Best of the Maldives: Spice Tasting – Milaidhoo

Milaidhoo - spice season

Looking to spice up your holiday? Milaidhoo is turning the season of Pumpkin Spice Latte and Spiced Mulled Wine into a daily spice treat featuring all sorts of inspirations from the Maldives’ heritage as a hub in the ancient spice route. The spicey line-up includes spiced mince pies, cultural show with live spice market, spice themed shawarma station, and spiced body wraps:

  • · “The inspiration for this year’s festive season theme refers to over 5,000 years ago when the Maldives became a key port of call for traders sailing from Indonesia and India to Arabia with cargoes of cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, cloves, ginger and pepper. The Maldivians bartered coconuts, sun-dried fish, cordage, cowrie shells and sails woven from coconut fibre for spice, rice, ceramics and silks. Locally made cargo boats, called Ba’theli in the local language, sailed throughout the archipelago with these goods, spreading knowledge about different lands, their customs and cuisine…This festive season Milaidhoo guests will be taken on a sensory experience filled with engaging activities, from getting a taste of the authentic Maldivian culture and experiences to trying out new spiced dishes, learning the craft cocktails through a cocktail masterclass session to experiencing the live stations preparing seasonings and curry powders adapted for any individual’s own tastes. Some of the highlights of this year’s festive season programme include an Arabic souk-themed dining experience featuring fragrant scents, sounds and colours, experiencing the history of the spices, wellness experiences centred around self-care, including herbal and natural products to promote healing, a most exciting “Milaidhoo Mystery Spice Challenge” event and blind tasting Spice and Wine sessions. Additionally, there will be various dining highlights at Ba’theli restaurant, the only restaurant in the world set on a boat in a lagoon featuring gourmet dishes of inspired island cuisine from the Maldivian Spice Route.”

Seasoning of the Holiday Season!

Best of the Maldives: Mashuni Station – Emerald

Emerald - mashuni

Stations are the best of both world of buffets and a la carte – the easy and prompt access of buffets with a chance to visually see your food options, combined with the personalisation and reduced food waste of a la carte. And if there is one Maldivian favourite that is very personal to us it is the breakfast delicacy of mashuni. Lori has it nearly every day when we visit. If it’s not on the buffet or menu, she asks the chef if he can make (which he usually can). And she likes it with just the right amount of chili and coconut. So Emerald’s mashuni station was ideal for her.

She said it was the “best Mashuni ever”. Possibly echoing my standard reply to the most frequently asked question I get of “What is the best resort?” I always say, “The is no ‘best resort’…just the best resort for you.” So maybe there is no “best mashuni”, but there is the “best mashuni for you” at Emerald.

Best of the Maldives: Personalized Buggy Welcome – Amilla

Amilla - buggy

One of the motivations for pouring myself into Maldives Complete is that when we do visit, we feel more like members of the community than just passing visitors. Another special touch by Amilla Maldives to make all guests feel that way the moment they step onto the island are their personalised “license plates” on the buggies to their rooms. This extra personal gesture has inspired me to add a new tag for “Customisation”.

Best of the Maldives: Spa Oasis – OBLU Helengeli

OBLU Helengeli - spa oasis 1

The de rigeur location for luxury spas are over the ocean, but OBLU by Atmosphere at Helengeli shows how distinctive you can make your spa setting over a different kind of water. They have developed a little spa oasis with rich greenery and seating cabanas set around a tranquil lily pond. One of the best renditions of the Zen garden concept of Seijaku (静寂) – a tranquility or an energized calm, stillness, solitude.

OBLU Helengeli - spa oasis 2

Best of the Maldives: Vilebrequin Swimsuits – Ritz-Carlton Maldives

Ritz-Carlton Maldives - Vilebrequin swimsuit

Black Friday is the starting pistol for the Christmas shopping season. A few Christmas’s ago, I asked Santa for a Vilebrequin swimsuit which were the smartest suits I had come across. Since the fashion line was among my Haven’t Seen collection, Santa’s little helper had to find one at their London boutique (see me modelling my turtle motif suit below). But now Ritz Carlton Maldives is featuring the Vilebrequin line at its resort boutique. So if you are puttin’ on the Ritz Maldives for Christmas and are behind in your shopping just put on some Vilebrequin.

Riz Carlton - Villebrequin

Best of the Maldives: Outdoor Toilet – Cora Cora

Cora Cora - outdoor toilet

World Toilet Day today. How far we have come with indoor pluming that the notion of have an outdoor toilet seems to be the quintessence of backwardness and impoverished living. And yet, Cora Cora’s outdoor toilet is distinctly luxury. For starters, it provides the most thoroughly vented toilet in all of the Maldives. Many luxury properties have moved their water closets to the villa rear exterior. And many do have toilets sitting in the overall bathroom area either in the open or partly enclosed by some glass blind. But Cora Cora’s does provide the al fresco morning constitutional experience with a bit more privacy with its own segregated area.