Renowned for its luxuriant foliage and eco-friendly orientation, Kuramathi proudly announces the newest of its services to our guests – Kuramathi Water. This clean, potable water made on the island emanates from a Classic Crystal purification system, ensuring the highest levels of quality and standards. The finished product is a glass bottle containing fresh drinking water. The bottle comes in two sizes, 500ml and 1 litre, and is a complimentary amenity for guests staying on Full Board. The bottles are also replenished from the guest’s stock every day.

Reusing glass bottles is a milestone for Kuramathi, making our carbon footprint smaller as it would save the usage of about 300,000 plastic bottles discarded every year. To provide our guests with a memoir of Kuramathi, the bottles will be sold at the bars for very reasonable prices. One other interesting aspect about this water is that they are bottled in two forms; as still and sparkling waters.

Hi! My name is Sharon, and I am going to write about my day at the Kids Club.

It is a Wednesday, and I’m walking towards the Kids Club. Excited, I think of the many new things I will discover today. At the Kids Club, I am greeted by Captain Luisa, and by a small troupe of explorers heading to the Nature Trail. Ha! We take the buggy and march towards the Nature Trail. There we see many interesting things.

Rasdhoo Divers have recently unveiled their newly refurbished building. Dubbed as the ‘Dive Centre’, this facility is located near the Eco Centre, just past the reception and is a host to a number of premium services to its guest divers. From a spacious lounge to a classroom equipped with a flat screen TV, the 500sqm building is designed to ensure that you are given the best possible service whilst you explore the abundant marine life found in the Maldives. Lockers are also stationed inside the Dive Centre allowing guests to safe keep their valuables while they are on their underwater expedition. The Dive Centre also features a brand new compressor of world class standard. The BAUER Pure Air compressor is renowned for their efficiency, and eliminates noise, creating a quieter surrounding.

Aptly named as the “Hammerheads”, Rasdhoo Divers are also proud to announce a family program later on that would offer the chance for families to go for a dive togetherat the same time. This program is currently being developed and will be launched late December. In addition, a new “Full Gear Service” would be provided to the divers very soon as well. This would enable a diver to go to their villas after the dive without having to go through the trouble of rinsing and putting away the equipment! Diving has never been so easy.

Rasdhoo Divers feature an array of dive courses and interesting boat dives for our guests. One great dive excursion is the Half Day Safari, an ever increasing favourite of the guests that offers the divers a chance to explore North Ari Atoll and its myriads of fish swimming alongside the colourful coral gardens. This excursion is completed by a full breakfast served on board.

2011 has been a remarkable year for Kuramathi with the introduction of several new elements to improve the overall experience on Kuramathi. From a bright kick off in early January with the reception of the TUI International Environmental Award simultaneously inaugurating the Eco Centre in the process, to the sensational Honeymoon Pool Villas, the year has seen exciting changes that align perfectly with our continuous commitment to deliver perfection to our guests.

But this is an on-going process, as we take pride in getting our guests’ feedback and utilising this carefully to introduce more products and services in the hope of ensuring total satisfaction of our beloved guests. The Kuramathi Lounge now acts as a comfy transit spot for our guests. Whereas, Kuramathi Water is a great plus for our guests whilst at the same time saving the usage of an estimated 300,000 plastic bottles per year!
Let’s have a look!

Kuramathi is known for its clever towel art designs found in guest villas, be it upon arrival, or during turndown service, cleverly done by our Housekeeping Team. In this edition, we will highlight a team member from our Housekeeping Team, Ahmed Farooq.

Farooq joined the Kuramathi team on 20^th September 2007 as a Room Attendant. After 4 years of experience at Kuramathi, he is presently a Housekeeping Room Supervisor. Farooq also acts as a guide to his fellow Team Members by tutoring new Towel Art designs to the Room Attendants. During his spare time, Farooq is an avid reader, and is also a prominent footballer/goalkeeper of the Kuramathi team.

When asked why he chose to work at Kuramathi, Farooq responded:

“It may sound a bit strange, but my curiosity into this sector of the Hospitality industry has become a vital part for me now. I find the many difficult chores of Housekeeping activities to be an exciting job! I love bed preparation and tutoring my team members. This is my second home, and I foresee myself working here in the future, in the same department.”

