Best of the Maldives: Biggest Lagoon – Chaaya Lagoon Hakuraa Huraa

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Chaaya Lagoon Hakuraa Huraa lagoon

To each his own. Many Maldive aficionados focus on the best house reefs as a critical decision criteria. The deep, coral and fish filled features stand in stark contrast to the shallow and sandy lagoons that also permeate the archipelago. Typically, the two are mutually exclusive. The geography of an island that makes for big lagoons tends to make for distant or less prominent house reefs.

But not everyone is all house reef obsessed. With Olympic-class pedalos on hand, a nice big lagoon to cruise around in can be a good thing. As CastawayGR noted on the Trip Advisor Forum post “Looking for the perfect turquoise lagoon in Maldives” –

“I was wondering if anyone can help me find an island surrounded by the best turquoise lagoon…What I am looking for is a really small almost desert romantic getaway with white beaches and turquoise water for as far as my eyes can see.”

And Suzan3 echoed in the post “Biggest Lagoons” –

“You’re after what I’m after, except I’m not a fan or snorkelling, nor am I of coral reefs. I want a resort that has crystal clear waters all round…”

Lagoons don’t just have aesthetic appeal. They are great havens of aquarium-like snorkelling. Maybe not as dramatic as house reef drop-offs, but you still see a variety of small fish especially in scattered coral droppings as well as the occasional ray stirring up the sand looking for food and the ubiquitous mini reef sharks. Great for young kids to explore snorkelling for the first time. It was also a great way for my 80 year old mother-in-law to feel comfortable enough to try snorkelling (even though she was in 2 feet of water, she still had a life jacket on, a floatation noodle and my wife standing at her side to help her – see photo below). But she loved seeing the smattering of colourful tropical fish that scampered by her.

In theta posts, a few suggestions were offered for the biggest lagoon and I had some of my own guesses. But for something so common in the Maldives, I had to turn to the real expert, Seven Holiday’s Adrian Neville. He took time out from writing his latest update to his essential guide “Resorts of the Maldives” to pen the follow guest post for me which is a veritable ‘Lagoon Guide’ for the biggest and bluest in the Maldives…

“First of all, we need to be a bit clearer about what constitutes ‘biggest’. Let’s assume that we are looking at the total area of the lagoon – the length and the width. We are not looking at ‘volume’ as we are looking for shallow lagoons rather than deep ones. You can look for the biggest lagoon with a single resort in, but that’s a bit precious. As long as the next resort island is not too near, I’d say you’re going to be happy. (And of the ones below, only Fun Island and Olhuveli are way too close. Though Reethi Rah is a touch too close to Summer Island for a Six Star, as Four Seasons Kuda Huraa is to Huraa, the inhabited island)…

 

  • Velassaru [ed. one of my nominees] does have a large and attractive lagoon 7 kms long, but just across the atoll is Taj Exotica…
  • Taj Exotica has a lagoon that is twice the length at 14 kms.
  • Meeru has a 14 kms lagoon which is also wide on one side.
  • Reethi Rah [ed. a lagoon cited in the TA post], I must say, is a non-starter. The length of the lagoon is 5 kms and little in the way of width.
  • LUX* (formerly Diva) has a length of 11 kms and is wide to one end.
  • Gangehi’s is 9kms long and wide too.
  • Kuramathi has a curving lagoon of 18kms length and looking into the interior of Rasdhoo Atoll it is shallow for much of the area.
  • Sun Island and Holiday Island share a lagoon 18 kms long.
  • Fun Island, Olhuveli and Rihiveli share a lagoon some 20kms in length.
  • Amari Addu sits in a lagoon that bends 20kms around the NE corner of Addu Atoll at the southernmost end of the country.
  • Equator Village is at the tip of the 25 kms lagoon that runs up to Hithadu.
  • Chaaya Lagoon Hakuraa Huraa has the biggest lagoon I measured. It was 33kms in Meemu Atoll. It is also wide and shallow around those two resorts. (3 more resorts are planned further down the lagoon).

