for thrill-seekers looking to add an exhilarating twist to their Maldivian getaway. With their sleek, retro-inspired design and equipped with a powerful Yamaha engine, the Jet Cars are built for excitement…Plus, the built-in Bluetooth speakers allow guests to customize their experience with their own music, adding a personalized soundtrack to their adrenaline-filled ride.”

Sun Siyam - rocket car 1

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Best of the Maldives: Electric Go-Kart Car – Kandima

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Kandima - go cart track

Most of the thrill rides in the Maldives are the motorised water sports, but Kandima exploits having a bit larger island building a go-kart track for zooming around on land with as much adrenaline as riding a banana boat. And all the race cars are electric for zero-carbon and noise pollution:

  • “Race-Ready Track: A 500-metre oceanfront track. High-Speed Action: Reach speeds of up to 80 km/h for an unforgettable rush. Sleek Asphalt Surface: Designed for smooth, seamless gliding through every twist and turn. 10 Heart-Stopping Turns: Navigate a thrilling mix of curves that keep the excitement going. Race Together: Up to 8 karts per session, perfect for friends and family fun.”

  

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Best of the Maldives: Street Food Vibe – Oaga

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Oaga - street food 1

A number of resorts have leaned into the food station buffets to provide the best of buffet variety with the best of a la carte fresh preparation. Oaga has leant its distinctively artist styling to its version of this dining concept by creating a “street food” vibe with vibrantly coloured food stands along the appropriately sand floor.

Oaga - street food 2

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Best of the Maldives: Soups – Heritance Aarah

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Heritance Aarah - soup

I’m a big fan of soups in general. The wine of foods where the hot enlivens the flavours like the alcohol does with a fermented grape. And the delectable blends of flavours are endless. Finally, they are the dish that often takes the most amount of prep so when I am out it is a treat to enjoy them without all the work.

Dusit Thani had impressed me with their soup selection – variety and quality – nearly a decade ago, but they appear to have gone off the boil (pun intended) as their current menus don’t have the seem options. So when I was blown away by the Heritance Aarah’s soups at the Baani restaurant, it seemed time to crown a new queen of soups.

I was especially appreciative of this line up as I had a big lunch and was fancying a lighter bite for dinner and the Banana Shallot was just the ticket.

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