We’ve all brought our fish guides along on our snorkel safaris, but the BBC now has a fish SOUNDS guide for you…
World Travel Market London 2022
Yesterday, I enjoyed my annual pseudo-escape to the Maldives at London’s 2023 World Travel Market. Their booth is replete with images of the destination’s linen white beaches and tapestry of ocean blues and manned by a platoon of the Maldives’ resort leaders touting its alluring charms to agents, operators and media. I was able to reconnect with long time friends and connections as well as make new ones. In particular, I sat down and learned much more about Brennia Kottafaru, The Standard Huruvalhi, Outrigger Konotta, Movenpick Kuredhivaru, Rahaa and Baglioni (none of which I had ever visited).
The highlight of the event was meeting a contender for “newcomer of the year”, a resort I hadn’t even heard of – Oaga. Or “Oaga – Art Resort” to be precise. And actually, planned to be a 5-property complex built from terraformed reclamation in a North Male lagoon. Oaga is one of the most inspired concept properties I have come across for a while – “Maldivian Artistry”. Not just engaging a Maldivian artist to add some colourful touches to the property, but imbuing the entire DNA of the property with a visual aesthetic. Even their show swag was a piece of art from one of their resident artists (I got the one below done by Rahvehinn). I normally have to visit a resort to identify its truly distinctive touches, but just a short chat with the Oaga folks (including two of their founding directors – see photo above and special 360 photo provided by the Visit Maldives hosts of the booth) came up with a dozen “Best of the Maldives” pieces I could write about. They soft open later this month so keep an eye open.
Best of the Maldives: Fashion Feature – Amilla
Most luxury resorts in the Maldives will feature some fine fashions in their boutiques, but Amilla featured fashion on a grand scale inviting both Style Guru Kat Farmer (“Does My Bum Look 40 in This”) and Maldivian Designer Raidha Shafeeg to share their insights and creations with the guests and online fans (I learned of their collaboration at Amilla’s London event where I met Kat). The event coincided with International Women’s Month showcasing these two leaders in their fields and included a fashion show as well as the discussion above. Always keen to feature pioneering Maldivians, Maldives Compete is delighted that Raidha shared some extra perspectives in an exclusive interview:
- What are your artistic roots (eg. your earlier memories of being enthralled by creative pursuits)?
Ever since a pretty young age, I’ve been interested in art and the creative world. I liked to paint and enjoyed drawing in my free time as well since it was a big hobby of mine. As I grew up, I studied arts in the schools I attended in order to develop my craft and learn more and acquired more knowledge about the artistic world. - What training/education in the field have you done?
I did my HND in Fashion Design and Arts at the Academy of Design (AOD) in Sri-Lanka. - What type of fashion do you focus on?
I would say that my main focus for my brand in regards of the type of fashion focused on, would be resort-wear as well as modest wear too, I love to keep up with current trends and love incorporating it into my new designs along with my personal touches. - What are some of the key elements of your personal style?
I would honestly say that my personal style is an outwardly representation of my own personality – I love to dress in bright colours and love to experiment with bold prints as well. - What is one of your favourite designs?
My favourite collection that I’ve debuted so far has to be the modest wear Bee Collection’ that we released in 2018 at the Mercedes-Benz show at Sri-Lanka. It was a collection that drew its inspiration from the concept of a bee colony and its hierarchies which I ruled by the queen bee. It is a collection that promotes women empowerment and I enjoyed designing the collection very much. - Who are some fashion designers who you admire?
One designer I admire – and have admired for a long time – has to be Italian designer Donatella Versace. I love her designs for Versace and her personal style as well. - What advice would you give to aspiring Maldivian designers?
My advice for any aspiring Maldivian designer is try to make something long lasting and worthwhile using your creativity and always believe in yourself and genuinely enjoy and love what you’re doing and do your work passionately as that’s always a sure-fire was to success.
Best of the Maldives: Inspiring Promo – Cora Cora
The Pride of Britain Awards are broadcast tonight honouring brave individuals with heart-warming stories, but the Maldives has its own version with Cora Cora’s “Inspirational Idol 2022” promotion. They sought nominations of inspiring stories in art, music, performing art, folk tradition, sport, travel, science told in 500-word descriptions and 1 minute video. The winner was Damien Rider who received a 7-day all-inclusive holiday at the resort (with two international flights included):
- “Imagine surviving a traumatic childhood filled with abuse of the worst order… His work and dedication have led him to become a globally respected Wellness and Mindset Coach.”
Best of the Maldives: Aerial Silks – Ritz-Carlton Maldives
Silky bed linen, silky smooth cocktails and now silky fitness for that slinky physique. Ritz Carlton Maldives offers instructional sessions in this high-flying exercise for high-flyer guest. Our friend’s daughter picked this sport/art up in university and loves it. The Maldives are about new and exotic experiences so this addition seems quite fitting.
