A few Stories about Anantara Maldives and the Local Area

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Discoveries by Anantara Veli Maldives

The secret beauty of the Maldives lies beneath the ocean surface. The islands are formed around a ring shaped coral reef that circles a lagoon. This reef structure is called an atoll. The atolls sit on the top of a long submarine ridge which is almost a thousand kilometres long, running from north to south. Near the southern end of this natural coral barricade, two open passages permit ships to travel safely from one side of the Indian Ocean to the other.

The waters around Anantara Maldives are home to a captivating array of marine life. In addition to countless tropical fish, various types of rays and turtles are joined by larger species including peaceful reef and whale sharks.   

The lagoon where our 3 resorts are situated is quite shallow in some areas, particularly around Anantara Dhigu where the water isn’t deep enough for coral to prosper, but plenty of coral can be found around Anantara Veli meaning that there is an abundance of small fish to admire, while the entire lagoon is home to black tip sharks which can grow up to 1.8 metres in length. Even though these are quite an awesome size, guests needn’t fear them as they feed only on fish and squid!

Each Anantara resort on the Maldives is represented by an icon that reflects something unique about its location. For Anantara Veli Maldives it is the hermit crab.

Anantara Veli Maldives icon story – hermit crab

The resort icon for Veli is the hermit crab - a creature which always entertains our guests! Their most recognizable trait is the way they scuttle, and if you watch them for long enough, you’ll witness some fascinating “house moving” characteristics. Their name refers to the habit of living in a second hand shell, all alone. Hermit crabs use an empty shell of another creature for their home, most commonly that of a sea snail. When they grow too large for that shell, they simply vacate it and search for another. If they try the new shell and discover that it’s not suitable in terms of weight or size, they return home to their original shell and begin the search all over again.

Anantara Veli Maldives icon story – hermit crab

Only when there is a shortage of shells will a hermit crab compromise and accept to live in one that isn’t perfect, and they are even willing to fight over their chosen shell to secure their ideal home. Even more interestingly, the house moving process contains a rather well mannered ritual known as a “vacancy chain’. When a new large shell becomes available, they queue up in order of size around it. The largest crab moves in, and the next largest in the chain may then move into that crab’s previous shell property, and so the chain goes on

For hundreds of years throughout Thailand, people would leave a jar of water outside their house to provide refreshment and extend a welcome to the passing traveller.  Anantara is taken from an ancient Sanskrit word that means 'without end', symbolising this sharing of water and the heartfelt hospitality that lies at the core of every Anantara experience. From lush jungles to pristine beaches and legendary deserts to cosmopolitan cities, Anantara currently boasts 15 stunning properties located in Thailand, the Maldives, Bali and the United Arab Emirates and will see new openings in Vietnam, China, Bali, Thailand and Abu Dhabi in 2011.  For more information on Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, please visit www.anantara.com