Maldives Promotion House – Set amidst the breathtakingly sensational sandy beaches and lush tropical foliage, Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa has introduced a ‘Festive Season Offer’. The luxurious accommodation options include private ocean retreats and tropical tree house villas making it a premiere Maldives luxury resort.

Their ‘Marry Me’ vow renewal experience is among the new experiences. Imagine you are walking down an aisle of woven palm leaves on the beach to reach a flower-filled wedding gazebo at sunset. Whether you are on your honeymoon and want to prolong the festivities with a romantic blessing in a tropical setting or you wish to surprise your loved one on your anniversary, let our wedding planner organise your dream ceremony.

Choose among five hidden locations and six cultural themes to say ‘I do’ to your loved one. If you are looking for something unique, put on your scuba diving gear and exchange your vows on waterproof boards while curious reef fish witness your engagement. For the utmost romantic experience, venture out to sea aboard a luxury sailing yacht and let the ocean breeze carry your promise away.

You can also choose to celebrate with a century-old banyan tree as a backdrop, under a pavilion facing the ocean or barefoot on the beach. For an additional personal touch, pick a cultural theme – Chinese, Indian, Maldivian, Arabic, Japanese or Western, the choice is yours.

The full-day experience includes a ceremony master, a wedding planner, a candlelit dinner a couple’s spa treatment, flower arrangements, a professional photo session and other services for an unforgettable day. To experience this glamorous experience you can contact their events co-ordinator julia.jagiello@shangri-la.com.

Fashala lounge will also take a new turn during this festive season. Previously offering seafood evenings amid a casual atmosphere, the restaurant is now a fine dining venue featuring the best of local produce. White tablecloths, soft candle light and the soothing sound of the lapping waves offer a perfect setting for a romantic gourmet evening.

On the menu, you will find an explosion of tropical flavours, a crab timbale with diced papaya, a lobster salad dressed with a mango basil coulis, the catch of the day seared on the grill and served with hand-picked eggplants, just to name a few. For dessert, surrender to the sweet temptation of a lemon grass cloud served with Maldivian bananas and a coconut salad, or try an exotic passion fruit creme brulee topped with home-made mango sorbet.

Chef Alvrie and his team work hand in hand with the local farmers of Medhoo, a nearby island of Villingili, and local anglers to select the very best of local ingredients for your dining experience. But this partnership goes beyond the freshest produce; it also supports the livelihood of the local community since the beginning of the co-operation. Some 50 farmers have joined the co-operative and over 20 fishermen earn their living from the resort’s purchases.

Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa has also decided to let you experience the ‘New Year Under The Sun’ as part of the Festive Season Offer. Light a Christmas tree under the tropics, sing Christmas carols to the beat of Maldivian drumming and welcome 2012 with a beach party under a canopy of stars.

The time limited offer includes heaps of benefits. Book before 31^st October 2011 for a stay between 24^th December 2011 and 14^th January 2012 and enjoy one bonus free night when paying for six nights. You can also enjoy free New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner and return domestic flights for two. Families can also enjoy up to two complimentary extra beds for children under 12 years old.

Throughout the festive season, the resort will surprise you with themed evenings, cocktail parties, live entertainment, family activities and more. If you are travelling with your loved one, you will enjoy relaxing in the sweet aromas of brown sugar and cloves with a festive body scrub at CHI, The Spa or venturing out to sea on a romantic sunset cruise.

Children will make their parents proud with a Christmas themed musical play, and enjoy gathering around a bonfire on the beach to toast yummy marshmallows. On New Year’s Eve, the team will dress the beachfront with colourful masks, Venetian backdrops and costumes to transport you back to the time of the Renaissance. Pick your favourite from among over 50 festive mouth-watering specialities such as Alaskan crab, fresh oysters, wild smoked salmon, and Wagyu beef.

In addition to that you can also participate in the ‘Coral Planting Activity’. Corals may look like colourful rocks at first sight, but they are fragile living organisms. If you would like to know more about them and contribute to their development, why don’t you join Peter, their marine biologist, on his weekly coral planting?

You will first meet at the Eco Centre for an introduction about the resort’s coral enhancement programme, during which you will learn about the different species of corals, how they propagate, and what threats they face. You will then head to the coral nursery established in Serenity Bay. On the shore, help Peter to attach coral fragments he rescued from the reef beforehand or if you are an expert snorkeler ask Peter to join him on one of his coral-fragment snorkelling hunts.

Once you have fixed the fragment on to the cement conic base with the help of a glue and epoxy mix, swim back with Peter to the nursery to choose a spot for your rescued coral, this is the beginning of a new colony formation and you can be part of it.

The resort carries out other environmental initiatives. For example, the investment of a bottling plant with reusable glass bottles allows the resort to cut the consumption of 240,000 plastic bottles a year, while solar energy provides hot water in all guests’ villas. At the Eco Centre, the focus is on marine protection, with turtle and manta ray conservation programmes.

Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa is some 70-minutes away from Malé International Airport, which has round-the-clock flights from the domestic airport, plus an eight-minute boat ride from Gan International Airport on Addu Atoll.

The resort has also partnered with Al Jaber Aviation (AJA), the new pinnacle of VIP aviation based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, extending its services in a seamless approach to VIPs from all over the world, to fly directly to Gan International Airport, which is just an eight-minute boat ride to the resort.  AJA is also offering a special 10 percent discount to all of the resort’s guests interested in this private jet service.

So there is no reason to wait. Book now and enjoy the festivities at Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort.