Business
Maldives looks to defend Indian Ocean Best Spa Destination title at World Spa Awards
Maldives is vying to defend the Indian Ocean Best Spa Destination title, as voting for the annual World Spa Awards opened Friday.
Until October 13, consumers and professionals working in the spa and wellness travel and tourism industry have the chance to cast their votes online for their favourite spa destinations, resorts, hotels and brands in the world as well as in different regions.
Maldives, which won the Indian Ocean Best Spa Destination award last year, is competing with Mauritius and Seychelles to defend the title.
From the world categories, Duniye Spa at Hurawalhi Maldives and Iridium Spa at The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort have been nominated for the World’s Best New Resort Spa award, while Spa My Blend by Clarins at Velaa Private Island Maldives is contesting for the World’s Best Private Island Spa award. Iridium Spa at The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort and The Spa by Thalgo at The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi Maldives have also been nominated for the World’s Best Spa Design award. In addition, The Sun Siyam Signature Essence of Massages treatment offered by The Spa by Thalgo at The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi Maldives is vying for the World’s Best Spa Signature Treatment award.
Several properties in the Maldives are competing for two national level awards as well:
- Maldives’ Best Resort Spa: Anantara Spa at Anantara Dhigu Maldives, Anantara Spa at Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas, Ayspa at Ayada Maldives, Calm Spa at JA Manafaru, Coco Spa at Coco Bodu Hithi, Duniye Spa at Hurawalhi Maldives, Iridium Spa at The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort, Jiva Grande Spa at Taj Exotica Resort and Spa Maldives, Meera Spa at Gili Lankanfushi, Six Senses Spa at Six Senses Laamu, Spa My Blend by Clarins at Velaa Private Island, Sun Aqua Spa at Sun Aqua Vilu Reef, Talise Spa at Jumeirah Dhevanafushi, Talise Spa at Jumeirah Vittaveli, The Spa at Baros Maldives, The Spa at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, The Spa at Hideaway Maldives, and The Spa by Thalgo at The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi.
- Maldives’s Best Wellness Retreat: Anantara Veli Maldives Resort, COMO Cocoa Island, LUX* South Ari Atoll, Maalifushi by COMO, One&Only Reethi Rah and Tree Top Devarana Spa at Dusit Thani Maldives.
The winners will be announced at the grand gala ceremony to be held at the JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort and Spa in Vietnam on December 9.
Launched in 2015 by the World Travel Awards, which has established itself as the Oscars of the travel industry over two decades, as a sister programme to the World Ski Awards and World Golf Awards, World Spa Awards is focused on the rapidly evolving spa and wellness sector. It is designed to drive up standards within spa tourism by rewarding the organisations that are the leaders in the field.
Business
Feydhoo Hall opens at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives as new event space
Dusit International, one of Thailand’s leading hotel and property development companies, has announced the opening of Feydhoo Hall, a landmark event venue at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives, redefining the possibilities for meetings, celebrations, and destination events in the Maldives.
Designed to bring scale, flexibility, and creativity to island gatherings, Feydhoo Hall represents a bold step forward in positioning the Maldives as a dynamic destination for conferences, weddings, and large-scale social occasions.
Feydhoo Hall offers a versatile event complex designed to accommodate a wide range of gatherings, from corporate meetings and conferences to weddings and social celebrations.

At its core is the 390 sqm Main Hall, capable of hosting:
- Up to 300 guests in theatre-style setup
- Up to 240 guests for dining and banquet-style events
- Up to 200 guests for cocktail-style receptions
- Up to 144 guests in cluster-round configuration
Enhancing the flexibility of the venue are additional dedicated spaces, including:
- A 110 sqm Veranda Terrace, ideal for welcome receptions, breakout sessions, and pre-event gatherings, accommodating up to 100 guests for cocktail-style events.
- A spacious 1,000 sqm Lawn Space, perfect for large-scale outdoor celebrations, destination weddings, and open-air events, accommodating up to 400 guests for cocktail receptions and up to 350 guests for dining setups.
- The 55 sqm Ekugai Meeting Room, designed for smaller meetings and executive sessions, accommodating up to 30 guests in theatre or dining setup and 24 guests in cluster-round format.
Together, these integrated spaces create a seamless indoor-outdoor event experience, allowing planners to design dynamic and personalised event journeys.
True to the dusitD2 brand’s lifestyle-driven philosophy, Feydhoo Hall introduces a fresh approach to meetings and events — where productivity meets creativity in an inspiring island setting.
The venue offers flexible meeting formats designed to suit different event needs, including:
- Half-Day Meeting Package (4 hours) — ideal for focused sessions, executive meetings, and creative workshops.
- Full-Day Meeting Package (8 hours) — designed for immersive conferences, extended workshops, and large-scale corporate gatherings.
These thoughtfully structured packages provide planners with the flexibility to create impactful and seamless experiences, whether hosting intimate strategy sessions or dynamic full-day events.