Those are the current active resorts, but there are some notables to mention of resorts not on line…

  • The proposed resort on Maafushi island in Dhaalu sits in a 26kms lagoon.
  • The two proposed resorts just off the end of Gan island in Laamu share a 30kms long lagoon.
  • If Hudhufushi ever gets finished, in the relatively northern atoll of Llaviyani, it will have a lagoon of 32kms length and a wide, shallow area adjacent.

 

And finally. It’s notable that it is the southern atolls where the lagoons are large. In the north, the atolls are more ‘split up’. The country actually slopes in height from the north down to the south, so the northern islands are as it were propped higher and so the large lagoons have not formed or have worn away. Well, that was fun and diverting. I’m not quite up to drawing a definitive conclusion though.”

While Adrian won’t claim it definitive, I’ll go with his call Chaaya Lagoon Hakuraa Hura.

Filitheyo lagoon snorkeling

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Best of the Maldives: Pedalo – Kuredu

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Kuredu pedalo

Photo courtesy of DJ Stotty.

At Kuredu’s sporty island, even the leisure boating will get you skinny.

The Maldives don’t have many resorts for a long run or bike ride (outside Gan), but there is boundless ocean. Not your English seaside, tired old pedalo but the Cadillac of puddle pedalling with a broad white canopy. They rent for $20 for 1 hour or $35 for 2 hours.

Spinning with the spinner dolphins

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Best of the Maldives: Skinniest – Jumeirah Vittaveli

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Jumeirah Vittaveli skinny

 

With so many tempting treats to savour, my wife Lori has decided that she needs to shed a few of the pounds that she brought back with her from our last Maldives trip. She’s started the ‘Rice Diet’ whose first phase includes eating nothing but rice and fruit and she lost 4 pounds in 4 days.

If skinny is your thing, then Jumeirah Vittaveli has the smallest waistline of all. It even has an hourglass figure (see map above).

Some visitors (us included) like the smaller islands for the charm of a pre-sunset (or whenever) circumnavigational stroll. But, if you want to get from sunset to sunrise side in the fewest footsteps possible, then skinny is the trick.

This post was inspired by our stay at the Four Seasons Kuda Huraa where we took one wrong turn and were on the opposite side of the island in seconds. But checking out Maldives Complete’s exhaustive list of lengths and widths, Vittaveli came up with the literally narrow victory at 70 metres across at its shortest point.

[image credit: Jumeirah Vittaveli] 

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Best of the Maldives: Fruit Service – Palm Beach

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Palm Beach fruit station

For the ‘healthy sweet’ option, Palm Beach is not only has a fruit smoothie bar (like the W Retreat), but they also have a fruit station at their breakfast café. Or as our Italian au pair used to say…“froo-itt”.

The have an exceptional array of fruit on offer, but most importantly they have a server who peels and cuts it for you fresh in front of you. Many resorts have a number of ‘made to order’ stations (the ‘Egg Station’ being the classic at any resort around the world), but even the ‘custom everything’ W Retreat doesn’t have a fruit station like this. Because they have so much less wastage than pre-prepared fruit, they can offer an incredible range. And you don’t have to worry that what you are being served was cut several days ago and just in and out of cold storage since.

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Best of the Maldives: Spontaneous Sweets – W Retreat

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W Retreat sweet spot

Talk about ‘hitting the spot’.

For those who don’t want to go far at all for their refreshment, then the W Retreat’s ‘Sweet Spots’ are the place for you. Dotted around the tiny resort are small unmanned stations where you can help yourself to a fresh towel, sun lotion, and drinks like iced coffee. But best of all…free ice creams – Magnums, Soleros, Cornettos, vanilla and strawberry ice cream tubs.

