Best of the Maldives: Palm Silouettes – Kurumba

Kurumba - world tourism day

Kurumba reminds us why the Maldives is so chock full of creative and distinctive touches. The destination has turned the simple ritual of decorating a bed (with today’s post I have added the tag “Bed Decorating”) with a few petals into a work of art. Their homage to World Tourism Day is crafting the palm fronds into striking creations evoking the Victorian art of silhouette cutting (thanks Mo).

Best of the Maldives: Bed Decorating Diversity – Kuramathi

Kuramathi - bed art 1

I wasn’t quite sure what to call this recognition, but I knew I need to call out Kuramathi’s exceptional touches to old fashioned relaxation. Kuramathi was the first resort that I ever posted for its distinctive bed-art marking. They have clearly made it a resort trademark, in fact taking it up a notch with the latest generation of bedroom artistes.

All of the creations shown here are the work of 24 year old room attendant Adam Naseer.  Kuramathi shared these details about his work…

  • “Adam has been working in another resort for about two years after he found out about Kuramathi on the internet and from some friends (who also work here) and decided to work for Kuramathi, this is now one year ago. He works at the Thundi area of the island and takes care of about 4 to 5 villas per day. His favourite part is decorating the bed or even the bath with towel art including flowers. It is his passion to make the guests happy and to see their smile on their face as he always receives a grateful feedback and the guests always want to have a picture with Adam and his designs. Mostly he likes to make heart shaped or honeymoon designs.”

My favourite is his birthday greeting complete with towel birthday cake (see photo at top).

For a gallery of Maldives bed decorating masterpieces, check out the Maldives Complete “Bed Art” Pinterest board.

Kuramathi - bed art 2

Kuramathi - bed art 3

Kuramathi - bed art 4

Kuramathi - bed art 5

Kuramathi - bed art 6

Kuramathi - bed art 7

Bed Decorators Need Spell-Check

Hanemoon

Today is the International Day of Failure. Which happens to be, along with Maldives resorts, my other specialist subject. I’ve written about as much about embracing failure as I have about quirky features at Maldivian resorts. And today I get to combine the two. Enjoy!

  1. Helengeli – According to Wikipedia, “HANE” is either “Hereditary angioneurotic edema” or “High-altitude nuclear explosion”. Neither is probably a happy occurrence to a new bride. [ABOVE]
  2. Cinnamon Dhonveli – The guests weren’t being rude when they said he’d married a cow.
    Cinnamon Dhonveli - spell check
  3. Amilla Fushi – I guess at Amilla they keep track of your achievements and this guest is now at “5”
    Amilla Fushi - congrats
  4. Atomosphere Kanifushi – I’ve posted about Babymoons, Blood Moons, Full Moons, Coconut Moons and Super Moons, but somehow I’ve missed out the basic “Happy Moon”.
    Atmosphere Kanifushi - happy moon
  5. Dhigufaru – Is the “Valentine 2” performing for a romantic duet?
    Dhigufaru - spell check
  6. Hurawalhi – Wow, a baby born on the resort itself!
    Hurawalhi - spell check
  7. J Resort Alidhoo – Unless this is some cryptic formula, this appears to be text slang for “Welcome, Oh My…”
    J Resort Alidhoo - hyphenation
  8. Kuredu – For smaller achievements, I guess this is appropriate.
    Kuredu - congratulation
  9. Meeru – But this one for really big, heavy achievements.
    Meeru - congratiuations
  10. Meeru – It’s no big holiday, it merely Christmas.
    Meeru - Christmad
  11. Mirihi – I know, I know, everyone’s a chritic these days.
    Mirihi - Chritsmas

Best of the Maldives: Bedroom Fountain – JA Manafaru

JA Manafaru - bedroom fountain

Art can be anything that inspires the senses. We are most familiar with visual art, but gastronomic delights can be truly artistic in the depiction of creative flavours. One medium of art we are especially familiar with is “sound art”. Not music, but actually composing artistic creations out of sounds that may or may not have any music or rhythm whatsoever. Our son, Chase (himself a veteran of a dozen visits to the Maldives with our family) is a sound artist. He recently released a work “Four Points” based on recordings around the UK shoreline. Our playlists are filled with his pieces and others he has recommended.

