Best of the Maldives: Kids Bathrooms – Ailafushi

Ailafushi - kids bathrooms

A real treat for both children and parents alike is them having their own room. In the Maldives, unless the resort offers special family room set up (which about 10% do) this arrangement often means (a) having their own villa, or (b) getting a pricey 2-bedroom villa. Ailafushi is one of the 10% that do offer a family room, but the bonus is that it also comes with its own, directly connected bathroom. No having 4 family members jockeying for use of the single bathroom of the villa (and the inter-generational privacy is going to be well appreciated by both).

 

Best of the Maldives: Bathroom Hammock – Cora Cora

Cora Cora - bathroom hammock

All the outdoor amenities in the Maldives are a true delight, but sometimes you do need a break from the tropical sun bearing down on you (especially for us anglo-complexioned). If you want to escape the brightness, but still like the idea of lounging in a hammock over the ocean, Cora Cora has installed them in their outdoor bathrooms. (top tip: the hammocks are also an excellent place to lay out wet swim suits and snorkeling gear to dry with less worry of a gust of wind blowing them into the sea which you have when setting them out on the deck).

Best of the Maldives: Curvy Sink – LUX North Male Atoll

LUX North Male Atoll - curvy sink

World Sculpture Day today. In the Maldives, one of the most common places for sculptural aesthetic are the luxurious bathrooms in the super premium properties. I’m a bit of a sink aficionado, so I was immediately enchanted by LUX North Male Atoll’s sink which combined a long, sinewy faucet over an elegantly carved wooden basin.

Slinky sink.

 

Best of the Maldives: Water Closet – Joali

Joali - water closet

Bathrooms are so critical to buyer appeal that they are the number one room in the house for remodelling return on investment. Maldives bathrooms in the top properties have become quite lavish affairs with sculpted tubs set in pride of place with stunning views. But even the most lavish still sequester the toilet, affectionately known as the “water closet”, in pretty non-descript cells. Joali has gone to unmatched extents to model their WCs with striking style. The lavish loos are lined floor to ceiling with green Norwegian marble. And the light turns on automatically when you open the door so there is no fumbling around for the light switch in the middle of the night.

Bodacious bog!

Best of the Maldives: Kids Bathroom – JA Manafaru

JA Manafaru - kids toilet

Maldives kids clubs are packed with miniature versions of the amenities their grown-up parents enjoy during their stay. One of the focal points of luxury in the resort villas are the lavish bathrooms. And JA Manafaru is no less accommodating to its kids club patrons with a restroom designed with their pint-sized scale in mind. A great example of knowing your customer and optimising the customer experience. I bet the kids feel like great big boys and girls when they use the Manafaru loo (and I felt like the Jolly Green Giant).

JA Manafaru - kids sink

Best of the Maldives: Over Water Bathrooms – Kandolhu

Kandolhu - over water villa bathroom

Kandolhu puts the water in the “water closet”.

During the past couple of decades that we have been visiting the Maldives, the tubs have gotten larger and the showers more decadent. The bathrooms have emerged from being tucked away to standing out with al fresco opulence.  These days villa bathrooms have become almost mini private spas with their lavish design, bountiful space, and luxury fittings. Kandolhu resort exemplifies this trend with their over water villas whose bathrooms exemplify the flair of the resort’s contemporary design with its soaring airy motif, clean lines and crisp styling.

Kandolhu - over water villa bathroom 2

Best of the Maldives: Drench Sink – Shangri-La Villingili

Shangri-La Villingili - drench sink

What I get to uncover on my Maldives tours are the smaller details that really give a resort distinction. While the resort PR departments are all keen to promote their latest Michelin star chef or butler concierge service, these smaller touches are just as likely to impress the guest with a bit of “wow” factor. As any designer will appreciate, it’s the fixtures and fittings which set a property apart.

If imitation is the best form of flattery, then Shangri-La Villingili’s drench sinks get that highest praise. Lori and I have just sold our house and we are about to embark on building our next dream home. Of all the creative and extravagant features we have found in the luxurious world of the Maldives resorts, the one I am going to steal for our next house is Villingili’s sinks.

Drench showers are starting to make their way to the top resorts. They are the latest in the evolution of a sybaritic soaking that started with the introduction of power massage showers and then moved onto rain showers. I’ve seen several of the drench showers, but Villingili was the first drench sink I’ve come across. There is something deliciously sensual about a wafer thin sheet of water cascading silkily over your hands. An unsung water feature in the land of exceptional water spectacles.