News
Vilu Reef relaunched as Sun Aqua Vilu Reef
Originally opened in 1998 Vilu Reef is proud to take on new colours and sit as the flagship Maldivian property for the Sun Aqua brand which plans to continue its international growth over the coming years. At Sun Aqua resorts, guests can enjoy perfectly relaxing experiences led by simple luxuries, sensational food and warm, dedicated service and as it stayed open to guests during its refurbishment it continues to welcome new and repeater guests that have grown to love the property and island, year after year.
On 28th October 2015, the original date of opening in 1998, the property officially re-launched to a fanfare of celebration with official ceremonies followed by a beach side feast, dancing and live music held throughout the evening.
Property & Accommodation
The Sun Aqua Vilu Reef is easily accessible from Malè and the International Airport via a 40 minute seaplane ride. The Sun Siyam Family Lounge at the seaplane terminal bids an immediate start to the holiday offering refreshments and massages to help settle guests into the Sun Aqua spirit. The property has gone through a complete revival and been refurbished to an extremely high standard creating five different categories of rooms including 15 NEW Sun Aqua Pool Villas. Splashes of colour can be found throughout the property impressing the Sun Aqua brand into the new future of Vilu Reef.
Beach Villas
Hidden amongst the foliage are 62 shell shaped bungalows, (14 Beach Villas, 18 Deluxe Beach Villas and 10 Jacuzzi Deluxe Beach Villas, 5 Deluxe Beach Villas with Pool & 15 Sun Aqua Pool Villas) some now with lava-stone pools and whirlpool bathtubs. Rooms are now all 20% larger than before and offer private sundecks, re-fitted bathrooms and day swing beds.
Water Villas
A further 41 Water Villas (20 Reef Villas, 9 Sunset Reef Villas, 6 Aqua Villas with plunge pools, 5 Aqua Suites now with private swimming pools & 1 Grand Reef Suite) complete the accommodation offering with a select few even hiding inviting over-water hammocks. All water villas offer incredible vista views across the Indian Ocean and a true Maldivian experience.
Dine & Imbibe
One of the best parts of any journey is the adventure into exotic flavours. Guests can be selective at Sun Aqua Vilu Reef and explore the spice and warmth of home style Maldivian cuisine, feast on gourmet organic and free-range produce grown on the resorts private Farm Island, sink their teeth into freshly caught, barbequed seafood or dine under the stars with the properties destination private dining experience.
The Aqua is the resorts main restaurant sat over the water, producing freshly prepared western and international cuisine served in a buffet style and is also the resorts beautiful breakfast spot. The Well Done, the island BBQ grill on the beach serves freshly caught fish and seafood as well as being the home to the islands impressive glass enclosed wine cellar, featuring the finest wines from around the globe, creating a sophisticated backdrop for any evening. The resort also features a boutique pizzeria creating handmade pizzas topped with authentic seasoning and fresh ingredients. Destination Dining offers guests the chance to dine in private away from other guests on any spot on the island accompanied by their own private chef and waiter.
Before and after dinner guests may enjoy the chance to visit one of the islands two bars. The Nautilus is the resorts beach bar offering a cool, rustic hideaway where one of the bartender’s cocktails will help liven up a night of dancing or an exhilarating game of crab racing. Positive Energy, set beside the pool serves an array of refreshing juices, cocktails and signature tropical fruit punch either under the cool of the coconut tree or on a lounger with views of the lagoon and pool.
Spa & Leisure
One of the biggest developments at the resort has been the creation of a full holistic spa offering. Now a major focus of the resort the Sun Aqua Spa consists of six private treatment pavilions each with open air flower baths, open showers, a hydrotherapy area and double treatment beds. On offer will also be a salon, manicure/pedicure and a beautiful relaxation area. Encompassing the Five Element Theory; Wood, Fire, Metal, Earth & Water the spa will offer a lengthy menu of Ayurvedic wellness rituals, pampering beauty therapies and massage techniques from around the world. It will also offer a selection of signature therapies to help renew body and mind including a rich scrub of coconut or coffee, a herbal Udavarthanam detox or a relaxing, fragrant flower bath.
