Best of the Maldives: Ocean Bound Plastic Items – Amilla

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Amilla - ocean bound plastic

Some of Amilla’s complimentary items are a gift to the guest and the planet. They provide a variety Mon India bags for guests’ use and some for guests to even take home made out of plastics that would otherwise be destined to end up in the ocean that surrounds their visit:

  • “We have started making bags and accessories out of Ocean Bound Plastic Recycled Fabric. We have developed an ethical supply chain, with our partners collecting plastic bottles and other kinds of plastic and preventing them from entering the seas and ocean. Recycling the collected plastic into fine polyester fabric. Once the fabric reaches us, we make Bags and accessories out of it.”

Amilla includes laundry bags, hairdryer bags, toilet roll bags, table covers and beach bags from Mon India for the guests’ use. And the kids get a welcome back pack (see below) inspired by the local star wildlife resident, the White Long-Tail.

Amilla - kids recylced plastic back pack

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How to Help Maldives Complete

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Helping Maldives Complete

Happy Birthday to…me! Not Maldives Complete, but myself personally. And if you happen to be looking for a birthday gift, here are a few suggestions.

In all seriousness, the THIRD most frequently asked question I get about Maldives Complete is “How can I ever thank you for your website and help?” (the #1 question is “With all your visits and expertise, which is the best resort?”, and the #2 is “Since you don’t make any money on the website and it take so much work, why do you do it?”). So I thought I would post a list of all the ways so many of you do and can help keep the site vibrant, fresh and useful:

  • SOCIAL SHOUT OUT – A Facebook post, Instagram post, Tweet, etc. with shout outs tagging MaldivesComplete is a pretty easy hat tip.
  • COMMENT TO RESORT – When at the resort, especially if you are really happy with a choice that Maldives Complete helped you to make, let the resort front desk staff know “Maldives Complete helped me make this choice”.
  • SCOUT PHOTOS/BEST-OFs – If you see that a Resort Profile or a Room Profile is missing a photo that you can snap, please do and forward it to
  • PATREON – And at the end of the day, if you feel like putting your hand in your pocket to chip in for the extensive costs of running the site, I have recently added a Patreon page.

Thanks for all the help everyone provides and I hope Maldives Complete continues to be a helpful tool to find just the right trip to paradise.

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Best of the Maldives: 24 Hour AI Bar – Siyam World

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Siyam Word - 24 hour bar

It’s not just location that has become flexible in the digital age, but time. People bemoan the 24×7 always-on culture of today’s high-powered business, but the problem is not the “24×7” part, but the “always-on” part. And it doesn’t have to be work that’s available 24-7. Siyam World offers a 24-hour bar Kulhivaru sports bar as a part of its all-inclusive package:

  • “KulhiVaru for live sports, cask beers, bar bites and great company. All major national and international games are broadcasted, meaning you’ll stay up to date with all the latest scores.”

Especially great for catching those football matches being played back home in a different time zone.

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Best of the Maldives: Co-Working – The Crossroads

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SAii Lagoon - coworking

The remote working revolution, powered by the pandemic lock-down, has transformed the extent to which people can unshackle themselves from the location (and time) constraints of doing their job. Some people have taken advantage of their new found freedom to work in the cozy idyll of a shed at the bottom of their garden. But others have taken the workplace revamp to the extremes extending their Maldives holidays by doing a bit of work abroad.

“Residences” and long-term stays (ie. months) have risen dramatically here. A good Internet connection and a growing standardisation of teleconferencing as the default mode of doing business make this increasingly feasible and appealing. It used to be that face-to-face included was the default and you did teleconferencing when you really had to, but now the situation has flipped).

To further help you whistle while you work, SAii Lagoon has introduced the first ever co-working space in the Maldives:

  • “Crossroads Maldives is set to open the Maldives first-ever co-working space in the Maldives located at The Marina at CROSSROADS Maldives..‘Your SPACE’ at CROSSROADS Maldives would be the first of its kind in the Maldives where freelancers, remote workers, start-ups, and other independent professionals can work together in the communal setting. Offering flexible membership levels from hot desk to designated desks and spaces, members would be able to enjoy complimentary return transfers from Malé, free Wi-Fi, secretarial services including printing, scanning, mail delivery, meeting room booking and self-service coffee and tea. Additional benefits include exclusive discounts from the diverse range of dining and shopping outlets at The Marina.”

