Another surfer’s Paradise in the Maldives. This time for ‘web surfers’. And offered up by the eponymous Paradise Island. The resort not only offers wifi that extends to the beach in front of their reception, but also they have run power outlets to the tables. As a result, you can surf for hours without running out of juice (well, you might need a top up for your pina colada).
If Hadahaa’s table is not big enough for you, then consider Kurumba’s conference room which can accommodate 40 tables (250 people in total). The biggest conference room of any resort, it is used for all sorts of events such as weddings and other celebrations.
Liz Pangchan of Kurumba noted…
“We just had a prime minister of Indian yesterday and the President of Maldives gave the state lunch at Kurumba yesterday. Also a recent group from The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan. The VIP group was staying with us and Gala dinner was held at Kurumba.”
The facility is also popular for companies holding meetings and conferences. The very close links to the airport and other business support services make it ideal. Maldives is not a place on thinks of for work, but if you have to work, what better place?
Kandooma has employed nature as its artist for their creative wood motif (starting with its Coconut Husk inspired reception and restaurant) for an artistic touch throughout the main area of the resort. Burl wood is a particular favourite material of mine (we have a burr wood piano, and doll cabinet) and it is used throughout the imparting a natural whimsy to the décor.
Totally gnarly, dude!
For moving around beyond the water’s edge, most resorts have buggies for helping to move baggage and helping guests, but can also be very useful transport for disabled and mobility challenged. Nonetheless, sometimes disabled people prefer to get around on their own devices whether it is a wheelchair, crutches, walking stick or other mode of movement. They can be independent and enjoy soaking up the surroundings as they make their way around the resort with a bit more intimacy than a buggy escort. For those seeking such a handicapped accessible resort, the Kurumba is real designed literally from the ground up to support such guests…
Kurumba even produced a Kurumba Guide for Disabled Persons to further assist guests with various mobility and other challenges which outlines its whole range of support.
I posted this suggestion to TA a while back and got the following endorsement from Trip Advisor Destination Expert nefertari2Uk…
“Agree with Bruce, Kurumba is excellent for wheelchairs as there are concrete paths all around, ramps as well large showers in some room categories where you can even take your wheelchair if necessary. Some of the rooms have small steps but the carpenters also put ramps up as well. Definitely one of the best for wheelchairs in my opinion and although not your typical Maldivian island, the service is excellent as is the food and service.”
As it happens, on my recent visit, I met a ‘wheelie’ staying at Kurumba, Mitzy Wells and got to speak to her about her experience. Mitzy uses a wheelchair since and accident a year ago and found Kurumba very accommodating. She is mobile with a walking stick, but gets tired readily especially on the hot days. She applauded not only the high number of ramps and pervasive paved pathways, but the extra efforts of Kurumba. They had a ramp at the ready for her bungalow (see photo below). They didn’t just shift it into place, but they actually nailed it in secure for the duration of her stay. She did note that the paved pathways had cambered edges which a wheelchair user needs to watch out for because getting a wheel too close to the edge can precipitate a spill. But overall she was delighted to be a Kurumba.
Nighttime arrivals aren’t the only difficult and awkward movements in the Maldives. For many disabled or mobility challenged guests, the ubiquitous sand only makes footing and moving around problematic. Not at Baros though where the resort offers the latest in beach mobility. The Daily Mail covered it in its piece “Meals by moonlight, diving with sharks and rolling on Beach Wheels in the mazy Maldives”
“My eyes also fell on another device that looked as if it had been lifted from a Nasa lunar project. Beach Wheels was an aquatic wheelchair, an Australian invention with huge tyres that allowed someone like me to glide smoothly over the sand or be dumped neatly into the sea.”
How people use the beach wheel chair?
“Disabled guests who asks for the wheel chair are provided with our Beach wheel chair. It has big air filled wheels and therefore is easy to manoeuvre on sand, even on the most soft one. One person has always to be there to push the chair.”
What people have said about it?
“People are really happy about it, as it is incredible convenient for them. We offer it also sometimes to guest, who have problems to walk or are injured – they are really impressed by this service.”
Anything surprise you about its use when you got it?
“Not really surprising but interestingly – even if it was not built for that usage – guests tell us, that they feel like being able to float in the water. It is made of very strong material like fibre glass, and therefore does not rust at all.”
Seven years ago today, one of the most profound natural disasters of modern times hit Asian with the Boxing Day Tsunami. With an epicenter in Sumatra, it still yielded deadly force thousands of miles away in the Maldives where 68 people died and 300 were injured.
