Best of the Maldives: Tower – Velaa

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Velaa - tower exterior

For a country whose highest natural elevation is no higher than your average stoop, the few places where you can get some height is a real rarity. The seascape is so uniquely exquisite, but the sea-level topology precludes much of an expansive vista overlooking it. This is why the sea plane transfers are such a special treat providing that breathtaking perspective that eludes the beachside gaze. I’m a big fan of Kandooma’s tower and whenever I am in Male I always stop by Traders’ roof top Azure lounge.

While not open for another couple of weeks, Velaa has started to post pictures of its ravishing new resort online including a number of shots of the surreal Tavaru Tower…

“Tavaru houses a Teppanyaki restaurant and makes up the centerpiece of the island: a visually striking ivory-white tower where live cooking and Velaa’s extensive wine cellar take center stage.”

High standards.

Velaa - tower interior

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Best of the Maldives: Video Perspective – LUX Maldives

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LUX Maldives video drone

LUX Maldives could also be dubbed the resort best in the Maldives for “Flying High”. Their latest aerial trick is a remote controlled video camera to provide fresh perspectives on this island gem. The aerial shot is the iconic view of the Maldives’ splendour. The very first picture that I provide in the resort Profiles is this angle. Over time, resorts have added Photosynth montages, 360 virtual animations, and a whole host of tour videos. But this is a first in a truly bird’s eye perspective.

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More Why I Do It

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Scott Adams - aquiring skills

One of my most frequent questions abourt Maldives Complete is still “Why do it do it?” In my previous post in response, I cited Scott Adams’ own answer to the question of the “non-zero chance” for some big serendipity. Scott recently published a new book titled “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life” that delves more deeply into his personal life philosophy. As a part of the release, he has been doing the book promo circuit and his interview with Forbes really hit home for me as another reason behind my compulsive researching and posting…

“For years people have been asking me why I blog. At one point, blogging was taking about half of my work time while providing only 5% of my income. My wife and my friends asked ‘What is your goal in blogging?’ I don’t do goals. I do systems. (That’s a theme of the book.) In this case, my system involved publicly experimenting with a variety of writing styles and topics and closely monitoring the reactions of readers. I was honing my writing skills and my understanding of the reading public. I didn’t have a specific goal. I was aiming for ‘better.’ I reasoned that my system would generate good opportunities for me in ways I couldn’t predict with any precision. That’s what makes it a system and not a goal. I was simply improving my odds that something good would happen. I just didn’t know when it might happen or in what form it would come. Blogging also charges me up. I like the interaction, the angry villagers with torches and pitchforks, and the possibility of saying something useful. It is one part of my overall system for keeping my personal energy high. It also keeps my mind sharp. Several years into my system, it seems to be working.”

Webmastering Maldives Complete is part of my own “system” to keep learning, make new friends and relationships, understand new technologies (eg. Deepzoom, Silverlight), grapple with new media (eg. social media like Facebook, Twitter, TripAdvisor), and to constantly hone my ability to research, distil and share insights.

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Best of the Maldives: Clothes Hangers – Gili Lankanfushi

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Gili Lankanfushi - coat hangers

 

This Best of the Maldives piece is possibly my most archetypal. I say that because when I am describing to people the extent of the esoterica that I investigate and write about I often cite the “Clothes Hangers” example. These are the sort of obscure distinctions that I adore. They are the subtle details that some resort designer or marketer has been inspired to provide.

As wood is the traditional gift for the 5th anniversary, I thought that today would be an appropriate occasion to finally post this distinction that I have mentioned in conversation so many times.

Clothes hangers are a fine example of a pedestrian item that can be made colourful and remarkable with a little creativity and panache. I’ve seen painted hangers, padded and scented ones, but nearly all of our hangers at home are wood. I’ve seen other wooden ones in the Maldives, but none quite a funky and fun as Gili Lankanfushi’s bamboo collection.

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Maldives Complete-ly by the Numbers 2

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2013 Anniversary numbers

Maldives Complete’s semidecennial. 5 years on and more complete than ever.

