A place for quiet reflecting itself in a reflecting pool. NIYAMA’s pool hammock is very close to the Hammacher Schlemmer on my “Haven’t Seen” list (but it’s not quite the petiole model I had noted).
Just floating in the pool…
Best of the Maldives: Jumbo Mirrors – Jumeirah Dhevanafushi
If you want more literal self reflection, the Jumeirah Dhevanafushi is the place to go. I know I gave a nod to W Retreat’s seeing glass motif. So to fairly distinguish the two, I’m calling out Dhevanafushi’s “free standing” looking glasses. They have extensive wall mirrors too, but the more striking striking features are the framed one placed various places around the villa – The bathroom has a double sided mirror, the outdoor shower has one, the dressing room has a giant one (see photo above)
Great for vamping, less good for vampires.
Best of the Maldives: Healer – Soneva Fushi
A segue from “sole cleansing” to “soul cleansing” (or even more unpardonable, from “heeling” to “healing”), as Soneva Fushi introduces its own Healer in Residence, Jaqueline Bourbon. She is described as a “leader in enlightening wellness experiences”
“Soneva Fushi is proud to welcome Jacqueline Bourbon, its very own ‘Healer in Residence’…A fully qualified Medium, Spiritual and Shamanic Healer and Teacher, Jacqueline will offer her services to resort guests on a one-to-one basis by performing treatments such private sittings, energy readings and healing, spiritual assessments and traditional Tibetan Sound Healing…’Eva and I have worked with Jacqueline for a couple of years, and have witnessed quite how often she has a positive and life-altering affect on guests, even the most cynical ones. She is one of those highly intuitive people that come into your life rarely. She is brilliant at unlocking the past and setting people back on track for a far healthier and happier life,’ commented Sonu Shivdasani, CEO and Chairman of the Soneva Group…Jacqueline’s healing works on many levels: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.”
If there was ever a place for a “positive and life-altering affect” it would be the Maldives…
Best of the Maldives: Foot Washing – One & Only Reethi Rah
If there is anything that needs cleaning in the “no shoes” world of the Maldives and needs a bit of pampering after long haul travel, it is the piggy toes. Here Charmaine is treating Lori to a signature welcome by One & Only Reethi Rah. Foot washing is also a gesture of great respect and hospitality in many cultures with even Biblical references.
Best of the Maldives: Sunglass Cleaning – Four Seasons Kuda Huraa
International Workers Day today is a chance to celebrate the sterling work that the Maldives resort staff provide every day of the year. They do every thing from keep us safe on snorkel trips to making sure that every whim is catered for.
One of my favourite all time roles is Four Seasons Kuda Huraa “sunglasses cleaner” which we saw when we visited there (but didn’t get a picture). He even has a name a perfect as his role…“Dr. Shade”
“Mohamed Shareef, 28, has been working at the Four Seasons for almost seven years… I start work by 1:30 p.m., and I walk around and repair and clean guest sunglasses. Most people love to see Dr. Shade. I wear a stethoscope and a white coat. I have some tools. Mostly I just clean the glasses, but I can fix them if I need to.”
Workers of the World Unfog!
“Marketing and Differentiation: How do you choose?”
I try to help.
Most of the material on Maldives Complete is aimed at helping prospective visitors to the Maldives decide on the best resort for them (my response to the question I get asked most frequently…”there is no *best* resort overall, just the ‘best’ one *for you*“). As I’ve discussed many times, I’ve leaned towards more of the underserved groups like families going to there, but over time I’ve covered just about all niches including the mainstays of honeymooners and now, especially after the Dive Site database addition, divers.
One group that I also help where I can are the resorts themselves. A number of resorts follow the “Things I Haven’t Seen Yet” series. I always have delightful, extended chats with the resort management and the Ministry of Tourism when I visit. After nearly 20 years of visiting and over 50 resorts visited, not to mention my countless hours of on-going research and input from the website fans, I have many thoughts and perspectives about the Maldivian experience.
A number of resorts will often pitch me that their resort is a “Best of the Maldives” candidate for some special feature only for me to deflate them by citing several resorts who offer the same thing. On the other hand, I always uncover unsung treats on their island that they didn’t even know was unique in the Maldives. My island tours are like mini treasure hunts for me seeking out these overlooked gems as well as missing (incomplete!) data and photos of the property.
