Best of the Maldives: Sand Painting – JA Manafara

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JA Manafaru - sand painting Figi

While the glitterati use sand to paint themselves, artist Ahmed Shahid of JA Manafaru uses paint to adorn sand. When he is not working in the resort boutique, he creates a variety of sand compositions, but his specialty is football motifs. The resort reports “He works at the boutique. He is a very good self taught artist who makes these designs. They are made for guests, when we are aware of a football team that they support.” His proudest moment was when one of his favourite players, Luis Figo, posed with one of his creations when visiting the resort (see above).

JA Manafaru - sand painting Man City

JA Manafaru - sand painting 2

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Best of the Maldives: Bath Buddies – JA Manafaru

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JA Manafaru - bath buddies 1

Water is the very essence of the Maldives. So it would seem that an ideal memento of one’s stay would be something one can enjoy when one is in the warm water relaxing. JA Manafaru’s bath buddy provide a few variants especially apropos to a Maldives stay. May favourite is the snorkel duck.

I’ve added a new tag for “Finally Seen” for those “Best of the Maldives” pieces featuring things I had called out in the “Not Yet Seen” series. In this case, #23 of this past Christmas’s post.

Absolutely ducky!

JA Manafaru - bath buddies 2

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Best of the Maldives: Indoor Cinema – JA Manafaru

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JA Manafaru - cinema

And the Oscar for the best Cinema goes to…JA Manafaru.

About the only thing at our home that provides an idyllic comfort and relaxation on par with the Maldives is nestling down in front of our in-home cinema. When we hit a bit of discretionary income a few years back, we didn’t buy a fancy car or boat or second home. We installed a quite sophisticated home cinema – projection screen, THX 7:1 surround sound, and custom seating where we could put our feet up. You always get an ideal seat, you can drink a glass of wine and you can pause it if you need the toilet.

Today’s “Best of” gives an Oscar weekend double feature to Manafaru. As it happens, they feature double with two cinema set ups – one in the bar and one in the games area. It includes 10 foot wide screen with HD projection and surround sound.   A number of resorts now have outdoor cinemas where you can still soak up the tropical island vibe while enjoying your favourite flick.  But sometimes a bit of shelter from the elements and a space designed for viewing pleasure is the best cinematic experience.  Also, great inclement weather insurance for your Maldives holiday.

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Best of the Maldives: Longest Spa Water Feature – JA Manafaru

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JA Manafaru - spa path with Victoria Lopyreva

Water defines the Maldives and so island water features that maintain that aquatic feel even in the interior are always a fitting touch. A number of spas a have added lily ponds and fountains to their spas to bring that fluid tranquillity to their treatment retreat. The longest spa water feature I have ever ambled across is JA Manafaru’s Calm Spa (one of the most expansive in the Maldives) where it meanders through lush foliage and colourful flowering plants. The equally sinuous Victoria Lopyreva (Miss Russia 2003) posted a snap of the fashionable runway herself during her recent visit.

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Best of the Maldives: Local Village – JA Manafaru

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JA Manafaru - village

Maldives National Day today. A time to celebrate Maldivian culture and heritage. At JA Manafaru resort, they celebrate it every day of their year with their own “Kakuni Village” exhibition on the island. Many guests are interested what life was like for residents of this exotic place on Earth (before modern civilisation brought its more globally homogenous concrete and plaster)

The display features several reconstructed Maldivian homes…

“A typical traditional house in the Maldives is built here with thatched coconut or palm branches forming the roof of the house which is called Bodruge…It is now very rare to find a house with the badhige (kitchen) as a separate annexure to the dwelling.”

Among other examples of traditional fittings and décor, the village includes…

  • House (bodruge)
  • Gazebo (holhuashi)
  • Outdoor bathing (gifili)
  • Kitchen (badhige)

JA Manafaru - village 2

JA Manafaru - village 4

JA Manafaru - village 3

JA Manafaru - village 5

JA Manafaru - house sign

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Best of the Maldives: Curry Station – JA Manafaru

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JA Manafaru - curry station

The Maldives Sub-Continental location means that the region dish of “curry” is a traditional staple. But, a curry varies widely not just in different recipes, but also in different countries. Living in England, Indian curry is time honoured tradition, but lately I’ve become more struck by the fragrant coconut and coriander tastes of Thai curries.

I don’t think I’ve seen a resort that hasn’t served a curry as a part of its buffet selection. But JA Manafaru serves all the curries. Well, at least all the ones I knew about.

