Shangri-La’s Maldives hideaway almost there.

Shangri-La will open Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa, Maldives, the first luxury resort south of the equator in the Maldives, on 26 July 2009.

The resort will offer guests a stylish experience in a spacious, boutique-style environment. Located on Addu Atoll, the resort will encompass over six kilometres of coastline and nearly two kilometres of breathtaking white sandy beach.

First-time visitors and Maldives aficionados will be rewarded with a distinctive new experience of the archipelago. The natural dense vegetation sets it apart from many other resorts in the Maldives. The three-kilometre-long island features 12 hectares of lush vegetation, 17,000 coconut trees and 45 species of plants. The island has over six kilometres of coastline and three natural freshwater lagoons, naturally tinged red, green or blue. Guests will be able to enjoy walking trails, prodigious wildlife, and a plethora of underwater discoveries.

The resort will comprise 142 spacious stand-alone villas, from private ocean retreats to tropical luxury tree house villas with panoramic views. All villas will feature both an indoor and outdoor shower, a private terrace leading to the beach and either a waterfront or lush garden. Each villa will be equipped with two iPods and docking stations, a DVD player and an espresso machine. The villas will be a minimum of 133 square metres in size, while the two presidential villas will measure up to 957 square metres each.

The resort will feature 16 luxury tree house villas, a first for the Maldives, perched on stilts offering a special three metre-high perspective of the island through tropical foliage. The tree house villas, with separate bedroom and living room, will measure 218 square metres, each with its own private infinity pool.

The unique Shangri-La hospitality envelopes guests as they disembark from their international flight at Male airport. Guests are then escorted by the Shangri-La host into the relaxing domestic airport lounge before taking the connecting flight to Addu Atoll. As air-conditioned domestic flights from Male to Gan International Airport operate round the clock, guests no longer need to waste their vacation time due to the limited operation of seaplanes, which are required to access other resorts. The resort is just an eight-minute boat ride away from Gan, and is also accessible by private jet which can be landed at the newest Gan International Airport. Read more

Maldives participates in 2009 World Ocean Conference

The Maldives is currently participating in the World Ocean Conference 2009 (WOC 2009) being held in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

The World Ocean Conference 2009 brings together over 100 participants including high-level government officials, multilateral agencies and business partners to develop a common understanding and firm commitment to address the impact of climate change on the state of the world’s oceans, and to increase understanding of the role of the oceans in determining the rate of global climatic change.

The World Ocean Conference 2009 will focus on three major themes that comprise of; implications of climate change for the world’s oceans and coastal communities, the role of the oceans in climate change phenomena, and the need for mitigation and adaptation measures to climate change. The WOC 2009 is expected to create a more aligned global vision and commitments from participating governments and institutions to work together to improve marine resource management.

Representatives at the conference will also work towards the Manado Declaration, intended to help save the oceans from further destruction and increase the role of the ocean in reducing climate change. Attending delegations while deliberating on the Manado Declaration outlined that the global negotiations on climate change should include the Ocean’s dimension during the COP-15 meeting due to take place in Copenhagen later this year

miadhu.com.mv

Cocoa Island Maldives Luxury Resort Offers Free Nights

An 'Extend that Summer Feeling' package at the idyllic, award-winning Cocoa Island in The Maldives, offers guests seven nights for the price of five on all room categories. Or, for those staying longer, guests can enjoy fourteen nights stay for the price of ten.

The exclusive offer from this unique COMO Resort is valid from May 1 to October 15, 2009.

The chic, Indian Ocean outpost is world-renowned for diving and its serene COMO Shambhala Retreat, an exclusive retreat for yoga and well-being, rejuvenation therapies, and indulgent pampering.

Room rates for the period of May 15 to June 30, and September 1 to October 15, range from US$680++ for a Dhoni Suite to US$900++, US$1,120++ and US$2,200++ a night for villas. In July and August, prices start at US$760++ a night, to US$1,000++, US$1,260++ and US$2,200++ for villas.

