Best of the Maldives: Walking / Running Path – Kurumba

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Kurumba - running pathway

Olympic Day today. And a particularly timely one with Rio 2016 just around the corner. Elite athletes around world (well, the clean ones at least) will be in the final stages of preparing for their lifetime’s pursuit. A few of my friends in the rowing world will be making the trip to Brazil with Team GB.

If you fancy a bit of chill before the thrill (or you are consoling yourself for missing out on selection), then you can still carry on your roadwork training in the Maldives…at Kurumba. The resort features a handy little running track effectives. A paved pathway circumnavigating the island.

Running on the beach can provide a more exhausting workout, but the unsteady surface can result in a losing your footing and maybe even twisting your ankle (not something you want to either right before your Olympic event or even just on holiday). Many paths in the Maldives crisscross the islands, but Kurumba’s is a handy loop which allows for a convenient circuit just over a kilometre (see above). Some parts pass under nicely shading palms trees and other parts run fairly close to the ocean’s edge for an inspiring seaside vista.

Every time we have visited the resort, we have seen a guest jogging on it. In fact, GM Jason Kruse shared his own run (see above).

Gold medal to Kurumba.

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Best of the Maldives: Dive Yoga – Constance Halaveli

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Halaveli - dive yoga

Yoga enhances the whole person – mind and spirit. But some poses can be particularly effective at helping certain parts of the body. Each week, our yoga teacher asks us what is hurting and what we want to focus on. Sometimes a tender back will call for a few extra twists and Child Poses. She worked on our hips and arms to get us ready for the golf course in the spring.

One of the most apropos yoga specialisations have been offered by Constance Halaveli – dive yoga. Diving is about body control. Slow and deliberate movements are the focus for both yoga and diving.

But perhaps most of all is the breathing. Yoga turns this autonomic routine in a mindful practice. A scuba diving is all about the breathing. Breath control not only regulates how long you get to stay under water (making your oxygen last longer), but it actually controls your movement in the water. Take a deep breath filling your lungs with air and your increasingly buoyant body will slowly rise. Exhale, and your body will sink again.

The resort describes the programme…

“TGI Diving , DBI, Constance Halaveli Resort and Spa & Katy Appleton team up to offer you an unique adventure to the magical Maldives. Many people would say that the Maldives offers the best diving on the planet, so we are taking apple yoga to the North Ari Atoll for a remarkable combination of underwater discovery and yoga designed especially for diving. We have designed packages to suit all levels of ability and experience – for both diving and yoga. You will be able to join us for just one session or the entire week, it’s up to you! You will experience all that the Constance Halaveli Island has to offer while enjoying daily yoga practices and sublime diving in this piece of paradise.”

For a slightly less aesthetic portrayal of what the dive+yoga combo might be like and a bit of cheeky chakra, Dive Plus on Maafushi posted this pic of their own offering…

Maafushi - dive yoga

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Best of the Maldives: Golf Analysis – Velaa

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Velaa - golf analysis 2

Golf seasons kicks off with the US Open this week. Lori and I have gotten our clubs out this week and I shot my best ever round. If I want to improve further, it seems like the modern game has become as much science as any art or athleticism. Weight training, nutritionists, sports psychologists. And an entire armamentarium of gadgets to dissect every nuance.

No surprises that the titan of the tees in the Maldives, Velaa resort, has some of the most space age technology available to help with your game. Among their tools is a Science and Motion (SAM) Putt Lab, but the centrepiece is their Flight Scope Doppler Radar. A $50,000 piece of kit. Velaa Golf Pro Frank Murray took me through a few pointers on my swing during my Velaa visit see below) so hats off to him and his armoury or arm analysis for whatever contribution he made to my progress.

Velaa - golfd analysis

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Best of the Maldives: Lobster Bisque – One & Only Reethi Rah

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One and Only Reethi Rah lobster bisque

For “Best of the Maldives”, I try to focus on unique offerings and features. The easiest way to be the best is to be the only. If I haven’t seen it after visiting 60+ resorts and 20 years of research, then chances are it is pretty unique.

It is harder to (and I am more hesitant to) do “Best” pieces for more commonplace things. It might stand out in my eyes, but not having methodically sampled every version in the Maldives, who am I to say it’s the “Best”. Partly, that’s why I chose a blog format for this material. It allows readers to Comment do if I have missed out something, they can set me straight.

Also there are areas where I have quite a bit of experience (eg. house reef snorkelling, pina colada tasting) and others where my expertise is more limited (eg. wines, décor). Today’s post is both a nod to Lobster Day and an intersection of the (a) popular, with (b) expertise – lobster bisque.

Lobster is the stereotypical luxury seafood. And its prevalence in the Laccadive Sea makes it a popular dish at the exquisite Maldives restaurants. One of its most classic preparations is Lobster Bisque. Now this is a specialty of mine. I will *always* order the lobster bisque if it is available. I will seek it out and make a special trip to restaurants who offer well reviewed versions of it. I’ve sampled bisque all over the world and across most of London’s finest establishments. And I’m not the biggest chef, but one dish I have taught myself to prepare is a proper lobster bisque.

