Pools in the private back areas are more and more commonplace, but a pool table is quite unique. And there’s your own table tennis to boot. The CUBE room type at Huvafenfushi is like a home away from home with lots of amenities for entertaining yourself and friends.
The biggest foot irritant has to be the “cost per square foot” (the gift and visitor can be greeted with is a low one). With the Room Type database getting quite “complete” now (73% complete on profile information and 46% complete on pictures), I can start doing some broader comparisons and analyses. I thought it would be interesting to see who had the best “cost per square foot” (or metre). Some resorts charge some expensive prices, but then they provide some extensive real estate to sprawl out in. Others are more value priced, but much more limited in space.
I had to break it out by star category to reflect the differences in services, amenities and often build quality that would simply make the lowest cost per square foot the cheapest overall resort (or close to it). Here’s how they panned out…
All of these villas represent the “Garden Villa” category. Garden Villas are found off the beach front. Of course, the big ticket is the Water Villas completely over the water, and people typically want to at least be “by” the water for their holiday in tropical paradise. But, we’ve never been put off by the Garden Villa room type and have stayed in them on a number of occasions. If you are having trouble making ends meet on your budget, giving up how close your room is to the water always seemed like a good trade off to us. For starters, given the diminutive size of the islands, even the garden rooms are not that far from the shore. In any other country, they would probably be labelled beach front. Typically, they are a few dozen extra metres inland or simply have their ocean view impeded. Secondly, you simply don’t spend that much time in your room. You are there to enjoy the beauty and fun the place has to offer. You mostly retire to your room for a nap or sleep at night. And you don’t need great views when your eyes are closed anyways.
The Maldives is renowned for the “no shoes, no news” experience, but the newly minted Cheval Blanc Randheli resort offers the “new shoes” experience.
Yes, the sensuality of roaming barefoot throughout an island is a Maldives specialty, but for some and some situations, comfortable sandals or casual footwear would suit better. For these, Cheval Blanc provides a complimentary pair of their own stylish espadrilles on arrival (thanks Francisco and congrats on your 50th Opera…just waiting for your Maldives premiere!).
So the sensitive of foot, instead of changing the walkways, you can change the walkers. It’s sort of de rigeur for spas and posh hotels to provide complimentary slippers. But usually they are cheap terry cloth or foam flip-flop things. But One & Only Reethi Rah provides elegantly woven his-and-her slippers for your comfort and convenience. And not just one pair, but a softer open toe set for outside as well (see below).
Sometimes the “no shoes” ethos isn’t all a walk in the park. It is meant to embody the relaxed and casual atmosphere of the Maldives combined with its pervading sensual nature right down to the powdery soft sand across the island. This element is so prominent that during this last tour, I started collecting data for a “Walkway Rating” by resort (stay tuned). But, when I got to Gangehi, their walkways defied Maldivian categorisation. They are unlike anything else you will tread on in the Maldives. Instead of sandy, hardened or paved walkways, Gangehi features wooden walkways snaking through the island interior.
When I first saw these, I was quite intrigued. I wondered if they would be a real detraction, but over the stay I grew to appreciate them more and more. For starters, they are a ‘natural’ solution to folks who need hard walkways. The sandy by-ways seem romantic, but for people who have difficulty getting around – wheelchair users, otherwise unsteady individuals, and ladies who want to enjoy their high heeled fashion on their holiday – they are actually quite an inconvenience. Also, some people have sensitive feet and the aboriginal avenues can be a bit uncomfortable at times if there are stray stones and coral pieces that you can step on.
Some islands have paved paths, but somehow that often seems to take away from the natural feel. Gangehi’s wooden paths preserve a very natural aesthetic. They even impart a bit of stylistic distinction to the place. Because they are slightly elevated, it almost seemed as if I was traversing something out of Swiss Family Robinson’s lush tropical settlement.
Of course, if you hanker for the sand between your toes, you can always circumambulate the island beaches (quite easily as Gangehi is so tiny).
For people who prefer a more holistic chilling out on the rocks, the Azmaara Spa at Chaaya Reef Ellaidhoo features reflexology stones in their reception.
Rock on.
“The only American invention as perfect as the sonnet" – H. L. Mencken
"The elixir of quietude.” – E.B. White
While gin is the most traditional foundation to a martini cocktail (some purists would say that properly chilled gin is all you need…maybe wave an open bottle of vermouth over the top of it), the vodka variant is growing in popularity. In fact, 23 of the Maldives leading 25 martinis on offer at Jumeirah Vittaveli are vodka based. A perfect place to celebrate National Vodka Day today for that perfect “quietude” experience. Not only a vast number, but sterling quality that we can attest to after our meticulous investigation during our visit this summer…
And they all come shaken or stirred.
Warning: Brrrrain freeze may result from over enthusiastic appreciation.
One of the most important characteristics in a drink for me is the temperature. I ask for my Starbucks latte’s to be made extra hot. And I like my tropical pina coladas to be extra cold. It is always a disappointment sitting in the toasty sun and being served a lukewarm pina colada. The pina colada is my favourite drink when I am in the Maldives and I have had one at every resort I have visited. The quality and presentation varies as much as the resorts themselves.
It might be a bit of a stretch to say that it was the “best” pina colada I had ever had there, but the Constance Halaveli rendition certainly excelled in a one area – coldness. The drink sent shivers down my throat as I sipped it. It also nicely balanced the sweet pineapple juice and coconut milk with a satisfying kick (I worried that maybe the coldness might come from so much ice that the drink would taste watered down).
As it happens, my wife Lori is a fan of ice coffees. Most are lacklustre efforts of simply dowsing some brew over a pile of ice. But Lori too couldn’t help being struck that the Halaveli was not just the best she had had in the Maldives, but better than any in London that she frequently samples.
Chillingly good.
Possibly the easiest day to wake up to on the calendar…World Coffee Day. In n aromatic nod to the king of coffee innovation in the Maldives, another distinction brought to my attention by Rik Norton and his glowing review of LUX* Maldives. This example of LUX’s striking coffee art depicts a young lioness greeting us in the morning.
Grande!
World Tourism Day today.
As the Maldives (and Kurumba in particular where the sessions are being convened) welcomes tourism officials from around the world to host the United Nations World Travel Organisations official celebration, it is an apropos time to take a look at the shifting concentrations of tourists from around the world. Much has been written about the rise of the Chinese visit numbers, but with over a billion in population, one would expect a fair number to be drawn to the Maldivian charms. But which country has the highest proportionate draw to the Maldives?
If you look at the most recent Maldives visitor numbers by country population, Switzerland is the big fan of the Maldives with 4.03 visitors per year per 1,000 of population. The closest rival in enthusiasm density is Austria coming in at less than half that number with 1.97 per 1,000 population. Perhaps not coincidentally, both of these countries are famous for their mountainous landscape. Maybe the population craves the low altitudes of the sea-level hugging islands.
As described in the earlier look at guest numbers, the shift in enthusiasm density tracks with the overall guest trends. Namely, the rise of the East (Singapore, Kuwait and Australia the biggest risers) and the decline of the West (UK, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Denmark and Czech are the biggest droppers).