Recently, I was invited to do a guest piece by one the leading publication for the industry, Maldives Hotelier – “Marketing and Differentiation: How do you choose?” It discusses a principle at the heart of good marketing, the destination of the the Maldives itself and any self-respecting resort – “distinction”. A big nod to Seth Godin “Purple Cow” thinking about being “remarkable” as well as other tips I have noted during my travels here and elsewhere. And all about finding both the gems on your property as well as *being* the best resort for maybe not everyone, but certainly for many.
Best of the Maldives: Mobula – Robinson Club
(picture courtesy of Alexander von Mende)
Maldives diving expert Alexander von Mende not only helped with the Huvadhoo dive sites, but he also offered some very insightful tips for my Best of the Maldives research. He ventured that the dive site Dheeva Giri is the best in the Maldives for Mobulas. Well, I certainly hadn’t encountered these creatures in my 20 years of visits and research.
In fact, I didn’t even know what they were. So I turned to Alexander’s book which also includes an extensive marine life guide. It turns out that Mobulas as sort of mini-Mantas, also referred to colloquially as “Pygmy Devil Rays” (great name).
Alexander says that the only place he has seen them has been at Dheeva Giri and Nilamdhoo Kandu which is near Robinson Club. He commented…
“We had a place which was regularly frequented by them in larger numbers: Dhevva Giri’s southern sand flats – quite a sight these small Manta relatives”
Worst Place in the World to Snorkel #3
With all of the effort into providing a guide to the best snorkelling (and diving) in the world, only fair to provide a further instalment on some sites to avoid. The latest was the photo of West Bank snorkelling in Israel featured in a number of this past week’s news galleries which becomes our third instalment in our photo gallery of the snorkelling spectrum’s other end. Not quite azure expanses and the accompanying creatures a bit less colourful.
Best of the Maldives: Resort Dive Site – Werner Lau (Bathala, Filitheyo, Medhufushi, Kuda-Funafaru)
When describing my motivations for adding a Dive Site database to Maldives Complete, I noted the lack of interactive guides. Most diving information is traditional hard-copy book form or magazine websites that provide articles and overviews, but not a structured, interactive resource.
The exception to this standard approach is the Werner Lau dive centre website. They have cleverly integrated a mapping of the dive sites near their centres with Google Maps to provide an interactive layout of all of the dives sites local to their 4 Maldives dive centres. You can scan the area for websites who have ToolTip annotations and then simply click on their names to take you to a full profile of the dive site complete with dive chart.
Best of the Maldives: Atoll Dive Book – “Huvadhoo”, Alexander von Mende
Most dive books (Godfrey, Harwood & Bryning, Lonely Planet) try to cover a range of atolls. While this breadth approach is useful when trying to plan your next resort destination, it’s less useful when you’ve actually decided on your base where you are likely to stay mostly within your atoll. And increasingly, if you are a keen diver, that atoll is likely to be “Huvadhoo (Gaafu Alifu and Gaafu Dhallu).
Alexander von Mende’s book, “Diving in the Maldives – Huvadhoo, the forgotten atoll” is the ideal one for diver planning a trip to this unsung gem. He takes a different tack by focusing entirely on this one location in depth.
Huvadhoo is one of the furtherst atolls from the Male hub which may have served as a deterrent. But that unspoiled nature is now becoming one of its top allures. Von Mende also claims that it is one of the best locations for spotting large marine life like Silver Tip and Grey Reef Sharks, Dolphins, but especially Whale Sharks. South Ari has long been renowned as the pre-eminent diving atoll especially with its quite prominent whale shark marine protected area. But the more visitors get to know Huvadhoo, it could rival South Ari for that crown.
I know that when we dove and snorkelled Huvadhoo, it was some of the most impressive we had done in our years of Maldive visits. An open-water close encounter with a juvenile dolphin was one of the lifetime high points of diving for us. And we spotted dolphins every single time we got into a boat at Huvadhoo even for a simple, short transfer.
Von Mende’s book is also sort of an all purpose diving (and even snorkelling) book for anyone visiting the Huvadhoo atoll. It features in depth description 34 dive sites with dive chart illustrations for half. It also has 136 pages of “Identification Guide” provide pictures and other information on the fish, coral and other marine life found in that area.