Conrad Maldives Ranglai Island restaurant

The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island has been voted the  winner  in the category “Personal Favourite” by the renowned German Spa Magazine, ‘SENSES’ annual wellness awards.

This is the 11th year that the SENSES Wellness awards have been and are co-ordinated by the SENSES editorial staff together with a select panel of experts.  Conrad Maldives Rangali Island competed   against over 350 hotels and resorts. The lush twin-island resort was chosen the “Personal Favourite” for 2009.
General Manager and Island Chief of the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, Carsten Schieck, collected the esteemed award from famous German TV-Presenter, Alexandra Polzin at a ceremony held at the grand ‘Altes Stadthaus’ in Berlin on Thursday 12 March 2009.
The spa resort which has bungalows overwater offers a range of holistic treatments and spa packages, plus the services of a resident Personal Trainer, Naturopath and Nutritionist, restaurant, reception, hairdressers and retail area. The Over-Water Spa in Conrad Maldives Rangali Island  offers signature couples rituals in glass floor treatment rooms and Serenity Spa Deck with open air Jacuzzi.

Winners SENSES Destinations Award:

• Bali – 2009 SENSES Spa Destination of the World

The winners of the SENSES Wellness Award 2009:

• Category “Best City Resort”: Ritz Carlton Moscow
• Category “Best Country Resort”: Parkhotel Vitznau, Switzerland
• Category “Best Beach Resort”: Kempinski Hotel Barbaros Bay, Bodrum, Turkey
• Category “Best Alpine Spa”: Hotel Arlberg Hospiz, St. Christoph, Austria
• Category “Best Boutique Spa”: The Mandala Hotel, Berlin
• Category “Personal Favourite”: Conrad Maldives at Rangali Island, Maldives

The winners of the special categories for the SENSES Wellness Award 2009

• SENSES Lifetime Award: Emanuel Berger, CEO Victoria Jungfrau Collection
• SENSES Destinations Award: Bali – 2009 SENSES Spa Destination of the World
• SENSES Medical Wellness Award: Dr. Wolf Funfack, Metabolic Balance
• SENSES Visions Award: Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts for its CHI Spa concept
• SENSES Innovations Award: Vita Life

Images of Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

Resorts are seperate islands

The Maldives has taken a policy diversion aimed at increasing contact between visitors and inhabitants of the island chain in the Indian Ocean. Previously tourists are not allowed to stay within in local communities.

The tourism minister of the Maldives speaking to the German weekly newspaper, Die Zeit, the minister, Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad, said there would no longer be a “parallel world” of resort islands kept separate from the islands inhabited by Maldivians.

“We are pleased about every guest who seeks the seclusion of a resort island,” Sawad remarked, adding, “But we also want to invite tourists to visit our communities.”

According to Dr Sawad a first step would be a ferry network linking the some 200 inhabited islands, enabling tourists to “island-hop” and boosting exchanges among the islanders themselves.

The earthtimes.org quoted the minister “Up to now in the Maldives, we have constantly built for tourism and benefited ourselves only secondarily. Now it’s going to be the other way around,”

During early 1980’s the government prohibited tourists staying in local islands stating that it has a negative impact on local communities. The decision to allow mix tourists and local will have positive effect to community.

A resort in Maldives

The Maldives celebrated the “Earth Hour” for the first time, on Saturday night. Earth Hour is a global event organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The Earth Hour is held on the last Saturday of March annually, asking households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change.

People of the Maldives  in Malé, the resorts and other islands took part in the celebration by turning off all the electrical equipment that weren’t absolutely necessary between 8:30pm and 9:30pm. According to Haveeru newspaper there was a decrease of a 3MW consumption in the most populous capital island Male’.

According to Minivan News President Mohamed Nasheed has said awareness about climate change has increased over recent years. The Earth Hour celebrations in the Maldives,  began with the president switching off the lights of his residence, Muleeaage, at 8.30pm on Saturday.

Snorkelling

The water of the Maldives is pristine clear with excellent visibility. Snorkelling over the reefs of the islands is an ideal way to explore the splendid marine life. The house reefs of most of the islands are just a few meters away from the beach shoreline.
With clear water and excellent visibility one can simply walk up to the reef to enjoy its beauty and multicoloured fish it hosts. Snorkelling gear is available from all the resorts and all cruise boats. You may have to pay a charge for the gear. Most of the resorts organise regular guided snorkelling excursions to give visitors a chance to experience the diversity of marine life and reef structures in the Maldives.

