Loama Resort Maldives: From History to Whale Sharks!

Hooray! A Maldives resort that genuinely showcases the cultural heritage of the country in a way that's interesting to guests! What's more, Loama Maldives Resort at Maamigili has something else up it's sleeve and the clue is in the name: Maamigili is one of the top spots in the country for observing whale sharks. 

Culture and sun-worshipping don't usually go hand in hand!

I don't know about you but just those two facts alone were enough to get me excited about Loama. And it gets better...

This is teardrop-shaped island lying in Raa Atoll, a 45-minute seaplane ride from the international airport. It's 100 hectares of a delightful paradise. The island tapers off into a stunning sandbank you can stroll along. If you're looking for a balance between luxury and culture, look no further.

The resort has all usual the trappings of an entry-level five star Maldives resort. By saying 'entry-level' I don't intend to sound condescending, what I mean is it has a high level of amenities and service but in the Maldives there can be a great deal of disparity between five stars, this is the country where you can pay $200 a night or $50,000 a night for a five star resort.

The colours really are this amazing in reality...

So, at Loama you can find luxurious beach and water villas, excellent service and superb cuisine, just like one might expect at any five-star resort. However, Loama offers a cultural experience currently unlike anything else in the Maldives, which is excellent for anyone wanting to see a new side of the Maldives.

Starting at the beginning...Accommodation

Very attractive interiors

The water villas fan out across the water, each with private direct access into the sea, while the beach villas are nestled on the powdery white sand, surrounded by lush tropical foliage. All of the villas are beautifully furnished with contemporary amenities, local artwork and the modern facilities including Nespresso machines, flatscreen TVs and DVD players. A few of the features, such as the room decor and main dining pavilion, seem to have been inspired by the villas at Four Seasons (in my mind anyway) and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. One of the nice features of the water villas is a hammock slung over the water.

The range of restaurants include a spectacular poolside dining venue, Iru Café, all-day beachside dining with flavours from around the world at Fazaa and the gorgeous fine dining restaurant, Thundi, featuring authentic Thai cuisine accompanied by wines from the adjacent wine cellar...













The juicy bit...History!

Loama Resort is the only place outside of the capital city with a licence from the government for a museum, packed full of fascinating artefacts discovered on the island and surrounding area, from 17^th Century Chinese pottery brought by ancient traders; traditional clothing and even drinking tankards used by the Portuguese during their time governing the Maldives. 

One of the highlights is the archaeological remains of two traditional Buddhist ceremonial baths dating back to before the 11^th Century (which was when the country converted to Islam). There are very few surviving Buddhist relics in the Maldives so this is really unique and rare. 

A traditional Maldivian home with carved wooden wall panels and a coconut thatch roof has been recreated to give guests a taste of how islands used to look centuries ago. There are also fascinating cultural tours to neighbouring islands where guests can discover about the way of life in Maldivian communities, and the Loama Art Gallery featuring work by talented local artists.

A lot of thought and care was put into all of these cultural offerings (unlike some other resorts which merely pay lipservice to them), so it's refreshing and exciting to see that Loama is unlike any others. 

The ancient bath from the Maldives' Buddhist days...

Back to the usual resort stuff...

For a change of pace, check out the Watersports Centre which offers a host of exciting watersports including jet-skiing, windsurfing, kayaking and snorkelling. The attractive house reef is home to all kinds of colourful tropical fish, with the occasional stingray or baby shark gliding through from time to time. 

Adjacent to the Watersports Centre is the TGI Dive Centre, offering a five star diving service. Guests can book full day or half-day scuba diving excursions or learn to dive in the crystal-clear waters of the lagoon. The beautiful infinity-edge swimming pool provides further entertainment for water-lovers.

The Sunset Champagne Cruise

Other excursions available include fishing trips and a romantic sunset dolphin cruise, accompanied by glasses of champagne and canapés. I checked this one out and it was really fantastic. Romantics will also enjoy the private dining option, where a private meal for two can be set up on the sandbank under the stars (although all resorts offer this).

