getting around

now this is the sort of morning commute i'd relish! the villas were beautiful and when the tide was out, you could walk for miles in the shallows. it did get a little weird at parts when the sea grass made it look like we were in a field. or padi. loved how the villas were constructed from new zealand and thai (!!!) timber, and had that lovely rustic feel to it. sent photos to MIL and she joked that it looked like a kelong from days gone by. the first photo is of the spa complex, the second of the jetty our villa was off and the third of the next villa. 

one thing i particularly liked about the place is how well the staff are treated. embarrassing as it may sound, we had a butler (!!!) and he gave us a tour of the staff village. basically the island is tiny and there are some facilities on it (restaurant, fresh water pool, tennis court, gym, library, shop, dive centre etc) but all the villas are built off jetties and into the sea bed. the other half of the island is where the staff village is built. 

this may come across as hypocritical but i don't feel good enjoying myself when service staff aren't properly treated. which is why the mister is particular when we book holidays to only support places that take a generous stance on staff welfare. when we were in india, we were aware that most freelance guides are often not paid for their services till a year later. now we can't change the way things work, but we can choose to put our money where our mouths are and book with a agency that has a good track record of prompt payment to the local guides. 

same with the maldives. there are a few hotel groups with a low staff turnover, and we chose the group that most impressed us. and if our butler was to be believed, with an extensive professional development program in place for all staff (english lessons for everyone, regardless of whether they were in visible roles or not!) and good staff facilities (soccer pitch, air-conditioned recreational room, their own beach, their own NYE party etc) we knew the group we stayed with had a winning formula for staff and guest satisfaction.