Some snorkelling tips

1. Select a mask that fits comfortably.
2. Choose a pair of fins that fit your feet comfortably and a snorkel that fits easily in to your mouth.
3. Get advice on the best snorkelling spots and how to reach them from your resort.
4. Find out the potential problems such as waves, currents and difficult entries and exits.
5. Wear a t-shirt to protect yourself from the sun and a waterproof sunscreen on exposed areas of your skin such as the neck and the back of your knees.
6. It is always recommended to snorkel with a partner or not leave the site of the people or life guard.
7. Do not walk or step on the corals, to protect yourself from injury and the corals from damage.
8. And finally respect the marine environment and enjoy the experience.

Traditional fishing dhoni

Fishing is a popular pastime among locals Maldivians as well as visitors. In the Maldives visitors can enjoy a variety of different types of fishing. The most popular among locals and visitors are night fishing. In a night fishing trip the boat leaves the island and anchors at a reef before the sunsets and darkness sets in.

The lines are tethered with hooks and sinkers (weight) and dropped overboard from both sides of the dhoni. Traditionally Maldivians use small dhonis. Recreational fishing in resorts provide modernised version called yacht dhoni for night fishing. This is an exciting experience as night fishing will test your stamina and skills. Nigh fishing experience can also gives you an excellent opportunity to unwind under the night sky as the dhoni gently rocks with the waves.

Sports fishing enthusiasts prefer morning fishing or big game fishing which involves trolling, usually outer edge of the atoll along the reef. Fishing enthusiasts may prefer to bring their own equipment if they wish to experience the excitement during their stay in the Maldives.

Fishing of any kind is normally prohibited in the vicinity of the resort house reef. However, almost all the resorts islands organise night fishing trips at least once a week. Most of the resorts provide big game fishing or morning fishing, on request basis.

For dedicated fishing enthusiast the best way of exploring the Maldives fishing will be spending the holiday in an exclusive fishing charter or cruise boat. These cruise boats have the freedom to travel the best spots in the Maldives waters.

Learning scuba diving

In the oceans and underwater is where the greatest marine biodiversity are scattered. The Maldives, the whole of the archipelago is considered a pristine dive site. The best way to see the Maldives is onboard a dedicated live-aboard cruise boat.

Maldives reefs and seas are habitat to micro organism from plankton to gentle giants such as whale sharks. As Maldives is in the tropics throughout the year you get warm water and water temperature is around 24 degrees Celsius. Beginning of May until September (during the south-west monsoon) divers are pretty much guaranteed to see manta rays. These magnificent mysterious creatures always swim in Maldives waters throughout the year. North Male’ atoll and South Ari atoll is in the central tourism zone and provides reliably good diving around the atoll reefs, with healthy numbers of sharks, turtles and schooling game fish as well as all the small colourful reef life. In Ari atoll Maya Thilla is famous for its school of hammerhead sharks.

The Maldives boats the best all-round diving anywhere in the world. Many of the popular dive sites within the Maldives are protected zones, meaning that nothing can be removed from the site.

Maldives Island

Mark Lynas’s book Six Degrees strongly affects those who read it. It is a powerful but quietly voiced assessment of how the world will change as temperatures rise. The people of the Maldives, only too aware that their low-lying coral atolls are likely to disappear before the end of the century, are particularly interested in climate change and Lynas’s book has been widely read in government circles in the capital Malé.

Last month the Maldives asked him for a plan to make the country “carbon-neutral”. After a few days’ work, he and I sent an outline scheme to the government in time for the president to make an announcement at the London premiere of Franny Armstrong’s The Age of Stupid, a powerful film about climate change.

In our draft plan we showed how energy from wind and the sun could produce enough electricity to cover current needs and provide a surplus for future growth. A power station burning coconut husks will provide backup on those relatively rare occasions when the wind and sun aren’t enough. Batteries will provide short-term storage on remote islands. Petrol can be largely replaced by ethanol made from Brazilian sugar cane.

Ambitiously, we said that the Republic of Maldives could set a target of going carbon-neutral within a decade or so. But we haven’t proposed a way of avoiding the use of aviation fuel. So are we guilty of greenwash, like so many of the companies that brashly proclaim carbon neutrality on their website and in their sustainability reports?

Yes, in one sense we are. More than 500,000 people take long-distance flights to the Maldives, adding over a million tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere every year. Our plan does not reduce the consumption of aviation fuel by a single litre. By setting out the steps to enable the Maldives to brand itself as a carbon-neutral destination, we could be accused of actually encouraging long-distance holidays. Eager travel agents will seize on the Maldives’ plan and use it to persuade wavering customers that their air travel has no ecological side effects.

Our defence is that the emissions from air travel to the Maldives will be offset by the purchase of European emissions permits. Every European power station, many large factories and other major polluters have been granted rights to emit a certain amount of CO2. If a company wants to emit more than its allowance it has to buy certificates from other polluters who have permits to spare. The Maldives will become part of this scheme.

In effect we are admitting that air travel to the Maldives is a major source of pollution, just as if the country was a German power station or a Dutch cement works. Because the Maldives is a voluntary participant in the European scheme, it will not have any free emissions allowances. The total number of permits in the system will not rise as a result of the new entrant.

