The Maldives has long been pioneering sustainability with ambitious use of solar power, and now SO Maldives, The Patine and Ritz Carlton Maldives (thanks Paola) have set a new high water mark over the water installing solar panels on the roofs of every single one of their water villas. Top move.
Many resorts recycle the small consumables like bottles and packaging, but Soneva Jani has recycled so much of its construction materials that it was able to make an entire restaurant out of them. In fact, the construction design of the “Crab Shack” was also inspired by the story of a local fisherman:
Most of resorts recycle our paper, plastic and metal. Some go further to recycle more esoteric items like construction materials and coconut husks. But Six Senses Laamu and Kuramathi have introduced a recycling not a material, but energy. They have installed waste heat recycling technology:
Having visited 17 of Maldives atolls, there aren’t many left we haven’t been to, but Soneva Secret recently launched in an atoll – Mkaundhoo – that we have not only never been to, but I hadn’t even heard of! One of the distinctive experiences of the Maldives is the dramatic sense of being away from it all in the middle of the ocean. Soneva has taken that dimension to the next level with their “Secret” refuge.
One of my other websites provides information on the sport of rowing for people with disabilities, so it is a delight to see Amilla Maldives offering our favourite Maldives “sport” of diving to disabled guests (something I first proposed in my 2017 “Haven’t Seen Yet” post):
A great activity especially for the mobility impaired as underwater you don’t need your legs (as Ariel has sung about).
Snorkel Spotter turned 12 years old this week! It’s been a great resource for us to capture and share our extensive house reef explorations (over 100 different house reefs). And various resorts and guests have embraced it as well to do the same, but none more than Gili Lankanfushi and Baros with 22 spottings logged each.
Here is the top ten table:
|
Gili Lankanfushi |
22 |
|
Baros Maldives |
22 |
|
Gangehi |
21 |
|
Kurumba |
15 |
|
Dusit Thani |
13 |
|
Thudu Fushi |
12 |
|
Veligandu |
12 |
|
Biyadhoo |
12 |
|
Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu |
12 |
|
Fihalhohi |
11 |
In honour of Oral Hygiene Day today…
Q: Who has the most teeth – an armadillo a garden snail, a horse, or a tiger shark
A: Shark?
Q: <buzzzz!> Actually a garden snail. Specifically, their 14,000 teeth (!) are more than 300 times more than a tiger shark (43). In fact, horses (44) and armadillos (74) have more teeth than a tiger shark.
While it varies by species, many sharks average around do average 30,000 teeth throughout their lifespan (as they discard them like toddlers throughout their lives)! That’s one approach to dental care.
For a hitting the sweet spot any time of day, Ayada offers the most colourful ice cream treats we have come across in the Maldives (if not most anywhere). Always welcome refreshment on a toasty tropical day.
The Maldives is renowned for its colourful tapestry of mottled blues in the surrounding ocean and sky punctuated by tropical greenery, brilliant white coral sands and the warm yellow glow of sunshine. But for those visually impaired with colour blindness, such rich variations are not only lost. But Finolhu has implemented an innovative programe to bring as much of this visual richness to these guess with the EnChroma sunglasses and snorkel masks.
(thanks Paola)
Bringing a carefully selected range of books to your remote paradise isn’t enough for Soneva Fushi as now the latest “barefoot bookseller” Georgie Polhill will bring a selection of books straight to your villa with her own custom tuk tuk:
Uber Books!