Complimentary meal upgrades are available for Cocoa Island’s guests who reside in the resort for more than 4 nights. Those who book bed and breakfast will be upgraded to half board, and those on half board will be upgraded to full board for the duration of their stay.

Prices are for either single or double occupancy with breakfast, and are subject to 10% service charge and government tax of US$8 per person a night.

COMO’s vision of privacy and stylish beach living, in the Indian Ocean, is located amongst South Malé’s coral atolls, just a 40-minute speedboat ride from the international airport. A transfer service is available.

The resort was designed by Singaporean architect Cheong Yew Kuan – who also designed two new highly regarded COMO Hotels and Resorts: Uma Ubud in Bali and Uma Paro in Bhutan.

At Cocoa, the style is barefoot and deliberately restrained, with some rooms designed after the Maldivian ‘Dhoni’ boats. Duplex Loft villas are clad in wood with generous outdoor decking. All suites and villas are over-water, and accessible by planked walkways. Two-bedroom villas are distinguished by personal butler service.

Cuisine by Daniel Johnson, former executive chef at Bedarra Island, Australia's most exclusive resort, is from nature’s larder- the freshest yellow fin tuna caught locally, and herbs and spices from nearby southern India. The menu features a mixture of Maldivian, Indian, Continental, and selection of other Asian flavours.

Guests can also choose COMO Shambhala cuisine, which is designed to maximise energy and well-being through the use of organic foods rich in living enzymes, vitamins and sea minerals.

The COMO Shambhala Retreat features an open-air pavilion for; group and private yoga classes; treatment rooms (including one for couples); a steam room; a large hydrotherapy pool; and a gym.

The Asian-based therapies range from specific body treatments to facials and sophisticated massages, including the COMO Shambhala signature massage, delivered by experienced practitioners who customise treatments according to individual needs.

A complimentary yoga class is conducted from 5-6pm daily at the Yoga Pavilion by resident Yoga Instructor, Pramod Kumar, who is also available for private tuition. His main style is Hatha yoga, although he is familiar with several other styles. He was trained by Sri Prahalade Redi, from the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in India.

For the actively inclined, the Maldives' warm waters promise some of the world’s best diving. The famous Cocoa and Guriadhoo Channels lie on Cocoa’s doorstep, while snorkelers can enjoy a marine-rich lagoon. PADI certified instructors lead dives and provide tuition for divers of all levels.

Private excursions include island hopping, beach picnics, dolphin watching and exploring Malé’s markets.

Cocoa Island's an all-day lounge is fully equipped with internet desks, espresso machines, new DVD/media players in all rooms and wi-fi internet.

For more information, please visit www.como.bz.

luxurytravelmagazine.com

Maldives plans $3b investments

The Maldives Tourism office is attracting investors to develop 60 of its exotic islands in projects worth $3 billion.

Dr Ahmad Ali Sawad, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, said the government is focusing on four main areas, including facility development, training, medium-grade resorts and the diversification of tourism products such as eco-tourism to support the country's development.

"Since the 1980s, after entrepreneurs started entering the country, we experienced a steady rise in tourism, which has now become a major factor contributing to the economy," said Sawad.

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In developing the islands within the next few years, smaller communities will be able to thrive and sustain themselves. At least 9,000 extra bed spaces will be developed, hundreds of jobs will be created and community-based tourism will help preserve local culture and heritage. Development of its international airport at Hulhule is also expected to improve capacity and services.

Although the Maldives is fundamentally considered to be a luxury high-end destination, Sawad believes catering to the average traveller will boost the tourism industry further.

"Let's face it: we are in a crisis at the moment during which time outgoing traffic is slowing down," he said "However, we feel we have a unique offering and will focus more on small and medium accommodation to cater to budget travellers."