Located just seven minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport, dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives combines accessibility with vibrant lifestyle energy, offering event planners and guests a rare balance between convenience and tropical escape.
With the introduction of Feydhoo Hall, the resort strengthens its position as a versatile destination — not only for leisure travellers but also for international conferences, creative retreats, luxury weddings, and large-scale social celebrations seeking something refreshingly different in the Maldives.
Business
BBM expands retail presence with new Hulhumalé outlet
Bestbuy Maldives (BBM) opened a new wholesale store in Hulhumalé Phase 2 on Monday.
The outlet is located on the ground floor of Lot 20286, Nirolhu Magu, and is intended to improve access to BBM’s imported goods for residents of Hulhumalé Phase 2 and for businesses operating in the area.
According to the company, the opening forms part of its plan to expand services closer to customers in line with population growth in Hulhumalé.
With the opening of the new store, BBM’s full range of imported and distributed products will be available at the Hulhumalé Phase 2 location. These include consumer goods from international brands such as Lifebuoy, Vaseline and Unilever.
The store will also stock wholesale food products from brands including Daily, Cavin’s and Redman.
BBM has supplied goods to resorts, hotels and retail outlets across the Maldives for several years.
Action
Ataraxis Grand & Spa hosts integrated work-and-dive corporate retreat in Fuvahmulah
Ataraxis Grand & Spa recently hosted a week-long, closed corporate offsite in Fuvahmulah for a US-based artificial intelligence company, highlighting the island’s growing suitability for integrated work-and-experience retreats. The retreat brought a group of 36 international professionals to the property, which was reserved exclusively for the programme.
Designed as a private company offsite, the stay combined structured daily work sessions with guided diving and beginner-friendly surf experiences, creating a balanced format that blended focused collaboration with physical reset.

A notable component of the programme was dive training and certification. During the retreat, 17 participants completed their Open Water certification, while a further six undertook the Advanced Open Water course, with training and dives scheduled alongside work sessions as part of the integrated itinerary.
Throughout the week, participants worked on-site using dedicated shared spaces supported by reliable high-speed internet, allowing meetings, informal collaboration and scheduled activities to take place within a single, uninterrupted environment. This setup enabled teams to move seamlessly between work periods and organised ocean activities without leaving the property.

Fuvahmulah’s natural and operational advantages formed a key part of the retreat’s appeal. As one of the Maldives’ largest inhabited islands, it offers immediate access to pelagic dive sites, internationally recognised shark diving and surf breaks suitable for instruction, alongside the infrastructure required to support extended group stays.

The offsite reflects a growing preference among technology and knowledge-sector teams for small-scale retreats that prioritise concentrated work environments and team cohesion over traditional conference formats. Such programmes typically involve longer stays and higher per-capita spend, aligning with sustainable, quality-driven tourism models.
The retreat also demonstrates how locally operated properties such as Ataraxis Grand & Spa are supporting this shift by delivering unified environments where accommodation, workspaces, connectivity and curated experiences operate as a single programme rather than separate services.

As organisations continue to explore alternative formats for strategy sessions, team resets and creative offsites, Ataraxis Grand & Spa’s experience positions Fuvahmulah as an increasingly viable destination for integrated corporate retreats.
Ataraxis Grand & Spa offers work-and-dive retreat programmes in Fuvahmulah that combine accommodation, dedicated workspaces, high-speed connectivity and organised diving and surfing.

Further information on retreat formats and dive-inclusive stays is available via the Ataraxis Grand & Spa website.
-
News1 week agoPulse Hotels & Resorts unveils Aura Maldives, a mindful luxury sanctuary
-
News1 week agoSun Siyam Iru Fushi sets new nenchmark with 24 Hour Premium All Inclusive Dine Around
-
Fitness1 week agoOUTRIGGER Maldives Maafushivaru launches expanded wellness programming for 2026
-
Action1 week agoSheraton Maldives Full Moon celebrates sixth anniversary of Reefscapers collaboration
-
Cooking1 week agoPatina Maldives hosts Chef Shannon Bennett for exclusive April residency
-
Featured1 week agoYou & Me Maldives unveils curated Premium All Inclusive programme
-
Awards1 week agoCentara Mirage Lagoon Maldives named Luxury Family Friendly Resort of the Year
-
Cooking1 week agoSun Siyam Olhuveli hosts Italian Chef Francesca Gambacorta at Milano restaurant


