Tour 2023 #20

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Tour 2023 arrival

Our 20th trip to the Maldives. Wow. And still the magical anticipation dominates our thoughts.

5 more to add to our list:

  • Dhawa Ihuru
  • Bagiloni
  • Vilu Reef
  • Iruveli
  • Ailafushi

A stark difference to the 12 visited in Tour 2015. Back then, Maldives Complete was just launched and I wanted to experience and research as many properties as possible. Before the days of influencer blaguer hordes, remote corporate bean-counter, tsumanis of guest content, Maldives Complete was a novelty. Information about resorts in one place online, no barrage of ads and offers to mask the shilling.

These days it is difficult for me to string together a long run of resorts because I’ve visited every atoll with more than one resort and hopping on sea planes in and out of Male is super expensive financially and logistically. Finally, many resorts offer me industry rates, but those often come with a provision of a two-night minimum. My companion, assistant and wife, Lori, is delighted to have more extended stays reduce the frenzy of running around to get all my work done and provide some down time to actually enjoy and experience the Maldives again.

This trip focuses on the Dhaalu atoll. We visited there in 2018, but this return allows us to mop up most of the rest of the properties.

I will be providing regular visit overviews as well as tracking my resort-at-a-glance on TripAdvisor Maldives Forum per tradition.

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Best of the Maldives: Local Museum – Amilla

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Amilla - museum

Many resorts offer a local island trip for a taste of Maldivian authentic culture and for an extra rich dose, Amilla Maldives features an excursion to neighbouring B. Kendhoo which not only boasts its own historical significance, but also a superb collection of historical artefacts and displays at its own museum:

  • · “B. Kendhoo, the first island to welcome Islam to the Maldives. At this island you will see the first mosque to appear in Maldives as well as many other historical and ancestral works of art. Here you will also have the opportunity to witness the islands industry of making coir rope by hand. Your next stop will be B. Kudarikilu. This island is home to a national heritage museum, with countless historic pieces that truly showcase the history of the Maldives. The villagers here will offer you a fresh drinking coconut and traditional handmade snacks.”
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Best of the Maldives: Pottery – Cora Cora

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Cora Cora - curation

I written about the museum as Cora Cora (formerly Loama at Maamagili) before, but frankly when I visited it a year ago, I realised just how many distinctions it had. One of the highlights of their collection is an array of pottery which is not just distinctive in the Maldives, but distinctive worldwide. So much so that when we did our tour, we were joined by a Chinese couple who it turns out were ceramic experts and had specifically visited Cora Cora just to see the pottery exhibited there. They spent a long time looking at even the most unassuming shards in their workshop (see photo above) and commented on their significance. It turns out that centuries ago pottery was not just a decorative objet d’art, but an essential means of packing and shipping valuable commodities around the world. The pieces are not just lovely, but also inform critical research into ancient trading in the Indian Ocean.

And the distinctions at Cora Cora should keep I coming. I already have more to post but also the resort is continuing with ongoing excavation and archaeological research so the island just keeps revealing more and more treasures.

Cora Cora - pottery 2

Cora Cora - pottery 1

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“Love in the Maldives”– Fun Facts and Frolicking Fiction

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Per my previous post, “Love in the Maldives” is a romantic romp through a very typical visit to the Maldives (with some atypical bits thrown in for a bit of contrived plot). I’ve produced a sort of “Everything Wrong With…” (with a touch of “Everything Right With”) reaction commentary video to help everyone navigate the contorted fiction from the fun fact. Enjoy!

 

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Best of the Maldives: Love Story Travelog – Conrad “Anrad” Rangali

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Love in the Maldives

Given its paradise backdrop, I’ve always been surprised there hasn’t been more films set there (none really). Until I came across this Hallmark production, “Love in the Maldives”.

The watermark of “Hallmark” is important because, for those of you outside the USA, it is a brand noted for being sweet and a bit cheesy. And this production certainly lived up to those brand values. It was almost a promo piece of the Maldives with a contrived soap opera love story tacked on. That said, given how much effort it went to portray the Maldives and all of its attractions, I was struck by how many mistakes and misrepresentations there were (stay tuned for my follow up piece on those).

But hat tip to Conrad Maldives…or “Anrad” as it appeared in the film (the “Conrad” name had the “C” blotted out on the coconuts given to guests as their welcome drink). And the heroine of the story stays in a villa called the “Marata” which is a real thing, but really called the “Muraka”.

The film only appears to be available in the USA at the moment, though I have seen it pop up on streaming services or if you have a VPN you might be able to find it. As a said, I will share a highlights video later this week with commentary.

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Best of the Maldives: Longest Underwater Kiss – Lux South Ari Ari

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LUX South Ari Atoll - longest kiss

Happy Kissing Day! Maldives is a world-renowned destination for (a) romance, and (b) underwater delights. So where else to break a word record for underwater kissing?! LUX South Ari Atoll hosted the sub-aquatic smooch:

  • “Beth “One-Breath” Neal and partner Miles Cloutier – AKA Canadian Aquaman – have had their smooch certified by Guinness after a stay at the LUX resort, South Ari Atoll. On February 14 the couple locked lips in the resort swimming pool for an impressive 4 minutes 6 seconds. The record smashed the long-standing previous record (3 minutes 24 seconds), set thirteen years ago as part of the Italian TV show Lo Show dei Record.”

Romance everywhere in the Maldives…above and below the water.

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Best of the Maldives: In Water Table Tennis – Soneva Jani

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Soneva Jani - in water table tennis

The Maldives exists at that sweet spot right on the edge of land and ocean. The lagoon shallows make it one of the best places in the world for wading in mill pond calm water with refreshing ocean cooling your feet. Soneva Jani brings that vibe into its Den kids club with its in-water table tennis set-up. Cool!

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Best of the Maldives: Kids VR – Soneva Fushi

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Soneva Jani - kids VR

If you can’t get the people to paradise, bring paradise to the people. COVID’s travel restrictions spurred the development and adoption of many innovations to bridge the new distances imposed between us. Soneva Fushi introduced the especially immersive (and high tech) virtual reality electronic escape:

  • “Soneva Fushi, the original barefoot luxury resort in the Maldives, has an exclusive Virtual Reality (VR) experience to overcome restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This experience brings an enchanting insight into island life into viewers’ homes. A curated experience with discovery at its heart, the VR series shares Soneva’s SLOW LIFE ethos and champions the beautiful Maldives archipelago as a bucket-list destination.”
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