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).
The biggest objection to a trip to the Maldives is that there is “nothing to do”. While that might be deal breaker for some, it’s an absolute USP for many. Still, as the destination grows and evolves it is increasingly offering something for everyone. Siyam World is pretty much leading the way in innovative activites taking advantage of its considerable acreage (something most Maldives islands are not renowned for). SW announced:
“On land, guests staying at The Beach House Collection…can also now explore the island’s trails in style with their very own custom Mini Moke. Recently revived and relaunched as the first heritage car marque to go fully electric, the British-made Mini Moke is the ultimate retro-chic beach whip. Each of Siyam World’s Mini Mokes comes with an onboard sound system and is named after a colourful 90s music legend – think “Green Day”, “Red Hot Chilli Peppers” and “Pink Floyd” – with a vibrant paintjob to match.”
The on-island of default has been electric buggies since the very outset of the Maldives resort industry, but getting to the island was a different story. All manner of petrol driven buses and cars transferred people from the main international terminal to the domestic terminal, sea plane terminal or other further transfer. But Sirru Fen Fushi has introduced a fully electric fleet of transfer vehicles:
“Fairmont Maldives, Sirru Fen Fushi private island has partners with electric car brand, Polestar, to offer sustainable airport transfers. Guests will be transports from Male Airport to the seaplane lounge in a Polestar 2, before embarking on the seaplane journey to the island.”
Our most recent car is a fully electric – the MG ZS EV. It was not too expensive (£20,000), cheap to charge (on overnight off-peak rates), very low maintenance (hardly any moving parts and the parts that are there are no subject to little, dirty gas explosions constantly), not to mention the eco-friendly lack of exhaust.
One of the motivations for pouring myself into Maldives Complete is that when we do visit, we feel more like members of the community than just passing visitors. Another special touch by Amilla Maldives to make all guests feel that way the moment they step onto the island are their personalised “license plates” on the buggies to their rooms. This extra personal gesture has inspired me to add a new tag for “Customisation”.
In recent years, the conventional buggies have had a range of cosmetic upgrades, but Hard Rock changes the model completely from a modified golf cart to replica of a traditional Southeast Asian transport – the Tuk Tuk.
This post has prompted me to add the “Buggy” tag to the blog.
For the largest islands, one has two options: (a) motorised buggy, or (b) pedal bike. LUX South Ari Atoll offers motorised bikes. Electric so you are not going to get gangs of rumbling bikers tearing down your villa path. For hire at £50/day
There are “Best of the Maldives” features…and then there are like “soul mate” features. Features that I just adore. Not everyone will have the same effusive reaction I had to Dhigali’s “Buggy Tracker” application, but for me it was one of the highlights of the 2019 Tour.
The Buggy Tracker is an app that is both part of the resort’s own “Digalhi Maldives” app which you can download onto your smartphone (for iPhone’s, see the AppStore or you cann scan the QR code which is on every room key) – see photo below. It is also supported with an array of monitors dotted around the island at each buggy stop. The app/screen shows a map of the island as well as an icon for the constantly circling buggy so you can see how far away it is from you (see video clip at bottom).
Why a Buggy Tracker? Because Dhigali is sort of a middle sized island. We can and did walk around it, but a complete circumparaumbulation (yes, I love that word) takes nearly half an hour. If you are on the opposite end of the island to where you want to go, you might prefer to forego the stroll and just take the buggy ride. Maybe you are particularly relaxed, maybe you refreshed or it is especially toasty and you don’t want to sweat, maybe you need to be somewhere and are running behind (eg. excursion departing). On tiny island, you just walk everywhere because you are always a couple minutes away from anywhere. On big islands, you have to call for (or wait for) a buggy. When you call, you still have to wait which can be a while if they have other pickups scheduled. On a middle sized island like Dhigali, you can find yourself constantly debating “Should we walk or should we wait for the buggy?” And if you want to take the buggy and it is an on-call service, you sometimes feel a bit lazy and guilty ringing it up for a relatively short journey.
The Buggy Tracker takes all the questioning away. You look at your app or look at the screen and you can see exactly how close the buggy is. If you see if is coming round the bend, you might pop out that minute faster to grab it rather than miss it and wait for it to come around again. If it is on the other side of the island, you might choose to just hoof it. Or if you do decide to wait, it is reassuring to know exactly how far away your ride is and not have to wonder if you are going to be there forever.
Why do I love it so much?
Innovation – The whole spirit of “Best of the Maldives” is really about innovation. Sure, a property might be able to be the biggest or the blingest by just spending the most on some feature, but more of my pieces are about creative touches and distinctive aspects that no one has done in quite the same way in the Maldives.
Technology – As a software guy for my day job, I have a special appreciation for cool applications in this area. I have a particular software soft-spot for geo-location apps. Snorkel Spotter, Dive Site Database and the Admiralty Map DeepZoom all essentially mapping apps.
Utility – The system is so simple and so useful. I love innovations that truly enhance the customer experience.
Maldivian – I always enjoy meeting the fascinating people behind the scenes of the Maldives resort operations especially the local Maldivians to bring this paradise to life. Many have such distinctive talents and contributions. The entire project was the initiative of Mohamed Furuqan, the resort’s IT manager (see photo top). We got to meet up during my stay and geek out a bit about tech. It’s also especially inspiring to see the innovation stem from a homegrown initiative supported wholeheartedly by the management.
Up the sky of the Baa atoll, it’s a fish named after a bird, it’s a plane…it’s Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru’s latest seaplane inspired by one of the more colourful creatures on the atoll reef…
“A warm welcome to the 52nd member of our fleet!!! The magnificent Four Seasons branded aircraft!”
I might have to create a new tag for “Fish Planes”…
In many places, being “close to the airport” is seen as a negative. The new Mercure Maldives Kooddoo actually boast its aeronautical geography with its press releases announcing: “Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort is the first ever water villa resort built on an airport island in Maldives.”
Kooddoo is an airports like Heathrow with jumbo jets roaring in and rattling the rafters every 30 seconds. Instead it gets one or two flights a day from relatively small planes. The infrequency makes it more of an event than a disturbance (“De plane, de plane!” – Tatoo, Fantasy Island). On the positive side, it makes for an incredibly convenient outside-Kaafu transfer. For most distant resorts, you can either take a seaplane that will land at your resort but many consider very loud inside and too small and cramped for some people’s liking (not to mention expensive). Or you can take small jet planes to an increasing number of mini-airports around the country, but then you still have one more transfer by speedboat to finally get to your resort. At Kooddoo, you have the comfort and cost-savings of a conventional flight and when you touch down, you are just a short buggy ride to your villa.
