region: Asia

The Maldives are back: Six new stays

The Maldives are back…in a big way.

The tiny Indian Ocean archipelago has always been top of mind for luxury travellers, especially those with romance on their mind.

Since Aussies were last able to travel there, another six gorgeous stays have opened up in this little slice of paradise.

We take a look at each of these epic new resorts:

Kagi Maldives Island: A resort best suited to couples, the five-star Kagi Maldives Spa Island is THE place for a honeymoon. It’s almost worth getting married, just so you can stay here. It is an intimate all-pool-villa resort, bringing understated luxury and elegant simplicity, and maximum romance.

Patina Maldives – Fari Islands: There were about 300,000 plants dug up in the making of Patina Maldives, all of which were brought to the hotel for replanting upon its completion. This tells you everything you need to know about the eco-conscious mindset of this new luxury resort, which is fair enough, given the archipelago is expected to be vulnerable to rising sea levels in the future. It is powered mostly by the sun, which isn’t much of an issue in the Maldives. And it’s beautiful.

Patina Maldives.

The Ritz Carlton Maldives – Fari Islands: The Ritz Carlton in the Maldives has 100 overwater or beachfront villas of luxury, in predictably epic proportions. Truly absurd levels of beauty here will leave you feeling like you’re in some permanently photoshopped Instagram page.

Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa:  Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa is the most Maldivian of the new stays. It has six restaurants and bars, all inspired by the culture and cuisine of the Maldives. Located on Lhaviyani Atoll, guests can savour the sights and sounds of the natural beauty with indigenous flora and fauna, a shimmering lagoon and coral reefs teaming with wildlife including manta rays and turtles.

Le Méridien Maldives Resort & Spa’s Japanese restaurant.

Kuda Villingili:  Kuda Villingili Resort Maldives is home to the biggest pool in the Maldives, and offers a wide range of activities, including access to a world class surf break. It’s also got an incredible variety of dive spots, and a heap of nice dining spots.

Kuda Vilingili Resort – access to epic surf.

Jumeirah Maldives: the newest hotel from the company behind several of Dubai’s most luxurious properties, including the famous sail-shaped Burj Al Arab in Dubai., Jumeirah Maldives has announced it will open its doors in November. The property is accessible only by seaplane and motorboat  – the perfect escape for a little while.

Jumeirah Maldives

Hidden Airport Cafe Gem

Let’s face it, airlines aren’t necessarily synonymous with great food. We’ve all picked and prodded at a funny looking dish on a plane before.

So if you can find some good food while you’ve got a stopover in between flights, you’re kicking goals.

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Hub and Spoke is a hidden glass-house cafe located next to terminal 2 at Singapore’s Changi airport, one of the major transport hubs in Asia. The cafe’s name is actually a play on words – the hub representing Changi airport, the spokes the cities it connects.

They do both local and western foods – if you’ve got a hankering for something in particular, chances are they’ll have it – and are just as good at laksa and Nasi Lemak as they are at a rib-eye steak. Plus, of course, coffee to beat that jet lag.

They are pet-friendly, and there’s even little grassy spot outside to chill out on – an absolute luxury at an airport.

If you’ve got a stopover at Changi, or if you’re in Singapore for longer, this is the spot.

Banwa Island: Your Own Luxury

Sure, staying on a beautiful tropical island is good. But having your own island is where it’s really at.

Banwa Private Island is an all-villa luxury island within a marine reserve in north-eastern Palawan, Indonesia. You can make the entire island (barring of course, villa staff) is entirely yours, giving you the freedom to do whatever.

Pristine stretches of beach and clear waters will make this feel less Robinson Crusoe, and more ‘epic luxury’. Swim, dive, snorkel or fish to your heart’s content, or take a sunset cruise.

The starry nights at Banwa are legendary – bring your partner, kids, 10 of your best mates…whoever – and have this slice of paradise for yourself.

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Nomadic Mongolian Living

Staying in the middle of absolutely nowhere is actually pretty nice.

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Hundreds of thousands of kilometres of green fields, desert and vacant steppe greet travellers that make it out of Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar.

It is nine and half hours out of the city that you will find Three Camel Lodge, perched on the edge of the epic Gobi Desert. So just down the road in Mongolian terms.

You have the option of staying in a traditional ger as the Nomads have done for thousands of years, and continue to do. There is also a deluxe ger (the kind Genghis Khan could have only dreamt of) while the lodge itself has a spa and wellness option, a very cosy movie room and offers horse riding and other experiences.

But it is not these amenities you travel for – it is without a doubt the remoteness that sets this lodge (and place) apart from anything you’ve ever done. No Wi-Fi, cafes or shopping centres – it is an experience in itself to be so far away from…everything.

Mountain High

When winter begins to break in the Bayan-Ulgi district of western Mongolia, a centuries-old tradition takes place. The Mongolian Kazakh people, traditional semi-nomads, begin to move their families and huge herds of sheep, goats, cows, horses and camels to spring pastures. For five days they lead the animals on a 150-kilometre journey up the snowy Altai Mountains, which separate Mongolia from Russia. Only the strongest of the young men will ride beside and behind the herd, with the rest of the family forging ahead of them in trucks loaded with furniture and equipment.