Promotional campaigns that aim to attract a higher number of visitors from the Middle East will also be put into place soon. At the moment, travellers from the region make up less than two per cent, with the highest number of travellers being from the UK. That group is followed by Italy, Germany and China and Russia.

"It is as good a time as any to attract more Middle Eastern travellers when a substantial number of routes are offered," added Sawad.

"Still, we are looking at better access to the region through further direct routes, applying consistent exposure and a marketing campaign that pushes brand awareness."

The government foresees that with a rise in visitor numbers, there will be a huge demand for a more efficient transport system linking the islands.

gulfnews.com

Wataniya introduces Facebook Mobile Texts service in Maldives

Wataniya, the Maldives mobile operator, has introduced a value added service (VAS) dubbed as Facebook Mobile Texts. The Facebook Mobile Texts service enables subscribers to add friends, update their status, comment on photos and poke their friends by sending a text message.
The SMS sent to Facebook will be charged at MYR 0.20. Subscribers will receive an SMS alert at the time when someone adds them as a friend, comments on their status, photos or send them a Facebook message.

Te service will also enable the subscribers to reply anytime and anywhere. Subscribers can choose and customize the alerts they want to receive. To setup Facebook Mobile Texts service, subscribers will need to visit Facebook website and click on “Edit Mobile Account” and enter their Wataniya mobile number. There is no setup fee or monthly fee for the service.

Carsten Schieck promoted to regional GM Hilton Maldives

Carsten Schieck, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island General Manager and Island Chief has been promoted to the newly created position of Regional General Manager Maldives.

The role will see Schieck responsible for all operations under the Hilton family of brands in the Maldives, which will include the opening of the Hilton Maldives/Iru Fushi Resort & Spa scheduled for 1 July 2009, the addition of the Beach House to the Waldorf Astoria Collection on 1 November 2009 and the launch of Doubletree Hilton Malé, set to open in 2011.

As part of the Hilton expansion, Boris Blobel has been promoted to Resort Manager, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, following a Director of Operations role for the Conrad Shanghai pre-opening and four months in a Resident Manager role on Rangali Island.

Frederic Lebegue, former Resident Manager at the Conrad Bali Resort & Spa, will also play a key role in the project, currently working as Task Force General Manager for the strategic rebranding of the Hilton Maldives/Iru Fushi Resort & Spa and set to commence as General Manager of the Beach House, Waldorf Astoria Collection on 1 July.

As General Manager and Island Chief of the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, Schieck has helped to establish its position as one of the leading luxury resorts in the world with a wealth of international accolades to its name.

Martin Rinck, President Asia Pacific, Hilton Hotels Corporation commented “Since taking over the role of General Manager of the Hilton Maldives in August 2002, Carsten has been instrumental in taking the resort to a truly world-class level, pioneering product innovations such as Ithaa, the award-winning world’s first all-glass under-sea restaurant and guiding his team through a successful re-branding to a Conrad Resort in 2007.

This promotion reflects Carsten’s valued contribution over the years and we are confident that his expertise and leadership skills will position Hilton well to capitalise on our success in the Maldives.”

Maldives joins UN emissions scheme in drive to be first carbon neutral country

The Maldives, one of the countries most affected by climate change, has joined a United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) initiative which promotes the global transition to low-carbon economies and societies, UN officials said here Tuesday.

The move follows the announcement earlier this year from President Mohamed Nasheed to make the Indian Ocean archipelago the world's first carbon neutral country in 10 years by fully switching to renewable sources of energy, such as solar panels and wind turbines, and investing in new technologies.

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner stressed that climate neutrality is not just a concern for developed nations, saying that "developing nations such as Maldives can indeed leapfrog by embracing the low-carbon development model, which will assist in greening their economies and weathering both climatic and economic storms."

