Maldives Complete Blog : best of, kids

Best of the Maldives: Bunnies – Soneva Fushi

Maldives Complete — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 09:59:00 GMT

Maybe another title for this post is ‘Best for Easter’. Actually, Soneva Fushi isn’t the only resort with free roaming rabbits. Kuredu also has rabbits, but Soneva is really the most famous. Only for Soneva Fushi has several folks who have been there have talked to me about the rabbits. They even feature the bunnies on their website (see photo above)…

“Every visit makes you feel like a child again. Cycling round the island, never knowing when you might have to swerve to avoid bunny rabbits or lizard…Nesting turtles and bunny rabbits co-habiting happily on a jewel of emerald green in a vast ocean of turquoise.”

There are also lots of accounts in places like TripAdvisor (“rabbits that are everywhere”) and YouTube (see below).

Happy Easter!

Best of the Maldives: Kids Cooking – Soneva Fushi

Maldives Complete — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 08:39:05 GMT

Instead of treats delivered direct to the kids (and kids at hearts), at Soneva Fushi, the kids can create their own with Soneva’s extensive kids club programme that include a variety of localy inspired ‘cooking’ activities.

Best of the Maldives: Junior Ping-Pong – Soneva Fushi

Maldives Complete — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 09:43:00 GMT

The Maldives Junior Olympics second event is Soneva Fushi which hosts a world-class kiddie table tennis venue. The table is barely bigger than the paddles. Also, it features the Maldivian signature white sand turf (“Beach Ping Pong”).

Best of the Maldives: Junior Hoopsters – Lily Beach

Maldives Complete — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 16:22:44 GMT

Let the hoops commence. The NBA starts today with Celtics vs. Heat and Lakers vs. Mavericks. For aspiring hoopsters or young fans, the resort of the day is Lily Beach. An increasing number of resorts have basketball courts (perhaps as the sport grows increasingly international), but only Lily Beach has a junior hoop at its kids activity centre.

Swish!

Best of the Maldives: SNUBA – Angsana Ihuru

Maldives Complete — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 08:39:32 GMT

Another option for kids immersing themselves in another world, is the new SNUBA offering a Angsana Ihuru. Atoll Paradise reports…

“Angsana Ihuru is the first resort in the Maldives to introduce the revolutionary SNUBA snorkel-dive cross-over. SNUBA allows you to dive down to up to 6 meters while breathing through a hose attached to a floating raft. Even small children can participate in this fun activity and SNUBA Doo on the surface with the help of a special floatation device, while their older siblings SNUBA dive down below…With an access to 30 diving sites less than an hour away from the resort, you can expect to see stingrays, scorpion fish, giant moray eels and myriads more of colorful marine life.”

SNUBA uba-doo!

Best of the Maldives: Fantasy Kids Club – Soneva Fushi

Maldives Complete — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:11:23 GMT

If your kids want to immerse themselves in an imaginary world of a less virtual type, then Soneva Fushi’s kids club is as out of this world as any level of Tron. Sort of like what Tim Burton would design for kids if he was stranded on a tropical island. Other creative offerings include yoga for kids (kids sitting quietly and contemplately…that is a magical fantasy world!).

Fantastic!

Best of the Maldives: Arcade – Sun Island

Maldives Complete — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 04:33:29 GMT

For those who are really more interested in powering up than in powering down on their Maldives holiday, Sun Island offers an arcade as a packed with the latest video games and simulators as you would find on any UK high street or beach boardwalk.

Best of the Maldives: Kids Water Fountain – Conrad Maldives Rangali

Maldives Complete — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 17:43:00 GMT

One of the most fun kids have dancing around is running through a water fountain. Conrad Maldives Rangali’s Majaa Kids Club also features a pulsating fountain for frolicking. They also have an arsenal of super soakers to just add to the wet wildness. Slick.

Best of the Maldives: Kids Club Pool – Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru

Maldives Complete — Sat, 05 May 2012 10:35:03 GMT

Kandooma may be the best pool for young kids, but Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru has the best young kids pool I have soon. Kandooma’s is the main pool for everyone which happens to be well suited for young pre-schoolers. But Landaa has a special kiddie pool, that is far from kiddie sized, in their excellent kids club. But what really clinched their distinction was their adorable little kiddie lounge chairs and matching junior-sized beach towels (see below). I did feel a bit like Gulliver visiting the club. Just right for kids to feel big on a small island.