Fast Facts
Birthday: 12^th April 1989 (22 years)
Star Sign: Aries
Status: Single
Favourite colour: Blue

In line with our objective of continually improving the experience we offer to our guests, we are pleased to announce the opening of the Kuramathi Lounge. Set in the Trans Maldivian Airline’s newly built terminal, this lounge is a venue for the travellers turned tourists to rewind and relax while you take in exciting sights of seaplanes taking off and landing. A dedicated team from Kuramathi is at your disposal, catering to your needs and wants before you get on the island, be it booking slots for that much anticipated dinner at one of our 6 à la carte restaurants, an adrenaline filled excursion or reserving your experience for a pampering spa treatment! Our Lounge Hosts ensures you are comfortable while you laze away on snug daybeds and sun loungers. How better can your holiday be when it hasn’t even started?

Measuring over 200 square metres, the Lounge offers on complimentary basis a wide range of drinks from bottled mineral water, soft drinks, tasty snacks and pastries, tea and coffee service and even wi-fi along with 2 computers just in case you wanted to Tweet or update your Facebook status, making you the envy of all your friends back home!

Meanwhile, you are also given the option to explore more about Kuramathi. Enthralling information about the different activities on Kuramathi is provided in folders for your perusal. When it’s time for your departure, gear up your camera as the seaplane flies over the atolls giving you a bird’s eye view of the Maldives; a 20 minute scenic flight before you pursue the beginning of a dream vacation you’ll never forget.

New gastronomic delights pave their path in the Palm Pizzeria & Gelateria menus. Handpicked by our Executive Chef – Michel Muffat, the 5 new dishes are skilfully designed to give a better variety of culinary experiences from healthy vegetarian options to delicious main courses. New Mediterranean treats are also introduced, and these are sure to leave you pondering on which choice to indulge in when you are presented with the menu. The 5 new recipes are comprised of:

Capsicum spring roll – stuffed with roasted bell pepper, Kalamata black olives, sultana and dill compote served with a polenta cake and Kuramathi herbs and greens salad tossed with balsamic vinaigrette (Main course)

Kuramathi Organic garden salad – served with hot Goat Cheese toast and walnut seasoned with honey raspberry vinaigrette (Appetiser)

Lamb Rump – quick roast of succulent lamb coated with Moroccan spices, capsicum fettucine pasta, capsicum tomato tapenade, Kuramathi Garden Salad with sun dried tomato vinegar. (Main course)

Grilled Red Mullet Fish – on top of a Saffron risotto ‘Paella style’ served with chorizo chips and bell pepper confit (Main Course)

Braised Cod Fish Fillet – topped with a parmesan and dried tomato crumble served with coriander bulgur steamed zucchini and saffron sauce (Main Course)

In addition to these zestful feasts, an extra number has been included in the ice cream menu, the mint chocolate drops! Looks like our beloved guests shall have more gourmet adventures to pursue!

An introductory on Kuramathi’s Executive Chef – Michel Muffat

Born in Haute-Savoie, France, Michel Muffat is our Executive chef, the man who takes our guests on gastronomical adventures with his culinary skills. Michel joined the Kuramathi team in September 2003, previously having worked in various parts of the world including Korea, Portugal, Switzerland, France, England and Thailand. Michel shows our guests the importance of fine dining at its finest.

His flair for cooking is one invented personally and is integrated in every small detail of food produced from our main kitchen. Trained in the arts of culinary in the Hotel School of Thonon Les Bains, Michel heads 9 kitchens, the bakery and the ice cream parlour of the island of which only natural goodness is used. Having worked in Kuramathi for 7 years he leads the kitchen team of 125 team members, devoted to cater to guests of diverse origins.

The 6 piece line-up, with their roaring guitars shredding up to elusive solos, clever bass lines, perfected timings on snares and hi-hats, funky tunes composed on keyboard, complete with the artistic vocal flair on display, and we could go on and on to describe The Wood, Kuramathi’s all star band; and now they ready to announce their first debut album on September 21st, 2011.

The album, titled “Into the Island” is comprised of 5 songs, of which 4 are Maldivian songs with a classic touch of slow rock whilst the other is an English number. One song from the album, “Rey Rey” is inspired from a perfection of an island and pays tribute to Kuramathi. When asked what motivated them to release an album, the band’s founder member Hamza says “This album is more of a project; a collection of our talents wrapped up in one piece. Our motive is to influence Maldivian artists to release more albums for the growth of the Maldives music industry. This album is an experiment and if it is successful, with support from our fans, we shall target to launch another album in the international arena”. Hamza also stated that this is a bigger leap towards attaining a bigger goal.

