Drink
Atmosphere Kanifushi Maldives to host vegetarian week in Jan 2020
Atmosphere Kanifushi Maldives has announced plans to host its first JUST VEG Week in January 2020.
From January 20-26, Italian Chef Fabrizio Marino, who is known for haute vegetarian cuisine, and Pankaj Walia, Chef of Atmosphere Kanifushi, invite guests to experience a very unique vegetarian experience at the resort.
Chef Fabrizio Marino has had a brilliant career in Italian natural haute cuisine and recently opened his own brand new restaurant, Ristorante Maggese in San Miniato/Pisa. He has worked for many years with well-known Chef Pietro Leemann, who gained the first Michelin star for a vegetarian restaurant in 2015.
Fabrizio is known for a fun, rhythmic and playful table that offers a continuous exchange of traditional and modern food; dishes with luxury simplicity surprise with unexpected and unusual flavours. His journey took him through many countries worldwide, where he discovered the haute vegetarian cuisine.
“For me, JUST VEG is an incredible restaurant in the Maldives, with a different, joyful and experimental cuisine and culture. A vegetarian gastronomical heart, in the middle of the Indian Ocean,” says Fabrizio was quoted in a statement, as saying.

Together with the team of JUST VEG at Atmosphere Kanifushi, he will create a thrilling gastronomic week, based on traditional and exotic ingredients, that will offer guests of the Maldivian resort a unique vegetarian experience.
This is a glimpse of the menu that will be served during the first JUST VEG Week at Atmosphere Kanifushi:
- “Forest Butter”: Avocado marinated with smoked lentil sauce, Breton salt fried pepper, lemon and sugar cane crystals
- Pacha mama”: “it’s time to listen to the Great Mother!” Three creamy pate and three fluffy sauces with varied tastes tied to the earth, Maldivian cucumber salad and almond curry
“Normally we don’t have Michelin stars in the Maldives, but for one week, we do – and that too with one of the top chefs for vegetarian cuisine! This will be so exciting for our guests but also for us,” Chef Pankja said, announcing the first JUST VEG Week at Atmosphere Kanifushi.

This exciting culinary is in line with Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts’ philosophy, ‘The Joy of Giving’, and is included the generous Platinum Plus Plan — it will be available to all guests staying at the resort!
Atmosphere Kanifushi was one step ahead of the curve, opening the Maldives’ first purely vegetarian restaurant, JUST VEG, in 2013. Atmosphere Kanifushi offers all guests The Platinum Plus Plan – a uniquely crafted all-encompassing five-star holiday plan – where guests enjoy the best wines and bubbles of the world, a variety of culinary experiences, activities and excursions, as well as exclusive services and amenities in some of the largest entry-level beach villas in the Maldives.
Atmosphere’s first property, Atmosphere Kanifushi, opened its doors in December 2013. The group opened its second property, OBLU by Atmosphere at Helengeli, in November 2015; followed by their flagship ‘Lifestyle Luxury’ sub-brand, OZEN by Atmosphere, in July 2016; and then OBLU Select at Sangeli, which opened in July 2018.
The newest addition to the portfolio, VARU by Atmosphere, offering a naturally Maldivian experience, is due to open in October 2019.
Atmosphere offers guest-centric resort experiences through unique resort plans, offering guests a range of all-encompassing experiences, with varieties of dining options as well as a number of complimentary amenities and activities that ensure a relaxed, hassle-free holiday experience at each resort, all the while staying true to the brand’s core philosophy: ‘The Joy of Giving’.
Drink
Eri Maldives helps couples fall in love all over again
Nobody needs a reason to fall in love with their partner all over again, but it’s romantic to keep finding one, season after season. UK wedding platform Bridebook found that a fifth of couples now wait until their first anniversary to take their honeymoon – giving finances time to settle after the wedding itself. Anniversary trips and vow renewals form a huge part of romantic travel as a result, with couples opting for longer stays than their wedding day ever allowed, now that joint finances can stretch further.
At Eri Maldives, it’s a moment that finally gets the spotlight it deserves – with a second telling to fit however couples want to approach it: planned in secret as an add-on, or built into a special occasion celebration.

Here’s our take to the occasions worth considering, and which of Eri’s three ceremonies suits each.
The Five-Year Reckoning
For couples who married between 2020 and 2022, this is an easy one. Many of those ceremonies were scaled back, livestreamed, or held with a guest list of two witnesses and a registrar on a screen. Five years on, that cohort is now reaching a natural milestone, Eri’s Waves of Love (from £1,235++) comes in as an overdue wedding they didn’t quite get: a proper beachfront ceremony led by the resort’s own Ceremony Master, Bodu Beru drummers announcing the moment, a ring exchange sealed with a symbolic certificate, and a champagne toast, closing with a romantic dinner set up right on the sand.
The New Chapter & the Quiet Comeback
Not every renewal is tied to a date on the calendar. Some follow a health scare, a stretch of distance, a difficult financial year. Others follow a quieter kind of shift altogether, whether it be an empty nest, a retirement, or relocation. For couples a little further along, Eternal Love (from £1,457++) builds on the same considered ceremony as Waves of Love, layer in touches this stage calls for: a candlelight dinner on the beach in place of the standard set-up, a rose petal shower, a bottle of Prosecco already waiting in the room, and a 45-minute healing aromatherapy treatment for the couple, with traditional Maldivian sarongs presented as a keepsake for having come through it together.

