48 FEATURE
maldives
“Water villas are a dream for many clients visiting the Maldives, but they’re often far away from the resort’s facilities, so advise them to bear this in mind if they’re considering a holiday on one of the larger islands”
BECKY GRAINGER, SRI LANKA & MALDIVES SPECIALIST, EXPERIENCE TRAVEL
Peter Donlevy, Director of Sales & Marketing
at Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa, agrees. “Visitors should absolutely take advantage
of the varied accommodation options on the islands. The iconic water villas are still a huge draw, and rightly so, but at Shangri-La we now also have tropical treehouse villas, which are completely unique to the Maldives.” Finally, for those who like a little more cultural
interaction included in the holiday mix, the Maldives works well when combined with a second destination. “Travellers with a limited beach threshold should try coupling the Maldives with Sri Lanka for a brilliant combination of cultural stimulation and blissful relaxation,” recommends Clark. “But for those whose idea of heaven is simply getting away from it all, there’s nowhere to beat the Maldives.”
What’s new Accommodation: Loama Resort Maldives
(
loamahotelsandresorts.com) on Maamigilli is slated to open this November. Located in the RAA Atoll, the resort will offer ocean and beach villas, a private yacht, water sports and a kids’ club. Conrad Maldives Rangali Island (conradhotels3.hilton.
com) now offers two-bedroom family water villas, complete with a split-level sundeck, Jacuzzi, dining area and steps for easy access to the lagoon. JA Resorts & Hotels (
jaresortshotels.com) has
acquired the Beach House Iruveli in the Haa Alifu Atoll and will re-launch the property as the all-inclusive JA Manafaru in this year’s last quarter. The resort comprises water and beach villas, seven restaurants, a spa and a PADI dive centre, along with a kids’ club. Kandolhu Island Resort (
kandolhu.com) in the North Ari Atoll has joined Small Luxury Hotels of the World. The small island, with 30 luxury villas, was unveiled earlier this year after a £9 million investment. The Residence Maldives (theresidence.
com), located in the Gaafu Alif Atoll, has introduced a new Castaway Island experience for two. Couples will be whisked away to Koduhutta Island for picnics and snorkelling, or for a romantic dinner on the beach. Spanish golfing legend José María Olazábal has opened a ‘short-game’ golf academy on Velaa Private Island (
velaaprivateisland.com). Velaa Golf Academy by Olazábal features a nine-hole par-three course
Previous page: Arrival by seaplane at Sun Siyam Iru Fushi Hotel in Noonu Atoll. Above (clockwise from top): Maalifushi by COMO villa; yoga at JA Resorts’ Manafaru spa; Kandolhu Island Resort from the air.
and a high-tech swing studio. Airlines: Oman Air now operates a codeshare with Sri Lankan Airlines, enabling customers to book flights between Malé and Colombo and a twin-centre Indian-Ocean break.
omanair.com
www.sellinglonghaul.com
BUSY DOING NOTHING BY LAUREN JARVIS “I think I might get bored,” is a phrase that pops up more often than expected when pondering the merits of the Maldives. Surprisingly, despite being a dream destination for many (myself included), being ‘marooned’ on one of these tiny tropical islands isn’t top of everyone’s bucket list. Even my beach-loving partner had slight reservations about Kurumba Resort, the size of the island and how long it would be before barefoot bliss gave way to itchy feet. So fast-forward seven days and, instead, we found ourselves lamenting how quickly the time had flown: how much snorkelling was still to be done, how many water sports we still had to try, how we longed for just one more little spa treat and another dinner under the stars. “I wish I’d booked another week,” he sighed. Next time, I think we’ll be going for a fortnight.”
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