Launched a year ago, the UNEP-led Climate Neutral Network (CN Net) has close to 100 participants worldwide, including several countries, cities, major international companies, UN agencies and leading non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The Maldives -- consisting of some 1,200 tropical coral islets, none of which rises more than 1.8 meters above sea level, leaving the 400,000 inhabitants at great risk of rising sea levels and storm surges -- has become the seventh country to join CN Net.

The other six nations that have pledged to move towards climate neutrality and joined the CN Net include Costa Rica, Iceland, Monaco, New Zealand and Norway, the officials said.

"When the most climate change vulnerable nations display leadership in addressing the cause of the problem which they had very little to contribute to, there is no excuse for others not to act," said Steiner.

He urged nations around the world to commit to "protecting the planet and powering green growth by sealing an ambitious climate deal at this year's UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen."

www.un.org

Anita Foss joins Conrad Maldives as Spa Manager

The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island has appointed Anita Foss as Spa Manager.

Anita will manage the Destination Spa Retreat, an Over-Water Spa with glass-floored treatment rooms and an Ice-Cream Spa for younger guests.

Anita has a wealth of global experience from luxury day spas such as the Aveda Concept Spa at Harvey Nichols in London, the Spa de Serville in New Zealand and the Langham Hotel Chuan Spa chain.

Most recently Spa Director and Consultant for the Chuan Spas, Anita’s role involved travelling between Langham hotels in California, Boston, Hong Kong and Beijing.

Her previous Spa Management stint at the Chuan Spa Melbourne saw the spa receive a Leading Spa of the World score of 93%.

The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island offers guests three distinct spa offerings to cater to the taste of every guest.

For those seeking a tailor-made holistic programme incorporating nutrition, naturopathy, exercise and treatments, the Spa Retreat is a self-contained resort within-a-resort incorporating 21 spacious Spa Water Villas each with their own private treatment room and mini-gym.

The Spa Water Villas adjoin a central spa comprising nine treatment rooms, five private pavillions with sauna and steam room and Jacuzzi or private plunge pool, an organic bio-dynamic spa restaurant, hair salon, boutique, juice bar, sun deck, relaxation area and a natural herbal dispensary.

All guests are guided through a tailor-made spa programme in relaxing surroundings and have access to leading yoga, fitness and spa experts at special events held regularly through the year.

For a more pampering spa experience, the glass-floored treatment rooms and outdoor Jacuzzi at the Over-Water Spa are home to exclusive treatments from the Siddartha and Dorissima range, based on the spiritual properties of Ayurveda.

And for the younger guests, Rangalifinolhu Island houses an Ice-Cream Spa with highlights including the Super Sundae Scrub!

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is a twin island resort where its Spa Retreat and Spa Water Villas reside on Rangalifinolhu Island while its Over-Water Villas are set on stilts on Rangali Island.

asiatraveltips.com

Tagging whale sharks in the Maldives

Somewhere around us in the incredible turquoise and blue-black waters of the Maldives, the planet's biggest fish is swimming by.

Reaching lengths of up to 20m and sporting a dramatic checkerboard pattern of bright polka dots, you'd think that spotting a whale shark would be easy.

But we've been peering into the water for three hours now and so far, nothing.

We're cruising up and down a known shark aggregation zone, a stretch of the Indian Ocean outside the island necklace of South Ari atoll, one of 26 coral formations that make up the Maldives archipelago.

On board are conservation biologists Richard Rees and Adam Harman from the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme and the tagging expert accompanying them, Brent Stewart, of Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute in San Diego, US.

Brent has tagged everything from seals to sea birds to learn more about their lives, and he's also tagged a group of whale sharks off Kenya.

This project, which began last year, is the first attempt to tag whale sharks in the Maldives and the team is hoping it will reveal precious information about the little-studied fish.

Spot the difference

Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus ), first discovered in the 1800s, are found throughout the tropical oceans, but relatively little is known about their behaviour, how long they live, their breeding habits, or their migratory routes - or indeed whether they migrate.

