I love a creative sink. I have been featuring them for a while here, and we designed our own ‘cantilever’ marble waterfall sink in our previous house. Soneva Jani provides not just another addition to my wash basin compendium, but three distinctively designed ones. A converted literal basin, a subtle carved wooden plank, and a glass bowl (which we also had in our master bedroom at home).
Maldives is the ultimate immersion in paradise. Immersed in sunshine. Immersed in the aquatic wonderland. Immersed in Maldivian hospitality and attentive service. The Patina add yet another immersion for its guests: art.
The gentle lapping of water ripples on the soft coral sand dominates the typical soundscape of the Maldivian seaside. Resort water villas are typically set in protected, tranquil lagoons so people can easily swim and snorkel straight from their deck and the so main sound you hear is the water sloshing around the support pylons below. But some islands are a bit more exposed to the larger swells of the open ocean produce more substantial waves. The move substantial crests not only create some of the world’s best surfing, but also can provide the more dramatic wave crashing commonplace around other coasts.
But Ailafushi water villas are situated in more open water though protected by a rocky breakwater a short distance out. As a result, a breezy day will produce a regular percussion of waves crashing just a stone’s throw from your deck. While the aquatic activity is reduced, the acoustic activity is enhanced. Lori and I love seaside rooms where you can lie in your bed and hear the sound of waves crashing below. We dozed at night on the loungers just listening to it, but you could hear it clearly inside the villa as well.
Perhaps the most Maldivian of all the Maldivian jobs I’ve profiled, Joali’s Hussain takes BBC’s “Amazing Hotels” host Rob Rinder for an underwater apprenticeship in keeping the iconic water villas in tip top shape (note: video does not play in UK due to geoblocking).
We might not all live in a yellow submarine, but we can go on a cruise in one at Fushifaru:
Everything old is new again. Part of the adventure in visiting exotic destinations is not just the unique locations, but also the culture and heritage those locations have nurtured. People can always take the excursions to the neighbouring local islands, but with every year that passes, these places look more and more like every other country in the world with the same global brands, technology and fashions. To take people back in time to a simpler way of living that the simple geography evokes, a number of resorts feature some heritage displays or even entire residences, but Conrad Rangali has introduced an entire cultural village complete with local actors to demonstrate traditional crafts:
The Christmas holidays are a time for being with family and friends, but also for giving a thought to those who cannot be with their loved ones. Either loss, hardship, service or some other obstacle keeps them alone at the festive time of year. While you are considering what Christmas specials, traditional films or football matches to watch, consider the “Lonely Men of the Coral Command” documentary on YouTube. It is a 36-minute portrayal of the gilded cage posting of the very first Western visitors to the tropical paradise of the Maldives – the British RAF:
Referenced by “Gatecrashing Paradise”, this 1970 documentary, with the wonderfully charming retro-British writing and speaking style, features lots of vintage footage of the earliest years of the Maldives. But at its heart, it is an examination of the loneliness of men stationed there. Isolation not just far from home but the prevailing country attitude of not wanting foreigners into the country so they were prohibited from leaving their island. And the radio operators are on yet another neighbouring island which is even more isolated. Servicemen at Gan can post here for a single year versus the conventional tour of 3 years “accompanied” by family somewhere else. The much shorter duration owing to the proportional hardship of the confined sequestration. The film also introduced the bizarre situation of the single woman posted there for a range of counselling and support duties.
May your holidays be filled with warmth and companionship!
We’ve had a number of excursions to sandbanks, and as exotic and romantic as they are – plots of sand in the middle of the ocean – the lack of any infrastructure is a bit of a detraction. Sun shelter, toilet facilities, comfortable seating are just some of the things missing which can detract from an extended stay.
Alila Kothaifaru’s sand bank escape comes with its very own escape room – “The Shack”. Not one that you have to solve puzzles to get out of, but one you can enjoy creature comforts. They even have power generated from their roof solar panels.
Chef’s gardens have become fairly commonplace at Maldives resorts, but how many properties have “garden islands” of their very own? Not just one but two islands. Serving the chefs at the two nearby (within in sight) sister resort islands Sun Siyam Iru Veli and Sun Siyam Vilu Reef. The expansive scale means that Sun Siyam not only can reduce the carbon footprint of even more of their ingredients, but they can cultivate a wider range and larger quantity of food for the kitchens than the typical herb collection in chef’s gardens.
Some people ask why people want pools in the Maldives when there is some much delightful water surrounding the entire property. One advantage is that a pool provides a swimming area more protected from currents. Well, Ailafushi’s island is sculpted with a channel dissecting it with a circular “pool” right in the centre. It not only offers a natural bathing spot for the aquatically minded, but also an alluring water feature for the landlubbers. More and more new islands have been built with terrforming, but this shows that you can craft the water-scape as well.
