Komandoo Island Resort

	His & Hers Massage

Special Romantic Offers from Komandoo Island Resort
Starting from Euro 1,970

Komandoo is offering 2 special packages for a limited booking period. The packages are designed for couples (2 adults sharing) and apply to stays of 7 nights. They include:

- Accommodation with appropriate meal plan
- Bottle of sparkling wine on arrival
- A tropical fruit platter on arrival
- Bed decoration on arrival
- One sunset cruise
- Return seaplane transfer from Male to Komandoo Island Resort

and depending on the package:

- Honeymoon Indulgence Massage
- One candle-lit dinner on the beach or on the villa deck

OR

- His & Hers Massage
- One à la carte meal at the over water Aqua Restaurant
- One champagne breakfast

Book the above package today by emailing: booking@spotlocal.net

A spot of underwater gardening

	‘There is an art to planting coral gardens’

Imagine planting an underwater garden: in Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, they have just done that. Spotted all over their lagoon, are coral gardens of various ages, ranging from four months to five years. Each teems with rainbow-coloured fish. As well as being aesthetically pleasing, the gardens give a much-needed boost to coral growth and aid the recovery of the house reef, essential since 1998, when El Nino killed 70-90 per cent of the coral in central Maldives. Banyan Tree was particularly hard hit with 98 per cent of its coral bleached.

The geographical nature of the Maldives means that reefs will forever play a crucial role both in its existence – reefs are responsible for island formation and act as a natural barrier against beach erosion – but also in two of its major industries, fishing and tourism.

Planting corals

The project is headed by director of conservation Abdul Azeez, who describes underwater gardening as his “passion”.

“There is an art to planting coral gardens,” says Azeez. “Planting corals of the same species in close proximity ensures they are more likely to benefit from successful fertilisation during coral spawning.” The shape and direction of each coral species has to be visualised when deciding which to plant next to the other, he adds.

Baa atoll says no to plastic bags

	They’re in the lagoon, on the beach, on the corals, damaging our environment.

A campaign aimed at reducing and eventually eradicating the use of plastic bags was launched on Friday in Baa atoll.

The “Say no to plastic bags” campaign, run by Kendhoo Club, an island association on Kendhoo, and Sonevaa Fushi resort, will be distributing cloth bags to each household in the atoll to encourage people to stop using plastic bags.

“We initiated this programme, because we see plastic bags everywhere,” said Ibrahim Abdul Rahman, president of Kendhoo Club. “They’re in the lagoon, on the beach, on the corals, damaging our environment.”

Plastic bags are not biodegradable and take 10 to 20 years to disintegrate. With no proper waste management facility in the islands, plastic bags have been found littered on the beaches and in lagoons; they are known to destroy live coral and adversely affect the marine life in Maldives.

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Conrad Maldives to Host Yoga and Nutrition Retreat - 10-30 March

	A range of healing techniques and yoga tuition

The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island will host its second transformational Path to Balance Retreat from 10-30 March, offering guests a comprehensive lifestyle and wellness makeover in a paradise setting.

The Path to Balance Retreat will be held at the resort’s Spa Retreat, a destination spa comprising 21 water villas with private treatment rooms surrounding a central spa, together with gourmet spa restaurant, juice bar and relaxation areas.

During the Retreat, the resort’s international spa specialists Cheryl Davison and Zhenya Gerson will create bespoke programmes combining daily spa treatments with a range of healing techniques and yoga tuition.

Cheryl Davison, the resort’s resident naturopath is a specialist in achieving inner balance and optimal health. Her knowledge of naturopathy, herbal medicine, nutrition, iridology, energy healing and flower essences will be tapped on to develop tailor-made programmes to meet individual needs and targets, from weight-loss to stress relief.

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