It’s not like there is far to go anywhere in the island. If you were on the complete opposite side of the island, the apex of the further point away from the restaurant, then it might take you 5 minutes to get there. But such is the extremes of indolence inspired by the soporific Maldives, that the W has astutely catered for. Completely in keeping with their ‘Whatever/Whenever’ service ethos.

Speaking of ‘Sweet Spots’ and ‘resort strengths’, I have to share a piece from my friend Mike Pegg, who is one of the UK’s top executive coaches who has written a number of books on exploiting one’s strengths, Mike Pegg – “3 Tips for Hitting the Sweet Spot.”

 

W Retreat swet spot frig

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Best of the Maldives: Deserted Island Lunch – Kanuhura

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Kanuhura Jehunuhura

If you want to really get away from it all, including the resort itself, then Kanuhura offers a deserted island restaurant, Kandu.

“Kanuhura has opened a new restaurant, ‘Kandu’, on Jehunuhura, its own private Robinson Crusoe like-island. Kandu means “blue sea” in Divehi. This exciting new outlet, the first resident restaurant set on a private islet in the Maldives, will enable guests to discover a totally new concept of Grill restaurant on a tiny getaway island a few minutes away by boat transfer from Kanuhura.”

Most resorts offer special ‘excursions’ for meals on nearby deserted islands or even sand bars out in the ocean. If you wanted a lunch, then you typically got a hamper-style picnic. If you wanted dinner, then you typically had to pay often hundreds of dollars for a rather elaborate production of chef, waiter and supplies all being shipped out to the venue. Kandu provides an established dining area with comfortable seating and stylish touches of décor. The prices aren’t cheap ($20 – $30 for starters and $30 – $40 for mains), but they are at least menu based rather than a set cost.

 

Kanuhura Kandu

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Best of the Maldives: Seclusion – Island Hideaway

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Island Hideaway villas

 

On the other hand, if you escape to the Maldives seeking the ultimate in privacy and seclusion, with the demise (or dormancy) of Dhoni Island, the new prince of privacy and seclusion, belied in its very name, is Island Hideaway Dhonakulhi…

Comments the Private Islands Online…

“Nature and luxury blend harmoniously together at The Island Hideaway. The guest villa complexes are some of the largest of any resort in the Maldives. These majestic chalets are tucked into the lush greenery and scattered along the beach-line some 30 metres apart from one another, providing the ultimate in privacy.”

The sand spit for dining is pretty secluded too (see below)…

 

Island Hideaway sand spit

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Best of the Maldives: Making Friends – Club Med Kani

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Club Med Kani pool disco

“Lest old acquaintances be forgot…” Happy New Year!

If making friends (or at least acquaintances) enhances your visit, then the place to go is Club Med Kani. Their whole ethos is invests a lot in running group activities which makes for highly conducive friend-making. Like the ‘pool disco’ in the photo above where there were a couple dozen folks of all ages bop to the lively dance leader (standing at pool’s edge on far right).

It’s not just the activities, but it is the guests themselves. Club Med’s atmosphere is so distinctly and characteristically lively and active, that their resorts around the world (not just the Maldives) attract a certain type of guest who does relish this energy and interaction. I often suggest Club Med Kani for two groups – families with kids (because they are most likely to meet and interact with others there age here) and singles. No place in the Maldives really caters for ‘singles’, and you’re not likely to meet another ‘single’ friend at Club Med Kani (not that many singles come to the Maldives), but at least you won’t be lonely at Club Med and you will make friends to share you holiday with.

It’s not just the guests, but the staff themselves are especially amiable. At many resorts, the staff will eat in their own quarters or off at some segregated dining table in the restaurant. But at Club Med Kani all the staff eat with the guests (as long as they are well and not intruding). It is a really nice personal touch.

Some people don’t want to meet with nor interact with anyone on their holiday. The Maldives can offer that remote isolation. It is one of the appeals to the celebrity set. But for the more social in nature, the jovial, relaxed atmosphere, and the shared experience of savouring paradise often brings people together on an island. Sharing a remarkable sight in the water or telling stories of discoveries during the day at the bar.