But this movement from one region to another according to the season isn’t the only unique feature of the Mongolian Kazakhs’ heritage. They have also been domesticating and training golden eagles for 2,500 years. The huge birds, with wingspans of about two metres, are used to hunt foxes, wolves and marmots. Most hunting occurs during the coldest months of the year, when the animals have a thicker coat. During the summer, the hunters feed the birds well, but their food is reduced as winter grows ever closer so as to sharpen their hunting instincts.

Photography Gilad Fiskus

Through the Soul

Photography by Serge Anton from his book, Faces, published by Lannoo Publishers.

For the last 30 years, internationally renowned fashion and interior design photographer Serge Anton has travelled the world visiting countries across Europe, USA, Asia and Africa.

In his newest book FACES he has compiled his collection of portraits. Capturing the character of locals from his countless journeys across Africa and Asia, FACES tells the stories of exotic, faraway cultures. A picture is worth a thousand words, and for Anton, it’s all in the detail; “the details in their eyes, the light sifting through the black-and-white images, the wrinkles that seem to reflect the wisdom of lifetimes…”

sergeanton.be | lannoopublishers.com

Carnival of the Gods

Every year, in the village of Kulasekharapatnam, in India’s south, the festival of Dusshera sees tens of thousands of people disguise themselves as gods and goddesses to pay tribute to Kali, the Hindu goddess who is known as the destroyer of evil. Many centuries ago, the villagers did not have metal to make idols, so they transformed themselves. The festival is celebrated over 10 days. For the first nine days they wander from town to village to beg and dance in honour of the deity. At dawn on the tenth day, the day of Dusshera, with the deafening sounds of the drums and in a thick fog of smoke, all the costumed participants converge towards the entrance of the Sri Mutharamman Temple. As they approach the sanctuary, their bodies stiffen abruptly and go into a trance. Languages burst from the mouth; eyes roll back; cries and grunts sound. Some embark on a furious dance, others remain face down, and some speak alone – they all believe the spirit of Kali possesses them.

Photography by Boris Joseph

Holy Waters

At India’s Kumbh Mela festival up to 120 million devout pilgrims gather to submerge themselves in holy water, in the hope of cleansing sin from their lives. Bigger than the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and Glastonbury music festival combined, the event is believed to be the largest of its kind on the planet.

Celebrated four times every 12 years, with an additional ‘half’ festival – the Ardh Kumbh Mela – held every six, the official mass pilgrimage sites rotate between Ujjain, Nasik, Allahabad and Haridwar (pictured), all located on the banks of rivers considered holy or sacred to Hindus. It is in these spots that drops of the nectar of immortality are said to have been spilled by demigods and demons during battle. And in its most simple form, the festival commemorates the victory of good over evil.

Few foreign tourists tackle this festival alone. Photographer Mark Daffey attended the 2016 Ardh Kumbh Mela on a small group tour with Crooked Compass.

The next celebration will take place in Allahabad in 2019.

crooked-compass.com

Preserving Tradition

In the cold depths of Russia, 200 kilometres from Salekhard in the Polar Circle, a Nenets girl stands in front of her camp. Snow falls around her and reindeer grunt and bark as the camp prepares to migrate. The Nenets are indigenous people in northern arctic Russia. As of 2010, approximately 45,000 live in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Nenets Autonomous Okrug. It’s estimated that around 30 percent of this population are reindeer herders. Nenets are nomadic and are known to migrate up to 1000 kilometres every year, moving the reindeer from summer pastures to the winter pastures south of the Arctic Circle. The environment here isn’t forgiving, and can drop to temperatures of -50 °C. During the migration, they rely on their reindeer herds for meat, handicraft production and transportation.

Photography by Bai Xueqi/eyevine/Australscope

Life on the Sepik

En route to the hamlet of Ambunti, it’s hard to imagine what secrets are hidden in the surrounding thicket. The Sepik headwaters are fed by the Star Mountains in remote Papua New Guinea and run eastward through hills, valleys and tropical rainforest until eventually flowing into the Pacific after 1126 kilometres. Although it’s considered Papua New Guinea’s main traffic artery, very few gravel roads connect the mighty river with the outside world. With the annual Sepik River Crocodile Festival, outsiders are given a unique chance to interact with the local people. Every August, the tribal heartland pays homage to the revered crocodile; for centuries, it was believed that humans evolved from the predatory reptile, but today it’s a source of income driven by a rising cash economy. The event showcases an authentic blend of chants and dances from various tribes, like the acclaimed crocodile hunters of Swagup, who come to display their cultural heritage. Carefully applied body paint adorns the performers who swing their live crocodile mascots and traditionally crafted bilum bags through the air to the beat of Kundu drums.

Photography by Claudio Sieber