News
MATATO opens participation for Maldives Travel Awards 2015 with new additional categories

Maldives.net.mv – The 4th Annual Matato Maldives Travel Awards has opened for participants commencing from 7th January 2015. While being the premium industry award held in the Maldives to recognize the achievements and rank the tourism industry, Matato Maldives Travel Awards have successfully concluded 3 editions in the past at Paradise Island Resort & Spa in 2012, Olhuveli Beach & Spa Resort in 2013 and at Kurumba Maldives in 2014.
This year the brand have introduced its event into two segments Special Edition to be held in Dubai on 5th May during the same time which the Arabian Travel Market take place and the grand Finale during later 2015 at Coco Boduhithi , Male’ Atoll owned and operated by Coco Collections.
Matato have decided to introduce new categories this year including Leading Tourist Guest House Island, Leading Low Cost Airline, Leading Domestic Transport Provider, Leading Domestic Airport, Leading International Hotel/ Resort Brand, Leading Local Hotel / Resort Brand and Leading Private Island Resort.
Matato Maldives Travel Awards consists of total 35 categories falling into aviation, hotels , guest houses, resorts, activity centers, Liveaboards, csr and management, environment, travel technology, wellness and business.
Ms.Habeeba Hussain , (GM Highrise) , event manager of Matato Maldives Travel Awards said : unlike previous years, this year we have two events of Maldives Travel Awards. One in the Middle East and the Gala event at Coco Boduhithi Maldives. Hence, we have started working in advance with the participation and the process. As the brand have now been accepted by all local and international tourism chains , we believe the process has to be stronger and better year by year. We also have learned a lot from the past and have always added new categories with consultation of Matato. Undoubtedly Maldives Travel Awards is the most biggest industry function held in the Maldives.
Ms.Habeeba also confirmed that participants will be communicated directly by the organizing team and the kit will also be available for download at the travelawards.mv and the official website of Matato. www.Matato.org commencing from 8th Jan 2015.
Awards
Multiple SATA nominations for Lily Beach Resort & Spa and Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa

Two renowned Maldivian resorts, Lily Beach Resort & Spa and Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa, have been nominated across multiple categories at the 2025 South Asian Travel Awards (SATA), a prestigious recognition of excellence in hospitality and tourism across the region.
Lily Beach Resort & Spa has secured nominations in the following categories:
- Leading All-Inclusive Resort
- Leading Family Resort
- Leading F&B Resort
These nominations highlight the resort’s sustained commitment to delivering high-quality hospitality, dining, and family-oriented experiences. As a trailblazer in all-inclusive luxury in the Maldives, Lily Beach offers a refined guest experience through its award-winning Platinum Plan, which includes à la carte dining, curated excursions, wellness services, and an extensive selection of premium wines—crafted to suit the needs of today’s discerning traveller.
Guests at Lily Beach can enjoy a variety of dining options across venues such as Tamarind, Lily Maa, Vibes, AQVA, Teppanyaki, and Les Turquoise d’Aqua. The resort’s wine list has been recognised with a Wine Spectator Award. This August, Lily Beach will host Michelin-starred Chef Igles Corelli for an exclusive ‘Flavour’ dining experience.
A preferred destination for families, the resort features a lively Kids’ Club, the Vibes Family Pool, and year-round entertainment suitable for all ages. A range of activities is available, including tennis, water sports, nightly shows, and treatments at the Tamara Spa. Located adjacent to the South Ari Marine Protected Area, the resort also offers extraordinary opportunities to swim with whale sharks and manta rays, as well as explore a vibrant 360° house reef.
The nominations reflect Lily Beach’s enduring focus on culinary distinction, family-friendly amenities, and meaningful island experiences.
Voting for Lily Beach Resort & Spa is open until 15th July 2025.
Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa, located in the remote and unspoilt Haa Alifu Atoll, has also earned nominations in three categories at SATA 2025:
- Leading Beach Resort
- Leading Wellness & Spa Hotel/Resort
- Most Romantic Resort
Well known for its generous villa sizes and natural surroundings, the resort offers a private and tranquil setting ideal for couples, honeymooners, and families seeking relaxation away from busier destinations. Villas are set among dense tropical greenery and some of the Maldives’ most pristine beaches.
Guests can explore a diverse culinary offering across five restaurants, featuring beachfront fine dining and overwater options. With a focus on fresh seafood and international cuisine, each meal is enhanced by the island’s calm atmosphere and attentive service.
Hideaway is also one of the few natural islands in the Maldives with a double house reef, giving guests direct access to rich marine life from the shore. For those who enjoy staying active, the resort’s Recreation Centre includes tennis courts, a golf simulator, padel, pickleball, a putting green, indoor badminton, beach sports, a waterpark, and a gym.
The Hideaway Spa provides treatments based on Balinese and Ayurvedic traditions, delivered in a serene garden setting. Romantic beachfront dinners and private villa experiences further contribute to the resort’s reputation as a leading destination for couples.
With a focus on space, privacy, and personalised service, Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa offers an experience rooted in the natural beauty of the Maldives, catering to both leisure and wellness seekers.
These nominations collectively reflect the commitment of both resorts to delivering exceptional hospitality, distinctive dining, and memorable stays in the Maldives.
Voting for Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa is open until 15th July 2025.
Featured
Villa Park named leading family resort in Maldives by Travel + Leisure