Like all of the countries affected, the Maldives mourned their losses and started the process of rebuilding. Many resorts were struck which led to renovation projects. The One & Only Kanuharu were hit which, among other damage, fell many of their trees on the east side of the island. As a part of the clean up, Kanuhura’s on-island wood-workers gathered up the downed tree trunks and fashioned them into tables that are used throughout their Handhuvaru lounge. Lots of resorts have all sorts of creative designer furnishings throughout, but these simple, locally hand-hewn creations memorializing a pivotal event in the region’s history are the most compelling to me.
Happy Halloween!
If you want to get into the spooky spirit, a number of resorts are offering special parties and attractions tonight. For example, Kuramathi has its ‘Halloween Horror’ event which includes activities such as ‘Pumpkin Bowling (where the objective of the game is to knock over ghosts), ‘Monster Freeze’, ‘Scary-Tell-A-Tale’ and ‘Make Your Own Mummy’.
It’s also a great excuse to visit Moosa’s grave on Kandooma. But the resort with the most dramatic (and certainly ‘Always Natural’) Halloweeny feature all year round, is Meeru with its Blue Whale skeleton.
A number of resorts feature whale skulls (eg. Kuredu, Kandooma), but only Meeru has the whole skeleton. The Blue Whale is the largest known animal to ever have existed on the planet and the skeleton measures 18 metres in length. The skeleton came from a whale that had washed ashore years ago and the owners decided to keep the skeleton.
Kandooma puts the ‘up’ in ‘upscale’.
Aside from a Red Bull infusion (and Vettel is in pole position), a sea plane transfer or a parasailing excursion, the best way to ‘get wings’ in the Maldives is Kandooma’s various decks. The whole aesthetic of the Maldives is ‘low lying’. Maximum of elevation of a few feet and simple structures. Increasingly, resorts are looking to provide new perspectives with higher constructions. Anantara Kihavah, Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru, and Vadoo are just a few of the resorts with rooftop decks to provide a broader view of the spectacular surrounding ocean.
But the highest, outside of Male itself, is Kandooma’s architecture. I’ve already written about its library which itself is location on the upper floor or reception with its own delightful vista over the arrival harbour. The resort is chock full of 2-story villas with decks looking out over the ocean. It also has a rooftop deck over its The Kitchen restaurant. But the literally towering achievement is its rooftop deck (see photo above) to its aptly named ‘The Deck’.
Lori and I sat on the cosy bean bag chairs sipping mojitos watching the sun set over the Indian Ocean. Bottoms up.
Last chance for Christmas shopping today!
We traditionally spend our family Christmas Eve going into the big metropolis of London for a bit of last minute shopping. Picking up stocking stuffers, treats for Christmas day and meal, and just soaking up the Yuletide atmosphere. Actually, it is a great day for shopping because the crowds are tapering off. Many folks are now travelling to far flung families or getting their homes ready. We found this out when one year, in a particularly frenetic advent, we had not made it by for the kids to see Santa. So we went into Harrods (between Selfridges the two best grottoes in London) and were delighted and astonished to find that the often 2-3 hour queue was only 30 minutes on Christmas Eve.
If you have left your Maldivian Christmas shopping to the last minute, the Harrods of the Maldives has to be Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru’s gift shop. While many boutiques are little more than closets stuffed with conventional stuff you find at the airport, Landaa’s is 35 metres long packed with high quality and extensive variety product.
Best of all, Landaa’s gift shop sold some of the best t-shirts we have found in the Maldives. Poor (or worse yet, no) t-shirts is a real pet peeve of mine when I travel (as I note in my recent tour wrap up). The Fours Seasons shirts were high quality cotton, enticing colours (white is boring) and subtle but classy embroidered graphic.
Merry Christmas everyone! May Santa bring you lots of Maldive holiday vouchers!
The number one objection to visiting the Maldives is the thought that there is nothing to do there. If you don’t (a) dive, (b) have a newlywed to stare into the eyes of, or (c) work on your tan, then what do you do on an isolate plot of sand in the middle of the ocean? Most resorts have good watersports centres which provide an extended range of options for the hyperactive. The Maldives Complete ‘Best Of’ section highlights a number of further original distractions and offerings. But few innovations are as ambitious and comprehensive as Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru’s ‘Marine Discovery Center’. In fact, the centre itself contains 3 ‘Best Of’ distinctions in itself (Fish Nursery, Sculpture, Kids Education).
Lori and I were given a tour of the facility by Harry Masefield (see pictures). While modest in size, the center is packed with exhibits that are not only intriguing, but also stylish and inviting. The tour took almost and hour, but we could have spent all day there. There are visual exhibits, an interactive kiosk, a kids hands-on area, the research area, reefscaping workshop, art, presentation area, aquarium among the many resources to explore. More details to follow in future posts.
