Best of the Maldives: Neighbourly – Angsana Ihuru and Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru

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Angsana Ihuru and Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru aerial

(photo courtesy of Luxury hotels TravelPlusStyle.com)

Olhuveli and Fun Island might be the closest geographic neighbours, but Angsana Ihuru and Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru are the closest operationally (not attached).

“You have Angsana which is literally a 2 minute hop by hourly water ‘taxi’, so you have the benefit of two islands in one resort (you can also charge any costs on Angsana to BT, and visa versa.” (thanks John)

You might not be able to go pick watermelons, but you can enjoy any of the other amenities (perhaps a watermelon martini).

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Best of the Maldives: Low Miles Menu – Jumeirah

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Maldives fishermen

“Fishermans Day” in the Maldives today celebrates the true main industry and for centuries the mainstay of the Maldives’ existence

And Jumeirah – both Vittaveli and Dhevanafushi properties celebrate and support local Maldives fishermen with their own “Low Miles Menu”…

“Azara and Samsara, restaurants at Jumeirah Dhevanafushi and Jumeirah Vittaveli in the Maldives, have unveiled a new ‘Low Miles’ menu as part of an on-going commitment to reduce the hotels’ carbon-footprints. The new ‘Low Miles’ menu makes the most of local, fresh ingredients to preserve the idyllic surroundings as well as offer a delicious taste of traditional Maldivian cuisine. By utilising ingredients sourced nearby, the chefs are able to ensure minimal air and sea miles are required to bring the food to the resort, minimising the harmful greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere. The localised set menu offers a truly sustainable, and delicious, culinary experience, with dishes such as Reef Fish Pappillote with Vegetables, Coconut and Chili or Mild Yellow Fish Curry with Chapatti, Mango Chutney and Local Herb Salad. And, for dessert, guests can indulge in a Maldivian Fruit Cocktail served with Biscuit and a Local Custard Cream or Fried Local Banana Fritters served with Island made Coconut Ice Cream. Guests at Jumeirah Vittaveli can also enjoy the menu as destination dining, choosing a private stretch of white sandy beach for a romantic meal or a celebration among friends”

Most resorts make a point of sourcing what they can locally, especially the abundant fresh reef fish, but Jumeirah has made it a design point for two of its restaurants that dovetails nicely with its general native Maldives inspired architecture and decoration throughout the resort. While the Maldives’ remoteness does mean that some (especially luxury) items do need to be brought in from far away, their reef fish is probably the lowest mile food item of any resort in the world often sourced from just feet from the dining room.

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Complete Update

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Best Of list hover tooltip

The number one objective for Maldives Complete has always been “completeness”, but the number two has always been ease of use. Providing the easiest route to the information people need has been the design point which is why I have shunned advertisements, sponsorship and other non-essential dross that clutters so many resort and travel pages. In recent days, I’ve finally finished off the bulk of enhancements that have been on my wish list since my summer tour.

My Maldives tours not only inspire ‘Best Of’ pieces and help complete the profiles with data and pictures, but they also percolate ideas for new features and enhancements to the site. I meet with lots of site fans and industry folks and they provide lots of great ideas of how I might be able to improve it further. Of course, digesting all of the research as well as doing my day job means that these ideas don’t get done over night, but over the past few months, I have implemented a good number of changes that germinated about of Tour 4…

  • Best Of – 2 new pages with added drop down menu…
    • Activity – eg. Sport, Kids, Culture
    • Infrastructure – eg. Lodging, Pool, Decoration
    • Service – eg. Dining, Drink, Greeting
    • Ambience – eg. Nationality, Spa, Ocean
    • Commercial – eg. Pricing, Shopping, Online
  • ·Room Type – A flurry of research to update and complete more of the field
  • Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) – Still people struggle to find the site and so I am spending a bit more time making the site search engine friendly (if you are a fan of the site, the one thing you can do to help – and others – is to provide a link to the site from any websites you have…thanks).
    • Better descriptions
    • Better titles
    • Better metatags
  • Profile – I’ve added a couple more pieces to each profile
  • Best Ofs – changed list to “Tooltip” popup to accommodate some of the extra long lists
  • Activities
    • Surfing
    • Marine Biologist
    • Hotelier Group
    • Walkway Rating – ie.  Soft, Hard, Paved
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Best of the Maldives: Climbing Wall – One & Only Reethi Rah

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One and Only Reethi Rah climbing wall

If you prefer amore adventurous route to your towering view, then you need to check out One and Only Reethi Rah’s climbing wall.

“Extreme Engineering, the largest supplier of zip lines, climbing walls, Extreme Airs™ and adventure products in the world, has installed the 1st climbing wall in the Maldives at One&Only Reethi Rah!..The new climbing wall is a key feature at the resort, providing guests with high-action entertainment. The resort is equipped with the Monolith Stationary 5-Climber, a 26 feet tall (7.9 meters) climbing surface. The Monolith Stationary 5-Climber has 5 distinct climbing routes, one with over a 2 foot overhang! Each route will provide a unique, challenging climbing experience. The climbing hold placements can be reconfigured to provide endless combinations on the climbing wall. The route possibilities are very diverse! The very same wall has been used by ESPN for the X-Games’ climbing competition. This model has also been used by the USA Climbing team. The climbing wall comes fully equipped with the patented, Auto-belay systems (the safest patented automatic belay devices on the market). The Auto-belay is a mechanical device (no power required) that keeps climbers safe and secure at all times. The Auto-belay removes the need of a belayer at the bottom of the wall during use. Just click into the carabiner with your climbing harness and you can head straight to the top! The fully redundant system is the safest on the market and the primary choice for climbing wall use. The Extreme Engineering climbing wall is accessible to anyone above 6 years old (minimum weight 45lbs. / 20.5kg and maximum 250lbs. / 113kg).”

