Featured
Anantara Veli named Maldives’ Best Wellness Retreat at World Spa Awards
Anantara Veli Maldives Resort has been named Maldives’ Best Wellness Retreat at the 2017 World Spa Awards.
The 2017 World Spa Awards winners were unveiled in Phu Quoc, Veitnam on Sunday, with the Anantara brand as a whole making sweeping wins. Anantara Veli was named Maldives’ Best Wellness Retreat, a great honour in such a prestigious, luxury category.
Launched in association with the World Travel Awards, voters of the World Spa Awards comprise spa industry professionals and the wider public, a double seal of recognition for excellence.
“We are thrilled to be recognised on a global stage, and I would like to thank the team for their dedication and passion in perfecting each guest’s wellness journey. Discerning travellers with busy lives look for an all-encompassing experience, a total escape for body and mind. Anantara Veli provides the ideal setting for relaxation and invigoration, with a complete suite of consultants and facilities for tailored approaches to wellbeing,” Melissa Dowel, the Spa Director at Anantara Veli, was quoted in a statement, as saying.
Anantara Veli recently launched its new Balance Wellness Sanctuary, offering a multi-dimensional approach to relaxation and health. Balance Wellness offers guests a holistic path to feeling and looking better.
Begin with a personal consultation with one of the resident wellness consultants. Based on your lifestyle and body composition, together devise a programme for your time on the island and back at home. Balance Wellness helps tackle deep-seated issues such as sleeplessness, weight management, detoxification and mindfulness.
Begin each day with healthy food choices catering to your body type. Practice meditation and yoga overlooking the ocean with the resident yogi, or shape up with high intensity circuit training and cardio. Submit to soothing detox rituals such as Udwarthanam, an Ayurvedic massage using herbal powders to increase blood flow and flush out toxins and cellulite.
Visiting Masters of Wellness from as far afield as Hawaii and Portugal bring the latest in holistic treatments to Anantara Veli. Discover your body’s natural ability to heal with Naturopathic Doctor Sohal Shah. Explore the myriad benefits of acupuncture with Dr. Rui Pedro Loureiro. Heal with movement under the guidance of Holistic Therapist Jade Wood.
At Anantara Veli, you are invited to open your mind and find inspiration in the most stunning of everydays. Paint the sunset and explore the artist inside you. Join in a bodu beru drumming session or find wonder diving pristine reefs.
Anantara Veli is an adults-only private island fringed by quintessential Maldives overwater bungalows. A 35-minute speedboat ride from the capital and Velana International Airport, the island lies in a peaceful azure lagoon shared with sister resorts, Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort and Naladhu Maldives Private Island.
Designed for sweeping romance, couples can hide away in luxury or venture into the heart of the island for star-lit moments in an orchid garden or open-air cinema. Candlelight dinners take place over the waters at the Maldives’ finest Thai restaurant, Baan Huraa, or the resort’s private picnic island, Gulhifushi.
For those looking for activity and novel experiences, Anantara Veli features an on-site water sports centre, Aquafanatics, with PADI diving and luxury surfing with Tropicsurf. Daily meditation and yoga sessions are led by the resident yogi in an ocean-facing yoga pavilion.
The lush garden spa in traditional Maldivian style greets with the soothing scent of orchid. Five personal treatment suites with dedicated Ayurveda set-ups offer garden views and a soaking tub in front of a waterfall. A serene relaxation courtyard with hot and cold plunge pools invites pre- or post-treatment unwinding.
Featured
Villa Nautica’s festive glow: Yoga at sunrise, fireworks at midnight
Villa Nautica will embrace the festive spirit from 20 December 2025 to 6 January 2026, offering guests an easy island rhythm that flows from bright mornings by the water to music-filled evenings on the sand. The season begins with illuminated beaches and relaxed barbecues, gradually building through creative afternoons and live performances. Christmas Eve will feature a gala dinner, followed by Santa’s arrival on 25 December. The celebrations will culminate in a vibrant New Year’s Eve countdown with fireworks, before settling into a calm reset on New Year’s Day and concluding with Orthodox Christmas.
The programme balances practicality with a relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere. Mornings will bring sunrise yoga, family pool activities, and interactive cooking sessions, while evenings will feature poolside soirées, wine-paired dinners, and sunset cruises. With simple yet photogenic settings, the lagoon and sky take centre stage in shaping the mood. Guests—whether couples, friends, or families—can participate freely without losing the island’s easy pace.