Privacy and time together alone is great, but sometimes you do welcome just a bit of human interaction. I gave my wife a trip on the Orient Express for an anniversary present years ago. As it happens you can either go London to Venice (and fly back) or the other direction. So many people like the idea of setting off from Waterloo Station that the option to go Venice-London (and fly to Venice) was about 30% cheaper. We just wanted the experience so it seemed to make sense to save the money. We fly to Venice a few days a ahead of time and then boarded the iconic steam train there. The things is that in Venice, most of what you do is walk around, sightsee, sit in cafes and restaurants. As a result, Lori and I were pretty well caught up on conversation. And after all that, we were boarding a vehicle for 32 straight hours in an enclosed space together. We loved the experience, but we both admit, we really looked forward to meal times. It was then that, in addition to the charm of dressing up in black tie, you were sat at a table with another couple of passengers. We really enjoyed (and even looked forward) to meeting some new people, sharing thoughts on the sumptuous experience, and interjecting a bit of variety into our conversation.

“And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.” And a Happy Hogmany as well…

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Best of the Maldives: Water Villa Neighbour – Fours Seasons Kuda Huraa / Chaaya Island Dhonveli

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Four Seasons Kuda Hura - Chaaya Island Dhonveli water villa neighbours

The other title for this post could be ‘Surf Buddies’.

Some Maldives visitors like the utter remoteness of many of the islands. Feeling like you are on a solitary deserted island in the middle of nowhere. While I enjoy that desolate sensation, I also enjoy the little ‘communities’ of the archipelago. Clusters of land bridged by sand spits and shallow lagoons. It was one of the first stories Andy Lees intrigued me with when describing the Maldives. He told how when walking around the island he spotted another tiny island offshore. Not too far away and the water seem quite shallow. He started walking towards it and before long he was on the other island having waded over from his resort.

My twist today is taken from the community of surfing resorts in the spirit of this week’s posts. I’ve highlighted close clusters of islands before, but in this case the islands aren’t especially close, but their water villa complexes are – Four Seasons Kuda Huraa and Chaaya Island Dhonveli. As the Bing map above highlights, the two water villas come to within a couple of hundred yards of each other. On top of that, they have a handy little sand spit to provide a bit of a sand bridge for any particularly neighbourly strolls. Mind you, resorts are quite keen that you alert them if you are going to visit their island so spontaneity needs to be kept to a minimum.

Their proximity is not that surprising. Both are located on a reef plateau which provides both with rich surfing in the vicinity.

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Best of the Maldives: Nearby Surf Break – Kandooma

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Kandooma surf break

Maldives caters to all types of surfers from beginner to expert, from innovative to impatient. For the lattermost, yet another resort shines in the surfing haven, Kandooma, which offers the closest surf break.

Most surf breaks are a good distance from shore separated from the resort beach by the extensive lagoons prevalent in the Maldives especially on big plateaus where the longest reefs are creating the longest ‘surf breaks’. While such distance is great for creating a aquarium-like swimming haven on the beach, it means a bit of a swim/paddle for those keen to get to reef’s edge. Or a logistics intensive boat ride.

Kandooma’s house reef is far away, surfing is a mere 50 yards at most from beach on the east side. And the Beach Villas on that side are a water-hugging 20 yards from ocean. Especially with 2-story structures there, you can wake up and check out the surf (see photo above). If ‘surfs up’, then in minutes you can be riding the waves.

Kandooma has two surf instructors, Mark Quarrell and Richie Lindfield from Perfect Wave, who can provide gear and assistance for all levels. Their own website comments…

“With a surf break, Kandooma Right at your front door you will be able to surf awesome waves at your leisure. But with another 6 quality breaks between 5 and 45 minutes of the resort our resident surf guide will take you up to twice daily via Dhoni to these top spots.”

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