Best of the Maldives: Craft Activities – Kurumba

Maldives Complete — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 08:28:37 GMT

Happy Centenary to the Girl Scouts.

Our family has a proud tradition in the scouts with my father an Eagle Scout and my grandfather a ‘Silver Beaver’ recipient. A good scouting career often starts with a range of creative activities and skils building. Often, with the spirit of scouting, many of the crafts and skills use materials and tools found in nature.

Kurumba’s new Majaa Kids’ Club and Majaa Recreation Centre would do the Scouts proud with their ‘coconut arts and crafts’. An extensive range of weaving, folding and other crafting of palm fronds are taught to kids of all ages including many equally enthralled mature students (see below).

Majaa Recreation Manager Monica Comanescu noted…

“The Dhivehi word, Majaa, means fun. This will be the underlying philosophy for the Recreation department. Majaa Recreation will be the ‘fun’ centre of the island. This allows it to be a unique identity and destination within Kurumba. The purpose of Majaa Recreation is to provide guests with many options to enjoy their holiday while experiencing the Maldivian palette and learning about the water that surround Kurumba in an environmentally responsible way with a Maldivian twist.”

Majaa Recreation offers more than just crafts with such a range of activities, Kurumba grouped them into categories…

Kan’du (Ocean) – Ocean based activities
Hakatha (Energy) Energy or sporting activities
Kulhivaru (Games) Games
Visnun (Learning) Understanding and learning activities
Haveeru (Evening) Evening activities.

Some people like to sit around and do absolutely as little as possible on a Maldivian holiday, but Kurumba provides an alternative for those who want the option for broader range of fun.

Best of the Maldives Online: Kids Site – Kuramathi

Maldives Complete — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:04:00 GMT

Kaki is not alone in bringing the marine delights and insights home to young guests on the web. Kuramathi’s web site features its very own ‘Kids Corner’ online. Anyone on the Internet can join in the maritime fun and curiosity with material like their interactive ‘Marine Life Alphabet’…

“In here, you shall find all those familiar fish you often see swimming about in the ocean in Alphabetical Order, each described in a playful manner. From Angelfish to Zebra Moral Eel, learn the names of the fish and their unique characteristics in a snap! Little guests, have also the chance to experiment with colours, with the new Marine Life Colouring Book which comes as a downloadable PDF booklet. Learning was never made this easy! After absorbing the interesting bubbles of Marine Life, test your skills by going snorkelling and prove yourself the winner when you can name the fish you see!”

Actually, seeing a baby Zebra Moray Eel, at Kuramathi’s sister resort Kurumba, was the underwater highlight for my wife Lori during our last visit to the Maldives. There were wonderful reef sharks swimming all around us, but all she wanted to look at was this shy little black and white stripped critter ensconced in a crevasse.

Best of the Maldives: Kids Marine Biology – Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru

Maldives Complete — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:51:29 GMT

It’s not just the wee turtles and anemone fish that get special nurseries for their development at Four Seasons, but the littlest guest get their very own special area inthe Marine Discovery Centre. Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru has put in its trademark attention to detail to a special young kids area of the Discovery Centre with colourful decoration and a hands-on ‘discovery’ tank. It even has it’s own special mascot, ‘Kaku’ (short for ‘kauni’ which is ‘crab’ in Dhivehi). Kaku has his own email address, postal address (“3rd Hole on Landaa’s Palm Tree Road”), and Facebook page where he posts his ‘Reef News’ articles. So kids can keep engaged and keep learning even after their family stay.

“Hi, I’m Kaku - Landaa Giraavaru’s resident journalist hermit crab. Join me on Facebook and I'll keep you informed of all the pioneering conservation projects underway at Landaa’s Marine Discovery Centre.”

Best of the Maldives: Family Spa - Jumeirah Vittaveli

Maldives Complete — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:34:02 GMT

Congratulations to Jumeirah Vittaveli who officially opens today with a gala ceremony. Their announcement described…

“Receiving its first guests on the 10th December, the ultra luxury resort catering for couples, families and small groups is the second Jumeirah property to open in the Maldives this year.”