So despite this dish being quite prevalent in the Maldives resorts, I felt quite comfortable calling out One & Only Reethi Rah’s version. Reethi’s is so close to bisque perfection that while there might be others out there in the Maldives just as good (I haven’t had them yet), at best they could be is as good as Reethi.

The best bisque I’ve had since Wolesley Hotel in London (who sadly has since removed it from their menu). I should also clarify that I am a devotee of the coulis school of bisque. Thin and hot enough with just the right touch of cognac to ignite the stewed flavors of subtle herbs and lobster broth. The creamy (Normandy) style is fine, but simply not as elegant or flavourful as the traditional style.

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Best of the Maldives: Highest Wine Cellar – Velaa

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Velaa - tower wine cellar

When is a wine cellar not a wine cellar? When it is on the roof. Well, at least up in the air.

When you think vast wine collections, you think of descending into a dusky basement. But the “wine cellar” is a bit of a throw-back to times before climate control. When under ground was the most naturally moderate and constant temperature one could find. But with today’s modern air cooling and UV filtering glass, you can put your prized vintages about anywhere.

I was first struck by Coco Bodu Hithi who put their wine collection unconventionally *above* their restaurant. It meant they could hold wine tastings with gorgeous ocean views instead of sequestered in some hovel.

But Velaa went even further above that with their “cellar” propped up above the tree in their signature Tavaru Tower.

“A thorough delight for wine enthusiasts, the ivory-white Tavaru Tower hosts Velaa’s extensive wine cellar. More than five hundred bins, the largest on Maldives, span the spectrum from boutique wineries to grand marques. Offering guests a rare opportunity to discover gems such as the 1956 Domaine de la Romanée Conti “Romanée Conti”, rare vintage Salon Champagne, and a centuries old fortified 1870 Blandy’s “Verdelho Solera”, this exquisite list has unearthed treasures from across the globe.”

 Velaa - tower wine cellar 2

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Best of the Maldives: Palm Wine – Soneva Fushi

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Soneva Fushi - palm wine harvesting

Soneva Fushi’s “let it grow” libations are its homemade palm wine. The photo above shows the vine-strapped ladder steps attached to a palm tree where a Maldivian climbs to access tap the sap (let it flow) from the palm flower. The entire process is done in traditional dress and with traditional techniques and then fermented on the resort.

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Best of the Maldives: Glow – W Retreat

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W Retreat - glow drinks

The Maldives radiates so much beauty…on land or sea, over water or beneath, as well as daytime or night. Most people first think about the sun drenched scenery, but the visual spectacles don’t stop with the fiery sunsets. The night time turns on its own display of lustrous luminescence. The Milky Way pageant of celestial sequins sashay across the sky. And the occasional bioluminescent displays bestow the Maldivian shorelines their own shimmering necklace.

The W Retreat is resort for night time radiance. Their recent “Resident Luminous Artist” Tom Bacher conducted “Let It Glow” painting classes where people learned the craft of playing with light. And he also worked on his own pieces (see below) which is plans to exhibit in the future.

Or you could also enjoy the luminous tonic-and-limelight just sitting back over a refreshing drink as they introduced their line of “Glow” drinks concocted with special ingredients that glow in UV lighting (see above)…

  • Elderberry Glowing Cocktail – blue curacao, fresh lime juice, sugar syrup, rum, gin, vodka, Cointreau, raspberry puree
  • Hendricks and Berries Glow – cucumber juice, lemon juice, sugar syrup, sliced cucumber, Hendricks gin, fresh berries (blue berries, raspberries, cranberries), tonic
  • Glowing Herb – lime juice, ginger syrup, sugar syrup, homemade rosemary infused gin, tonic cubes, tonic, rosemary, mint

Mind you, there are a few possibilities that I think they missed in their “Let It Glow” line up…

  • “Frozen” Margarita
  • GlOlaf
  • Cristal-off champagne cocktail

W Retreat - glow painting

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Best of the Maldives: Bed Seascape – Anantara Kihavah Villas

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Anantara Kihavah Villas - bed decorating

I’ve been lauding the exquisite practice of bed decorating since the outset of this blog when the craft mostly consisted of carefully placed flower petals. Over the years, I’ve amassed a fair collection of exquisite examples (features regularly on the Maldives Complete Pinterest board as well as various distinctive examples). And the mattress masterpieces have evolved to increasing sophistication and diversity. Today’s feature is a particularly artistic creation by Anantara Kihavah Villas (thanks Paola) that I thought was particularly apt for World Oceans Day today.

Now that is a vibrant ocean bed.

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Best of the Maldives: Food Waste – Soneva Fushi

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Sineva Fushi - food waste reduction

Two global events this week nourish the appreciation of food itself especially in the Maldives. I’m not talking about savouring fine gourmet delectables, but simply appreciating the very basics we consume every day. World Environment Day this past weekend promotes a healthy planet which sustains our food supply. Too many food industry practices – from clear cutting rain forests for grazing land to indiscriminate marine life casualties of fishing practices like drift nets – spoil the very Earth that sustains us. And coincidentally, the month of Ramadan starts this week. Where cutting back on food all day (building one’s appreciation for it) it central to the celebration.