The group is keeping an open-access database of the sharks. This means that each time one is found, one of the researchers will free-dive down to take a picture of it between the fifth gill and the side fin on both left and right sides.

Using software similar to fingerprint-matching technology, the snaps of the shark's spot patterns are compared to see if it has previously been photographed or is a new find. So far they have recorded 106 on the database, all but two of which are male.

But before they can be snapped, we need to find them, and we're not the only ones searching. Speedboats frequently whiz past us carrying resort tourists on whale shark-spotting trips.

The activity is increasingly popular and has become big business here, which Richard thinks may be related to the number of boat impact injuries sustained by the sharks.

In a survey Richard's team recently completed, more than 75% of whale sharks recorded in the area had scars or wounds from boat damage. They are especially vulnerable because they swim slowly and close to the surface....read more

news.bbc.co.uk

More than 4,000 travellers to Maldives screened for Swine Flu

More than 4,000 passengers who arrived in Maldives via air have been screened for Swine Flu at the Malé International Airport so far, the Health Ministry has said.

According to a press release issued by the Health Ministry, a total of 4,049 passengers had been screened for Swine Flu by Saturday evening. Sixteen passengers were found to have various forms of respiratory infections during the screening, the Health Ministry said.

“Among those screened were 26 passengers who arrived from some countries that had confirmed cases of the disease,” the press release said. “However, none of those who had been screened showed any symptoms which would indicate Swine Flu infection.”

The Head of Clinical Service at the Department of Medical Service, Dr Moosa Hussain, said on Sunday that they were trying to install a thermal scanner at the Malé International Airport.

“Currently we are only screening the people who arrive from countries with confirmed cases,” he said. “The screening process consists of taking their temperature and then they will have to fill out a form about the countries they had recently been in.”

Moosa said that all the airport staff members that had direct contact with passengers were required to wear masks.

According to recent statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), 615 cases of Swine Flu from 15 countries had been confirmed.

Bowermaster's Adventures -- Snorkeling through the Maldives

Swimming along the coral edge of what transplanted marine biologist Anke Hofmeister calls her "home reef" the line dividing the shallows and deep blue is exact. To our left in the brightly sunlit coral, hundreds of shiny reef fish dart and feed; in the dark blue, just to our right, which descends straight down a dramatic hundred foot wall, swim the Maldivian big guys - jackfish, tuna and red snapper, each over one hundred pounds. An occasional spotted eagle ray elegantly flaps its way past in the dark blue below the surface of a calm Indian Ocean.

During a mile-long swim paralleling the beach we spy an incredibly beautiful and vast variety of wrasses, clown, surgeon and parrot fish. A dusky moray eel peeks out of its coral hideaway. A solitary hawksbill turtle flippers past. And a square-headed porcupine fish attempts to hide itself deep inside a rock crevice. As Anke dives to tickle an anemone hugged tight to the coral, a nasty titan triggerfish nips at her; they can be aggressive little buggers and when they bite literally take a chunk of flesh. The shallow, sandy floor running to the beach is heavy with gray-beige coral, colorful clams and even a few handsome sea cucumbers (black with red dots).

The relative health of the coral is somewhat remarkable because recent history here hasn't been particularly kind to it. In 1998, thanks to shifting ocean patterns associated with El Niño, sea temperatures rose above 32 degrees C for more than two weeks badly "bleaching" the coral (the killing of the symbiotic algae that lives within the coral and gives it color). Between seventy and ninety percent of all the reefs surrounding the Maldives 26 atolls are estimated to have died as a result. Slowly they are trying to come back. Read more....

www.gadling.com

AeroMobile Service from Dhiraagu Maldives

Dhiraagu the top telecom operator in Maldives has introduced AeroMobile service. In this services, you can use your mobile in an aero plane while you are flying. Mostly when we get into an aero plane, there will be an announcement to switch off your mobile phones, so its not for all the flight operators, but some selected ones like Emirates (not all the flights) has this facility. Only Dhiraagu in Maldives has this facility. As per Dhiraagu press release, the rates are Mrf. 46.90 / min for outgoing calls to the Maldives, MRf. 83.00 / min for incoming calls from anywhere, and MRf. 10.54 / each SMS sent.