For the ultimate in relaxation, experience the Loama Spa. The skilful spa therapists are on hand to offer relaxing and revitalising massages, scrubs and other treatments using essential oils and natural plant extracts. They really do know their stuff and there's nothing like ended a day with a massage...

Days always end with stunning sunsets but this one was even better than normal

The Lowdown on Amilla Fushi Maldives

Treehouses for grownups. Gourmet fish 'n'chips. Dinner in the swimming pool. Amilla Fushi Maldives is all about fun...

I wasn't joking about dinner in the pool...

Since opening its doors in December 2014 Amilla Fushi resort Maldives has been making waves in the Maldives. It was the first resort created by newcomers, The Small Island Company. They wanted to blaze a trail by creating a resort which was fresh, fun and un-stuffy. And it certainly is an innovative resort; combining raw natural beauty with contemporary architecture and their ‘island home’ concept. 

The main ethos behind Amilla Fushi resort in the Maldives is to make each guest feel as though they are at home, in fact the name ‘Amilla Fushi’ means ‘your island home’. 

So how do they achieve a homely feeling within the confines of a luxury Maldives resort? Through a combination of factors. For starters, the accommodation is called ‘houses’ rather than ‘villas’, the idea is that guests associate them with being their own property so they feel less like visitors and more like insiders. Although the service is excellent, the atmosphere is laid-back, so they deliver everything you want or need but it all feels very comfortable and normal.  

An infinity pool with a view...

More innovations

Amilla Fushi is the first resort in the Maldives to have a grocery store, 'the Emperors’ General Store'. This may not sound like much but if you've ever been to the Maldives you'd already know that most resort stores sell little more than souvenirs, clothing and jewellery. But this shop sells everything from Frosties to foie gras. Guests staying in the larger ‘residences’ can utilise the self-catering option if they wish to, as they are actually given private kitchens. Again, this is totally new to the Maldives' resorts, because no other resort in the Maldives offers self-catering options as yet, even though this is a familiar concept at high-end villas in other island destinations such as Mauritius. You can even pick up some fine wines from the Cellar Door wine shop next-door. 

The international dining venues at the Bazaar alongside the pool (with the exception of Luke Mangan’s signature restaurant, Lonu) are laid out adjacent to each other to create the impression of the hub of the neighbourhood. These elements help to create a distinctive resort experience.

Lonu is the jewel in the crown of the resort's dining venues, with striking contemporary architecture set above the lagoon, facing the sunset. Australian celebrity chef Luke Mangan’s concept is to provide the kind of food travellers want to eat on holiday at affordable prices. Relaxed yet stylish, Lonu offers barbeque flavours, tropical ingredients and cocktails. Another highlight is the Maldives’ first British-style fish and chip restaurant, serving everything from traditional cod and chips to wahoo with wasabi mayonnaise. (Mushy peas are optional!)

I LOVE the Treehouses!

The ‘houses’ are very distinctive, and I absolutely fell in love with the Treehouses, which come complete with plunge pools towering 12m above the ground. I brought my seaplane pilot friend Tracy to check them out with me on a girl's weekend, and we both agreed they have major wow-factor. They are surrounded by lush foliage, and they look nothing like anything else you can find in the Maldives. These spacious and elegant retreats offer unbeatable levels of seclusion and a genuinely atmospheric island experience. 

The view from up in the Treehouse

If you don't like heights, try the sleek, brilliant-white Lagoon Houses and Ocean Reef Houses. They offer bright and breezy over-water living and are perfect for those who can't get enough of the ocean. 

The funky over-water accommodation

Nautical themes are subtly woven into the contemporary design, which incorporates a unique layout to maximise on space. The beach villas have a similar design but with the addition of some extra space, and of course direct access to the powdery white sand of the beach.

Inside the over-water house

The attractive Balinese spa offers a wide variety of Balinese massages as well as other massages from around the world. Pampering treatments including body scrubs and facials are also available. A free 50-minute spa session is available for every guest every single day; possibly another first in the Maldives. 

Zero bill-shock

Non-motorised watersports like kayaking as well as childcare services are complimentary, in order to reduce ‘bill shock’ when guests check out. On this note, it's worth mentioning that Amilla Fushi is an all-inclusive resort, and the aim of this is to make everything as simple as possible for guests, so when you check out everything should be as easy as pie. 

