Kandooma Maldives introduces bedtime story series for young guests
At Kandooma Maldives, the adventures don’t necessarily end when the sun goes down. As part of the resort’s continued focus on creating memorable family holidays, Kandooma Maldives has introduced a new series of seven original bedtime stories for younger guests, inspired by the creatures, characters and experiences children might encounter during a holiday on the Maldivian private island.
The seven original stories were created especially for Kandooma by the Resort’s Director of Marketing & Sustainability, Sharon Garrett. The Kandooma bedtime stories feature a cast of island characters, turning familiar holiday discoveries into imaginative adventures that can be enjoyed at bedtime.
Inspired by the island’s wildlife, marine life and natural surroundings, the stories introduce young readers to colourful characters, combining imagination, adventure and gentle messages about caring for the environment.
Among them is Barnaby the Hermit Crab, a determined little island resident whose search for a roomier shell turns into an adventure along Kandooma’s shoreline. Other stories introduce children to characters inspired by the marine life, wildlife and natural environment surrounding the resort, each with their own personality and tale to tell.
The series is designed to create a simple nightly ritual for families; a chance to wind down together after a busy day of swimming, snorkelling, exploring, playing and discovering the South Malé atoll.
For Kandooma Maldives Director of Marketing & Sustainability Sharon Garrett, the idea is another example of how the resort’s positioning as a welcoming family destination can translate into small, tangible guest experiences.
“Families have always been an important part of Kandooma, and we want children to feel that this is their island too,” says Garrett.
“A family holiday is made up of hundreds of little moments. It might be seeing your child snorkel for the first time, spotting a hermit crab on the beach, learning about a turtle, making a new friend at the Kids’ Club, or simply climbing into bed at the end of the day and sharing a story.”
Rather than creating generic children’s stories that could belong to any tropical resort, the Kandooma series draws its inspiration from the island itself.
“I intentionally use the story format to communicate some key messages to encourage positive behaviours. In the case of Barnaby, we talk about the importance of his shell as his home.”
The characters, locations and adventures encourage young guests to notice the world around them and make connections between the stories they hear at night and what they might discover around Kandooma the following day.
The bedtime story series complements Kandooma Maldives’ broader family offering, which combines time together with opportunities for children to have adventures of their own. From days spent at Kandoo Kids’ Club and playing in the splash pool to discovering the lagoon, learning about marine life and trying new island experiences, the emphasis is on participation, curiosity and creating memories.
The stories add another layer by carrying some of those experiences back to the villa at the end of the day on the easy-to-use island App.
Garrett says the intention is not simply to keep children entertained, but to create experiences they associate specifically with Kandooma.
“We talk a lot about creating memorable holidays, but memories aren’t necessarily created by the biggest or most expensive things,” she says.
“Sometimes it is the little ritual that becomes part of the holiday. If a child goes home remembering Barnaby, looks for hermit crabs on their next beach holiday or asks Mum or Dad to read their Kandooma story one more time, then we’ve created another connection with the island.”
And with an entire island, lagoon and the surrounding ocean providing inspiration, Barnaby and his friends may have plenty more stories still to tell.
For more information, please visit the resort’s website.