Its main restaurant offers a Curry Station which has the following styles of curry…

  • Sri Lankan
  • Maldivian
  • Kerala
  • Indonesia
  • Thai
  • Indian Molee

And they are not sitting there pre-made but rather their chefs prepare them for you fresh to order (see photo). And as such you can tailor them to your own liking choosing the sauce, the meat (chicken, lamb, seafood) and how spicy you like it. In fact, the curry is so fresh that the curry leaves grown in the chef’s herb garden on the island.

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Best of the Maldives: Sand Bikes – JA Manafaru

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JA Manafaru - sand bike

The busiest travel day of the year today. At least in the USA. The day before Thanksgiving and EVERYONE is trying to get home. While Christmas might be a bigger season and holiday, more people go home for Thanksgiving than they do for Christmas. Hence the term “Homecoming”. As in “Homecoming Queen” and “King” who are part of the festivities for the typically biggest high school (American) football game of the year which is played on Turkey Day. While Mom is preparing the feast, everyone in town heads down to the game assured that every one in town, including their friends who have moved away, will be there.

As you can imagine, getting half of a America back its home base in one 24-hour burst results in a bity of transportation mayhem. Immortalised in the classic comedy film “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”.

None of that stress in the Maldives even on whatever their biggest travel day of the year is. Few planes (limited to Male and a few scattered islands), absolutely no trains, and even fewer islands with automobiles. For the biggest resort islands, the transportation of choice is buggies and bikes.

We’ve been on a number of bikes (Reethi Rah, Soneva Fushi, Gili Lankfushi) and the biggest challenge is riding them in the softer sand (though for these islands most of the pathways are quite firm). Not an issue for JA Manafaru who has the specialty “Fat Man” models with extra wide tyres for both a softer ride and more ease going through softer terrain. They sort of have a vintage roadster vibe.

Coco Bodu Hithi also has them, but Manafaru had kid versions (see below).

JA Manafaru - sand bikes kids

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Best of the Maldives: Albino Moray – JA Manafaru

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JA Manafaru - albino moray

Today’s creature feature was brought to our attention during our visit to JA Manafaru and stopping by the Sun Diving centre there. They were exceptionally helpful orienting me to the dive sites in the surrounding Haa Alifu atoll and helping to fill out the dive site database with info and material.

The dive centre manage alerted us to many wonderful sites (as well as the scourge of Crown of Thorn Starfish hitting many Haa Alifu reefs), but none so colourful as the colourless Albino Moray at Kurolhi Thila. You will have to be a bit of a mini-Ahab to spot this white wonder as it moves around a bit, but it is regularly spotted (that is, seen not complexion). But it never moves from the thila and has been seen there for years.

Today’s feature was inspired by the second consecutive “Bad Pun Monday” (and, in fact, prompting me to add a new Category tag “Bad Puns”).

Wait for it…

Smile

Bad Pun - Moray

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Best of the Maldives: Beach Rugby – JA Manafaru

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JA Manafaru - beach rugby 3

It’s not just the men who get to enjoy head-turning beauties this week, but the women get treated to fine specimens themselves with the opening of the Rugby World Cup (as a lady friend of mine commented “Us ladies had to pause and rewind a few times when watching the match last night. Those Fijian giants, those tight shorts…”).
Rugby is a sport where the “small island states” (eg. Samoa, Fiji, Tonga) stand shoulder to shoulder with the big guys. In fact, even many of the traditional powerhouses in the sport are themselves island nations – New Zealand, Australia, England, Japan.

I’m not sure that the Maldives will be fielding a national team anytime soon, but JA Manufaru resort has hosted its own beach rugby games with staff and guests. In fact, a prominent England player joined in the fun when he visited the resort a while back.  Front Office Manager Ahmed Ashfaq explained, “Some of our managers were interested in playing beach rugby including myself.  We had a group of people who used to play twice a week every day. The idea of playing a friendly match came up with in the group.  The two teams were the’ Manafaru Barbarians’ were a team selected by general manager and ‘Ball Crusher’ is from F&B team.|”  The Barbarians won by a score of 11-7.

For those of you who have no idea what the pictures are all about, I have attached at bottom a link to a helpful instructional primer video done in the spirit of London Fashion Week going on now (see bottom…so to speak).

 

JA Manafaru - beach rugby 5

JA Manafaru - beach rugby 4

JA MAnafaru - Beach Rugby 2

JA Manafaru - beach rugby 1

Rules of Rugby

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