All in all, Amilla Fushi offers a well thought out, genuinely fun and breezy concept. Thank goodness for a fresh take on the luxury Maldives resort experience! 

Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives: Great for Kids and Scuba Divers

Before I begin, I don't have kids but Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives certainly appealed to the kid in me. Not just because of the gaming equipment in some of the villas, but also because of the real shipwreck on the house reef. To top it off, there are also two separate clubs for kids and teens (respecting the fact there's a vast difference between what a six-year-old wants and what a 13-year-old wants). This certainly seems like a company that has it all figured out.

Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives: I snapped this from the seaplane window

The island itself is a typically beautiful Maldivan one: Tropical vegetation and coconut trees line the shady paths linking the beach villas. The majority of the resort comprises of water villas stretching out across the lagoon from three separate jetties.

The shallow, turquoise lagoon boasts an excellent house reef in close proximity to the shore. Not only is the coral in pretty decent condition, but also the submerged shipwreck is easy to access (unlike others in the area such as Kuda Giri shipwreck, which goes down to 40m and there can be a very strong current there). Parts of the Centara wreck are shallow enough for snorkellers or freedivers to check out while scuba divers can explore the deeper areas. Baby reef sharks, turtles and all kinds of colourful reef fish are lurking in it. 

Beyond the resort's lagoon, the waters of South Ari Atoll are also a dream for divers to explore. The atoll is renowned for having fantastic dive sites and also being an excellent location for spotting whale sharks during the right season. Don't let the name out you off, whale sharks eat zooplankton and aren't aggressive. But yes, they are massive.

Just look at the colour of the lagoon...

What's in a name?

Centara Grand Island Resort and Spa brands itself as a ‘premium four star resort’, which essentially means it offers a pretty high standard of accommodation and services not far off a five-star. In fact the ‘Island Club’ option at Centara is a ‘resort within a resort’ concept, leaning more towards a five-star option.  

The Island Club villas are the highest category of villas at the resort, and Island Club guests are offered various exclusive services, such as use of the island clubhouse and a wider choice of beverages including premium spirits. Furthermore, Island Club guests get exclusive use of an extra swimming pool, served by staff who can bring cold towels, fresh fruit, sorbets and almost anything else you desire while you relax in the sun.

Guests are offered the option of booking their holiday on an all-inclusive basis, which includes dinner at three out of the resort’s four restaurants and a range of beverages including cocktails.

Every villa at the resort has a living room area, rain shower, bathtub or Jacuzzi, flat-screen satellite TV, minibar, internet access and terrace. They are all colourfully furnished in a mix of colonial and modern styles which captures the holiday island atmosphere perfectly.

The Beach Suites have two floors connected by a staircase, while one of the key features of the Deluxe Water Villas is a Jacuzzi spa. The Deluxe Water Villas – Island Club have slightly different décor and offer access to the exclusive Island Club facilities and services. 

Villas with games consoles

Deluxe Family Water Villa

The Deluxe Family Water Villas are spacious and contain a separate area for kids, complete with a games console. The Luxury Sunset Water Villas are split over two levels and have romantic four-poster beds, while the Luxury Sunset Water Villas - Island Club are also split over two levels but have slightly different décor. 

Guests staying in these villas also have access to Island Club facilities and services. The Two Bedroom Beach Front Pool Villas are the largest villas at the resort and highlights include a beautiful 21.6 square metre pool.

The bright and airy Reef restaurant, with panoramic views of the ocean, offers a range of Asian and European cuisine, while the atmospheric Lotus Restaurant, specialising in delicious Thai cuisine, is hidden amongst the exotic vegetation. Obviously the Thai food here is top-knotch. The Italian restaurant, Azzure Mare, is a romantic and atmospheric spot overlooking the turquoise lagoon. Entertainment is regularly put on at the Coral Bar, while the quieter Aqua Bar is the ideal place for a sunset cocktail. 