The Anniversary That Deserves an Upgrade
The 10th, the 25th, the one that ends in a zero – and milestones that carry real weight, for couples who’ve spent decades putting everyone else first. Ocean Kiss (from £1,755++) is Eri’s most extensive package, turning planned activities into day-to-night itineraries, with a five-course destination dining beachfront feast with lobster and wine, a floating or lagoon breakfast the morning after, and a full hour of Balinese massage for two.

Beyond the Ceremony
However the occasion is marked, each package can be tailored with additional romantic excursions and entertainments, including private sunset cruise with champagne and canapés, a duo band or DJ for the evening, a drone-filmed highlight reel of the day, and – for those chasing a truly out-of-this-world backdrop – a three-minute fireworks display.
Whether it’s booked quietly or planned together from the very start, the island simply asks one thing of its guests: turn up, and let the rest take care of itself. Visit erimaldives.com/renew-your-vows-in-paradise to start planning.
Drink
JW Marriott Maldives Kaafu Atoll introduces Omakase cocktail experience
JW Marriott Maldives Kaafu Atoll Island Resort has introduced its all-new Omakase Cocktail Menu at Nikkei Bar, an innovative beverage experience that reimagines the traditional omakase concept through the art of mixology. Inspired by the Japanese philosophy of entrusting the experience to the expertise of the creator, the new menu invites guests on a thoughtfully curated journey of unexpected flavors, refined craftsmanship, and contemporary creativity.
Developed by the resort’s talented mixology team, the Omakase Cocktail Menu showcases a collection of distinctive creations, each designed to surprise and delight the senses. Every cocktail tells its own story through carefully selected ingredients, bold flavor combinations, and elegant presentation, reflecting Nikkei Bar’s signature blend of Japanese precision and Peruvian influence. Highlights from the collection include Wasabi Was Good, a vibrant interpretation that balances delicate heat with refreshing citrus notes, Kumo, inspired by the lightness and serenity of drifting clouds, and Pink Hanami, a floral creation celebrating the beauty of Japan’s iconic cherry blossom season. Guests can also discover Petals of Kyoto, an elegant expression of delicate botanicals, Shisho Garden, which captures the freshness of aromatic herbs, and Moon Over Tokyo, a sophisticated cocktail inspired by the city’s vibrant evenings.



The journey continues with Shizuku (Droplet), a refreshing composition showcasing purity and balance, Thai Green Curry, an adventurous cocktail that transforms the beloved Southeast Asian dish into an unexpectedly harmonious drinking experience, and Kakuremi (Hidden Taste), a layered creation that reveals new dimensions of flavor with every sip.
“We are delighted to introduce our new Omakase Cocktail Menu at Nikkei Bar,” said Arup Chakraborty, Director of Food and Beverage. “Each cocktail has been thoughtfully crafted to offer guests a memorable sensory journey, combining innovation, storytelling, and exceptional craftsmanship. It reflects our commitment to creating distinctive dining and drinking experiences that celebrate creativity while embracing the spirit of contemporary luxury.”


Available exclusively at Nikkei Bar, the Omakase Cocktail Menu offers an immersive exploration of flavor where every cocktail is carefully curated to surprise, inspire, and elevate the guest experience. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Indian Ocean, this latest addition further reinforces JW Marriott Maldives Kaafu Atoll Island Resort’s dedication to delivering exceptional culinary experiences through thoughtful innovation and mindful luxury.
For more information, please visit the resort’s website.
Cooking
Constance unveils Escapade Gourmande 2026 in Maldives with Michelin-starred chef and winemaker
From 17 to 22 August 2026, Constance Hotels & Resorts invites you to the Maldives with Escapade Gourmande, a culinary journey unfolding between two islands that exist in dreamlike stillness: Constance Moofushi and Constance Halaveli.
Here, the ocean does not simply surround the experience; it becomes part of it. Salt air, warm sand, candlelight, and the quiet rhythm of waves set the stage for a celebration where gastronomy is not performed, but felt.
This year, Constance Hotels & Resorts has the pleasure of welcoming three remarkable artisans of taste: French three-Michelin-starred chef Jérôme Banctel, whose cuisine speaks in precision and emotion; South African winemaker Donovan Rall, whose wines carry the quiet intensity of landscapes and sun; and Italian pastry chef Cesare Murzilli, whose creations linger like soft memories at the end of a journey.
Together, they will compose moments rather than menus, an unfolding dialogue between fire, fruit, soil, and sea.

At Constance Moofushi, the atmosphere is unhurried, barefoot, almost whispered. On 17 August, guests drift into experiences shaped by light and ocean breeze with a sandbank tasting and aperitif cocktail around the wines from Donovan Rall, where the horizon dissolves into infinity.
The following evening, on 18 August, a wine dinner by Jérôme Banctel and Cesare Murzilli meets the expressive depth of Donovan Rall’s South African wines.
Then the journey deepens at Constance Halaveli, a setting where refinement takes centre stage on 21 August with a special breakfast imagined by Cesare Murzilli.
On 22 August, guests are invited to the exceptional wine pairing dinner, an elegant encounter between Banctel’s culinary precision, Murzilli’s delicate artistry, and Rall’s expressive wines.

Framed by Constance Halaveli’s extraordinary wine cellar, home to more than 22,500 bottles and over 1,600 references, the evening promises a celebration where gastronomy, wine, and island beauty meet in perfect harmony.
More than a programme, Escapade Gourmande becomes a fleeting island language, one spoken through textures, aromas, silence, and shared wonder. It is also a passing of knowledge, as Donovan Rall guides Constance sommeliers through masterclasses that refine not only technique, but sensibility.
In the end, it is not simply a celebration of food and wine. It is a moment where the Maldives feels less like a destination, and more like a state of taste, memory, and light.
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