Club Carlson - New properties in the Maldives

While goofing around I found two upcoming Club Carlson properties in the Maldives. There is even a landing page for one on Radisson.com

http://www.radisson.com/maldives-hotel-mv/mdvmldv

Hulhumale is actually an inhabited and industrial looking island right next to the main international airport. so this may just be a "stopover" kind of place and the Plaza one more of a resort as per the description below

The only other info I can find is this press piece which appears in several places. Does anyone have any further info? I am trying to see what I can find. Sounds like a great way to use the 700k odd points I have amassed since conversion due to last years big promo!

Carlson has signed a second Radisson property in the Maldives.

The US$ 91 million, 281-villa resort, owned by Three K International Private Limited, is expected to open in the third quarter of 2012 on the island of Naagoshi.

The Radisson Plaza Resort Maldives, Naagoshi will feature 182 land and 99 overwater, contemporary villas designed by Hassell, an award-winning, multidisciplinary firm which has been appointed architectural, interior and landscape design consultants for the resort.

Hotel guests will be able to enjoy a variety of dining options, including an overwater Pan Asian restaurant, an all-day dining restaurant, a poolside bar, and a seafood restaurant. The overwater seafood restaurant, discreetly located at the southwestern corner of the resort, will feature paths trailing out onto five private overwater dining pods for couples seeking a romantic dining experience.

Additional resort facilities will include a gym, a dedicated yoga work out space, a large spa with 16 treatment rooms, badminton and tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool, a meeting and function room, a diving and water sports center, and butler stations.

The resort’s kid’s club concept of learning, exploring, nature and growth will be brought to life through extensive facilities comprising a children’s swimming pool, playground with a sandpit, a games room, a movie and a library corner, and a cooking station.

The Radisson Plaza Resort Maldives, Naagoshi is being constructed on Naagoshi Island, on the northern Hua Dhaalu Atoll and is 45 minutes by sea plane from the Male International Airport.

Carlson has another hotel presently under construction in the Maldives, the 250-room Radisson Hotel Maldives Hulhumale scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2013.

Last October, Carlson announced plans to increase the number of Radisson hotels in Asia Pacific to over 100 hotels by 2015. The Radisson portfolio in Asia Pacific includes 11 other resorts in Australia (Gold Coast), China (Huizhou and Sanya), India (Alibaug, Goa and Mamallapuram), the South Pacific (Fiji and Tahiti) and Thailand (Hua Hin, Pattaya and Phuket).

“The addition of this resort property fuels our Ambition 2015 growth strategy to expand Radisson as a vibrant, contemporary and engaging brand in key cities, resort and airport locations throughout Asia Pacific,” said Simon Barlow, president, Carlson Hotels, Asia Pacific.

So I think I found a little more info about the island. Not exactly sure this project is still ongoing since the only info I can find is the January 2011 press release above but hey I can hope and dream.

Anyway I believe this is the island in question, which Bing Maps calls Naguri. Google has it by the Naagoashi name, but I tried Bing because I know for other resorts they have more recent pictures - but neither mapping engine shows any signs of development so far.

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&where1=6.66956801%2C%2072.9046273&q=6.66956801%2C%2072.9046273&form=LMLTSN&cp=6.669571435776646~72.90462730000002&lvl=12&sty=h&encType=1

It looks beautiful and is in the southern part of the Atoll that has the (former Waldorf Astoria) Beach House Maldives. There are currently no other properties in the southern half of this Atoll so this would certainly be a very peaceful location and likely to have good diving (though I think El Nino might have had a worse impact in the northern atolls). Relative to many other places it looks quite a large island which ties in with the large number of rooms they are talking about, as well as a very wide reef. I am guessing the diving along the western wall of that reef in the Nov-April period is likely to be spectacular.

I found it on Bing maps using this more generic but very helpful map here:

http://www.mondomaldive.com/Maps/Haa_Dhaalu.html

From that map you see there is a local airport at Hanimaadhoo and you can find this if you scroll across on Bing maps. And indeed Maldivian (www.maldivian.aero) fly to Hanimaadhoo (HAQ). They have 5x daily flights. So my guess this place would be accessed via HAQ and then speedboat over to the island

After digging around, I found out more information about the Radisson property Naagoshi Island. Apparently there are two resorts are being built on this island and there is an even a "tree villa".

"Bermello Ajamil & Partners is bringing the mystery and ancient lore of the Maldives to a new resort on Naagoshi Island. Included will be a 7-star hotel featuring five extraordinary villas. A second 5-star hotel will feature secluded beaches, water villas, beach villas, floating villas, and eco villas which will actually be located in trees. A marine biology learning center and botanical gardens will also be available for research of and education about the sensitive Maldives ecosystems. There will be ample facilities for yachts and helicopters. A state-of-the-art medical center will offer the best of care. Moreover, there will be matchless surprises differentiating The Seven Wishes from any other resort island one will find."

http://maldivesresortworkers.wordpress.com/tag/haa-dhaalu-atoll/

http://www.bamiami.com/portal/projectDetail.aspx?pId=177&pgId=1

http://holidayplace.co.uk/news/details/102772/radisson-plaza-resort-maldives-naagoshi-scheduled-to-open-in-2012

The Club Carlson website says it will be open by December this year so we should see.

The Club Carlson website says it will be open by December this year so we should see.

The CC page doesn't have many (any?) updates. Makes me think the Dec 13 date is going to slip. Would love to stay here next summer though.