For younger visitors, the festivities will centre around the kids’ club, where cookie and cupcake decorating, beach games, origami and craft sessions, storytelling, and cosy movie nights will take place. Small groups and attentive care ensure that creativity and play remain the focus, allowing parents to enjoy uninterrupted moments around the island.
A highlight of the season will be the Champagne Lucky Draw & Disco. From 1 to 31 December, each bottle of champagne purchased at resort bars or restaurants will serve as an entry to the draw. Guests are advised to keep their entry stubs for the live draw, held at 01:00 during the New Year’s celebration, where the prize will be a seven-night stay in a Water Villa for two.
Throughout the festive period, private experiences will feel as memorable as the larger celebrations. Guests may enjoy candlelit dinners on the sand, floating breakfasts, or early morning snorkelling sessions to begin the year anew. Whether seeking a lively shoreline celebration or a quiet evening stroll beneath lanterns and palms, Villa Nautica offers an atmosphere where every festive moment can glow in its own way.
Featured
JOALI BEING launches global campaign ‘Joyful Journeys of Well-Living’
JOALI BEING, the world’s first well-being island, has announced the launch of its new global brand campaign titled “Joyful Journeys of Well-Living.” The campaign celebrates the art of self-discovery, inviting travellers to reconnect with their inner selves through bespoke and transformative experiences.
Building upon JOALI BEING’s core philosophy of the “Joy of Weightlessness,” the campaign embodies the essence of harmony between mind, body, and spirit. It encourages guests to explore holistic pathways designed to restore balance and inspire personal growth.
Joyful Journeys of Well-Living serves as an invitation to travellers seeking meaningful change and renewal. The campaign narrates stories of individuals discovering joy through purposeful living, mindful connection, and immersive well-being experiences at JOALI BEING.
The visuals capture the island’s tranquil landscapes and nurturing spaces — from oceanfront sanctuaries to treetop villas and transformative healing sessions led by resident experts. The campaign presents JOALI BEING as more than a destination; it is a journey towards well-being, creativity, and self-transformation.
Each guest journey at JOALI BEING is founded on the resort’s Four Pillars of Well-Being — Mind, Skin, Microbiome, and Energy. Through tailored programmes, guests can embark on integrative wellness experiences encompassing sound therapy, movement and fitness, hydrotherapy, nutritional guidance, and energy-healing sessions curated by specialists.
The island features a series of advanced well-being spaces, including:
- CORE: a movement and fitness zone
- AREKA: a transformative treatment centre
- KAASHI: a hydrotherapy hall
- SEDA: a sound-healing room
- Ocean Sala: an open-air meditation and relaxation deck
Each space is designed to nurture a profound connection with nature and the self.
The Joyful Journeys of Well-Living campaign has been conceptualised and produced by JOALI BEING’s in-house team in collaboration with creative partners and visual storytellers from across the globe. The multi-platform campaign integrates film, digital, and print media to convey JOALI BEING’s ethos — a celebration of joy, transformation, and harmony.
The visual narrative draws inspiration from the natural beauty of the Maldives, reflecting JOALI BEING’s immersive design philosophy. The imagery captures the rhythm of the ocean, the play of light, and the flow of energy that define the spirit of the island.
Awards
Coco Bodu Hithi wins Best Waterside Hotel at Condé Nast Johansens Awards 2026
Coco Bodu Hithi has been recognised on the global stage, winning Best Waterside Hotel (Riverside, Lakeside, Seaside) at the Condé Nast Johansens Awards for Excellence 2026, held on 3 November 2025 in the UK. It is the second consecutive year the resort has been honoured by the publication, following last year’s win for Best Service, reaffirming its focus on heartfelt Maldivian hospitality and refined island living.
Described by Condé Nast Johansens as an “over-water, over-indulgent Maldivian island outpost,” Coco Bodu Hithi offers an intimate retreat of comfort and calm. The resort’s 32 Water Villas and 24 Coco Residences, each measuring 184 square metres and featuring private pools, provide secluded spaces set above the lagoon, where nature, design, and comfort come together to reflect the island’s romantic ambience.
Known for contemporary design infused with Maldivian heritage, the resort continues to welcome travellers seeking time by the sea, complemented by culinary collaborations with celebrity and Michelin-starred chefs. The experience balances privacy and comfort throughout a guest’s stay. With turquoise waters, quiet spaces, and experiences designed for connection and shared discovery, the resort presents a considered take on island living.
Located 35 minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport, the island combines accessibility with seclusion—close enough for convenience, yet removed for privacy and serenity. As part of Coco Collection, the resort offers bespoke experiences, attentive service, and sustainable practices, shaping stays that feel personal and reflective of relaxed, authentic island life.
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