We have created this post to explain some of the terminology we use when discussing your vacation villa and island home in the Maldives. Some of the words we use aren’t in such common usage in every part of the world because they relate to tropical island topography or features.
So, in order to make sure everything is simple for all our clients, we developed this handy guide to the nuts and bolts of our operations. Some of these definitions may appear to be obvious and some less obvious. Let’s take a dive into the world of bespoke Maldives vacation villas to find out more.
The word we use in English, ‘atoll’, is thought to come from the local Maldivian word, ‘atholu’, making it one of the few (if not the only) Dhivehi words to cross over into the English language. There are 26 atolls in the Maldives and they aligned in a double chain, running north to south. Fun fact, the name Maldives comes from…
Each atoll is roughly a ring shape and the islands inside each atoll are fringed by the atoll edge (a coral and rock wall or reef).These reefs and ‘farus’ (walls) help protect the bodies of water and the island inside of the atoll. The sea can get much rougher between atolls.
All of the islands we work with have a harbor, since the Maldivians are seafaring people and fishing has been an important part of life for centuries. The reason we included harbors in this glossary is because some islands have modern harbors with various assorted facilities whereas others are simpler, more natural harbors featuring perhaps just one jetty or seawall, and no capacity for vessels with deep hulls.
Therefore, there can be some disparity between harbors. However, work is underway across the country to update and improve the harbors on every island so there are now lots of modern harbors. Atoll.Homes can advise you on the best options if you will be requiring moorage at a harbor or marina.
This is the name for the coral reef surrounding an island, normally lying within close reach for divers and snorkelers. The reef is known as the ‘faru’ in the local language. Sometimes they are located just a couple of feet from shore. Almost all islands in the Maldives have a house reef, which drops off vertically into the deep ocean at the end at a point known as the ‘drop-off’. House reefs are usually populated by colorful reef fish such as anemonefish, parrotfish, green turtles and stingrays.
They are perfect for snorkelers and freedivers to discover since the water is normally only around five to ten feet deep over house reefs. Scuba divers and freedivers usually prefer the area adjacent to (and below) the drop-off, as this is normally where larger species like barracuda and reef sharks can be spotted. The drop-off also normally has some overhangs and small caves to explore.
Lagoons are shallow bodies of water separated by a reef or islands from a larger body of water. There are two types of lagoons – coastal lagoons and atoll lagoons.
You can easily spot the coastal lagoon adjacent to an island in the Maldives because it’ll probably be the shallowest and glassiest-looking swimming area. As such, it is always a beautiful pale turquoise shade. Lagoons are always protected from the open ocean by a house reef made up of a ledge or wall which is also known as a ‘faru’. This is a volcanic rock and coral wall which helps keep the lagoon water calm and also protects the island from erosion and rough weather. One of the fascinating things about the Maldives is its islands and submerged seascapes are ancient inactive volcanoes and mountain chains.
Atoll lagoons are a topographical feature found further out to sea but still within the confines of an atoll. They are encircled by a ‘faru’, which actually is the sunken rim of a volcanic crater.
Marinas are not as widespread across the Maldives yet as you may have expected but a small number of islands do have marinas. You won’t find the kind of extensive facilities and amenities they have in famous yachting locations such as Marina del Rey but you will be able to find safe anchorage and supplies.
Marinas in the Maldives are publicly or privately owned. The newest and most international marina in terms of its offerings is The Marina at Crossroads. It’s a mixed-use artificial island development near Malé incorporating a Hard Rock Cafe, pool and other amenities. There’s also a public marina at Uligamu in the far north.
If you’re arriving by sea, Noonsite has a useful list of ports, but if you’re just looking for a place to moor your boat near your vacation villa then we can help you select an island with a good harbor. Even long-term mooring is cheap in most of the harbors and public marinas in the Maldives.
This seems like an obvious one but wait – there are ‘villas’ and there are Atoll.Homes villas. For decades, the noun ‘villa’ (in the context of the Maldives) has exclusively referred to touristic accommodation on private resort islands. However, very recently the government of the Maldives gave permission under the Maldivian Land Act for non-citizens to build their own vacation villas on inhabited islands (i.e.: in Maldivian towns and villages) on a leaseholder basis via a real estate company registered in the Maldives. Atoll.Homes is registered both in the Maldives and the USA.
So that’s the legal explanation out of the way. Let’s explain what an Atoll.Homes villa is. This is your custom-built property. You have complete control over design, construction, island selection and plot location. As long as the blueprints are approved by the local authorities, it can include whatever features you’d like, from a steam room, library or rooftop sun terrace to a private pool in your garden. The golden rule is it must not be any taller than the tallest trees on the island it’s located on. This rule helps retain the aesthetics of these idyllic islands.
Water villas are sometimes also known as ‘water bungalows’ and ‘over-water villas’. Resorts often come up with their own fancy names for them such as ‘reef villa’ or ‘lagoon villa’, but these are just each resort’s own marketing titles for their room categories rather than any official terminology.
These properties are built on stilts over the water. Unfortunately, due to the way they are constructed and their position, it’s extremely difficult to build a water villa without irreparably damaging the coral reef surrounding them either, by direct impact on the reef or by disturbing the sand which chokes the corals.
Water villas are still today only found on resort islands. This is because the beach areas and bodies of water surrounding inhabited islands are legally classed as public areas and as such there are access issues relating to them. This means the only way to purchase a water villa is through an expensive sales scheme at a resort or by purchasing an entire private island. The laws relating to inhabited islands are there to ensure that everybody always has unrestricted access to beaches and water, rather like allowing public access to rivers, canals and towpaths.
