Best of the Maldives: Round – Ritz Carlton Maldives

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Ritz Maldives - lounger

  • “Get around, round, round, I get around.” – Beach Boys

Design 101 is it identify a key motif and stick with it, and no “design resorts” (which are abounding in the Maldives) has mastered this concept more completely than the Ritz Carlton Maldives. And that motif is round. The entire property is replete with circular structures from the spa, kids club (complete with spiral climbing frame and Hobbit-like round door), the villas, ocean pool, loungers, pool restaurant. Even a sculpture on the island for sitting and reposing (see directly below).

One could say that the Ritz is indeed the best ALL ROUND resort in the Maldives.

Ritz Maldives - spa

Ritz Maldives - water villa

Ritz Maldives - round kids club

Ritz Maldives - round pool

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Best of the Maldives: Bathroom Graffiti – Oaga

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Oaga - bathroom graffitti

Normally, graffiti on the bathroom walls is considered a bit of a downmarket flag, but Oaga has made such street style into a distinctive feature of its Bodu Haruge Beach Villa with Private Pool villa:

  • “Graffiti Gifili: The bathroom, inspired by Maldivian ‘Gifili’, features bare walls, banana leaves complete the tropical feeling enjoyed by our ancestors, with the graffiti wall providing a contemporary twist. Multi-disciplinary street artist Ahmed Sobah (aka Toxicrew) took inspiration from local animals such as the cat and rooster, transforming each of the walls to one-of-a-kind pieces of street-style art.”

Oaga - Graffitti

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Best of the Maldives: Room Gallery – Oaga

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Oaga - room gallery

More resorts feature more artistry from local creatives, and some bring these pieces into the villas, but Oaga features a veritable museum of distinctive art in its Veyoge Gallery Pool Villa room category. And if you are looking for an inspired memento of your ‘night at the museum’, you can purchase the pieces displayed. And even if you don’t buy one, your stay benefits the local artists who graced your space:

  • “Suvāsthi Gallery Art: Revel in the art exhibited on the wall, part of our in-house art collection from Maldivian artists. All the displayed art is acquirable via our Suvāsthi Retail Gallery. Fun fact: For each night spent in this villa, an allocation will be made to the contributing artist community.”
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Best of the Maldives: Neon Shark – Ritz Carlton Maldives

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Ritz Carlton - neon shark

We love seeing sharks in the Maldives…this Neon Bull Shark art installation by Carla O’Brien was an especially bright sighting at the Ritz Carlton Maldives:

  • “This large-scale light art installation is a lifesize depiction of a fully grown female Bull Shark, fabricated from a laser and hand-cut metal and LED Neon Flex, a revolutionary replacement for glass neon. The US-born artist, Carla, is best known for the NEON ANGEL WINGS, which went globally viral in 2016 when Katy Perry posted on social media, a photo of herself ‘wearing’ the Wings at the Burning Man festival in Nevada, the USA, in 2016.”

The piece is part of the resort’s 14 piece art collection of modern works in a variety of media.

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Best of the Maldives: Fashion Cabanas – One & Only Reethi Rah

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One and Only Reethi Rah - missoni

One of the shorthand acid tests I use as an indicator of property quality is it beach chairs – 3 star properties have plastic beach/lounge chairs, 4 star have wooden ones, 5 star have wooden ones with cushions. And super premiums go that bit extra in comfort and distinction. With One & Only Reethi Rah, it is embellishing such beachware with Missoni’s style:

· “Missoni’s maximalist design has made it to the Maldives. The venerable Italian fashion house just gave the beach club at the One&Only Reethi Rah resort a colorful makeover. The reimagined alfresco space captures the essence of the tropical surroundings through a vibrant spectrum of blues, greens and whites. Naturally, you can expect plenty of Missoni’s signature patterns, too. Designed by Alberto Caliri, the creative director of Missoni’s home collection, the club is equipped with custom furniture showcasing the label’s recognizable motifs. Everything from the loungers and cabanas to the popsicle stand and DJ booth has been given the Missoni treatment. Guests can even make use of Missoni-designed paddleboards, bicycles and golf carts.”

I love the way the Missoni pattern evokes the tapestry of blues in the adjacent lagoon. If I win the lottery, I’ve always wanted a Missoni upholstered Roche Bobois ‘Composition’ sofa. Until then, at least I can get a bit of lounging on Missoni in the Maldives.

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Best of the Maldives: Themes Rooms – Hard Rock

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Hard Rock - themed rooms 1

While not every room is so individually appointed, the distinctive décor of Hard Rock’s Rock Star Villa does evoke the spirit of individually decorated rooms that I called out back in 2014 in my 5th instalment of “Haven’t Seen Yet”. The unique design aesthetic evokes world famous artistic hotels like Crazy Bear (UK), Ice Hotel (Sweden) and Atelier sul mare (Italy).

Now they need to just take it to the next step. They should honour a rock star every year with a free visit and the villa the star stays in gets christened the “So-And-So Villa”. Sort of like the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star would bring a few bits of paraphernalia to contribute to the room décor (in addition to prints of photos and concert posters the resort would have already) and the villa would have the obligatory “So-And-So Slept Here”.

Hard Rock - themed rooms 2

Hard Rock - themed rooms 3

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Best of the Maldives: Jetty Artistry – Soneva Jani

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Soneva Jani - jetty

I’ve already featured the striking artistry of Soneva Jani’s arrival jetty, but it wasn’t until our visit there that we could appreciate the ubiquitous artistry of all its jetties. Unlike its sister resort which is primarily land oriented (and only recently added water villas), Soneva Jani has been from its inception very water oriented. So it is fitting that the byways connecting all of the (striking) constructions should itself be an aesthetic journey. Details like the Soneva signature driftwood pieces (see bottom) to the lit glass room numbers inlaid into the walkway timber as extra flair (see photo below – thanks Poala!) to the Suess-like whimsy of these central design elements.

Soneva Jani - cinema jetty

Sonevsa Jani - jetty numbers

Soneva Jani - jetty artistry

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Best of the Maldives: Memorabilia – Hard Rock

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Hard Rock - memorabilia 1

The heart of the Hard Rock ambience are the ubiquitous memorabilia displays of the most renowned acts in the music world. The sprawling landscape of an entire resort provides a stadium-scale palette for the mementos of performing history underscoring their very distinctive aesthetic like a ten-foot bass tower. Like the most pioneering artists themselves, Hard Rock knows what it is as an entertainment and lifestyle offering and it is not afraid to go all out in expressing it. I find the most tedious resorts to be those vanilla concoctions that try to be all things to all people and only end up being nothing special to everybody. The vibrant vibrations vibe may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for those who do enjoy it, few do it better.

Hard rock - memorabilia 3

Hard Rock - memorabilia 4

Hard Rock - memorabilia 5

Hard Rock - memorabilia 2

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