Best of the Maldives: Widest Beds – Jumeirah Dhevanafushi

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Jumeirah Dhevanafushi beds

 

Of course, another way for the whole family to relax is a bit of cuddle therapy. But, as my wife and I learned when we had young kids, as sweet as it is when the little ones jump onto the bed in the morning for a start-the-day hug, it does call for a bigger bed. And in the Maldives, there are no bigger beds than Jumeirah Dhevanafushi’s Ocean Revive and Island Revive beds. At 3 metres wide (2 metres long) they are the biggest I have come across anywhere. A UK ‘super-King’ is only 2 metres wide (and 1.83 metres long). In fact, the biggest commercially sold bed in the world is the ‘California King’ which is only 2.13 metres wide.

Thanks again Adrian.

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Best of the Maldives: Densest Population – Jumeirah Vittaveli

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Current World Population

 

Yesterday the world surpassed 7 billion people. That is according to the U.N.'s Population Division’s country-by-country projections of demographic trends. An awe inspiring number with equally stirring implications for the planet as MSNBC’s piece ‘7 Big Problems for 7 Billion People’ highlights. Sort the ‘Seven I-Wonders of the World’.

The Maldives has long been on the forefront of global ecological awareness and activism. And it re-inforces this focus with its recently launched ‘Always Natural’ campaign.

Maldives Complete has also, in its own trivial way, paid heed to visitors’ concerns about ‘population’. With both room count and island size in its database, it was pretty simply to add its ‘Population Density’ field as well (thanks Mark). In fact, the Room Density is something you can select for in the ‘Resort Finder’.

The most densely packed resort comes in as the freshly minted Jumeirah Vittaveli (opening 15 December). Its 91 rooms on 14,000 square metres is a mere 154 square metres per room. The result is skewed heavily by the resort having a large number of water villas (which don’t occupy any land) and being a skinny island (more circular islands occupy more acreage with space in the interior where the resorts tend not to put villas).

If you want to find out your place in the throng of billions, check out BBC’s ‘What’s Your Number’ calculator.

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Best of the Maldives: Shower – Anantara Kihava

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Anantara Kihavah shower

Some prefer the bath, some prefer the shower. If you prefer a drenching standing up rather than lounging in a gargantuan pool amidst the sprawling expanse of water, than Anantara Kihavah is the place for you.

Their water villas showers feature the latest trend in the super luxury bathing fixtures – waterfall shower. It was just a few years ago that Rain/Drench showers were introduced for a more sumptuous showering experience (the previous innovation to that was the variable, pulsating shower Massage fixture). In the ever escalating arms race of 5-star-plus decadence, waterfall showers are the new 6-star thing. I first experienced one of these at Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru (see below). To cap off the experience, Anatara have added a glass floor so you get the whole water surround experience.

Just don’t scare the fish away with your singing.

Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru drench shower

[UPDATE NOV-14] As the waterfall drench showers grow in popularity among the super deluxe properties, Kihavah maintains its distinction with the widest of all drenchings...

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Best of the Maldives: Biggest Water Villa Private Pool – Velassaru

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Velassaru water villa suite pool

If the biggest private pool is not enough aquatic acreage for you, then of course you have the water villa option. And if you really want it all, then you can have a big private pool on your water villa. Velassaru’s Water Suite features a 30 metre long pool covering 105 sq/m that pips Shangri-La Villingili Villa Muthee’s (104 sq/m).

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Best of the Maldives: Biggest Private Pool – Soneva Fushi

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Soneva Fushi Jungle Reserve private pool

If the kind of ‘space’ that you like in your pool is less the ‘starry night’ type, and more the ‘stretchy out’ kind, then Soneva Fushi’s Jungle Reserve Villa (villa #42) is the one for you.

It’s private pool extends 150 square metres (15m x 10m). That comparer to the runner up in astronomical aquatic acreage of Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru’s Royal Beach Villa with 113 sq/m.

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Best of the Maldives: Biggest Glass Floor – Velassaru

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Velassaru glass gloor

For those with weaker sea legs, you don’t have to go on the high seas or undersea to have a window to Maldivian marine life.

In fact, just this week the topic of glass floors came up on the Trip Advisor Forum. A couple of posters dismissed them as just gimmicks. But I actually applaud them. They are fun in their own right to see sea life from your very room. The whole allure of the Maldives is the gorgeous ocean and it seems a shame to ‘leave it’ when you close your villa door coming inside for the night or some other reason during the day.

Many times, water villas are built in shallow, sandy lagoons and so there is not the most fish life to see. I always wish that if a resort is going to invest in a glass floor feature, that they make sure it is over some coral cropping that will attract some colourful fish to actually look at. And if there is not a coral cropping handy, then invest in a SeaMarc regeneration frame to start some.

But even where there are few fish, the simple window over the water can have a dramatic feng shui effect over the villa. The light comes into the villa with the characteristically aquatic dappling which brings a bit of the playful spirit of the sea inside.