I am again marking the milestone in true business review fashion with a look at a Harpers Index sampling of stats which tell its progress…

  • Resort Numbers – The array of options steadily climbs with another 4 more resorts announced, but a full 12 additional resort newly operational.
  • Room Types – Being a new feature last year, this area has grown the most (363 new profile photos and 6.2% gain in completion rate).
  • Best of the Maldives – Resort with most Best Of’s Published – LUX Maldives 30 (2012 = W Retreat 21). Resort with most Best Of’s Drafted – One & Only Reethi Rah 55 (2012 = LUX Maldives 31).
  • Visitors – More of the top search terms are specific names of resorts (“Kuramathi” and “Bathala” top the list) pushing down last year’s top terms – “maldives water temperature” and “whale shark”. But the latter remained them most popular post – “Whale Sharks – LUX* Maldives” being the first Maldives Complete post to top 100,000 views.
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Best of the Maldives: Sari Hire – Nika

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Nika sari hire

 

If Black Friday or your trip of a lifetime has depleted your bank account so you have to watch what you buy, then you might consider renting your outfit. Especially, if it is a very elegant piece of couture. Like its neighbour Gangehi, Nika’s main shop also offers a range of clothing complete with custom tailoring. But it also offers a range of saris for wedding hire. So you can have the most ravishing piece without the expensive or having to cram it into your suitcase.

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Best of the Maldives: Maldivian Gourmet – Kurumba

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Kurumba Maldivian rolls

Happy Thanksgiving!  A time for friends and “homecoming”. For us, Kurumba is almost like our Maldivian home. We have been there the most times and GM Jason and his wife Victoria (see below) have become lovely friends.

And like most American celebrations, today’s traditional turkey day is a time for eating. A feast of native delicacies. And Kurumba is certainly the standout out there with their cornucopian array of Maldivian gourmet dishes….

  • Indian Ocean Island Colada with screw pine, cinnamon and other spices of the area (see below)
  • Maldivian Rolls (see above)
  • Screw Pine Alaska Bomb (see bottom)
  • Maldivian salad (cabbage like vegetable)

Screw pine is literally part of the Maldives landscape, but it can also be used for food. Being a tree, it needs to be peeled and then boiled for 3 hours. Kurumba chefs use the pulp for the bombe and the juice used for cocktail.

Pilgrims in Paradise!

Kurumba - screwpine cocktail

Kurumba - Maldivian ice cream

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Best of the Maldives: Horticultural Service – One & Only Reethi Rah

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palm tree moving

 

Orthogonal, inverted or just in the way, One and Only Reethi Rah will make adjustments to ensure that your view of the sunset is just perfect. They will even change the landscape. Reethi actually moved a palm tree for a guest who found it obstructing his view. The resort regularly move trees on island as they actively cultivate the lush flora so they had the means to do it.

At first blush, it seems quite decadent (well, at second and third blush too), but I can empathise. One of my pet peeves is when dining areas are obstructed by foliage especially when they are relatively close to the water. I am as big a fan of nature as the next person, but if I am sitting close enough to the ocean to hear its mini-Maldivian waves tickling the shoreline, I would like to be able glance over my fish curry to have an admiring glance at it. And I can never figure out why such resorts don’t clear the foliage to enhance the diners’ views. But Reethi will enhance just about anything in any way to get it just right.

(picture above not from Reethi though)

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Best of the Maldives: Natural Arch – White Shell Beach Inn Maafushi

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White Shell Beach Inn Maafushi tree arch

This weekend was a chance to catch up on some updates to the website including the addition of new property, White Shell Beach Inn Maafushi. I came upon it after finding this great picture of a “climbing tree” that has gone completely horizontal creating its own unique arch canopy.

White Sheel Beach Inn is really classified as a guest house and I have made a concerted decisions not to focus on guest houses. I have never stayed in one and so I’m don’t feel qualified to comment on what makes for a good experience, what sort of things should people be looking for, etc. As it happens, it is located on Maafushi island which has more guest houses than any other Maldives islands (a distinction in itself).

There is a big call for budget options especially close to Male (for limited duration trips and to avoid high transfer costs). White Shell Beach Inn has a good website and quite a good property so I decided to add it to the database as a further step to even more completeness.

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