The ‘Best’ keeps getting better. And I’ve had to revamp the ‘Best Of’ page a bit more to accommodate all of the accumulating resort highlights. For starters, I have split the page into two tabbed pages since there are simply so many ‘Best Ofs’ to list. I have broken the groups in ‘Activity’ and ‘Infrastructure’.
While I was making those changes and updating the page, I added a few other breakout tags. I’ve split out the following…
If Hadahaa’s table is not big enough for you, then consider Kurumba’s conference room which can accommodate 40 tables (250 people in total). The biggest conference room of any resort, it is used for all sorts of events such as weddings and other celebrations.
Liz Pangchan of Kurumba noted…
“We just had a prime minister of Indian yesterday and the President of Maldives gave the state lunch at Kurumba yesterday. Also a recent group from The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan. The VIP group was staying with us and Gala dinner was held at Kurumba.”
The facility is also popular for companies holding meetings and conferences. The very close links to the airport and other business support services make it ideal. Maldives is not a place on thinks of for work, but if you have to work, what better place?
The Maldives has all sorts of creative dining tables. We were delighted by the little sunken-under-glass zen garden design to the tables in Ocean Grill restaurant of Kurumba. Of course, there are some pretty creative places to eat, like Velassaru’s ‘sand castle’ and Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru’s ‘in-pool’ dining. And the Soneva Fushi and Soneva Gili cellar tables are especially whimsical befitting their surroundings. But the acid test of ‘oooh, I want one of those’ gets passed with flying colours by Park Hyatt Hadahaa with their elongated table in burl wood (I mentioned that I am a sucker for burl wood) which forms the centrepiece of their The Dining Room restaurant. Seriously, I am looking into having a similar one made for our house it impresses me so much. Sakis has another perspective on it here.
Kandooma has employed nature as its artist for their creative wood motif (starting with its Coconut Husk inspired reception and restaurant) for an artistic touch throughout the main area of the resort. Burl wood is a particular favourite material of mine (we have a burr wood piano, and doll cabinet) and it is used throughout the imparting a natural whimsy to the décor.
Totally gnarly, dude!
From make up brushes to paint brushes, the One & Only Reethi Rah hosts its own ‘Artist in Residence’ Christopher Hogan started this month…
Christopher has done a range of murals around the resort, especially for the Kid’s Club, as a part of his ‘Reef Series’ (see photo below).
The award for “Best Make Up” might have gone to ‘The Iron Lady’ last night, but the Best of the Maldives Award for ‘Best Make-up Table’ goes to Velassaru. All too often the ‘make up table’ is stuck away in some alcove or hallway typically between the bathroom and bedroom. Sometimes it is in the bathroom itself, but often facing the wall in order to face the mirror. Velassaru’s waterv villas positioned the make up table front and centre by one of the prominent windows in the room. Now getting ready for the day or evening is not a chore relegated some corner of the room, but a truly delightful setting. Velassaru makes becoming breathtaking a breathtaking task itself.
For moving around beyond the water’s edge, most resorts have buggies for helping to move baggage and helping guests, but can also be very useful transport for disabled and mobility challenged. Nonetheless, sometimes disabled people prefer to get around on their own devices whether it is a wheelchair, crutches, walking stick or other mode of movement. They can be independent and enjoy soaking up the surroundings as they make their way around the resort with a bit more intimacy than a buggy escort. For those seeking such a handicapped accessible resort, the Kurumba is real designed literally from the ground up to support such guests…
Kurumba even produced a Kurumba Guide for Disabled Persons to further assist guests with various mobility and other challenges which outlines its whole range of support.
I posted this suggestion to TA a while back and got the following endorsement from Trip Advisor Destination Expert nefertari2Uk…
“Agree with Bruce, Kurumba is excellent for wheelchairs as there are concrete paths all around, ramps as well large showers in some room categories where you can even take your wheelchair if necessary. Some of the rooms have small steps but the carpenters also put ramps up as well. Definitely one of the best for wheelchairs in my opinion and although not your typical Maldivian island, the service is excellent as is the food and service.”
