Best of the Maldives: OBLU Helengeli – Female Diving

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OBLU Helengeli - women diving

Not only has the Maldives grown as a destination over the years, but the role of women at the destination continues to grow as well. OBLU Helengeli set a milestone in one of the areas most synonymous with the Maldives – diving –

  • “OBLU NATURE Helengeli by SENTIDO, a resort managed by Atmosphere Core, and its dive partner, TGI Maldives, have been recognized for their exceptional dedication to female divers. The prestigious PADI® ‘Outstanding Contribution to Female Diving’ award marks a global milestone, being the first of its kind ever presented.”
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Best of the Maldives: Tiger Shark Diving – Pelagic Dive Centre

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Diving with the Tiger Sharks at Fuvahmulah is a truly bucket list dive experience and several dive companies operate from the harbor right where the sharks visit. After my characteristic research, we chose Pelagic Divers and we weren’t disappointed. Our case for choosing them was…

  • Hamna Recommendation – I started by getting in touch with Hamna Ali who is one the subject of one of the most iconic tiger shark diving images and she recommended Pelagic as the operator who trained her.
  • Owned, Run and Fully Staffed by Maldivians – One of the charms of Fuvahmulah overall is to escape the contrived playgrounds of the resort islands and explore the world of modern day Maldives, so this all-Maldivian enterprise, with the special connection to the island and these creatures, fits the vibe completely.
  • Tiger Shark PADI Certification – Pelagic is so committed to the tiger sharks that they have developed a special Tiger Shark Diving Certification which has been recognized by PADI.

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Best of the Maldives: Farewell Blessing – Heritance Aarah

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Most luxury resorts in the Maldives provide a creative welcome and they will always have several staff at your departure to wave goodbye as you ride away. But Heritance Aarah is the first resort we have come to with a creative departure ritual. Your host performs a farewell blessing for you and your journey ahead (see video above).

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Best of the Maldives: Cylindrical Table Tennis – The Standard

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The trademark of this blog has been identifying distinctive features at Maldives resorts. Things I have never seen in my 20+ years of visiting over 120 properties there. In my online research and other world travels, I sometimes I also come across distinctive things I also haven’t seen in the Maldives. This particular item at The Standard, I have not seen in the Maldives, not come across elsewhere in the world, and in fact, didn’t even know such a thing existed. In fact, if you told me that it did exist, I still would have trouble conceiving it. But not as much trouble as I had playing it! In fact, as the video above demonstrates, it seems near impossible to play. And I’ve played a fair amount of table tennis in my time having a table in our basement growing up and in our adult home. Playing it for a little while, I think the objective of the game is not really competitive and getting the ball past your “opponent”, but rather collaborative in terms of striving to see how long a rally can continue before the crazy, three-dimensional randomness prevails.

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Best of the Maldives: Repeater Welcome – Sun Siyam Vilu Reef

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The Maldives resorts are renowned for their abundant hospitality which starts the moment you step off the boat onto the island jetty. These welcomes are often amped up a bit more for repeaters with some extra treats or gestures. I’ve seen dozens of these greetings and goodies, but none nearly as extravagant at Sun Siyam Vilu Reef ‘s.

Now this repeater welcome was a bit exceptional in its own right as it was honouring a guest, nicknamed “Mama”, who was arriving for her 41st visit! The extravaganza included:

  1. Decorated dhoni
  2. Decorated buggy
  3. Flowers
  4. Boduberu parade
  5. Staff tshirts with her name on them
  6. Villa number changed to “Home Sweet Home”
  7. Villa name changed
  8. Welcome parade
  9. Welcome sign
  10. Welcome bodberu performance

Now this might seem perhaps an anomaly for this exceptional visitor, but Lori and I also received much of this treatment ourselves and we saw many other guests receive various samplings of the above.

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Best of the Maldives: Compote – Sun Siyam Iru Veli

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Sun Siyam Iruveli - compote

Fresh fruit abounds on the Maldives breakfast buffets, but sometimes you want something a little sweeter and spreadable. There are jams and marmalades a plenty as well, but a compote is that happy medium between fruit and conserves. You can add it to your toast, pancakes, waffles, cereal, etc. My favourite is adding compote to my morning yogurt (“breakfast dessert”). And the widest selection of compotes I have come across is Sun Siyam Iru Veli whose buffet selection included:

  • Dragon Berry
  • Sweet Melon
  • Orange
  • Prunes
  • Plum
  • Passion Fruit
  • Pineapple
  • Mango
  • Kiwi
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Best of the Maldives: Summer Art Camp – Joali

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Joali - art camp

Joali is the artistic epicentre of the Maldives with its art-themed resort, and now it is training the next generation of artists who might someday grace the property with their own works:

  • “The first and only art-immersive resort in the Maldives announces its 2024 Kids Summer Camp, taking place during 1 July through 31 August 2024. Surrounded by pristine white-sand beaches, brilliant blue waters and an island-wide art collection of one-of-a-kind installations and experiential pieces, JOALI Maldives Kids Summer Camp will spark creativity and allow kids’ imaginations to soar. Bringing families and young explorers on an unforgettable journey of artistic expression and learning in a breathtaking setting, the island will be joined by world-renowned artists who will further guide, inspire and educate throughout the summer.”

A world beyond the plastic gimp bracelets and Flintstone-like clay ashtrays I made at camp!

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Best of the Maldives: Accessibility Extra – Amilla Maldives

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Amilla - accesibility

  • “Our team have undergone diversity and inclusion training to ensure we treat guests with respect, fostering an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere for all. We are progressively learning how to genuinely cater to a diverse range of needs and disabilities.”

Amilla Maldives is a veritable catalogue of the ideal accessibility for a tropical resort. I’ve already highlighted a number of prominent accessibility initiatives and features at Amilla, but I’ve decided to add this post to cover all of the smaller (but just as helpful) touches that they just keep adding:

  • Transfer Boards – For assisting mobility impaired individuals from transferring from chairs to beds, treatment tables, etc.
  • Hidden Disability -Training for managing disabilities that are not readily apparent.
  • Autism – Can accommodate sensitivities to light and sound, as well as manage the visit to hep with unforeseen triggers.
  • Hearing Impairment – Portable hearing loop. Flashing lights on fire and emergency alarms and can organise a member of staff to fetch you from your villa during an emergency if requested in advance.
  • Dysphagia – Expertise in tailoring menus for those with swallowing difficulties.
  • Visual Impairment – Digital menus with clear and bright displays with enlargeable text.
  • Evac Chair – To facilitate evacuation from villa or island.
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