Most people will have enjoyed sound art in a spa where ambient pieces are often featured to paint a soothing acoustic environment. A common theme in such pieces is the sound of water. Be it gently curling seaside lapping the shore or a trickling brook or even a rainfall, something about flowing water is viscerally calming. Some resorts feature ambient recordings on their in-room sound systems. But JA Manafaru produces a live performance soundscape in their beach suites with a waterfall situated right behind the bed.

The feature reminded me of our recent stay at Shangri-La Villingili. On the second day we had quite an extensive rain shower for a few hours. But, Lori and I just flung open the French doors to the room and took a dreamy nap lying in bed with the sound of warm rain falling a few feet from us.

Best of the Maldives: Mixed Media Bed Art – Anantara Kihavah

Anantara Kihavah - bed decorating

The Maldives mattress medium just gets more and more sophisticated. The latest artistic talent to showcase is Anantara Kihavah Villas’ mixed medium artistry (thanks Paola). I’m particularly fond of their use of the pink bougainvillea, the underwater scene is especially a propos, and their towel palm tree is the first I have seen using towels in a pictorial rendition.

These bed decorations are ultimately a form of performance art. As evanescent as the blossoms which compose them.

Anantara Kihavah Villas - ocean scene

Anantara Kihavah Villas - palm tree

Best of the Maldives: Bed Decorating – Zitahli Kudafunafaru

Zitahli Kudafunafaru - bed decorating 1

Winner and new champion of the hotly contested bed decorating. Custom room greeting décor has become such an extreme art form in the Maldives, I started a Pinterest page a while back to showcase the best I came across.

Room décor falls into two basic categories…

  1. Bed Decoration – The original classic involving flower petals, sheet folding and palm fronds (mostly for spelling out greetings).
  2. Towel Art – Folding towels into various sculpture.

Zitahli Kudafunfaru has set the new bar with its “Happy Anniversary” extravaganza which elegantly combined both. Mind you it was a particularly special one (30th). The only downside is that is was so beautiful that we were tempted to sleep on the sofa so as not to disturb it. Gorgeous.

 

Zitahli Kudafunafaru - bed decorating 2

Best of the Maldives: Night Light – Jumeirah Dhevanafushi

Jumeirah Dhevanafushi - night light

 

Goulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and other things that go bump in the night.” Like my toe or knee clamouring around in an unfamiliar pitch black room on holiday.

Maybe most guests don’t wake up in a different resort every night, but the accommodation will nonetheless be unfamiliar and for a while that is always a bit disorienting in the fog of a night time call of nature.

But Jumeirah Dhevanafushi provides a motion-sensitive night light. A small light under the bed stand comes on (on the side of the bed of the person who gets up…one for each side) to gently illuminate a small bit of the floor (and to provide a beacon back to the bed on your return).

Definitely a treat of a trick. Happy Halloween!

Best of the Maldives: Round Bed – Constance Halaveli

Constance Halaveli round bed

No heart-shaped beds yet (jacuzzi, yes), but a round one. Conrad Rangali has one centered in its sunset water villa master bedroom like a giant bulls-eye. But the circular crib at Constance Halaveli tipped the feature today with the swoosh of a bedside stand and the round villa that lends a curvy Corbusier feel to villa.

Best of the Maldives: Artistic Bed – Baros

Baros bed in Lennon Ono

 

Bed piece today. 45 years ago today John Lennon and Yoko One turned their honeymoon into a piece of performance art. Embracing the paparazzi instead of shunning them, they exploited the celebration of love for a performance art piece with a message of love called a “Bed-In” (take off of the popular sixties protest of a “sit-in”).

With the Maldives as the world center for honeymooners and celebrities, I’m sure that a resort here would have been an appealing venue for them in the modern age. And the resort they might have chosen could have been Baros. Know for its romance, its villa beds are works of art in their own right.

Distinctive vienetta canopy, lighted glass décor behind the head board. And of course the hide-away TV.

Bed Peace!

 

Baros artistic bed