Best of the Maldives: Convenient Kids Club – Cora Cora

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Cora Cora - accessible kids club

Anyone taking their children on a holiday in the Maldives (which is an ever increasing number) is certainly keen on sharing their company. But sometimes kids want a break from the parents and visa-versa. Most of the time, the resort kids clubs are tucked away in some remote section of the island interior, but Cora Cora has positioned its kids club right in the center of the action. The club has its own water view (which only a few other kids clubs have). It is near the pool, reception and several restaurants so close to where the parents might be hanging out (“Adults Club”?) savouring a cocktail or lounging by the pool. It is easy for the anxious parents to pop over to check in on the children, or for the kids club staff to get the parents if they are needed. And it is easy for anxious children to be comforted by the notion that mom and dad are “just over there”.

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Best of the Maldives: Herbal Compression Workshop – Cora Cora

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Cora Cora - herbal compression workshop 1

Sometimes “BestOfs” are doubly good. I have not only not seen “herbal compression” treatments at a spa, but I have certainly not seen a workshop that teaches you who to make your own. But Cora Cora has put these together is a distinctively creative wellness experience. The herbal compresses are heated in a special steamer and then the warm herb compress is then applied (either directly to skin or through thin pyjamas) during a massage. The compress itself is made of a collectin of herbs wrapped tightly in a thin muslin or cotton cloth.

Cora Cora - herbal compression workshop 2

Cora Cora - herbal compression workshop 3

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Best of the Maldives: Kids Club Wall of Fame – Cora Cora

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Cora Cora - kids club wal of fame

The couples have lots of options for commemorating their trip-of-a-lifetime experience, but Cora Cora’s kids club literally lets the younger folks leave their mark on the property. They have a handy wall filled with the colourful prints of the many visitors being looked after there.

I’ve added a new tag “Commemoration” for all the plaques, ribbons and other tokens the resorts set up to enable for people to leave a commemorative token of their experience there.

 

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Best of the Maldives: Bathing Tanks – Cora Cora

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Cora Cora - bathing wells

The Maldives features all sorts of pools across the resorts – infinity pools, glass bottom pools, jacuzzi pools, exercise pools…you name it. But Cora Cora ’s ancient bathing pools are the most intriguing of the lot. They were excavated carefully by the resort after some construction revealed their presence buried under years of sand piled on top of them:

  • “The Maldivian name for bathing tanks is ‘vevu’. These tanks were discovered in 2011 in the thick wooded area of Maamagili revealing complex ancient structures far remove from the modern history of the Maldives. Mature trees, decayed roots and several tonned of mud and sand were methodically removed to unearth the structure beneath. These bathing tank, widespread throughout the Indian subcontinent were also commonly found in the Maldives until the 1940s.”

  Cora Cora - bathing tank 2

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Best of the Maldives: Pottery – Cora Cora

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Cora Cora - curation

I written about the museum as Cora Cora (formerly Loama at Maamagili) before, but frankly when I visited it a year ago, I realised just how many distinctions it had. One of the highlights of their collection is an array of pottery which is not just distinctive in the Maldives, but distinctive worldwide. So much so that when we did our tour, we were joined by a Chinese couple who it turns out were ceramic experts and had specifically visited Cora Cora just to see the pottery exhibited there. They spent a long time looking at even the most unassuming shards in their workshop (see photo above) and commented on their significance. It turns out that centuries ago pottery was not just a decorative objet d’art, but an essential means of packing and shipping valuable commodities around the world. The pieces are not just lovely, but also inform critical research into ancient trading in the Indian Ocean.

And the distinctions at Cora Cora should keep I coming. I already have more to post but also the resort is continuing with ongoing excavation and archaeological research so the island just keeps revealing more and more treasures.

Cora Cora - pottery 2

Cora Cora - pottery 1

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Best of the Maldives: Bathroom Hammock – Cora Cora

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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).

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Best of the Maldives: Freedom Tree – Cora Cora

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Cora Cora - freedom tree

Another variation of the wish tree is Cora Cora’s “Freedom Tree”. Not only do you write you wish to hang on a special walking tree for them to be lofted away by the Maldives ocean breezes, but you can also choose one of 4 colours each associated with one of the following sentiments:

  • Yellow = “Luck is believing you are lucky”
  • Teal = “It is health that is wealth”
  • Blue = “Some people are worth waiting for”
  • Red = “All we need is love”

Cora Cora - freedom tree 2

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