Best of the Maldives: Astro-Turf Badminton Court– Velaa

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Velaa - astro-turf badminton court

The Olympics give the lower profile sports their moment in the global, primetime spotlight. Sports like badminton, typically relegated to the sports center or back yard set up. But Velaa resort provides a pro-quality badminton outdoor venue. Most outdoor courts are on hard sand or asphalt. Their court has top of the line astro-turf which provides great foot grip, a softer surface which is easier on the joints, and a cooler surface in the tropical sun. But to get the ‘grass’ just the right height, the court is sprinkled with soft sand imported from Europe. And the court is properly measured and lined for singles or doubles matches. Olympic-standard badminton for fun-in-the-sun volleying.

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Best of the Maldives: Fruity Gazpacho – Shangri-La Villingili

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Shangri-La Villingili - fruity gazpacho

Watermelon Day! (honest)

One of our favourite fruits in the Maldives. The stuff you get in England is just so flavourless compared to what they serve at the resorts. It is one of those items that we probably eat close to every day during our visits (along with pina coladas). We have it in nicely cut chunks, we have it as a juice. But Shangri-La Villingili was the first time we had it as a soup (presented above by Food and Beverage Director Mohammed Asiz). Great combo – one of our favourite fruits with one of our favourite dishes, gazpacho.

Thi “Javvu Summer Gazpacho” is made with Roma tomato, watermelon, pickled jalapenos and green grapes. They also feature a delectable “Chilled Honey Melon Gazpacho” at their Fashala restaurant (organic honey melon, garden mint granite, parma ham, garlic with very subtle almost silky texture).

 

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Best of the Maldives: Local Island Bridge – Canareef

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Canareef - local island bridge

How do you make a single island into two (not like they need more numbers with 1,900 in the country)? With a canal.

To make it a segregated resort island (since “resort islands” can do things like serve alcohol which “inhabited islands” are prohibited from doing), the original Herathera resort dug a channel to separate the inhabited side of its incredibly long island from the uninhabited side which was being developed in a resort.

Now connected by a handy footbridge (see above), a large portion of the Canareef staff reside on the inhabited staff and walk to work each day. It also provides a the most handy visit to a “local island” as you can simply walk over to visit instead of devoting a whole excursion trip which most resorts offer (the bridge has a security guard to make sure only authorised staff and guest come onto the resort island).

Siamese twin island joined at the bridge.

Canareef - canal

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Best of the Maldives: Singles – Club Med Kani

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Club Med Kani - staff

In my top ten FAQs is ‘what best resort for singles?’ These visitors are not looking for some sort of groovy ‘hook up’ resort. Rather, they simply just don’t want to feel all self-conscious being a singleton in the land of dewy-eyed honeymooners and other romantic holidayers. More catering for this segment was listed in one of my first “Haven’t Seen Yet” pieces. This segment is significant and growing. People get married later, relationships last fewer years, and older people lose their partners through passing. These guests just would like to (a) not be jonny-no-mates, and (b) not pay big premiums for being alone.

As it happens, while touring Club Med Finolhu Villas, we stopped a probably the best resort I have come across is Club Med Kani. Despite their special offerings for families and honeymooners, they also cater to singles specifically. They just cater to everyone! Here are some of the things they have put in place…

  • Diversity – There is so much diversity in Kani’s clientele, no one would feel out of place. There are couples on honeymoon. There are families. There are groups of friends. There are groups of families. And yes, there are singles.
  • Staff – Club Med is renowned for its hyper-friendly ethos and ambience. The staff all bubble over with amiability. The resort has a practice where all staff eat with the guests (only if the guests would like the company of course) which of course would suit a single person superbly. And as it happens, many of the staff a single themselves.
  • Atmosphere – The Club Med Kani atmosphere is simply very friendly, social and inclusive as I described in my Best of the Maldives post “Making Friends”.
  • Numbers – With nearly 500 rooms, Kani is one of the biggest resorts in the Maldives. That means there are so many people that even a small percentage of any group becomes a reasonable number. Yes, relatively few singles visit the Maldives. But at Kani you mathematically have a better chance of meeting more of them.
  • Catering – The resort actually caters to single guests. It offers a reasonable single supplement rate on its villas. When there is enough singles in residence, it organises special activities just for them such as cocktail parties and special singles-only snorkelling outings.

Literally, come ‘one’ and all…

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Best of the Maldives: Eco-Welcome – Club Med Finolhu

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Club Med Finolhu - solar panels 1

Welcome to the future!

Maldives has been introducing a range of eco-sustainable initiatives, but Club Med Finolhu Villas actually introduces you to their resort with an imposing eco-investment – a solar panel jetty.