Kids and teens clubs

This is the E-Zone teens club-house

You can drop the kids off at the kids or teens club too while you enjoy some quality time. The kids club is typical of most kids clubs, they offer arts, crafts and activities. The teens club (E-Zone) is more of a chill-out lounge for 13-17s with some games, computer games and beanbags to relax in. It's really nice to see teens given that level of respect and consideration as they are often overlooked. 

The kids club is a  supervised tropical play centre with a programme of activities

Centara enjoys a very good reputation in Thailand, where it is headquartered, as well as overseas. No Thai-owned resort would be complete without a good spa, and Spa Cenvaree does not fail to deliver. The attractive spa offers a wide range of treatments and is the perfect way to unwind.

Velaa Private Island Maldives: Art and Innovation

The first time I went to Velaa Private Island was for a special pre-opening sneak preview - only close friends and families of the owners plus a handful of media professionals were invited to road-test the amenities and services...

The view when you arrive

My first impressions? Arty and luxurious; a collage of some of the best resorts in the Maldives with a some innovative, original features for good measure. 

I liked the use of the sea turtle motif throughout the island. The ‘velaa’ means 'green turtle' in the Maldivian language (Dhivehi). See how many places you can spot them on the island. From above, the island has been developed to resemble the shape of a turtle so that when guests arrive by seaplane they can admire the turtle shape created by the water villas and the island (the island is the body and the villas and jetties constitute its head and fins.)

The geometric patterns of a turtle’s shell also appears in décor and furnishings around the resort, including in some nice photographs in the villas. And it doesn't end there. The owner also created a dedicated in-house baby turtle hatchery and turtle conservation project.

Velaa Private Island also goes out of its way to pioneer exciting new concepts. Aside from the stunning white sand beach and azure waters, elegant villas, mouth-watering cuisine and great service the design and amenities have been carefully conceived and crafted to exceed guests’ expectations. These are the highlights:

Tavaru Tower

Tavararu tower

The striking Tavararu tower is the centrepiece of the island. Unlike anything else in the Maldives, this remarkable-looking tower is the setting for the Teppanyaki kitchen, with sweeping 360-degree views across the treetops towards the sparkling ocean. It's really rare to be able to have any views at this kind of elevation in the Maldives, being as the highest point is 3m above sea level and resort buildings can only be built as high as the tallest trees on the island under Maldivian law. At the base of the tower, the wine cellar houses an impressive collection of vintage and rare labels, organic and biodynamic wines, boutique wines and grand marques from the 30-page wine list. 

One of the most elevated viewpoints in the Maldives

Champagne showers

Another gastronomic highlight is the vintage champagne lounge, Cru, and the adjacent signature restaurant, Aragu.

Snow joke!

The Clarins Spa, a first in the Maldives, also features the country’s first Snow Room (conveniently located next-door to the sauna and steam room), alongside a wide variety of massages and therapies as well as the Cloud 9 relaxation pod.

Unique activities in and out of the water

Some of the unique activities available at Velaa include archery, a climbing wall and a Golf Academy designed by Jose Maria Olazabal and offering one-on-one tuition. A whole spectrum of watersports is also available including snorkelling, scuba diving, catamaran sailing, kite-surfing, catamaran sailing and windsurfing. 

The public areas aren't bad either!

The Life Aquatic 

Alongside the typical dolphin cruises and manta cruises, the semi-submarine excursions provide another unique diversion. These three-person mini submarines operated by a trained skipper allow you to explore the underwater world of Noonu Atoll without getting a single hair wet.    

The 43 villas, houses and residences mirror the rest of the resort’s cool, contemporary style with tropical touches such as bamboo and mahogany complimented by black and white photographs of turtles on the walls. 

A glimpse inside the gorgeous villa, even the bathrooms are photo-worthy!

The Romantic Pool Residence certainly lives up to its name. This gloriously exotic one bedroom water villa is suspended over the turquoise water in a quiet corner of the lagoon, only accessible by a boat which can be summoned on request of the villa occupants to ferry them between the villa and the island. A private chef and butler are on hand to ensure couples have everything they need to hand, while the Jacuzzi, gym, private spa, pool, sundeck and sunken bath ensure guests have plenty to keep them occupied.