The word we use in English, ‘atoll’, is thought to come from the local Maldivian word, ‘atholu’, making it one of the few (if not the only) Dhivehi words to cross over into the English language. There are 26 atolls in the Maldives and they aligned in a double chain, running north to south. Fun fact, the name Maldives comes from…
Each atoll is roughly a ring shape and the islands inside each atoll are fringed by the atoll edge (a coral and rock wall or reef).These reefs and ‘farus’ (walls) help protect the bodies of water and the island inside of the atoll. The sea can get much rougher between atolls.
All of the islands we work with have a harbor, since the Maldivians are seafaring people and fishing has been an important part of life for centuries. The reason we included harbors in this glossary is because some islands have modern harbors with various assorted facilities whereas others are simpler, more natural harbors featuring perhaps just one jetty or seawall, and no capacity for vessels with deep hulls.
Therefore, there can be some disparity between harbors. However, work is underway across the country to update and improve the harbors on every island so there are now lots of modern harbors. Atoll.Homes can advise you on the best options if you will be requiring moorage at a harbor or marina.
This is the name for the coral reef surrounding an island, normally lying within close reach for divers and snorkelers. The reef is known as the ‘faru’ in the local language. Sometimes they are located just a couple of feet from shore. Almost all islands in the Maldives have a house reef, which drops off vertically into the deep ocean at the end at a point known as the ‘drop-off’. House reefs are usually populated by colorful reef fish such as anemonefish, parrotfish, green turtles and stingrays.
They are perfect for snorkelers and freedivers to discover since the water is normally only around five to ten feet deep over house reefs. Scuba divers and freedivers usually prefer the area adjacent to (and below) the drop-off, as this is normally where larger species like barracuda and reef sharks can be spotted. The drop-off also normally has some overhangs and small caves to explore.
Lagoons are shallow bodies of water separated by a reef or islands from a larger body of water. There are two types of lagoons – coastal lagoons and atoll lagoons.
You can easily spot the coastal lagoon adjacent to an island in the Maldives because it’ll probably be the shallowest and glassiest-looking swimming area. As such, it is always a beautiful pale turquoise shade. Lagoons are always protected from the open ocean by a house reef made up of a ledge or wall which is also known as a ‘faru’. This is a volcanic rock and coral wall which helps keep the lagoon water calm and also protects the island from erosion and rough weather. One of the fascinating things about the Maldives is its islands and submerged seascapes are ancient inactive volcanoes and mountain chains.
Atoll lagoons are a topographical feature found further out to sea but still within the confines of an atoll. They are encircled by a ‘faru’, which actually is the sunken rim of a volcanic crater.
Marinas are not as widespread across the Maldives yet as you may have expected but a small number of islands do have marinas. You won’t find the kind of extensive facilities and amenities they have in famous yachting locations such as Marina del Rey but you will be able to find safe anchorage and supplies.
Marinas in the Maldives are publicly or privately owned. The newest and most international marina in terms of its offerings is The Marina at Crossroads. It’s a mixed-use artificial island development near Malé incorporating a Hard Rock Cafe, pool and other amenities. There’s also a public marina at Uligamu in the far north.
If you’re arriving by sea, Noonsite has a useful list of ports, but if you’re just looking for a place to moor your boat near your vacation villa then we can help you select an island with a good harbor. Even long-term mooring is cheap in most of the harbors and public marinas in the Maldives.
This seems like an obvious one but wait – there are ‘villas’ and there are Atoll.Homes villas. For decades, the noun ‘villa’ (in the context of the Maldives) has exclusively referred to touristic accommodation on private resort islands. However, very recently the government of the Maldives gave permission under the Maldivian Land Act for non-citizens to build their own vacation villas on inhabited islands (i.e.: in Maldivian towns and villages) on a leaseholder basis via a real estate company registered in the Maldives. Atoll.Homes is registered both in the Maldives and the USA.
So that’s the legal explanation out of the way. Let’s explain what an Atoll.Homes villa is. This is your custom-built property. You have complete control over design, construction, island selection and plot location. As long as the blueprints are approved by the local authorities, it can include whatever features you’d like, from a steam room, library or rooftop sun terrace to a private pool in your garden. The golden rule is it must not be any taller than the tallest trees on the island it’s located on. This rule helps retain the aesthetics of these idyllic islands.
Water villas are sometimes also known as ‘water bungalows’ and ‘over-water villas’. Resorts often come up with their own fancy names for them such as ‘reef villa’ or ‘lagoon villa’, but these are just each resort’s own marketing titles for their room categories rather than any official terminology.
These properties are built on stilts over the water. Unfortunately, due to the way they are constructed and their position, it’s extremely difficult to build a water villa without irreparably damaging the coral reef surrounding them either, by direct impact on the reef or by disturbing the sand which chokes the corals.
Water villas are still today only found on resort islands. This is because the beach areas and bodies of water surrounding inhabited islands are legally classed as public areas and as such there are access issues relating to them. This means the only way to purchase a water villa is through an expensive sales scheme at a resort or by purchasing an entire private island. The laws relating to inhabited islands are there to ensure that everybody always has unrestricted access to beaches and water, rather like allowing public access to rivers, canals and towpaths.
Meerubahuruge Aage (2F), Henveiru, Male, Maldives 20077
150 Spear St. San Francisco, CA 94105, USA
