Since 2008, the award-winning hospitality group Carpe Diem Maldives has been growing its fleet of luxury dive and surf liveaboard cruises, sharing the beauty of the Maldivian waters with adventurous travellers.

Adding to the existing three high-end liveaboard cruise vessels, the private island of Carpe Diem Beach Resort and Spa is scheduled to open June 2018 in the northern Raa atoll.

With an emphasis on an activity-driven atmosphere, the resort’s tagline, Social by Nature reflects an easygoing travellers’ finesse against the backdrop of a healthy house reef and a significantly large lagoon.

Each of the 115 private pool villas at Carpe Diem Beach Resort and Spa have sliding doors leading on to a large deck with a shaded seating area and a sun-drenched plunge pool. Ten accommodation choices have been designed with a modern and social traveller in mind to offer a vibrant addition to this revered Indian Ocean destination.

Introducing a new room category to the Maldives market, five Overwater Pool Villas are dedicated to solo travellers looking to share twin bed accommodation, omitting the need for a single supplement.

A full-board stay for all guests at Carpe Diem Beach Resort and Spa includes house wines and beer, as well as access to an inflatable water park in the private lagoon. Bespoke and signature dining choices, a contemporary spa, and an overwater tapas and sunset club with a transparent dance floor combine with a myriad water sport experiences to create a truly unique, forward-thinking resort.

Speaking on the expansion, Amir Mansoor, Managing Director of Carpe Diem Maldives, says, “From our first boat a decade ago, Carpe Diem Maldives has grown to become a collection of three unique liveaboard dive and surf cruises, each catering for 20-22 guests. We are the only liveaboard operator in the Maldives to offer diving adventures with a team of all-Maldivian Dive Masters.

With the expansion into resorts, Carpe Diem Maldives becomes the only hospitality brand in the country to offer year-round liveaboard cruises that can be combined with a resort stay. This vibrant new offering and collection of activities brings a fresh approach to holidays, one that also meets the changing traveller demographics to this popular destination.”

Renowned for delivering a sense of discovery, adventure and excellence, Carpe Diem Cruises have established a solid relationship over the years with the top echelons of the diving and leisure travel industry.

“Our guests now have a wider array of choices – go diving or surfing on a luxury cruise for a few days, or stay in one place with a naturally soft, white-sand beach, spa and a multitude of dining options where like-minded travellers meet… Even better, do both!” explains Assistant Managing Director Agnes van Linden.

“We’ve taken the knowledge and experience gathered over the last 10 years, listening to our guests’ preferences, observing the changing demands from global travellers, to create a resort with a social and vibrant personality.”

Located on the cusp where Raa and Baa atolls meet, the area is rich in marine diversity; Baa atoll, renowned for the annual manta ray migration from May to November in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Hanifaru Bay, is just 15 minutes away by speedboat. The home base of Raa Atoll is teeming with wildlife and a survey in June this year by US-based marine organisation Coral Reef CPR identified an extraordinary array of rare coral species, some of which are 500-1000 years old, attracting over 215 fish species to the house reef at Carpe Diem Beach Resort and Spa.

The resort’s General Manager Socrates Alvaro comments, “At Carpe Diem Beach Resort and Spa, the emphasis is on a social holiday where like-minded travellers meet. Today’s holidaymakers are seeking a more engaging environment paired with adventure and excitement, rather than a romance and honeymoon emphasis, and Carpe Diem Maldives is set to deliver on that rising market demand. With new budget airline routes into Male, and the new travel trends to this destination, it means the Maldives is now more accessible to a much wider demographic than previously, and that’s very exciting.”

Full-board room rates accommodating two adults and two children or three adults start from USD 899 per villa per night, and for solo travellers in a shared twin-bed Overwater Pool Villa from USD 450. The resort is already accepting bookings for stays from June 1, 2018 onwards.