As it happens, on my recent visit, I met a ‘wheelie’ staying at Kurumba, Mitzy Wells and got to speak to her about her experience. Mitzy uses a wheelchair since and accident a year ago and found Kurumba very accommodating. She is mobile with a walking stick, but gets tired readily especially on the hot days. She applauded not only the high number of ramps and pervasive paved pathways, but the extra efforts of Kurumba. They had a ramp at the ready for her bungalow (see photo below). They didn’t just shift it into place, but they actually nailed it in secure for the duration of her stay. She did note that the paved pathways had cambered edges which a wheelchair user needs to watch out for because getting a wheel too close to the edge can precipitate a spill. But overall she was delighted to be a Kurumba.
Nighttime arrivals aren’t the only difficult and awkward movements in the Maldives. For many disabled or mobility challenged guests, the ubiquitous sand only makes footing and moving around problematic. Not at Baros though where the resort offers the latest in beach mobility. The Daily Mail covered it in its piece “Meals by moonlight, diving with sharks and rolling on Beach Wheels in the mazy Maldives”
“My eyes also fell on another device that looked as if it had been lifted from a Nasa lunar project. Beach Wheels was an aquatic wheelchair, an Australian invention with huge tyres that allowed someone like me to glide smoothly over the sand or be dumped neatly into the sea.”
How people use the beach wheel chair?
“Disabled guests who asks for the wheel chair are provided with our Beach wheel chair. It has big air filled wheels and therefore is easy to manoeuvre on sand, even on the most soft one. One person has always to be there to push the chair.”
What people have said about it?
“People are really happy about it, as it is incredible convenient for them. We offer it also sometimes to guest, who have problems to walk or are injured – they are really impressed by this service.”
Anything surprise you about its use when you got it?
“Not really surprising but interestingly – even if it was not built for that usage – guests tell us, that they feel like being able to float in the water. It is made of very strong material like fibre glass, and therefore does not rust at all.”
When you are coming in from all over the world, you can’t always hit the web of intra-atoll transfers just right. Sometimes people arrive in the evening (well, you can’t have every flight arrive in the middle of the day) and that can create problems for transfers with sometimes people having to spend the night near the airport until transferring the following day. Conrad Maldives Rangali has enhanced its transfer offerings, though, to avoid this problem…
“We’re pleased to announce that to make evening arrivals more convenient for international travellers, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island has partnered Maldivian domestic airline Flyme! to launch night-time transfers from Male International Airport to an airport on Maamigili Island, near the resort. The new domestic flights are priced at US$466 for each adult and US$232 for each child. Guests will travel in comfort throughout the 17-minute flight and 20-minute speedboat ride to the luxurious resort. ‘The new domestic flight transfers are designed to eliminate the need for guests arriving from international flights to spend a night in Male, allowing them to arrive at the resort on the same evening,’ said Carsten Schieck, general manager, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island. Guests are welcomed upon arrival at Male International Airport and ushered to the domestic terminal where they await their transfer in comfort in a private lounge while the resort’s representatives assist with check in and luggage weighing. Guests can relax and board the aircraft at their convenience before takeoff, while still be assured of the best seats in the carrier and receive VIP in-flight service from the cabin crew. Arrival at Maamigili domestic airport is equally streamlined where guests will be greeted and have their luggage taken care of by the resort’s representatives while they are whisked away under a starry sky in the warm night air to the resort to find their villa and personal island host waiting to welcome them.”
Flyme! also has the coolest Maldives Flash animation on its homepage!
Today is UNESCO’s International Mother Language Day which seemed an appropriate occasion for a shout out to Velassaru for their language rich and diverse web site. Their 8 supported languages far surpasses any others I have come across…
Oddly, no Chinese which is the very first language that I translated my website into. With Velassaru’s extensive shallow lagoon, one would think it would be an attractive option for swimming-challenged Chinese.