Best of the Maldives: Wade – Rihiveli Beach

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Rihiveli Beach Sunrise Island

Most Maldivian islands have even tinier islands nearby for day excursions and all have shallow waters to wade or snorkel through, but Rihiveli Beach has a nearly deserted island that is a water stroll away.

“Just 400 metres from your holiday home are Sunrise Island and Birds Island, which you can easily reach on foot. Unmarred by development, they are cloaked in verdant foliage and complemented by lovely beaches”

“We have access to Sunrise Island that you can easily reach on foot where we can have BBQ at lunch (known as ‘Picnic Island’),  the inclusive package we offer and the stunning and peaceful Lagoon we have at our disposal”

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Best of the Maldives: Seasonings – Anatara

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Nasrulla Fuddan Anantara

If you want a change from vanilla fare for your savory snacks, then you need to be gingerly cumin on down to the the Fuddan Restaurant at Anantara, the epice-ntre of allspices. Fuddan features a seasoning expert – Nasrulla (pictured above) to assist with just the right final touch to your cuisine.

The Times Online has a fun review of the seasoned expert…

“Rubbing salt into the wound…Water sommeliers are so last Thursday week. The latest thing is, drum roll, the salt sommelier. Oooh, yes. With no hint of irony, Anantara, in the Maldives, presents Nasrulla, who will guide you around 11 types, including Cyprus black lava flake, Bali coconut and lime-smoked sea salt. “We’re quite serious,” the hotel says. “Don’t take it with a pinch of salt.” Oh, please. Mindful of the dignity of Nasrulla’s calling, we don’t stoop to puns ourselves. Except in headlines.”

The Eye of Dubai has a detailed report including details of some of the salt varieties on offer (“Smoked Salish salt from Washington State (Nasrulla’s favourite) goes well with grilled food, especially red meats, while smoked salt from Bali is recommended to enhance the taste of tuna prepared with coconut and kaffir lime”)

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Best of the Maldives: House Reef – Kandolhu

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 Kandoludhoo House ReefKandolhu House Reef

One of the very first and most common questions to ask of any ‘Maldives Best Of’ selection is what is the ‘Best House Reef’.

Maldives is easily one of the world’s top dive areas up there with the Red Sea, the Great Barrier Reef, the Caribbean. But it really stands out for snorkelling. It’s topology of eroded atolls (check out Atoll Terms and Atoll Formation) provide endless shallow and protected areas for leisurely snorkelling as well as steeper reef walls for a different perspective.

The subject was raised on the premier travel review site, TripAdvisor – “Which are the Top 10 Best Resort Reefs?” – and the expert opinion for the top one is Kandoludhoo. The assessment comes from one of TripAdvisor’s top Maldive forum experts, ‘spammie’ with 1,946 posts on the Maldives to his credit. He writes…

  • “Kandoludhoo has been not been harmed in the ’98 el nino due to lucky currents. So while the other reefs have had to recover from severe coral bleaching, Kandoludhoo looks just like the Maldives used to. To my knowledge its the only actually intact reef in the Maldives. It’s generally considered the number 1 reef because of that. It’s full of huge table corals and just impressive. Also easily accessible. However, several of the other reefs are recovering nicely and are quickly catching up again.”


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Best of the Maldives: Biking – Shangri-La Villingili

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Biking

Typically, people go to the Maldives for the nano-quaintness of these minute islands outcroppings. But, if such miniature confines are a bit too claustrophobic or if you simply enjoy a good bike ride, then the best island is Gan. Gan is the largest island in the Maldives with several resorts.

In particular, Shangri-La Villingili Resort and Spa offers guided bicycle tours in the Addu atoll.

“Explore by bicycle the five neighbouring islands connected by a 17-kilometre road that is the longest in Maldives. Set out with a picnic and discover the fascinating lifestyle and culture of untouched Maldivian villages or stop at a coffee shop to chat with the locals over a meal.”

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Best of the Maldives: Hip Entertainment – Huvafen Fushi

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Charles Shillings

Sometimes resort entertainment can be the weak link in a holiday with anything from a rickety DJ deck, to a local culture dance troupe trying to get reluctant visitors to join in to a lounge singer pounding out the old stand-bys in the local accent. Huvafen Fushi has made it its charter to not just make entertainment hip, but to bring a refreshing breeze of ‘cool’ to a range of things on offer at the resort in its ‘Dream Calendar’ programme.