Sometimes these glass floors are rather modest little portals which nonetheless provide that stylish design touch. But, the most dramatic glass floor I have found in the Maldives is Velassaru’s Water Suite which measures an expansive 138 square feet. I used to live in a room that was smaller than that.

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Best of Maldives: Residence – Soneva Fushi

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Soneva Fushi residences

The Maldives has always been a bit of an opposite to Hotel California. You could check-in any time you like, but you could never stay.

Not just the tourists, but the resorts themselves are on long-term leases and don’t actually own their islands. But in a bid to boost the economy, the Maldives is cautiously venturing into residential purchases. You can’t actually own the property ‘freehold’, but they are offering ‘leaseholds’ (most Americans won’t be familiar with ‘leaseholds’ but they are a common structure in the UK and other countries. They are essentially an ‘option’ on a long-term, decades, ‘lease’ of the property that you can buy and sell like the property itself and work almost the same as owning the property itself).

The first place to pioneer this new opportunity is Soneva Fushi reports Phuquet Insider…

  • “The first leasehold residential property that has been transferred on a leasehold basis in the Maldives has sparked interest in the islands property market. A three-bedroom hotel managed unit at Soneva Fushi, which transacted to a French national sold for USD7 million dollars has been officially registered. Last year the country enacted legislation in order to allow foreign property ownership to a maximum of 50 years in order to stimulate the local economy.”

A complete property spec on the six five residences for sale are featured on Ilre.

Soneva Fushi residences 2

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Best of the Maldives: Elevation – Shangri-La Villingili

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Shangri-La Villingili Tree House

Alternative title – ‘A Room With a View’ in the Venice of the tropics

New York is what the Maldives would be…in ‘Opposite Land.’

I am visiting New York City this week for business and I keep getting struck by the polar contrasts with my beloved Maldives…

 

New York City Maldives
Noise Quiet
Bustle Indolence
Tall Flat
Concrete Water
Artificial Natural

Obviously, one of the starkest contrasts is the elevation. Not of the land, but the structures. For the longest time, nearly all resort buildings were single story structures. As the resorts are getting bigger and fancier and wanting to exploit the most from their extremely limited real estate footprint, Maldives resorts are starting to move upwards. I don’t think we will see skyscrapers anytime soon (the Jumeirah’s two new resorts are staying close to the ground with no dhoni-inspired high rises on the drawing boards).

While the beach hut traditionalists might disagree, I quite enjoy the tastefully designed, slightly elevated structures on some of the islands. Much as I enjoy gazing out at the ocean’s horizon at beach level, being a bit higher provides more perspective especially on the dazzling colours and patterns created by the underwater topology.

For those urbanites who prefer living in elevated quarters, Shangri-La Villingili offers Tree House Villas…

“With marvellous views of the ocean, Tree House Villas are secluded, private island hideaways. Perched on stilts among the treetops, amidst dense vegetation, these luxury accommodations provide guests with a memorable stay in a tropical tree house. At this elevation, privacy is assured as the beautiful, panoramic views unfold like a living canvas of sparkling surf, languid lagoons and verdant vegetation that is home to colourful indigenous bird life.”

Enjoy the view!

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Best of the Maldives: Surround Decking – Adaaran Club Rannalhi

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Club Rannalhi Water Villa deck

 

A lot of Trip Advisor queries ask about the best villas and the best sides of a resort (watch this space). Does one want an eastward facing villa for glorious morning sunshine or a westward facing villa for sunset pina coladas?

You do have to choose because most Maldive resorts line up the water villas next to each other with a distinct outward facing aspects. Some stand alone, but the deck is only on one or maybe two sides of the villa. But Club Rannalhi has 360 degree decking all around its water villas. Sunrise AND Sunset views. Or if the sun is getting a bit strong at in the afternoon, just slide your deck chair around to the shaded side. You can choose between windward side for a cool breeze on a hot day or leeward side to shelter from a particularly strong breeze. Short of renting a palatial water villa suite at some of the super top end resorts, the 360 degree Club Rannalhi is relatively unique.

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Best of the Maldives: Room Variety – Kurumba

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Kurumba room types

Most resorts have a handful of choices for types of rooms. Most typically, they will have a couple versions of a beach bungalow (standard and deluxe) and increasingly a majority of resorts have a water bungalow option (61 of the 121 resorts in the Maldives Complete database). Sometimes they will add a special ‘suite’ which will be a specially designed, king-sized accommodation for VIPs and thick-walleted customers.

But if you like your room choices the way you like your doubleshot-decaf-dry-skinny-mocha-latte, the Kurumba is the rate card for you. They have 8 different room categories…

  1. Royal Kurumba Residence
  2. Presidential Suite
  3. Pool Villa
  4. Garden Villa
  5. Private Villa
  6. Deluxe Bungalow
  7. Deluxe Room
  8. Superior Room

And these are just land-based lodging variations as Kurumba does even not offer water bungalows.

Kuramathi list 9 on its rate card, but 4 of these are just one type with a Jacuzzi added, and not completely really a different styles.

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