Villa Park has been recognised as one of the Maldives’ top family resorts at the Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific 2025, reaffirming its reputation as a premier destination for families seeking meaningful island escapes. Located in the South Ari Atoll, the resort blends barefoot luxury with a range of immersive experiences tailored for guests of all ages.
The resort offers activities that span from encounters with whale sharks and manta rays to moments of relaxation on the island’s powder-soft beaches. Among its family-oriented facilities is Park Players, one of the Maldives’ largest kids clubs, designed to provide a creative, nature-based environment where children can play, learn, and explore. Meanwhile, parents can unwind at Araamu Spa or dine on sustainable, plant-based cuisine at Zero Restaurant.
Villa Park also features the widest selection of beach pool villas in the country, offering spacious and comfortable accommodations suited to multi-generational travellers. Sustainability is integrated across the guest experience, with initiatives such as solar-powered operations and farm-to-table dining underscoring the resort’s commitment to responsible hospitality.
This accolade from Travel + Leisure highlights Villa Park’s continued efforts to deliver high-quality, family-friendly holidays where nature, comfort, and lasting memories converge in one of the world’s most iconic island destinations.
News
SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS appoints Edyta Peszko as Commercial Director

As the Maldives braces for yet another wave of luxury openings, one brand is choosing to go against the wave. SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS — a new collection of luxury resort concepts is not selling a dream. It’s building a new reality: one that is bold and unapologetically different. As it prepares to launch its first property, RAH GILI MALDIVES, in December 2025, the brand has announced the appointment of Edyta as its Commercial Director, a move that underlines its intent to redefine how luxury is marketed and sustained in one of the world’s most sought-after destinations.
The Maldives is no longer just competing on beauty; it’s competing on meaning. The question for today’s luxury brands is no longer how to impress, but how to connect. Enter SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS, poised to redefine luxury in the Indian Ocean through design-led storytelling, freedom, and emotional relevance. The brand’s vision is quietly radical: six private islands, each with its own distinct character, audience, and rhythm — united not by likeness, but by a shared philosophy that prioritises substance over display.
At the heart of this approach is the strategic appointment of Edyta as Commercial Director — a role that extends far beyond revenue and distribution. With over two decades of experience in luxury travel and commercial leadership across Asia, The Indian Ocean, and Europe, Edyta brings a perspective that is both visionary and innovative. Shaping the entire commercial journey of the brand — from pricing and partnerships to narrative positioning and experiential curation.
This isn’t about filling a position. It’s a considered move towards building a different kind of luxury organisation, one where commercial leadership is embedded in brand strategy, and where success is measured not only by occupancy, but by lasting impact and guest connection.
“We’re not here to make louder claims or flashier visuals. Our approach is different—thoughtful, considered, and grounded. It’s about truly understanding the guest on an emotional level, not just seeing them as a transaction,” Edyta says.
Her approach is built on the belief that modern luxury travellers no longer buy into the hyper-curated ideal. They’re seeking individuality, narrative truth, and offerings that feel emotionally aligned to how they live. As Edyta puts it, “This isn’t about exclusivity for the sake of status. It’s about precision; curating spaces and experiences that feel deeply specific and meaningful to the right guest.”
This approach becomes relevant as SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS prepares to launch its first resort, RAH GILI MALDIVES, in December 2025. Set to be followed by DHON MAAGA MALDIVES in 2026, the two properties offer a glimpse into the brand’s broader ambition: to create a collection of distinct island experiences, each offering a different lens through which to experience the Maldives.
And this, Edyta highlights, is where the opportunity lies.
“Commercial strategy in the Maldives has traditionally been product-first,” she says. “Resorts are built to be sold. But what if we flipped that? What if we created products shaped around the emotional experiences people truly seek? That’s the opportunity we’re stepping into, an untapped space where few have dared to go.”
At a time when the Maldivian luxury market continues to expand with over 170 properties competing for the same audience; SIX & SIX is investing on creativity, clarity, and cultural literacy to stand apart. Rather than relying on recognisable tropes of barefoot indulgence and overused descriptors of paradise, the focus is narrative layers that speak to a generation of travellers fluent in experience, not just expectation.
“The guest we’re speaking to has seen the world. They’re not looking for the same experience dressed up in a new location,” Edyta shares. “They want something that feels genuinely personal and deeply connected to the place, and that’s exactly what we’re building, island by island.”
The upcoming launch of RAH GILI will be an early expression of this vision, a refined yet playful resort that leans into lifestyle energy, musical programming, visual identity, and non-traditional luxury experiences that appeal to creative thinkers, urban tastemakers, and design-forward travellers. The island will be followed by DHON MAAGA, a more opulent, contemplative escape centred around wellness and spatial luxury — reflecting SIX & SIX commitment to differentiated, island-specific experiences.
For advisors and trade professionals, Edyta’s appointment also signals a renewed focus on transparency, product differentiation, and long-term commercial partnerships.
“We’re not looking for short bursts of visibility,” she says. “We’re looking for alignment with agencies, advisors, and partners who want to build lasting value with us.”
With her leadership, SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS is crafting a commercial strategy as distinctive as the islands themselves. One that places emotion at the centre, and precision at every step.
Marc Gussing, Director of Operations at SIX & SIX, adds: “SIX & SIX PRIVATE ISLANDS is not just a collection of resorts — it is a philosophy expressed through place, acting both as a guardian and the creative mind behind a new wave of destination experiences. Edyta’s role is essential to making that philosophy commercially viable, without ever compromising what makes it unique. She brings the discipline we need to succeed without losing identity.”
RAH GILI MALDIVES opens in December 2025, marking the first chapter in what is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated new resort stories in the Indian Ocean. But beyond the headline, the strategy is clear: to redefine what luxury means, how it feels, and most importantly, how it’s remembered.
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