One of the biggest environmental issues with food is waste. It affects both the production (making more than we need) and the consumption (disposing of the waste we don’t use). And the resort who is actively addressing this big issue in sustainable food consumption is Soneva Fushi. Soneva recently conducted a comprehensive food audit to underpin changes in their operations to minimise food waste…

  • “Soneva Fushi, the multi award-winning luxury resort in the Maldives, has recently joined hands with LightBlue Environmental Consulting to implement a food waste audit, to understand and address the problem of food wastage that affects the entire hospitality industry and to reinforce its position as global leader in sustainability. The United Nations recently highlighted that food wastage was one of their most urgent priorities and countries all over the world are beginning to realise the true negative impact of food waste. The United States has announced plans to cut its food wastage by 50 percent by 2030; and while the European Union has set itself the same target, it hopes to do it by 2020…A detailed Food Waste Monitoring System was implemented by LightBlue across the Soneva Fushi operations for seven days, and included hands-on training as well as raising awareness among kitchen employees, stewards and service staff. Employees sorted, weighed, defined and recorded waste for every shift (breakfast, lunch and dinner) to establish a food waste baseline (grams of food waste per cover) and understand where they could focus their efforts on. The detailed audit helped answer crucial questions related to food waste: How much (in kilogrammes), where (in four categories: spoilage, preparation, buffet and customer plate waste), when, why, and what food is discarded. The assessment also reviewed how much it cost, and how much could be saved through the implementation of strategic recommendations along the food chain, mainly during purchasing, receiving, storage, prep, communication, buffet, and service…Gordon Jackson, the Waste to Wealth Manager at Soneva Fushi. ‘There was quite a dramatic reduction to the organic material being sent to out composting site. So we are down by about 50 percent already,’ Gordon said.”

Waste not, want not.

Soneva Fushi - food audit

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Best of the Maldives: Cognac – Sun Siyam Irufushi

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Sun Siyam Irufushi - 1888 Frappin cognac

For those with more refined tastes that Homer Simpson, today is the day to break out the ultimate tipple treat – Cognac Day (I’m not making these days up, seriously.  And the Maldives really does have something to offer every day of the year). And one of the finest and rarest blends in the world is offered at Sun Siyam Irufushi – the 1888 P. Frapin. London purveyor of finest wines describes its storied background…

  • “Cognac Frapin Cuvée 1888 is one of the rarest blends of cognac created in the recent years. It is selected from the most precious vines, some of which even predate 1888, passed down through the generations and a tribute to the extraordinary achievements of the company’s eponymous founder Pierre Frapin. In 1888 he replanted the vineyard, previously decimated by phylloxera, with American rootstock from Denison Texas. That same year, he was preparing to participate in the World Fair of 1889 in Paris. As Gustave Eiffel was entering the final stages of construction of his famous tower, Pierre Frapin was busy selecting the cuvee that would be awarded a gold medal. This Gold Medal is still kept in the ‘Eiffel Cellar’ at the Frapin estate in Segonzac,”

The decanter itself is part of its aesthetic distinction…

  • “Fashioned from blown glass at the Cristalleries Royales de Champagne, the magnificent decanter of 1888 has a 24 carat fine gold thread made by Les Etains d’Anjou. The elaborate wooden gift box that houses Cuvée 1888 is the epitome of refinement, it is also a highly decorative object. The elegant hues of the wood are reminiscent of the warm tones of the world of cognac and Havana cigars. The small drawer nestling in the base holds a beautiful fob watch with a flick mechanism, a reproduction of a model designed in 1880, gilded with fine gold. When the lid is opened, the watch reveals a solid perfume that will create the ideal scent environment in which to savour this unique cognac: 1888. A limited edition of only 1,888 of these 700 ml decanters in wooden gift boxes has been produced.”

And for truly appreciating its sublime nose tingling bouquet, you can always break out Irufushi’s “Nez du Vin” kit.

  • “This is a blend created by cellar master Olivier Paultes, consisting of very old Grande Champagne cognacs that are distilled on their lees and matured in the cellars of the Château de Fontpinot. Cuvée 1888 demonstrates the alluring floral notes of the Folle Blanche grape, which is no longer used for making cognac. The aromas reveal notes of dried fruit, walnuts and hazelnuts, raisins and prune with candied orange and enchanting balsamic, roasted, toasty notes of cocoa and coffee beans. The palate is a showcase of sublime harmony, floral notes mingling with the sweetness of linden and peppery overtones, sweet spices, summer flower honey and vanilla, leather and aromatic woods. Powerful yet subtle, it combines history with blending expertise resulting in a tribute to Cognac’s Grande Champagne Premier Grand Cru vineyards.”

Very Superior!

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