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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Best of the Maldives: Sari Hire – Nika

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Nika sari hire

 

If Black Friday or your trip of a lifetime has depleted your bank account so you have to watch what you buy, then you might consider renting your outfit. Especially, if it is a very elegant piece of couture. Like its neighbour Gangehi, Nika’s main shop also offers a range of clothing complete with custom tailoring. But it also offers a range of saris for wedding hire. So you can have the most ravishing piece without the expensive or having to cram it into your suitcase.

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Best of the Maldives: Maldivian Gourmet – Kurumba

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Kurumba Maldivian rolls

Happy Thanksgiving!  A time for friends and “homecoming”. For us, Kurumba is almost like our Maldivian home. We have been there the most times and GM Jason and his wife Victoria (see below) have become lovely friends.

And like most American celebrations, today’s traditional turkey day is a time for eating. A feast of native delicacies. And Kurumba is certainly the standout out there with their cornucopian array of Maldivian gourmet dishes….

  • Indian Ocean Island Colada with screw pine, cinnamon and other spices of the area (see below)
  • Maldivian Rolls (see above)
  • Screw Pine Alaska Bomb (see bottom)
  • Maldivian salad (cabbage like vegetable)

Screw pine is literally part of the Maldives landscape, but it can also be used for food. Being a tree, it needs to be peeled and then boiled for 3 hours. Kurumba chefs use the pulp for the bombe and the juice used for cocktail.

Pilgrims in Paradise!

Kurumba - screwpine cocktail

Kurumba - Maldivian ice cream

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