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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Best of the Maldives: Lettuce – Le Meridien

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Le Meridien - hydroponic garden 3

Maldives resort gardens are used for any sort of fresh veg and herbs the chef needs in his kitchen. But the record-breaking hydroponic garden at Le Meridien features a special treat with unparalleled variety – lettuce. It grows 6 different varieties of lettuce

  • Green Coral
  • Crystal lettuce
  • Red Oak
  • Mizuna
  • Lollo Rosso
  • Romaine (Baby Gem)

The resort describes their lettuce plantation process:

· “Lettuce is grown in three stages: Seed sowing, Transplanting, and Harvesting. Lettuce gets ready to harvest in 45 days. Before transplanting into main NFT channels the lettuce is in nursery stage which completes in 20 days, and then after transplant another 25 days.”

Lettuce entertain your palette!

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Best of the Maldives: Lazy River – Centara Mirage Lagoon

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Centara Mirage Lagoon - lazy river

Loved these from the water parks in America and I first called for them in my 4th “Things I Haven’t Seen in the Maldives” post back in 2014. Thanks to Centara Mirage Lagoon, the “lazy river” feature, that we enjoyed in the sunny summers of Carolina, is now available in the sunny side of life for a leisurely water-sun lounging combo so appropriate for the Maldives.

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Best of the Maldives: Pool Channel – Oaga

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Oaga - river

Pools have evolved in the Maldives from simple rectangular intra-island swimming holes to infinity pools, fountain featured, split-level, swim-up bar extravagances. But none are quite so extensive, creative and storied as Oaga pool channel behind its Veyoge Gallery Pool Villas.

  • “Nestled in the lush gardens of Oaga Art Resort, the Veyoge Gallery Pool Villa draws inspiration from the enchanting Maldivian folklore of the star-crossed lovers ‘Khalid and Sitti.’ This captivating garden villa in the Maldives features an exterior made of invisible mirrors, reflecting the secretive and mystical nature of the lovers’ tale. According to legend, Khalid and Sitti leaped into a lake and transformed into mystical creatures, eternally united.”

The “pool” connects all of the plunge pools for the Veyoge Gallery rooms with a long, sinuous channel that culminates at a larger pool by the craft beer bar and decorated with images of Khalid and Sitti.

Oaga - channel pool

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Best of the Maldives: Most Pools – Haven Villa

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Haven Villa - pools

The very earliest beginnings of Maldives Complete was a spreadsheet of my research looking for resorts with pools (which in the 1990s was not all that prevalent and the kids really enjoyed a break from the gritty coral sand and salt swimming in the lagoon). Over time, pools (infinity ones at that) became standard fare for resorts and increasingly, especially at the luxury end of the market, for villas themselves. We enjoy having our own private pool for a cooling plunge. And I have seen a couple of properties with two pool villas. But Villa Haven’s Two Bedroom Residence with Two Beach Pools and Garden Pool is the first THREE pool villa I have come across. An enclosed one in the back area for those wanting privacy, a small one for maybe the kids and a big one for everyone.

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Best of the Maldives: Largest Hydroponic Greenhouse – Le Meridien

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Le Meridien - hydroponic garden

Some resorts have gardens for the ultimate in low-mileage produce. Others have invested in sophisticated nurseries and infrastructure to expand their capability (not to mention tap into the Maldives biggest and free-est natural resource…sunshine). But Le Meridien sets a new bar for scale  (see the chart below which shows the gorwn stuff growing) and sophistication of local grown produce with its state-of-the-art hydroponic greenhouse:

  • “Our greenhouse is semi-automatic with area around 500 m2 which can accommodate 7580 plants. We grow plants with hydroponic technique (NFT system) under controlled environment. We maintain air temperature below 30 degree Celsius using misting system, shade net and nutrient water temperature 24 degree Celsius using chiller. It’s a cyclic process, we do seed sowing and transplanting twice a week and harvesting every day. In our hydroponic system we use Albert solution (Nutrient A+B)  for proving nutrient to plants. Nutrient range is maintained 1.5 EC and pH -6. We do organic cultivation in our greenhouse, for controlling insects if any we use yellow/ blue sticky traps. We have rainwater harvesting system as well which accommodate 30k liters of water. Our production capacity is: 30kg/day.”

Le Meridien grows…

  • Lettuce
    • Green Coral
    • Crystal lettuce
    • Red Oak
    • Mizuna
    • Lollo Rosso
    • Romaine (Baby Gem)
  • Herbs
    • Spearmint
    • Peppermint
    • Thai Basil
    • Italian Basil
    • Rosemary
    • Thyme
    • Parsley

  • Vegetables
    • Bokchoy
    • Asian Spinach
    • Water Spinach 

Le Meridien - hydroponic garden 2

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