Best of the Maldives: Wellness Cocktails – Amilla

Amilla - wellness cocktails 1

We’ve long joked in our family about the “medicinal” benefits of various alcoholic beverages, but Amilla Maldives has seriously concocted a range of “wellness cocktails” that let people enjoy drinking well. The example above is their “Orange Sky” (Hendricks gin, fresh orange, orange shrub, honey, lime, and egg white):

  • We integrate wellness into all of our menus while ensuring the flavour and fun remains. Many of our cocktails are made using Homemade@Amilla ingredients including our range of kombucha and other probiotic drinks, bitter, infused spirits and shrubs (drinking vinegars).”

Here’s to your health!

Amilla - wellness cocktails 2

Best of the Maldives: Medical Therapy – Velaa

Velaa - medical consultation

Many wellness products and spa “treatments” are couched in all sorts of medical lingo to make them sound more clinical, but Velaa is taking “wellness” quite seriously with a licensed medical doctor offering consultations for things such as:

  • Blood testing (Samsung Labgeo, HC10, PT10)
  • IV therapy
  • Food intolerance profile
  • Osteopathy
  • Blood Pressure
  • In Body Composition

Best of the Maldives: Bioresonance Assessment – Joali Being

While guests might come to the Maldives to check out the bioluminescence of the plankton in the Maldivian waters, they acan also check out their own bioresonance at Joali Being. The “Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby” episode about the Maldives hopped over to Joali’s latest property to see the latest tech for diagnosis and informing wellbeing. The host Monica Galetti visits its Areka Wellbeing Center to try out its “bio-resonance device which reads the energy produced by the living cells in her body.”

Best of the Maldives: Operations Documentary–Joali / Joali Being

World Tourism Day today! And one of the best portrayals of the world of Maldivian tourism is BBC’s “Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby” series (available on iPlayer in the UK for another year) hosted by Joali and Joali Being resorts. Yes, the show does have much of the contrived, shilling lifestyle porn vibe to it. But what makes it distinctive is its “peek behind the scenes”. And while the “work” that the two bubbly hosts roll their sleeves up to do is also a bit contrived (Monica Galetti less so then tv personality Rob Rinder because Monica is an actual chef), it is still a lovely portrayal of the efforts made by the staff to keep the property running smoothly. And I must say that the tour of Joali’s staff area was most impressive and surely one of the finest areas in the Maldives. Stay tuned for some added posts about a few distinctive aspect’s of Joali’s operations revealed by the show.

Best of the Maldives: Hologram Experience – Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru

Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru - hologram experience

To enjoy the underwater experience without getting your hair wet, Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru offers land-lubbers a 3D-VR way to experience the aquatic wonderland around them:

  • The Maldives’ first Hologram Room, recently opened at Four Seasons Resort Landaa Giraavaru, offers a magical “underwater” manta experience for the whole family, where no one gets wet. Unique hologram programs, based on real manta rays seen in the surrounding waters of the Baa Atoll UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, offer an extraordinary opportunity to virtually “swim” with manta rays, as well as other creatures such as the humpback whale, seahorse and mimic octopus. Two daily sessions of 30 to 45 minutes are hosted at the Resort’s on-site Marine Discovery Centre, offering guests of all ages colourful interactive opportunities to explore a life-size underwater wonderland.”

Best of the Maldives: Diving AI – Sun Siyam Iru Veli

Sun Siyam Iru Veli - diving

All-inclusive is becoming very de rigeur in the Maldives these days. But not the “AI” with cheap, constrain your budget, drink off-brand booze to your heart’s content stereotype, but “luxury AI” where the quality of the property and the “inclusions” are high. And in the luxury destination of the Maldives, the 5-star properties are regularly including everything under the sunshine to make the package even more appealing. Sun Siyam Iru Veli has gone beyond just “everything under the sun” to include under the water too with 3 dives included in its AI offering:

  • Within the premium all-inclusive package offered by Sun Siyam Iru Veli, up to three dives per person per week are included for certified divers as an alternative to spa credit. Guests must present a valid diving license and medical record if applicable. Boat charges and equipment hire fees do apply.”

Creative Faces of the Maldives

Vogue Maldivians 2

Maldives National Day is an apropos time to showcase more prominent Maldive nationals. Actually, Vogue Middle East recently published a great piece, “Faces of the Maldives”, an array of creative locals and talking about their aspirations and opportunities in 21st century Maldives:

  • Shaziya Saeed, diving instructor & eco-warrior
  • Mohamed Shiuz, musician
  • Aishath Naj, photographer
  • Aishath Shamla, fashion designer
  • Ahmed Fatheen, chef
  • Ahmed Riyaz and Mohamed Fayaz, entrepreneurs
  • · Iru Zareer, marine conservationist

Vogue Maldivians

Vogue Maldives women

Best of the Maldives: Largest Underwater Restaurant – Ailafushi/Lobigili

While I’ve already highlighted Aiafushi/Lobigili’s underwater treasure hunt at their underwater restaurant, Only Blu, our recent visit allowed us to see all of its spaciousness which also makes it the largest underwater restaurant in the Maldives. And with lots of restaurant real estate come lots of windows to see the vibrant aquatic life. Especially with every panoramic portal packed with fish frolicking corals. The most vibrant fish life of any underwater restaurant we have been to. Probably because (a) there is limited coral elsewhere in the area, and (b) they were drawn by the light of the diners.

Best of the Maldives: Massage View – Sun Siyam Iru Veli

Iruveli - massage view

Sun Siyam Iru Veli isn’t the first spa treatment with a view, but it is the one of the best I have come across. Both the glass floor portal and the head rest are open enough for easily opening your eyes and gazing at the aquatic life passing by. And the ocean underneath has several fish-attracting coral croppings to maximise the visual interest. [NOTE: I titled this post “Clear View” to distinguish it from another fine spa view at Coco Bodu Hithi, but which it obstructed a bit by the design on the glass and the flower arrangement on top]

A treatment room with a view.