Pleased to hear about their Michelin-starred Executive Chef Kai Boeddinghaus. I think for any resort aspiring to ‘ultra luxury’ status, Michelin distinction is a pre-requisite. But what stood out for me as I explored their revamp of the place was their embrace of families. This emphasis warmed my nostalgia recollection of the island which I visited over a decade ago on my first trip to the Maldives and my family discovered ‘house reefs’ there (where we were staying at Laguna Beach now Velassaru didn’t have much of one)

Half of the text in the Vittaveli opening announcement talked about special offerings and features designed for children of all ages and families holidaying together. And my favourite was their ‘Aila Time’ concept at their Talise Spa…

“Even Talise spa has introduced special treatment programmes for families. ‘Aaila’ is the Maldivian word for family, ‘Aila Time’ invites families to enjoy an awakening of a personal reconnection, whilst the ila ‘beyond’ journey educates young adults aged between 12 and 16 about the joy of spa, preparing them for a lifetime of wellbeing.”

A few other resorts, like Conrad Rangali’s ‘Ice Cream Spa’, have special kids offerings at their spas, but this is the first ‘family’ treatment concept I have come across. There have certainly been plenty of times in our family’s history when we could use some family therapy. And our periodic adventures at the Maldives definitely go down in our collective memories as one of our times for ‘reconnection’ walking, snorkelling, discovering, star-gazing, and game-playing together.

Though it does bug me that Jumeirah has no proper pictures of the spa on their web site. Big pet peeve of mine when resorts use useless generic, close-up, still-life, arty-farty photos on their website instead of showing us the product.

Welcome to the neighbourhood Jumeirah family!

Best of the Maldives – Pre-Schoolers: Kandooma

Maldives Complete — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 07:50:00 GMT

As I have written before, I was originally going to call Maldives Complete by the name of ‘Maldives For Families’. There were so many websites heralding it as a destination for romance/honeymoon or diving, but I always thought of it as an outstanding place for children (eg. calm water, bounded area, no motor vehicles, caring culture). Fortunately, more and more resorts are specifically catering to children with excellent kids clubs and a range of other creative offerings like Rangali’s ‘Ice Cream Spa’ and Naladhu’s Storytelling.

One of the most prominent aspects that struck me about Kandooma was its excellent suitability for children of pre-school age, namely 2-6. Less than 2 years old and Bandos has a special service catering for them. Over 6 years old, kids start to snorkel and Kandooma has limited snorkelling. But in between, Kandooma is their paradise.

The resort is geared up in a very friendly way to start with. They have a big kids club. They have lots of family villas. Both villas that interconnect and villas designed to accommodate 4 or more. There are 6 units that accommodate 6 people. Two separate bedrooms and comfortable lounges that convert to beds in the living area. Could do 7 in a pinch. Also, could do 2 couples with the kids in the living room. They are not the only family villas in the Maldives, but probably the best value.

Another big bonus is that kids under 12 eat free under in any restaurant. Their main restaurant is charming with tasty (not gourmet) food. They do have a seaside restaurant that specialises in lobster if Mom and Dad want a treat). In fact, Kandooma has just enough 5* touches to make Mom and Dad feel like they are having a treat, but not so fancy that Mom and Dad have to feel self-conscious about their young ones scampering about.

And that atmosphere is another big tick. Lots of resorts welcome children, but fewer actually have an ambiance that bubbles over with juvenile frolicking. Kandooma has that buoyant energy especially around its mammoth pool (see above). I’m still researching, but I think it covers more surface area than any in the Maldives. I emphasize surface area, because in volume it is quite modest with its pervasively shallow depth (about a metre). Just perfect young ones. It's right next to the main restaurant so kids can get more splash time in while Mom and Dad linger over a meal.

Best of the Maldives: Bungee Trampoline – Beach House at Manafaru

Maldives Complete — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:02:54 GMT

Most people don’t need much assistance in jumping for joy in the Maldives. If you do, the Beach House at Manafaru has a ‘bungee trampoline’...

“One of the unique highlights of Play, children will love bouncing their time away on this popular trampoline.”

You make appointments with the reception to use it between the hours of 4:00 and 6:00 pm. Weight limited 10kg to 85 kg.

Boing!