Welcome to the real Maldives

	Herathera is connected by a causeway to neighbouring Hulhudhoo

Martin Symington cycles round an atoll for a taste of real life in the paradise islands

SUNDOWN on Feydhoo, and the open-air Café de Bodufanna on the quayside is the place to hang out. Rows of wooden fishing boats are moored, and the evening's call to prayer has been wailed from the village mosque. Men and women sit at low wooden tables sipping black tea and playing a local board game, using scraps of coral for counters. I shoot the breeze with some lads who are into Snow Patrol and the Killers, did A levels at school on neighbouring Maradhoo and speak a precise, accented English. I buy them a round of Red Bulls.

So, here I am fraternising with the locals and sharing in a bit of everyday life on Addu Atoll, the southernmost and farthest flung of the 26 island clusters that make up the Maldives. It is the end of a day on which I have cycled through villages of coral-walled houses and stopped at busy harbours to watch the to-ing and fro-ing of dhonis bringing home the yellow-finned tuna catch. A few other tourists have also stopped by for a drink or to nibble gulha (fiery fish balls), propping their bikes against an oil drum. It is an unusual scene in this tiny, Islamic Indian Ocean country, where interaction between visitors and host communities has been a missing element in the overall holiday package.

Earlier this year, however, the opening of a new resort in the Addu Atoll, 40 miles south of the Equator, caught my eye. Herathera is connected by a causeway to the neighbouring, inhabited Hulhudhoo island, offering guests at the Handu Fushi Resort tantalising chances to taste the local culture. Furthermore, publicity material promised that it was possible to hire bikes and pedal from village to village, exploring the islands of the atoll.

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Yoga + dive - a winning combination

	Focusing on breathing, meditation and relaxation techniques

Situated in a secluded corner of the South Ari Atoll, the luxurious Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is surrounded by some of the world’s best dive sites. In order to improve guests’ under-water experiences, the resort has teamed up with Yoga guru Katy Appleton to offer unique ‘Dive and Yoga Bliss’ packages during her visit to the resort, from 20-30 October 2008.

A keen diver, Katy Appleton has long recognised the benefits of yoga as a tool to enhance the quality of her diving experience. Teaming up with the resort’s Sub Aqua Dive Centre, Katy will offer guests two course options: ‘Discover Scuba/Yoga’ for beginners and ‘Yoga Scuba’ for experienced and certified divers.

The beginners’ course will begin with 90 minutes practicing specific yoga techniques with Katy Appleton, focusing on breathing, meditation and relaxation techniques to assist with under-water relaxation. This will be followed by a diving programme in the resort’s beautiful shallow reef, accompanied by Katy Appleton and Sub Aqua Manager Alexis Vincent. Those with previous dive experience can join Katy for 60 minutes of Yoga practice, focusing on relaxing the body and mind, in order to reduce air consumption and promote a more fulfilling experience. This will be followed by a boat dive, enabling participants to practice their newly acquired breathing skills.

Katy Appleton’s visit will form an integral part of the resort’s ‘Path to Balance’ retreat, held at the resort’s stand-alone destination Spa Retreat, from 20-30 October 2008. The retreat will offer guests at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island the opportunity to work with three inspirational holistic specialists, selected from the world’s best. Yoga specialist Katy Appleton will be joined by Energy Queen, Dorinda Roseberry and Reiki Master, Nikon Banjerdlert.

Guests can choose from a variety of Retreat options, from one-to-one sessions to extensive multi-day courses, combining spa treatments, fitness and yoga classes and consultations with visiting practitioners as well as the resorts’ Naturopath.

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New Year celebrations @ W 2009

	Fish Restuarant, W Retreat & Spa

Explore the New Year programme at
W Retreat & Spa

Savour @ the WET Carnival
What: New Year’s Eve Buffet
Includes: Buffet only. Beverages on consumption
When: 20.00 – 01.00 Price per person: Included
Capacity: 100

Envision @ FISH & SIP
What: Gourmet Seafood Dinner
Includes: 6-course meal, welcome cocktail and wine pairings
When: 20.00 – 00.30
Price per person: US$200
Capacity: 40

Caress @ ESCAPE & Gaathafushi Island
What: Cruise & Deserted Private Island Dinner
Includes: Champagne & canapés on ESCAPE and a 6-course dinner with wine pairings and one bottle of champagne per couple on Gaathafushi When: Depart for cruise 16.30, Depart for Gaathafushi 18.30
Price per person: US$650
Capacity: 20

Resonate @ 15BELOW
What: Groove Party
Includes: Free-flowing champagne, selected cocktails and nibbles
When: 22.30 – 04.00
Price per person: US$150
Capacity: 70

Inhale @ KITCHEN’s New Year’s Brunch
What: New Year’s Day Brunch
Includes: Brunch items only. Beverages on consumption.
When: 09.00 – 14.00
Price per person: Included

PDF – NYE W.PDF

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September 25th – October 9th

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This site has plenty of reasons to recommend it quite apart from the rays that give it its name. As you drop in here you descend down to the top of the reef at 12 metres, and beyond down towards where the reef gently slopes down to an abyssal edge at around 40 metres.

While hovering around the reef wall you should look out for oriental sweetlips, Napoleonfish and hawksbill turtles, which can be present in impressive numbers. If you keep an eye out among the many cracks and crevices you may be rewarded with the sight of a lurking octopus or moray eel, its jaws gaping as it fans the oxygen rich water over it gills.

Keep an eye out in the blue for barracudas and schools of jacks and as you make your way towards the sandy slope at around 20 metres. Do not be surprised to see several white-tip reef sharks resting on the sea bed. However, many of the above-mentioned creatures do not get a look-in at this site since most divers are focused exclusively on their manta count.

To maximise your viewing pleasure you should position yourself above the porites corals which are home to the cleaning wrasses. This is quite a shallow area and one which is very rich in plankton so expect a greyish colour in the water (and the occasional minor sting). If all in your group position themselves well and move sensibly you can expect to see manta rays emerging from the blue and then hovering in line, awaiting to avail themselves of the services of the cleaners. The little fish fastidiously remove every parasite and bit of dead skin they can from the surface of their huge clients before the manta decides the job is a good one and moves on.

It is quite a spectacle to watch manta after manta being serviced in this way as the little cleaner-fish busily work their way around its body, and even in and around the mouth and gills. Some such sightings can last longer than the dive tanks can, which explains why this site is often requested as a repeat dive.

Manta Point Reef Basics: Manta cleaning station
Depth: 5 - 40m
Visibility: 10 - 30m
Currents: Gentle
Surface Conditions: Calm, but can be choppy
Water Temperature: 27 - 30°C
Experience Level: Beginner to intermediate
Number of dive sites: 1
Diving Season: All year round. Liveaboards less likely to visit May to July
Distance: 1km south east of Lankanfinolhu, 12km from Male Town
Access: Liveaboard

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