Best of the Maldives: Candle-Making Workshop – Cora Cora
Happy Halloween. A time for lots of homemade sorcery – carving pumpkins, baking sweets, making costumes. I even crafted my own Halloween montage for a big Halloween party we held last year – “I’m In Love with a Monster”. If you want to make some especially spooky candles, Cora Cora offers a candle making workshop. Perhaps with a pumpkin spice scent.
Best of the Maldives: Resort Model – OZEN Reserve Bolifushi
Instagram is full of models posing in the Maldives, but this has to be my favourite of all (thanks Paola). I love maps especially Victorian birds-eye perspectives. A scale model like this on at OZEN Reserve Bolifushi is a superbly detailed birdseye map rendered in 3D that provides a uniquely effective “at a glance” perspective on the property.
Best of the Maldives: “Lifestyle” – Crossroads
The “one island, one resort” concept has defined the Maldives as a holiday destination for much of its history. But, the destination is evolving to create new experiences for guests, and new economic opportunities for local Maldivians. And in the case of “The Crossroads”, new experiences for local Maldivians.
The Crossroads is first a sort of shared “hub” for two existing resorts – Hard Rock and SAii Lagoon – but it will extend to support a further 6 linked resorts planned for the area:
- “The first integrated lifestyle destination in the Republic of Maldives: CROSSROADS by Singha Estate, is set to open in early 2019 at Emboodhoo Lagoon…presenting a variety of offers including dining, shopping, entertainments and leisure activities. CROSSROADS Maldives will ultimately comprise 9 islands, 8 hotels and resorts, and a retail space of over 11,000 sqm, equipped with hotel guests’ own arrival jetties and inter-island water transportation. The Marina @ CROSSROADS welcomes visitors of all ages – both foreign and local – among its unique offerings will be an upscale boardwalk, featuring a stylish dining experience, and hosting celebrity chefs and world-renowned DJs. The integrated project will feature the Maldives’s first luxury yacht marina, the eponymous establishment of The Marina at CROSSROADS, which will host the guests’ private yachts and plays its role in redefining the Maldives’ tourism experience.”
But it is not just a wide range of international visitors who can enjoy Crossroads, but the development very much welcomes and it quite popular with local Maldivian residents who take the short transfer over from Male to enjoy the array of restaurants, shops and seaside promenades.
Best of the Maldives: Accessibility – Amilla
Caring for customers isn’t just about having a gracious smile and attentive service, but it involves really understanding each of your customers as individuals, catering to their distinctive needs as best one can. The top Maldives properties have achieved this with specially trained ‘butlers’ (and assorted variations on that theme). But some needs require more work than just a resourceful attendant’s hustle. In fact, some people – those with disabilities – often want an experience where their ‘luxury’ is being able to do everything as independently as possible.
Disabled individuals are used to tackling and overcoming diverse obstacles that the world throws at them. But holiday is when one wants a break from not only job work, but also just the daily work of housekeeping, cooking, cleaning and other chores. So going to an exotic locale renowned for sand and water (neither of which are disabled individuals’ particular friends) is always going to be less appealing.
Amilla Maldives breaking down these obstacles with a property-wide initiative to make their resort as accessible as possible:
- “The sandy island paths, beaches, water jetties, villas and restaurants across the archipelago have for too long remained the exclusive domain of non-disabled visitors, excluding this as a dream-destination for guests with additional mobility, sensory or cognitive requirements, who would come if they only believed they could…Inclucare officials are auditing the entire resort island to identify any physical adjustments or adaptations that can be made to authentically establish Amilla, and the Maldives, as an accessible and inclusive dream-destination for all….Amilla is now on target to soon become the first Inclucare-certified resort in the world.
Amilla outlined a range of accessibility enhancements they implemented (including the following), but talking with resort leadership couple, Jason and Victoria, many more are on the way.
- Amilla already had many easy-access ground floor villas, with wide doorways and accessible showers, as well as a beach wheelchair and a floating wheelchair for swimming and in-villa phones for the hearing impaired that light up when they ring… New innovations on the cards at Amilla include deaf-alert systems, adaptive yoga and snorkelling adventures, and sensory touch, aroma and sound experiences through the jungle for vision-impaired guests. And there will also be another groundbreaking addition: ‘calming spaces’, for regulating sensory input. They will allow guests on the Autism spectrum, with learning difficulties, or dementia, to control their emotions, reducing anxiety and stress.”
Amilla introduced their initiatives hosting British TV personality and disability advocate, Sophie Morgan. Not only does she provide a compelling “proof of the pudding is in the eating” test to Amilla’s initiatives, but she also provides extensive reassurance through live demonstration on her Instagram (see embedded post here).
