Lobster Day! A Father’s Day treat (in fact, my son Chase is preparing my favourite, Lobster Bisque, for me).
Maybe not the greatest day for lobsters. But at least at Nika they can luxuriate in an Olympic sized (about 10 metres by 5 metres) outdoor lobster pool instead of the conventional aquarium holding bin.
There is little that beats the literal atmosphere of dining outside in the perfect temperature surrounded by a chorus of nature’s sounds under a canopy of stars.
When we first started coming to the Maldives, the notion of dining on the beach was relatively novel. Most of the resorts had designated sheltered dining areas. We would typically ask the waiter if we could move our table out to the water’s edge and in most cases they were more than happy to do so. Now, beach dining is featured prevalently both as a special supplement experience and as regular dining areas.
Nika has given al fresco dining a fresh setting inspired by the island’s Italianate heritage and character. It has situated its main dining area (with a backup inside area for unfavourable weather) in an area that resembles some Mediterranean avenue. It features wrought-iron lamp posts which evokes a sandy Cinque Terra boulevard with people dining on gamberti and chianti late into the evening.
Buon appetito
If Reethi is the curviest island, then Nika has the curviest villas. The structures are like some Corbusier creation. The bathrooms curl away like some Naulitoid swirl.
Another rare “Super Moon” tonight!
While the sunrise and sunset seems to be the celestial obsession of the Maldives resort, it is the moon that really seems to evoke the romance for which this part of the world is renowned. Like the eponymous “honeymoon”, which many consider the Maldives to be the capital of, the shimmering moon has been the inspiration for lovers forever.
And nothing is as heart-throbbingly magical as the bright full moon. Many resorts offer sunrise yoga and sunset cruises, but Nika offers an excursion crafted around this monthly event. Their “Full Moon Excursion” features “Swimming in the lunar path reflected in the sea. There will be a drink to celebrate this special night. 23:00 – 1:00.” (35 euros)
Super.
Most outdoor Jacuzzis are set out in the open air I guess to provide the most expansive view, but in keeping with Nika’s distinction in the area of privacy, it offers charming Jacuzzi cabanas in the private beach area of each villa. It uses temperature controlled water like drawing a bath so you can get it nice a piping hot unlike many rather tepid Jacuzzis.
Multiple islands also have the more land faring cats (eg. Sun, Bathala, Mirihi). But Nika has 4. One belongs to one of the Maldivian staff and the others to the owners. Strangely they don’t bother the free roaming birds at all. They are quite sociable and they come out to say hello to the guests regularly.
If Black Friday or your trip of a lifetime has depleted your bank account so you have to watch what you buy, then you might consider renting your outfit. Especially, if it is a very elegant piece of couture. Like its neighbour Gangehi, Nika’s main shop also offers a range of clothing complete with custom tailoring. But it also offers a range of saris for wedding hire. So you can have the most ravishing piece without the expensive or having to cram it into your suitcase.
Banyan Trees are one of the enchanting tropical natives of the Maldives. Every resort has a monstrosity of a towering ancient specimen that they are proud to show off. Nika’s own Banyan highlight is more of a Banyan copse. Four Banyan giants that have intertwined to become one. The resort celebrates the space with a mystical yoga area set up directly under their canopy. But perhaps most distinctive is the resort name itself, “Nika”, which is the Maldivian word for “Banyan Tree”.
In the Maldives, one can simply lose track of time. Not just because of indolent indifference. But also because it varies from resort to resort. Many resorts follow “resort time” which is an hour ahead of Male time. There is no geographical reason since the entire country is aligned longitudinally from north to south. It is sort of like a permanent “Daylight Savings Time” or “British Summer Time” (which officially ended today).
The whole concept behind daylight savings time was to provide more daylight hours in the still active part of the later afternoon and early evening. Certainly a great way to stretch your days and activities in the Maldives. One can say that time simply doesn’t matter in this remote paradise, but people still tend to be guided by the benchmarks of daily clock times for their rituals like dining and settling down.
Being so close to the equator, the sunrise and sunset times do not vary much through the year. The sun rises and sets around 6:00 (am and pm) every day varying a matter of minutes through the year. But for the resorts, this means a 7:00 am sunrise (don’t have to get up quite so early for sunrise yoga) and 7:00 pm sunset (so you can carry on your activities later before it truly becomes the dinner hour.
The resort Nika has literally doubled down on this concept setting their resort’s time to 2 whole hours ahead of Male. At Nika, sunset was at 8:00 pm. Which meant that we carried on quite late and by the time we freshened up and went to dinner, it was approaching 9:00 pm. But that dinner hour only amplified Nika’s Italianate vibe where dinner tends to start and linger later into the evening.
Double the sun, double the fun.