Other resorts have added enhanced work spaces in the villas (now tagged with the new tag of “Remote Working”), but SAii Lagoon and Hard Rock have introduced a space dedicated to such working in their Crossroad centre. That way one can get some privacy and other business support services for getting some vital work done (hopefully, so you can stay even longer in paradise with all the fires put out at home).

This is a bit of a special topic for me as one of my other websites/blogs has been looking at the concept of remote and flexible working long before it became trendy – Dynamic Work. As it happens, I am posting this piece from another island paradise, the Galapagos, where Lori and I are taking our Maldives-honed diving skills for a different type of diving adventure and our first ever live-aboard experience.

Why have a faux background on your Zoom call, when you can have the real thing?

  

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Best of the Maldives: Suitcase TV – Soneva Jani

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Soneva Jani - suitcase TV

Masks are not just to protect from contagion, but also to protect the aesthetics of a stay in paradise as Soneva Jani craftily demonstrated with its hideaway suitcase television. When not in use, it just looks like an unassuming trunk at the foot of the bed. But if you feel like a little bedtime entertainment, like the roof above, your remote can fire up some distraction.

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Best of the Maldives: Facemasks – Amilla

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Amilla - facemasks

One of the most useful complementary items we’ve received in the Maldives in the past year was especially apropos to the headline event of the past year – face masks. Lot of companies have produced logo’ed facemasks as a combination of courtesy and promotion, but Amilla’s were special vented versions the big advantage of which is that they didn’t fog up your glasses (if you were passing your transit time reading) or your sunglasses. As a result of this benefit, this mask is one of the ones I have used the most when I came home.  And their light, white material made them especially suitable for the tropics.

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Best of the Maldives: Siyam World – Largest Floating Water Park

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Siyam World - floating water park 2

Another (extra) fun resort logo is Siyam World floating water park, but to get your Instagram shot, you will need to be far above the water. I first proposed on of these back in 2014 in my “Haven’t Seen Yet in the Maldives” series (#7 of list #6). Then, Hideaway Beach informed me that they were inspired to feature one after reading my article (and, of course, Maldives Complete got the scoop). Siyam has gone one bigger with a truly expansive version designed to keep the kids (and kids in spirit) entertained for hours.

Siyma World - floating water park 1

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Best of the Maldives: Coral Reef Gardener – Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu

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Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu - coral garden

Mari-time, Mar-itime…How does your garden grow? With help from a lucky aquatic gardener at Coco Palm Dhuniu Kolhu. The resort is advertising for a “coral reef gardener” to work for a three placement:

  • · “A lucky winner will be flown out to the luxurious Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu resort in September, where they will help the Marine Educator with managing and fostering coral growth in the surrounding house reefs…applicants must submit a link to a 2-3-minute video and a 500-word cover letter explaining why they think they would be a good fit for the role. Applicants do not need to have previous experience, but they must be over the age of 18 years, be a competent open water swimmer and keen to gain experience in this field.”

Working in an octopus’ garden has 12 May deadline for application.

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Best of the Maldives: Children’s Story – Soneva

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Soneva Jani - lost and found

You might expect the first children’s book in (and from) the Maldives to feature some sort of marine creature, but instead the protagonist is a furry little land resident. Well, resident on Soneva Fushi. Soneva has been home to bunnies not just at Easter (Happy Orthodox Easter today!), but all year round since its beginning.

“Lost and Found in the Maldives” tells the story of a bunny named Benjamin who finds himself on this tropical paradise and it introduced to their own leporine luxury. He gets a tour of all of the intriguing sights of the island. The book is the work of Amie Malmstrom, the sister of the “Eva” part of “Soneva”. Complete with charming illustrations, the book is a lovely way to either anticipate or remember a trip to Kunfunadhoo. And of course, the only place you can get it is at one of Soneva’s island bookstores.

   

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