Best of the Maldives: Gin – OZEN by Atmosphere

OZEN by Atmosphere - gin bar

World Gin Day! Gin and tonic actually originated in the tropics. Centuries ago, Europeans died regularly of malaria in places like Africa and South Asia, but they figured out that those who drank tonic water somehow seemed to not get the illness. As it turns out quinine, which gives tonic water its distinctively bitter taste, is prophylactic which supresses the malaria. When I lived in Togo, West Africa, I took quinine tablets daily to prevent malaria.

Today, tonic water is used for much more mundane purposes like a perfect complement to a glass of gin. Over a pile of ice cubes. A drink so popular that you now get special gin bars serving wide ranges of varieties. Our local, The Prince of Wales pub, has one. Lori is especially particular always preferring a Bombay Sapphire to Gordons (which has too strong of the distinctive juniper – or as Lori says, “pine needle” – taste). Now this gin aficionados have their own specialty watering hole in the Maldives at Ozen by Atmosphere:

  • “The bar will be located at Ozen by Atmosphere on Maadhoo Island and will feature more than 25 gin brands, including Tanqueray, Hendrick’s and Monkey 47. All drinks will be included in the resort’s Atmosphere Indulgence Plan. The bar will be open from 5pm-11pm every day except Fridays, and is located above the resort’s poolside bar, Joie de Vivre.”

Best of the Maldives: Longest Pool – Sirru Fen Fushi

Sirru Fen Fushi - longest pool

If you are looking for pool big enough to fit the fashionista flotilla of floats, then your best bet is Sirru Fen Fushi with its 200 metre long chlorinated lake. That’s the length of 4 Olympic sized swimming pools laid end to end and pips the previous champion by a similar amount (thanks Paola). It extends from one side of the island pretty much complete to the other side almost like a dissecting canal (see below).

Sirru Fen Fushi - pool aerial

Best of the Maldives: Highest TV – Dreamland

Dreamland - ceiling TV

One resort who has a high bar (literally) for videos is Dreamland with their ceiling mounted television (thanks Paola). The set up allows for supine lounging while catching a bit of TV. It also means that one can glance at the TV (above) or the scenery (below) which might be useful if you were following a news event or a big sports match.

Best of the Maldives: Instagram Video – Cocoon

A post shared by Nicole M. (@nicolemazzocato) on

Instagram has started as a straightforward snap sharing service from simple phone cameras, but it has exploded so much that now you get Hollywood quality productions being shared. I check out the Maldives geotag every morning over coffee as a great scouting radar for resort highlights as well as the latest fashionista shoots so I have been tracking the Maldives material for a couple of years. The video clips have increasing popped up and feature more and more in my fashionista posts. My favourite, that really stuck out for its sophistication and quirky style is Nicole Mazzocato’s post (above) filmed by Fabio Colloricchio.

Best of the Maldives: Submarine Jet – Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru

If you prefer your James Bond ocean travel under the water, then check out the latest submarine in the Maldives at Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru:

  • “Landaa Giraavaru is the first resort in the world to launch DeepFlight Adventures: piloted submarine excursions for up to two passengers in the DeepFlight Super Falcon 3S, enabling once-in-a-lifetime sub-aquatic explorations of the Maldives only UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Individual viewing domes provide a 360-degree view of the Baa Atoll’s incredible underwater world. Skim over coral formations; fly through shoals of brightly coloured fish; encounter creatures like turtles, sharks, dolphins and rays; and explore the Maldivian waters down to a depth of 37 metres/120 feet – all without getting wet! Battery-operated, the Super Falcon 3S features minimized electric and acoustic emissions so as not to disturb the marine life and never lands on the seabed or reefs.”

A one-hour trip for two costs $1,500 (£1,100) plus tax.

Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru - submarine

Best of the Maldives: Seaweed Straws – Carpe Diem

Carpe Diem - edible straws

We all can embrace the ocean with more sustainable choices in what we consume and discard. One of the areas getting lots of scrutiny these days is plastic use. Bottles and bags have already been targeted, but a more recent opportunity is to cut down the use of plastic drinking straws. Carpe Diem (note: the resort is not yet open, but the Carpe Diem cruising yacht is in operation) is not just taking a bite out of plastic use, but is introducing straws you can take a bite out of yourself:

  • ”It’s widely claimed there are enough plastic straws to wrap around the Earth’s circumference 2.5 times each day. Because they are so small, most straws are not recycled and usually end up in landfills and waterways, where they linger indefinitely, harming wildlife, and marring the natural beauty. Made to disappear and designed to have the same functionality expected of a plastic straw, Lolistraw will last for up to 8 hrs in a beverage and will have a shelf life of up to 24 months. When you’re done sipping your drink, you can eat the straw or compost it. The founders of LOLIWARE and the straw’s designers, Chelsea Briganti and Leigh Ann Tucker, have coined the term ‘Hyper-compostable’ to convey that all of their products, including Lolistraw, will break down at the same rate as food waste in compost or in the natural environment, such as a waterway.”

Mother Ocean’s Colourful Embrace

Clow fish 6

Mother Ocean Day today which “spotlights the magnificent bodies of water that make life on Earth possible”. Few countries appreciate the ocean more than the Maldives where is makes up more of their country than any other. To mark the occasion, I’ve assembled one of the most popular ocean shots on Instagram – the Anemonefish nestled in the protectively mothering tentacles of its host.  If only we landlubbers could live in harmony with the ocean as well as these Amphiprioninae live in harmony in the ocean…

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Best of the Maldives: Observatory Bar – Anantara Kihavah

I am tasting stars” – Dom Perignon

Now you can taste Dom Perignon among the stars. On Anantara Kihavah’s new rooftop observatory and bar:

  • Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas has taken the wraps off its new SKY overwater observatory, which combines a luxury cocktail bar, a resident story-telling ‘Sky Guru’ and its very own telescope.”

Kihavah has extended the ultimate bottom-to-top vista to the heavens now including the most exquisite wines to accompany every concourse.  And even if you have cloudy night, you can enjoy your sparkling wines under a sparkling firmament in the bar with a luminous ceiling display of constellations (see photo at bottom).

Anantara Kihavah - observatory