Best of the Maldives: Gingerbread Houses – SAii Lagoon

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SAii Lagoon - gingerbread 2

“The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads…”

Guests at SAii Lagoon didn’t have to wait until Christmas Eve for such sweet dreams as their seasonal festivities started with the arrival of two gingerbread houses as big and colourful as the resort itself.

Also, in the run up to the holiday, the kids club also a complimentary Santa’s workshop in making gingerbread houses where the guests’ little elves could make their own tasty villa confections.

To Maldives lovers everywhere, “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!”

SAii Lagoon - gingerbread 1

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Best of the Maldives: Room Decorating Instagram – Kuramathi

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Kuramathi - Waheed Saamid room decorator 2

Kuramathi’s Waheed Saamid pentathlete of a room decorator. He not only pioneered a medium I’ve not seen in my decades of visits, he’s mastered all of its fundamental disciplines:

  1. Petals
  2. Wording (both cut and formed)
  3. Towel sculpture
  4. Bubble Bath
  5. Path/Floor messages (pioneer)

I caught up with him and he shared a bit about his background:

  • “I have started room decorations as I began my career as a villa Attendant. Since then I have learned and improving my skills. I’m a self taught decorative. During this journey of a villa Attendant, I have met many creative colleagues in room decorating. I get ideas from my friends and through the internet. Mostly I love doing different types of leaf decorations. Room decoration is an important element of Housekeeping service, to demonstrate my skills and give our guests a little gesture of that we care them.”

His Instagram feed is the most diverse collection of works and I highly recommend following him for your own daily dose of decorating.

Kuramathi - Waheed Saamid room decorator 1

Kuramathi - Waheed Saamid room decorator 3

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Best of the Maldives: Path Greetings – Kuramathi

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Kuramathi - path greetings 1

All of the world has its eye on the “path to the White House” this week, but Waheed Saamid, room decorator extraordinaire is focused on the path to your villa. I thought that I had seen all the variations on custom room decorating – towels, flowers, bed, coral pieces, bath. When I came across his Instagram feed, I saw sterling examples of all of those. But I was also struck by his innovating thinking outside the box of the villa itself with his walkway decoration made of artistically sprinkled sand.

Kuramathi - path greetings 3

Kuramathi - path greetings 2

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Best of the Maldives: Wood Ends – Soneva Fushi

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Soneva Fushi - wodd ends 2

Soneva Fushi has pioneered the design style of Swiss Family Robinson chic in the Maldives, but perhaps the acme of this arboreal aesthetic is its Villa 37. While the rough trunks are standard elements throughout Soneva, Villa 37 take the timber to a new dimension with a tapestry of cross sections forming the ceiling and various highlights.

Soneva Fushi - wood ends 3

Soneva Fushi - wood ends 1

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Best of the Maldives: Art Map – Joali

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Joali - art map

For many maps are quite practical items, but I’ve always been captivated by their aesthetics. Capturing a sliver of the world in a useful snapshot from a birds eye view. No surprise that the art immersion resort of Joali even turned their creative eye to a map of their art collection. How apropos that the map of art installations be a work of art itself.

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Best of the Maldives: Local Jewellery – Kuredu

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Kuredu - jewellery 2

If you are looking for a pink accessory for October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month), then one of the most enchanting examples of Maldives themes jewellery I come across is Kuredu’s collection of Oevaali. The manta above swirls as gracefully as its aquatic inspiration. Oevaali are a local Maldivian artist studio who do painting as well (see bottom).

Kuredu - jewellery 1

Kuredu - art 1

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Best of the Maldives: Groyne Pool – Four Seasons Kuda Huraa

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Traditionally, groynes (artificial promontories built to inhibit erosion by disrupting the currents which wash away the island) have been quite crude functional affairs, but in recent years resorts have been turning eye sores to sights for sore eyes with an array of décor and uses. Four Seasons Kuda Huraa’s pool featured in Instagrammer Miss Angie Villa’s post is so similar to one in design, that I think it sets the blueprint for someone converting a proper groyne into this design.

Four Seasons Kudaa Huraa - groyne pool

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