  • “On 15 August 2009, internationally renowned French DJ Charles Schillings returns to the Maldives’ coolest resort, Huvafen Fushi, to treat guests to a third dose of his musical magic as part of the resort’s pioneering Dream Calendar. Guests can expect to be moved by an eclectic mix of melodic beats, electro funk, soul and groove, with touches of rock and classic 70s tunes…As the latest icon in Huvafen Fushi’s Dream Calendar, Charles will present an incredible night of music, as guests sip Champagne and throw some shapes on the fine, white Maldivian sands. The Dream Calendar has brought some of the world’s finest in music, cuisine, art and wellbeing to Huvafen Fushi’s shores, offering guests a series of one-of-a-kind experiences in the Maldives.”
  • “The resort has previously hosted performances by Claude Challé and DJ Ravin, the artists behind the Buddha-bar album series, as well as José Padilla from the sun-drenched Café Del Mar albums…Also coming up as part of the Dream Calendar, Stéphane Pompougnac will touch shores and hearts in the Maldives for a second time. The music maestro behind the Hôtel Costes album series, Stéphane performed at Huvafen Fushi last year to rave reviews from guests, when he launched the Hôtel Costes XI album, and is set to return this November.”
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Best of the Maldives: Dining Experience – Shangri-La Villingili

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Shangri-La's Villingili Resort and Spa Dining

One resort that has embraced our dining on the beach top tip is the newly inaugurated Shangri-La's Villingili Resort and Spa. They are proactively offering to serve meals on the beach in a variety of idyllic and romantic places…

“The resort will also feature Dine By Design, Shangri-La is moving the dining experience outside restaurant walls to a variety of private locations around the resort. From a torch-lit dinner in the middle of a jungle to a quiet picnic on a beach, guests will enjoy meals prepared by the resort's expert culinary team.”

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Best of the Maldives: Golf – Kuredu

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Kuredu Golf Course

In a part of the world where there is not enough space in one place to land a commercial airplane, you wouldn’t expect to find an activity known for vast expanses – golf. While The Beach House has a golf simulator, Kuredu has a full fledged executive 6-hole golf course.

The website describes…

“Kuredu Golf Club is the first of its kind in the Maldives. The Golf course is located on the eastern portion of the Island, surrounded by natural forest and the noise of the ocean. There could be no where more peaceful for the game of golf.

The Golf Club boasts a full size driving range with the option of a shaded area and also hitting from the grass. A large putting green is also available to perfect the short game.

The golf course is a 6-hole Par 3 course with the average length of a hole being 55 yards. With some great characteristics on the golf course it proves to be a fun and ”sometimes” a challenging experience.

Our Head Pro, PGA qualified golf professional is available for tuition on all aspects of the game. All equipment is provided for rental free of charge from the Pro´s Shop, where all bookings can be made. Any teaching course can be set up to suit the individual or group.”

Kuredu Golf Course 2

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Best of the Maldives: Most Manly – The Beach House at Manafaru

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The Beach House at Manafaru Golf Simulator

Quien es Mas Macho of the Maldive resorts? The Beach House at Manafaru seems to think that the Maldives has a greater inherent appeal to women (go figure) and so it has decided to beef up the appeal to the macho side of the travelling party with its own ‘Gentlemen Retreat’…

“Gentlemen’s Retreat is a club house/retreat designed primarily with men in mind. Inside, you will find a 50 LCD TV, relaxing chairs, games consoles (Wii game and PS 3), a virtual golf simulator which allows you sample some of the world’s best eighteen-hole golf courses from the comfort of your Maldivian haven.”

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Best of the Maldives: Wreck Dive – Kuredu

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Skipjack II

Given the omnipresent reefs that literally define the Maldives and the shallows around them, it is no surprise that the Maldives are littered with ship wrecks for divers to explore. But the best locale has to be ‘The Shipyard’ off Kuredu in the Faadhippolhu Atoll. It has not one, but two wrecks at the site including the ‘Skipjack II’ which has sunk vertically so that its bow is sticking out about the top of the water (see above). It is located on the east side of Felivaru Kandu with a depth from 1 to 30 metres.

From Tim Godfrey’s book on diving in the Maldives ‘Dive Maldives’…

“This ship was the mother ship for the Felivaru fish factory and spent some years permanently moored to the jetty at Felivaru. In 1985, it was decided that old Japanese ship was of no further use so it was stripped of anything of value and towed out to sea where it was to be scuttled. Kuredu Island Resort tried to purchase the ship for a new dive site, but the authorities decided against it. In the end, they got their shipwreck for no charge. While it was being towed out to sea, workers began cutting holes in the ship’s hull in preparation for sinking. However, the ship caught fire and because of the danger from chemicals and the fear of an explosion, it was cut loose…The second wreck was also in use at the fish factory and was scuttled at the same location. It too was in a vertical position until 1992 when a storm caused it to settle on the sea floor.”

The Shipyard

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