The Maldives’ plan to buy allowances covering all the emissions from international flights to and from Malé therefore means that the emissions of other European polluters will have to decrease by an equal amount. This isn’t a perfect solution, but it seems the best way of ensuring a flight to the Maldives doesn’t add a single kilogramme to overall world emissions.

Nevertheless, many people believe that buying emissions permits is a poor compromise. They point out that the European scheme has set lax limits on the total amount of CO2 emitted by the continent’s major carbon polluters. This is one of the reasons why the current price of permits is so low. However, the whole point of our scheme is that it will tighten the market, making emissions just a little bit more costly for all the major polluters across Europe.

Until the aviation industry develops sustainable biofuels, the only possible alternative to offsetting is to restrict the total number of flights to and from the Maldives. This would cripple the tourist industry and reduce the incomes of most of the inhabitants of the islands.

No scheme that places a large part of the burden of climate change mitigation on to the poorer half of the world can be appropriate. Although no one is completely happy with offsetting, even through the European emissions trading scheme, we believe it can be an effective way of helping the Maldives become carbon neutral.

Courtesy:  Chris Goodall, guardian.co.uk

Original article at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/cif-green/2009/mar/26/maldives-carbon-neutral-greenwash

Hulhule Island Hotel Maldives

Hulhule Island Hotel, located on the International airport island is a modern and exotic hotel catering to the diversified needs of guests. Set in a heavenly ambiance of turquoise blue waters, Hulhule Island Hotel is a perfect place for the guests on leisure as well as on business. It is a happening place to be in; as well it is a tranquil haven at various locations within the hotel.

The guests wishing to add flavor to their special day or wanting to take the plunge into the sky blue water and bask at the white sandy beach area or just transiting through the Isle of Maldives or on a business trip – Hulhule Island Hotel is liked by each of the segment of guests.

Taking pride in being the only hotel located just 5 minutes drive away from the International airport and 10 minutes boat ride away from the capital Malé. Hulhule Island Hotel opens the door to a world of exemplary service. The location of Hulhule Island Hotel lets you enjoy every moment of your stay whilst pampering you in exquisite luxury – in your own unique way.

Hulhule Island Hotel is the place where elegance blends uniquely creating an ambiance of tranquility – it is large enough to find a quiet seclusion and small enough to share with loved ones. The hotel boasts of a range of luxury accommodation and facilities designed to suit the taste of avid guests. All the 136 guest rooms have a panoramic view of the breath taking Indian Ocean in different shades of blue.

The product is wonderful but the service is even better as the team of Hulhule Island Hotel truly lives up to their promise,
‘We care for you.’

A cruise yacht

Cruise is the best way of appreciating the unique beauty of the Maldives, 99% of which is water.  A typical cruise holiday in the Maldives can offer several possibilities. You may choose between a diving safari and a relaxing cruise through the atolls, which lets you be in total harmony with nature as your boat winds its way through the multitude of islands.

Most of the vessels are equipped with modern diving equipments and staffed by qualified diving instructors. While some vessels offer standard accommodation and facilities, others offer luxury accommodation with all the modern amenities.

A cruise holiday makes it possible for you to sample many varied dive sites at different atolls and locations and present you with the chance to sample island life, visit virgin uninhabited islands and appreciate the unique beauty of different resort islands.

A Maldivian family

While the British developed Gan as a base for Royal Air Force, the people of the three southern most atolls revolted against the government of Mr Nasir. They formed a separate government and declared the ‘United Suvadheeb Republic’ in 1959. The British support for them was suspected by the government. The grievances of the people of these three atolls against the government were not entirely unjustified. For centuries, the people of the Huvadhoo, Fua Mulah and Addu Atolls sailed in their wooden vessels odi to Sri Lanka and India and exchanged goods.

They travelled independently to these countries without stopping over at Malé; hence there was no government control over these trade affairs. However, Mr Nasir introduced measures which were unfavourable to the three southern most atolls including the prohibition of direct sail to the neighbouring countries without clearing through Malé. The workers in Addu who could have enjoyed the benefits of direct payment from the British were also disappointed with the arrangement in which they were paid through the government in Malé. They believed that the government controlled the exchange rates to their disadvantage.

The separatist uprising was brought to an end by the government of the Maldives in 1963 in some atolls with brute force. However, the unease and hostility continued. The government of the Maldives negotiated with the British for a diplomatic solution. Maldives demanded more independence than the existing agreements provided for.

In 1960 an agreement was signed reducing the period of British stay in Addu to 30 years. The British finally agreed to give independence to the Maldives and an agreement was signed in 1965. This historic agreement was signed on 25 July 1965 in Sri Lanka. However, the British presence in Addu Atoll continued till 1976.