In addition to spa the Sun Aqua Vilu Reef also offers plenty of leisure activities to keep everyone entertained, relaxed and enjoying their time on the island. Diving is a big part of the culture in the Maldives in general and at Sun Aqua Vilu Reef in particular. The 5* Gold Palm PADI / SSI Diamond Dive centre brings together an exciting array of diving and snorkelling programmes and a chance to explore the sea life and reefs that litter the warm and extremely clear waters. The property hosts one of the best house reefs in the region, located just 30 meters from the shore, offering snorkelers an unrivalled experience. Watersports are also a big part of island life and guests at Sun Aqua Vilu Reef can enjoy windsurfing, canoeing and sailing as well as a range of motorised watersports such as jet skis and water-skiing.
Featured
Four Seasons Resorts Maldives blend family travel with marine discovery
As family travel patterns continue to evolve, with multigenerational holidays and “schoolcations” becoming a growing part of the market, Four Seasons is positioning its Maldives resorts as destinations where families can combine leisure with learning, exploration and shared experiences. Through programmes at Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru and Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa, the brand is offering a Maldives-based approach to family travel that extends beyond the traditional resort stay.
In the Maldives, the focus is placed on experiences that allow families to spend time together while engaging with the natural environment in direct and practical ways. At Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, marine education forms a central part of the family offering. Children and teenagers can take part in hands-on initiatives alongside experts from The Manta Trust, learning about coral restoration, manta ray research and ocean conservation. The programme gives younger guests an opportunity to understand the marine ecosystems that define the Maldives while participating in activities linked to ongoing conservation work.
At Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa, the family experience is also shaped by the surrounding lagoon and reef environment. Younger guests can take part in introductory diving, surfing and marine conservation activities designed to build early awareness of the ocean and its ecosystems. These experiences place the Maldives’ natural setting at the centre of the stay, allowing families to engage with the destination through activity as well as observation.
This emphasis on learning through travel reflects wider changes in family tourism, where parents are increasingly looking for holidays that combine recreation with educational value. In the Maldives, that approach has particular relevance, given the country’s dependence on marine ecosystems and its reputation as one of the world’s leading island destinations. By integrating conservation-focused experiences into resort programming, Four Seasons is presenting family travel not only as a period of rest, but also as an opportunity for younger travellers to develop a closer understanding of the environment around them.
The Maldives setting also supports multigenerational travel in practical terms. Resorts such as Landaa Giraavaru and Kuda Huraa are well suited to families travelling across age groups, where grandparents, parents and children may all be sharing the same holiday but looking for different forms of engagement. Accommodation, marine activities and wellness offerings can be structured in ways that allow families to spend time together while also catering to different interests and energy levels.
The family proposition is strengthened by the Maldives’ ability to combine relaxation with activities that are tied closely to place. Lagoon-based discovery, reef experiences and conservation work provide a clear alternative to more conventional beach holiday programming. Rather than limiting the stay to accommodation and dining, these activities allow the destination itself to shape the guest experience.
In this context, Four Seasons’ Maldives resorts reflect a broader shift in how luxury family travel is being positioned. The emphasis is no longer only on privacy and comfort, but also on engagement, shared discovery and experiences that carry value beyond the holiday itself. In the Maldives, where marine life and island environments remain central to the visitor experience, that model gives families a way to connect both with each other and with the destination.
Through Landaa Giraavaru and Kuda Huraa, Four Seasons is therefore presenting a Maldives offering that responds to changing family travel expectations. By combining marine education, outdoor activity and resort-based comfort, the brand is aligning its family travel strategy with the qualities that continue to set the Maldives apart. The result is a version of family travel that is shaped not only by where guests stay, but by what they are able to learn and experience together while they are there.