With influences from rock and roll, The Wood is arguably renowned in their vibe filled live performances, and are massive crowd pleasers, in the minute sector of Maldivian resort music industry.

How it all began

In 2004, 3 musicians were eager to test their musical capacity by testing the waters with their instruments. The original line up which were dubbed as Whitewash back then, consisted of Rythm guitarist (Hambe), Bassist (Mo) and the Vocalist (Ammadey) they found themselves harnessing innate artistic abilities which inspired them to form a band. Eventually, a keyboardist, drummer and a lead guitarist were brought into the line-up.

In 2009, new members were confirmed (which are the present members) as Adde took on the Lead Guitar, BC on keyboards and Aruham on the drums. This 6 piece combo then took on centre-stage to perform with a selection of their favourite genres ranging from classic rock, rock, blue, reggae, indie, blues, latin and even hip-hop. Thus, The Wood was made official for all our guests to indulge in pure excellence in music.

For more about The Wood, please visit their Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Wood-at-Kuramathi/232367123445777

In our August issue, we take a special highlight on a new face that recently joined the ranks of Kuramathi. Yana Kalashnyk, from Ukraine who currently assumes the position of Guest Relations Officer, is a young team member whose passion lies in the hospitality industry. Having attained a Masters Degree in Management of Hotels and Restaurants, in Kiev, Ukraine, Yana began her journey to gain experience in the vast world of travel and hospitality. Ambitious and well diverse in tongue, Yana speaks Russian, Ukranian, English, Basic Polish, Czech and Slovak. When asked what she likes about working in Kuramathi, Yana says:

“I am impressed by the surrounding nature of this beautiful island, and the Maldives itself. The people are warm and friendly, and this is a personal haven for me, I can understand why our guests love this island as there is something for everyone, here at Kuramathi. The whole concept is pleasing and very interesting as well”
Yana’s interests include travelling, socialising, karaoke, reading and appreciating art in all forms.

Fast Facts
Birthday: 22nd April 1989 (22 years)
Star Sign: Taurus
Marital Status: Single
Favourite colour: Black

Located just 8 minutes boat ride from Kuramathi is an amazing dive site, home to one of world’s most extraordinary marine animals – the Hammerhead shark. Hammerhead sharks are found in many tropical and temperate coastal habitats, with several species occurring on or near reefs where they take refuge, hunt and are cleaned by resident cleaner fishes.

These aggressive looking, yet harmless sharks are found all year round swimming in schools close to our nearby desert island of Madivaru.  This site is one of the few places in the world where Hammerheads can be seen and we are very fortunate to have it so close. Scalloped Hammerhead sharks are plentiful in this area and can range from 1m to 3m or even 4m in length.  A mature Hammerhead usually grows up to 3m while baby Hammerheads of just 1m can also be seen in the school. There have also been occasional sightings of the Great Hammerhead on this spectacular dive site. The sharks may ascend to depths as shallow as 5m, but will descend far beyond our maximum recreational diving depth of 30m.

There were a high percentage of close encounters with Hammerheads last year, Rasdhoo Divers reports, a PADI/SSI/Barakuda Certified Diving school that has been in operation for more than 16 years on Kuramathi and who dive this site at least four times weekly. Rasdhoo Divers uses the Hammerhead shark as their logo, having been inspired by this fascinating shark. For a diver to join this spectacular dive, completion of the advanced course or at least deep dive training is required.  Divers wake at dawn and descend 30m into a blue ocean, the path lit by sparkling plankton and hover in the deep awaiting the Hammerheads. Even if you happen to be unlucky and the Hammerheads fail to show, it is still an amazing blue water dive.  When they do appear, close encounters are common and the image of full grown Hammerhead approaching you, will remain with you long after your holiday is over! Other places where Hammerheads are found include the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, Cocos Islands in Costa Rica and Layang Layang in Malaysia.

Fun Facts about Hammerhead Sharks

• Feeds on rays, bony fishes, squid and crustaceans. Uses its hammer to pin the ray and attack
• Typically sighted early morning at around 0600-0700HRS
• Motion is similar to the linear forward intensity of an onrushing truck
• Regularly engages in schooling behaviour of up to 20 or 30 individuals and make long seasonal, north-south migrations.
• Originates from the Sphyrnidae family of sharks