DESTINATIONS WINTER SUN | MALDIVES
ABOVE: All-inclusive property Oblu Xperience Ailafushi
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new, while Origami, which specialises in Japanese fare (including robatayaki – cooking over charcoal) and the oceanfront Dhoni Bar have been renovated. Anantara Veli is adult-only, but connected to
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family-friendly Anantara Dhigu by a shuttle boat service (although it’s only a few hundred metres away). Veli guests can use Dhigu’s facilities and visit its restaurants for no extra charge. This means more choice for clients, whether it’s the grilled meats and fish at Sea.
Fire.Salt or Italian fare at Aqua. At both hotels, guests celebrating special occasions can opt for Anantara’s Dining by Design experience, which includes the services of a private chef, butler and sommelier. Although Anantara Veli isn’t the quietest resort –
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The emphasis
here is on fun – sipping cocktails during poolside DJ sets and bouncing across the waves on banana boats
there’s a well-developed local island nearby, and a little more boat traffic due to the wide range of water sports and the inter-resort shuttle – there’s still a secluded vibe, along with a huge selection of activities, ranging from tennis, badminton and boxing sessions to cookery classes and pétanque. There’s also plenty for adrenaline junkies, who can head to Anantara Dhigu for freediving lessons at the Maldives’ first Padi freediving centre, or swim with nurse sharks – famously docile creatures
known as the ‘couch potatoes of the sea’. Book it: Audley Travel’s 12-night Maldives package, including 10 nights at Anantara Veli, costs from £6,500 per person, based on two sharing. Includes flights, transfers and accommodation on a half-board basis.
audleytravel.com
36 12 OCOBER 2023 THE FUN ONE
Oblu Xperience Ailafushi, which opened in June 2022, certainly looks different to most Maldives resorts. As my boat arrives at the dock, the first thing I notice is the waterslide towering above the sun loungers and funnelling guests – many still clutching cocktails – into the glass-clear water. The owners’ aim was “to make the Maldives more accessible.” And it’s certainly that – the speedboat whisks me from Malé to the island in just 15 minutes, and rates start at around £2,000 for seven nights on the all-inclusive Fushi Plan. In fact, it’s the only basis. There’s no half or full-board, and almost all alcohol, including spirits, beer and house wine, is included. Guests simply pay extra if they want to dine at two restaurants: The Copper Pot Food Truck and Only Blu, the underwater restaurant. There’s even a shop, where a bottle of wine costs
£15 (less than a beer at my previous resort). The emphasis here is clearly on fun. It’s not about grazing on floating breakfasts launched across infinity pools – it’s about sipping cocktails during poolside DJ sets and bouncing across the waves on banana boats. There’s no butler service; after checking in at a vast hotel-style reception area, guests make their own way to their accommodation. My water villa is small but perfectly formed, and I’m grateful that I’m close enough to the resort’s centre that I don’t have to summon a buggy to get to my
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travelweekly.co.uk
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