AeroMobile service is similar to roaming. When you use this service, the Aircraft is treated as an outside country and you use the roaming service. You do not need to do any registration for this service if you have international roaming activated.

kisaso.com

MTDC files lawsuit demanding return of Herathera Resort

Maldives Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has filed lawsuit seeking return of Herathera Resort from Yacht Tours, MTDC Chairman Bandhu Ibrahim Saleem has revealed. The government owned MTDC, which developed the resort and later leased it to Yacht Tours, filed lawsuit after Yacht Tours failed to pay rental charges for over two quarters.

Briefing the media, at news room Fansavees Maalam on Thursday, Bandhu Saleem revealed that Herathera Resort was the only resort which provides an income to the corporation. He said other resorts owned by the corporation are still being developed and as such does not make any money.

Bandhu Saleem revealed that, on behalf of the shareholders, every effort would be made to get the resort back. Some US $ 55 million went in to the development of the resort and all avenues would be explored to get Herathera Resort back to prevent further losses to the corporation.

He noted that during a recent visit to Herathera Resort by an MTDC top level delegation expensive assets like generators and laundry equipments were found damaged and out of service. He also noted that some equipment included in the inventory listing of Herathera Resort are now found in some campaign offices in Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo.

Chairman Bandhu Saleem said the corporation was working on cashing a US 10 million bank guarantee by Yacht Tours. He also informed that if Herathera Resort is not returned by end of May, the outstanding rental charges would exceed the bank guarantee. He further said Yacht Tours still have the opportunity to continue operating the resort provided it pay up the overdue rent and settle other matters.

Meanwhile , at a press conference held on Wednesday, CEO of Yacht Tours Ahmed Mohamed announced that company would laying off some of the 600 employees working at Herathera Resort due to financial difficulties caused by global economic down turn. He said the resort was losing some Rf.100, 000 per day.

Yacht Tours stopped paying rent in December last year, claiming that MTDC had failed to honor its contractual obligation to build a channel between Herethere Resort and Hulhudhoo. Recently a court has ordered Yacht Tours to pay over US $ 8 million in rental charges to MTDC.

A dream date for a Calendar Girl - the Maldives by seaplane

It had been a dream of mine for many many years - and when my 60th birthday loomed I decided it was time it came true. I went to the Maldives. A week in this paradise can cost anything from £4,000 a couple to £49,000 and, with 1,200 tiny islands grouped in 26 coral atolls to choose from, deciding exactly where to go can be a dilemma.

Our budget of £2,000 each at least made the choice easier and, breaking our limit by £500, my husband and I decided on an all-inclusive package to Chaaya Lagoon Hakuraa Huraa resort.

We flew with Emirates from Manchester, changing in Dubai. Waiting in the immigration queue at Male airport, the gateway to the Maldives, we seemed to be the only ones still sweating. We stood in our Manchester clothes while the French and Italians looked tastefully cool and chic and were, of course, carrying their own diving gear.

At last we were whisked off in a coach to the seaplane dock to wait for our Maldivian air taxi, and we were able to relax. As we watched seaplanes soaring in and out, with the sun shining above a sparkling blue sea, it felt as if the holiday had begun.

A couple of hours later we were making for a De Havilland Twin Otter, feeling like extras in an Indiana Jones movie. Barefoot uniformed pilots welcomed us on board - and we were relieved to see our luggage again. The plane revved up and another barefooted guy loosened the ropes, tucked them away and climbed in as we started to move, heading for Meemu Atoll, 45 minutes away. Read more.....

By Tricia Stewart
dailymail.co.uk