News
COMO Cocoa Island blends wellness and ocean experiences for guests
There is a moment, just after arrival at COMO Cocoa Island, when everything softens. Time loosens its grip. The horizon stretches and the only sound is the tide shifting gently beneath your villa.
At COMO Cocoa Island, experiences are not designed to impress, but to unfold. Each one invites guests to rediscover a slower rhythm—guided by water, light, and instinct.
Where the Ocean Becomes the Guide
The island’s house reef lies just steps from each villa—a living, breathing ecosystem that reveals itself gradually. Slip into the water, and the world shifts: parrotfish flicker past, reef sharks glide at a distance, and turtles move with unhurried grace.
Further afield, journeys into deeper waters bring guests face-to-face with nurse sharks in the nearby atolls—encounters that feel both grounding and quietly exhilarating.
For those who choose to dive, the surrounding sites offer dramatic topographies—caves, channels, and coral walls—each shaped by currents that have moved through these waters long before the first footprints touched the island.

Drifting Towards Stillness
Back above the surface, experiences take on a different pace.
A private sandbank emerges from the horizon—untouched, impossibly white. Here, lunch is served with nothing but the gentle rhythm of waves in the background. There are no interruptions, no schedules. Just a sense of being suspended between sea and open sky.
As the day fades, traditional dhoni boats set out across the lagoon. The light softens. The ocean reflects gold, then amber, then deep blue. Sometimes, dolphins appear—not as spectacle, but as part of the natural rhythm of the place.
Wellbeing, Without Boundaries
At COMO Cocoa Island, wellness is not confined within walls. It exists in the spaces between. Morning yoga unfolds overlooking the ocean. Breathing slows in time with the tide and sandbank meditation becomes instinctive—guided by wind, warmth, and the steady presence of the sea.
The COMO Shambhala Retreat complements this with therapies that are precise yet intuitive—designed not to transform, but to restore.

A Philosophy of Less, Perfected
“Cocoa Island has never been about doing more—it’s about feeling more, with less,”says Peter Nilsson, Managing Director, COMO Maldives. “What makes this island special is its restraint. We don’t try to fill every moment—we allow space for the ocean, for stillness, for genuine connection. Guests leave not because they’ve done everything, but because they’ve experienced something real.”
An Island That Stays With You
There are no grand gestures here. No overstatement.
Instead, COMO Cocoa Island offers something increasingly rare—an experience that lingers quietly, long after departure. Not defined by what you did, but by how it made you feel. Because here, in this small corner of the Maldives, the most meaningful moments are often the simplest ones.
For more information, please visit the resort’s website.
Action
Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives introduces indoor mini golf experience
Resort experiences are increasingly shaped by the need for flexibility, with guests seeking activities that can be enjoyed beyond peak sun hours, creating a natural demand for engaging indoor spaces and particularly in tropical destinations where brief, seasonal rain showers are part of the island rhythm.
Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives builds on this evolving guest preference with the introduction of its new 8-hole Indoor Mini Golf Centre, adding a playful and interactive dimension to the island’s leisure offering. The space was officially unveiled at a recent opening, where a guest was invited to mark the occasion, setting the tone for an experience centred around shared enjoyment and light-hearted moments.

The indoor mini golf course offers a relaxed, air-conditioned space where guests of all ages can take part, whether as a casual game between families, a friendly challenge among couples, or a fun addition to group stays. It provides a comfortable alternative to outdoor activities while maintaining the sense of energy and connection that defines time on the island, regardless of the weather.
The addition builds on the resort’s existing indoor facilities, including billiards, table tennis, and a dedicated kids’ playroom, creating a more rounded leisure experience that caters to different moods and moments. Outdoors, guests can continue to explore a wide range of activities, from beach volleyball and futsal to badminton, diving, and both motorised and non-motorised water sports.

As one of the first resorts in the area to introduce an indoor mini golf experience, Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives continues to evolve its offerings in line with how guests choose to travel today, blending activity, comfort, and shared experiences in a setting designed for both relaxation and discovery.
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