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HOW TO BOOK IT
Elegant Resorts offers seven
nights at Alila Villas Hadahaa
from £3,540pp in an Island
Villa including breakfast, BA
flights and transfers; seven
nights at Constance Halaveli
costs from £3,560pp; and
seven nights at Shangri-La’s
Villingili Resort & Spa costs
from £3,895pp. All depart
on January 30, 2010.
Tel: 01244 897517,
elegantresorts.co.uk
Thomas Cook Signature offers
seven nights B&B at Vivanta by
Taj Coral Reef Maldives from
£1,419pp, including Sri Lankan
Airlines flights and transfers,
departing June 2010.
Tel: 0844 879 8015,
tcsignature.com
Clockwise from left:
Angsana Velavaru;
in Jing’s bar. The whole of Le Spa de which leave you covetously wondering
onboard a traditional
Constance is also over water, which makes where they’ve bought it all. General
Dhoni fishing boat at Diva;
for a magical setting and my Thai massage manager Allwyn Drego has come down
Shangri-La Villingili
was excellent, with the doors open to the from the Taj Exotica in Goa to open the
sound of the sea as the therapist tried to resort, bringing many of his best staff with
pull and push me back into shape. him and is now justly proud of what has
The jetty for the villas is under- been achieved at Vivanta.
standably long, while the island itself is The pressure was immense. By their
very small, neither of which makes for the own admission, Taj Coral Reef was looking
best aesthetics. There are just 28 beach tired; a fact illuminated when the
concierge
Maldives
villas on the island itself, as well as kids’ One&Only Reethi Rah rocked up next
club, dive centre and Meeru and Jahaz door. This is also Taj’s first resort hotel
When to go “treehouse villas” at
restaurants. Meeru is designed for under its new Vivanta brand: vivacity,
December-May are the the Shangri-La offer
toes-in-the-sand dining, but sadly, its vividness and bon vivant are the words
driest and priciest something different;
sand is already eroding away. A terrible and concepts Taj played with to create the
months. Summer sees Journeys by Alila are the
monsoon season during construction took brand and all are definitely evident here. the arrival of the most innovative cultural
its toll on the beach and nature has also So it does seem there’s always room for
monsoon, which can experience programmes
had something to say about the tidal one more resort in the Maldives. And for
bring heavy rain. Expect in the islands.
mid-20s to mid-30s for
changes so often bought about when over- the time being, it seems there’ll always be
temperatures. Time
water villas are built at a resort. someone out there who wants to come
GMT +5/6 hours. Resort
Halaveli has the advantage of Constance and check them out – me included. ■
Getting there islands tend to operate
Hotels behind it, with their experience of British Airways launches an hour ahead of Male.
running luxury hotels in Mauritius and
a thrice-weekly service to
Seychelles, so it shouldn’t be long before
EXPERT EYE
Male from Gatwick on Contacts
this resort gets the level of visitors it
October 25. Sri Lankan visitmaldives.com
Airlines flies from Tel: 00 960 332 3228
deserves. The group has another resort in “The Maldives is a
Heathrow. Qatar Airways
the Maldives on the way; the four-star perennial favourite and
and Emirates fly via hubs. In touch
Constance Moofushi resort, which is being always sits in our top three Good mobile network;
pitched to offer a competitive four-star destinations, and it has
Getting around free WiFi in most
product with daringly different design. continued to do well this
Resorts transfer guests five-star resorts.
from Male either by Intl dial code: 00 960.
year. Bookings there have
Reef rebranded
speedboat or seaplane;
been static which, when
Maldivian offers Cashflow
It’s a mantra which is not far off that being you consider how some destinations have fared,
scheduled flights. Dollars: this is how
assumed by Taj. Having had the deluxe Taj is saying something. We are very excited about everything is priced.
Exotica and affordable Taj Coral Reef on the Shangri-La opening and it is an incredible Who goes?
offer for many years in the Maldives, the resort, but I hope going that extra distance to
Everyone from Tom Coming soon
time had come to revamp Coral Reef. reach the island doesn’t put people off. What
Cruise to Kate Moss; ■ Beach House Maldives
Russian billionaires to will rebrand as a Waldorf
In a last-but-not-least flourish, I made people will find interesting about the Shangri-La
French fashionistas. Astoria Collection hotel
a final resort visit at what is now called is the depth of things to do – our clients want to
Spa-goers and from November.
Vivanta by Taj at Coral Reef and my closest be enriched and inspired. The average stay has
honeymooners are the ■ Centara is a new four-
stop to Male. It was also what proved to be perhaps come down a little bit in the Maldives – mainstay, but resorts star for those who can’t
my shortest site inspection, given the a few years ago, it would have been 10 nights,
increasingly cater to stretch to five-star ranks
island’s small size. But again – it’s what you now it’s more like seven. But consistent new
families too. during the recession.
■ Six Senses Latitude
do with it that counts in the Maldives and product keeps the destination fresh. Sales at
Wow factor Laamu is set to open
Taj has excelled in Huvafen Fushi have increased this year and
The presidential villa at early 2010.
creating a vibrant families are still rebooking for the likes of
Taj Exotica is still one of ■ Mandarin Oriental,
resort with colours One&Only Reethi Rah.” the most impressive Jumeirah, Raffles and
that pop and Alison Scott,
here and is about to get Ritz-Carlton are all due
creative interiors commercial director, Elegant Resorts
a serious makeover; the to open resorts.
36
feature maldives
autumn 09 ttgluxury.com
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