The pinnacle of paradise.

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Best of the Maldives: Tower – Velaa

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Velaa - tower exterior

For a country whose highest natural elevation is no higher than your average stoop, the few places where you can get some height is a real rarity. The seascape is so uniquely exquisite, but the sea-level topology precludes much of an expansive vista overlooking it. This is why the sea plane transfers are such a special treat providing that breathtaking perspective that eludes the beachside gaze. I’m a big fan of Kandooma’s tower and whenever I am in Male I always stop by Traders’ roof top Azure lounge.

While not open for another couple of weeks, Velaa has started to post pictures of its ravishing new resort online including a number of shots of the surreal Tavaru Tower…

“Tavaru houses a Teppanyaki restaurant and makes up the centerpiece of the island: a visually striking ivory-white tower where live cooking and Velaa’s extensive wine cellar take center stage.”

High standards.

Velaa - tower interior

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Best of the Maldives: Video Perspective – LUX Maldives

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LUX Maldives video drone

LUX Maldives could also be dubbed the resort best in the Maldives for “Flying High”. Their latest aerial trick is a remote controlled video camera to provide fresh perspectives on this island gem. The aerial shot is the iconic view of the Maldives’ splendour. The very first picture that I provide in the resort Profiles is this angle. Over time, resorts have added Photosynth montages, 360 virtual animations, and a whole host of tour videos. But this is a first in a truly bird’s eye perspective.

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More Why I Do It

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Scott Adams - aquiring skills

One of my most frequent questions abourt Maldives Complete is still “Why do it do it?” In my previous post in response, I cited Scott Adams’ own answer to the question of the “non-zero chance” for some big serendipity. Scott recently published a new book titled “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life” that delves more deeply into his personal life philosophy. As a part of the release, he has been doing the book promo circuit and his interview with Forbes really hit home for me as another reason behind my compulsive researching and posting…

“For years people have been asking me why I blog. At one point, blogging was taking about half of my work time while providing only 5% of my income. My wife and my friends asked ‘What is your goal in blogging?’ I don’t do goals. I do systems. (That’s a theme of the book.) In this case, my system involved publicly experimenting with a variety of writing styles and topics and closely monitoring the reactions of readers. I was honing my writing skills and my understanding of the reading public. I didn’t have a specific goal. I was aiming for ‘better.’ I reasoned that my system would generate good opportunities for me in ways I couldn’t predict with any precision. That’s what makes it a system and not a goal. I was simply improving my odds that something good would happen. I just didn’t know when it might happen or in what form it would come. Blogging also charges me up. I like the interaction, the angry villagers with torches and pitchforks, and the possibility of saying something useful. It is one part of my overall system for keeping my personal energy high. It also keeps my mind sharp. Several years into my system, it seems to be working.”

Webmastering Maldives Complete is part of my own “system” to keep learning, make new friends and relationships, understand new technologies (eg. Deepzoom, Silverlight), grapple with new media (eg. social media like Facebook, Twitter, TripAdvisor), and to constantly hone my ability to research, distil and share insights.

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Best of the Maldives: Clothes Hangers – Gili Lankanfushi

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Gili Lankanfushi - coat hangers

 

This Best of the Maldives piece is possibly my most archetypal. I say that because when I am describing to people the extent of the esoterica that I investigate and write about I often cite the “Clothes Hangers” example. These are the sort of obscure distinctions that I adore. They are the subtle details that some resort designer or marketer has been inspired to provide.

As wood is the traditional gift for the 5th anniversary, I thought that today would be an appropriate occasion to finally post this distinction that I have mentioned in conversation so many times.

Clothes hangers are a fine example of a pedestrian item that can be made colourful and remarkable with a little creativity and panache. I’ve seen painted hangers, padded and scented ones, but nearly all of our hangers at home are wood. I’ve seen other wooden ones in the Maldives, but none quite a funky and fun as Gili Lankanfushi’s bamboo collection.

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Maldives Complete-ly by the Numbers 2

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2013 Anniversary numbers

Maldives Complete’s semidecennial. 5 years on and more complete than ever.

I am again marking the milestone in true business review fashion with a look at a Harpers Index sampling of stats which tell its progress…

  • Resort Numbers – The array of options steadily climbs with another 4 more resorts announced, but a full 12 additional resort newly operational.
  • Room Types – Being a new feature last year, this area has grown the most (363 new profile photos and 6.2% gain in completion rate).
  • Best of the Maldives – Resort with most Best Of’s Published – LUX Maldives 30 (2012 = W Retreat 21). Resort with most Best Of’s Drafted – One & Only Reethi Rah 55 (2012 = LUX Maldives 31).
  • Visitors – More of the top search terms are specific names of resorts (“Kuramathi” and “Bathala” top the list) pushing down last year’s top terms – “maldives water temperature” and “whale shark”. But the latter remained them most popular post – “Whale Sharks – LUX* Maldives” being the first Maldives Complete post to top 100,000 views.
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