Make your own music at Soneva Jani’s special music room in it’s the Den kids club where an entire band of instruments are available for a jam session.
Best of the Maldives: Largest Kids Club – Soneva Jani
Some Best of the Maldives extend beyond just the Maldives like Soneva Jani’s “The Den” kids club which is not only the largest in the country, but one of the largest in Asia. It is also the only 2-story kids club in the Maldives. And the grounds are equally large (nearly as big as some Maldives islands themselves). And the whimsical design features a large domed roof which gives the interior a cathedral like feel of spaciousness:
- “Inspired by childhood wonder, The Den at Soneva Jani is a two-storey awe-inspiring playground for the imagination – and now one of the largest children’s clubs in Asia. Featuring dedicated toddler and teenage areas, no Young Sonevians have been forgotten in the creation of this all-new technology-free family zone. Glide along the zipline through the cascading waterfalls, make a splash in the pool, explore the pirate ship or catch some air on the skateboard ramp. As night falls, teens can hang out in the Cave Bar, where music and mocktails set the scene. From bioluminescent flooring and hidden infographics on the walls, The Den is ripe for discovery. Hop along the musical piano steps to create your own music, explore global oceanic themes in a 4D perspective, identify the fish that matches your height with the fish ruler, or talk like a fish with Tale of the Whale. A bowling alley, Lego and craft area, dressing-up room and library provide space for books, fantasies and more.
But it’s not just the expanse of the square footage, but also the extent of the lavishly fittings out fanciful design.
Best of the Maldives: Mangrove Lakes – Soneva Jani
The Maldives is renowned as a water wonderland of immersed in the ocean surroundings. Despite having nearly 100 times more water than land, the land also features a number of inland water bodies. If you are interested in interior waterfront, Noonu Atoll is the place for them. Inhabited island Kendhikulhudhoo boasts the largest lake in the Maldives. And among the resort islands, Soneva Jani has 3 mangrove lakes. They are not only a distinctive site for human guests, but also are particularly appealing to all the various birds in the destination.
Best of the Maldives: “Bucket” List – Soneva Jani
The Maldives is one of those ever-present bucket-list destinations, and it turns out that Soneva Jani literally puts the ‘bucket’ into this ‘bucket list’ paradise. First of all, their main restaurant is outfitted with a quirky sink made from a bucket (and I always appreciate an inventive wash basin). But also, their crab shack outlet featured two distinctive beverage “buckets”. While we all know about the commonplace, “wine bucket” to keep your bottle cold by your table, Soneva Jani had a “beer bucket” for your bottle of beer. They also had a special “wine glass bucket” which kept your glass of wine chilled during your meal. All great fun and very practical as well.
Best of the Maldives: Recycled Construction – Soneva Jani
Many resorts recycle the small consumables like bottles and packaging, but Soneva Jani has recycled so much of its construction materials that it was able to make an entire restaurant out of them. In fact, the construction design of the “Crab Shack” was also inspired by the story of a local fisherman:
- “For years, the fisherman collection small pieces of driftwood and any other gifts the sea would bring him. Friends who saw his enthusiasm started to collect useful items for him, from wherever they could find them. A discard chair, mismatches plates and cutlery, pieces of driftwood…He didn’t mind that every chair in his restaurant would be different, he actually liked the thrown-together feel of it all.”
Best of the Maldives: Electric Bikes – Soneva Jani
All my middle-aged friends (of the MAML species…Middle Aged Men in Lycra) have been raving about the new generation of electric powered bikes. Not being a road warrior, I’ve never had the chance to try one until our stay at Soneva Jani. Especially with Soneva Jani’s considerable size, these two-wheeled electric buggies made getting around quite easy and quite a bit of fun. Just powerful enough to give that boost to facilitate the pedaling, or even just letting the bike coast and do all the work for you on the flat bit (but not so powerful to be at all hard to control).
Best of the Maldives: Kids Pool Area – Soneva Jani
The very first resort attribute that I researched, long before Maldives Complete was a website, was which resorts had pools. We knew from visiting Lori’s sister’s beach house, that despite being surrounded by an expansive ocean for swimming, the kids got tired of the salt and sand after many hours, but still wanted to carry on with the water fun. So having a pool was a valued option for us (plus, us parents could lounge more easily especially with poolside drink service). Soneva Jani “The Den” the kids club includes a 1,668-square-foot swimming pool features a waterslide, catamaran nets, shallow areas for toddlers, and two waterfalls.
Best of the Maldives: Kids Cub Telescope – Soneva
Photo Credit: CREDIT: Aksham Abdul Gadhir, Ahmed Jailam, Aminath Haneen Siddiq for Soneva
Telescopes are becoming fairly common among the luxury properties so guests can take advantage of the crystal-clear skies and remote from civilization’s light pollution to explore the cosmos above. Soneva Jani’s kids club has its very own telescope viewings for the younger generation of star gazers.
Best of the Maldives: Biggest Lagoon – Soneva Jani
With their distinctive drop-offs, accessibility to shore, world-leading snorkeling and colourful marine life, Maldives house reefs have long been a criterion for guests. But the more visible and equally Maldivian lagoons also have their own allure. The azure tapestries enshrouding the islands are the first startlingly beautiful vision a visitor has of the destination as their plane starts its final descent. Some guests specifically seek out expansive lagoons for their choice of resorts. And no resort is more expansive than Soneva Jani’s Medhufaru Lagoon t 5.6 km in length. Blue for miles!
Best of the Maldives: Sinks – Soneva Jani
I love a creative sink. I have been featuring them for a while here, and we designed our own ‘cantilever’ marble waterfall sink in our previous house. Soneva Jani provides not just another addition to my wash basin compendium, but three distinctively designed ones. A converted literal basin, a subtle carved wooden plank, and a glass bowl (which we also had in our master bedroom at home).