Accessibility is especially near and dear to our hearts. Lori worked for nearly a decade as Head of Therapy for the UK Epilepsy Society where she was supporting clients with a broad range of often severe disabilities. And I coach disabled athletes in the sport of rowing, and even have a website with comprehensive information about that – www.adaptiverowinguk.com. In fact I have a series of posts called “Can You Row With…” (eg. “Can You Row with Multiple Sclerosis?”, “Can You Row With Cerebral Palsy?”, “Can You Row With a Hearing Impairment?”). So, ‘Can You Go to the Maldives with a Disability?’ To Amilla, you certainly can!
Best of the Maldives: TEDx – Soneva Fushi
Resorts have long offered presentations to their guests often on marine biology and sometimes on Maldivian culture, and some have extended these to featured guest presenters on topics as diverse as cuisine and wellness. Soneva Fushi features a distinctively rich slate of guest artists and authorities. It’s website presently features 36 upcoming special guests! But it has hit a new high water mark producing the first event TEDx event in the Maldives.
TED is the now famous conference on “Technology, Entertainment, Design” renowned for exceptionally high quality presentations (all strictly limited to 18 minutes) by some of the most renowned and talented experts and speakers in the world. The TEDx events are smaller conferences run around the world “organized by passionate individuals who seek to uncover new ideas and to share the latest research in their local areas that spark conversations in their communities.”
TEDxBaaAtoll could also be TED’s first ever TED event on a beach! Certainly first on loungers. Titled “TEDxBaaAtoll: SLOW LIFE” . “SLOW LIFE” is Soneva’s acronymic mission statement described by them as “our core purpose and stands for Sustainable – Local – Organic – Wellness Learning – Inspiring – Fun – Experiences…It is about reconnecting with oneself and the natural world.” The event synopsis describes the event as…:
- “focusing on ways to find a deeper purpose beyond the superficial: reconnecting with the earth to live in harmony with the natural environment; working hand-in-hand with communities to make the world a better place; and nurturing our physical and mental wellbeing to be the very best we can be
Here was the line-up of special speakers and subjects:
- Aishath Adnan – “I saw none, so I built one: women in the tech community”: An active advocate for women in tech, she also co-founded the non-profit organisation Women in Tech Maldives.
- Aki Allahgholi – “Time for Corals”: founded Coralive.org in 2016 to fully serve an eco-minded holistic approach to restore and protect a healthy ocean. He described the pragmatic approach to reef regeneration of experimenting in many ways and see what works.
- Akib Jahir – “Zero Mosquito, Zero Fogging”: Passionate entomologist, avid mosquito hunter pioneering the way towards an integrated method sustainable mosquito management. Described a mosquito trap to 113k mosquitos in the first month. Only 5% of food supply to predators (birds, bats, dragonflies) who eat them.
- Bruce Bromley – “Why every CFO should also be Chief Sustainability Officer” – Trustee for the Soneva Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation focused on mitigating the impacts of climate charge. Makes coherent argument that a good CFO is focused on “resource allocation” to build value for the future so that a sustainability mindset drive understanding, appreciating, and investing in all resources – financial, natural, human, social. I particularly applauded his exhortation to shift from thinking of “waste” as a “bye-product” [sic] to “waste as an asset” (and Soneva has been pioneering in this area with extensive recycling initiatives.
- Carissa Nimah – “Do Job Titles Matter”: Worked for some of the world’s top luxury brands, and is personally motivated by creativity, purpose and ethical business. “Corporate and conventional job titles have lost their meaning in today’s work places.” Couldn’t agree more. My reports would ask me what their title was and I often responded that they could call themselves the “Grand Poobah of Whatever” as far as I was concerned.
- Hussain ‘Sendi’ Rasheed – “Why Seaweed is not a weed” – Region’s first ever PADI-certified Course Director, he also pioneered many of the country’s diving standards, and is researching the benefits of using the ocean’s resources sustainably through his farming. A local diving veteran who shared his perspectives from over three decades of exploring the Maldives reefs.
- Malsa Maaz – “The human story behind the glass cabinet”: Cultural anthropologist passionate about Maldivian culture exploring the coconut culture of the Maldives. “Coconut is our national tree. The tree of life…What can you do with a coconut tree? Everything.” Also, brilliant trivia question fun fact: Dhivehi is one of the only languages in the world that doesn’t have a word for “city”, “village” or “town” (but there is a word for every single part of the coconut tree and every part of the coconut fruit). A great sales pitch for “Cultural Anthropology” – “It is an amazing feeling to know who you are. It is an amazing feeling to know where you come from.”
- Saazu Saeed – “Nothing else matters but the Ocean”: Advocate for ocean conservation and women in surfing. A colourfully immersive depiction of the feeling of the water.
- Yala Shameem – “The future of school”: Youth activist for environmental conservation and the phasing out of single-use plastics.