In a part of the world with so little real estate but so much sunshine, the pressing question is ‘where do you find the space to put solar cells.’ Well, resorts face the same question for their villas and the answer has been, something the Maldives has plenty of, over the water. So their welcome jetty and their water villa jetties are rooved with large solar arrays. It’s not only eco-friendly, but it’s a great way to provide a shaded walkway (no more burning your toes on hot timber) and has a stylish design flair to boot.

The resort describes the initiatives as…

“First ever 100 percent solar-powered high-end resort, developed by Global Pvt Ltd. Nearly 6,500 square meters of the resort, which will be operated by Club Med, feature solar panels capable of producing up to 1100 Kilowatts at power peak when the island really only needs around 600 Kilowatts at peak load.”

One of the things that I have decided to add to the Resort Profiles after this tour is a picture of the “Welcome Jetty”. It is a feature that does vary dramatically from resort to resort. I don’t think that prospective guests will choose their resort on it, but I think it is one of those details that provides a glimpse into the style and character of the property. Club Med Finolhu Villas certainly stands out in this regard with a greeting of style and innovation.

Club Med Finolhu - solar panels 2

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Best of the Maldives: Hydrotherapy Pool – Cocoa Island

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Cocoa Island - Hydrotherapy Pool 1

In the land of endless water spectacles, Cocoa Island’s hydrotherapy pool might just be the biggest indoor water feature in the Maldives. It certainly is the biggest hydrotherapy pool in the country, and in fact it claims to be the biggest in Asia. It’s the biggest I have seen and I am a connoisseur of spas around the world. Even Lori was impressed as she uses hydrotherapy pools professionally as a part of her therapy practice. It includes bubble loungers, drench fountain, back massager and a whole array of relaxing water jets. It is available to all guests on a complimentary basis and fresh ginger tea is on tap non-stop.

Cocoa Island - Hydrotherapy Pool 2

Cocoa Island - Hydrotherapy Pool 4

Cocoa Island - Hydrotherapy Pool 3

Cocoa Island - Hydrotherapy Pool 7

Cocoa Island - Hydrotherapy Pool 6

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Best of the Maldives: iMac – Athuruga / Thudufushi

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Athuruga - Thudufushi - iMac

Just when you thought iPads were the peak of villa technology, Athuruga and Thudufushi go one step further with your room’s very own 17 inch iMac. Impressive in its own right, but an absolutely godsend on our tour as I had hit major PC problems with my own machine. So we were a bit backed up in downloading our camera and GoPro as well as getting down some notes and just general email and social media catch up. The big bright screen was great to sit and watch our undersea videos and select some prime clips to share with Friends on Facebook. Sometimes you just want to escape from all of the techno-clutter of the modern world…but sometimes it is the most welcome relief as a tool to help you relax and get the most out of your holiday.

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Best of the Maldives: Buffet Restaurant – Safari Island

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Safari Island - main over water restaurant

Most resorts offer a “main restaurant”, which is a large buffet stuck somewhere inside the island as the default option for board packages, and a range of “a la carte” eateries, which are usually a bit more distinctive in menu and location like being over the water. Safari Island puts its main restaurant in the prime location on the resort with a striking design and ambience to match (see above).

The structure is sort of reminiscent of Baros’ “Lighthouse” restaurant, only on a grander scale and Lighthouse is a la carte. It is completely open all around (well, there are storm blinds they put down when it gets too windy). One of my pet peeves with main restaurants is that they often have no view. Even when the ocean is just a few feet away, they never seem to clear the foliage so people can actually enjoy the view. But Safari Island is right over the water.

And you can top and tail your evening with an antipasto aperitif and/or post-prandial potation at their Sundown Bar (See below). We sat on its deck watching only the reef sharks circling in the lagoon shallows below, but a larger shark which we thought was a nurse shark. It turns out it was a lemon shark. So the perfect place for a cocktail with a twist (an turn) of lemon!

Safari Island - tented over water bar

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Best of the Maldives: Over Water Bathrooms – Kandolhu

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Kandolhu - over water villa bathroom

Kandolhu puts the water in the “water closet”.

During the past couple of decades that we have been visiting the Maldives, the tubs have gotten larger and the showers more decadent. The bathrooms have emerged from being tucked away to standing out with al fresco opulence.  These days villa bathrooms have become almost mini private spas with their lavish design, bountiful space, and luxury fittings. Kandolhu resort exemplifies this trend with their over water villas whose bathrooms exemplify the flair of the resort’s contemporary design with its soaring airy motif, clean lines and crisp styling.

Kandolhu - over water villa bathroom 2

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