Featured
Lily Beach Resort offers guests free coronavirus testing
Lily Beach Resort & Spa is offering complimentary PCR testing for its guests.
The resort will offer free testing for two adults and one child per booking, Any additional person will be charged $200.
This new offer will make it easier for guests who require Covid-19 test results for their return home.
For instance, travellers returning to the United Arab Emirates are now required to carry a negative Covid-19 PCR test result. The test must be taken a maximum of 96 hours before departure.
A 25-minute scenic seaplane journey from the Maldives main Velana International Airport takes you to a luxury resort, which has been ranked as the best all-inclusive resort in Asia and No. 11 among the top all-inclusive resorts in the world at the 2020 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards.
One of the most popular family resorts in Maldives, Lily Beach is making sure that your vacation to this idyllic paradise is safe, with the promise that returning here would be the best decision you will ever make.
A series of enhanced safety procedures have been implemented, in line with the guidance issued by the Maldives Health Protection Agency (HPA), and will be reviewed over the coming weeks and months.
Your temperature will be checked upon arrival and regularly during your stay.
While hand sanitisers will be available at the reception and all public areas, the team at Lily Beach will be wearing face masks for your comfort at all times.
All the villas will go undergo additional deep cleaning during guest stay, with an extra level of care taken on air conditioning filters and private swimming pools. The rooms will be cleaned only when guests are out of the villa.
Laundry, linen, and swimming pool towels will be washed at high temperature, while the laundry will be disinfected daily.
At all restaurants, à la carte service with digital menus will be available. Buffet services along with shisha service will be suspended for the safety of guests.
There will be at least two metres between each table in the restaurants. Sun loungers at the public swimming pools will also be placed with a minimum distance of two metres between them.
All public areas, including the reception, restaurants, bars, fitness centre, spa, swimming pools, will be regularly disinfected during the day.
At the gym, healthy distance will be maintained between each machine. New health and safety protocols will be followed at the spa, so that guests can still experience wellness at the resort without compromising their safety.
The five-star Lily Beach Resort is located on the 600-metre-long and 110-metre-wide island of Huvahendhoo in South Ari Atoll.
With its Platinum Plan, which includes far more than the traditional package of cocktails, premium brands, champagne and international culinary delights, Lily Beach offers luxury all-inclusive holidays at the highest level. These include excursions, which can be selected from a wide range of activities, including sunset fishing, snorkelling trips or a visit to a local island.
At your disposal are 125 luxurious villas. Add to this the Tamara Spa, Prodivers Diving School, a specialty and main restaurant featuring fine dining, three bars, a shisha lounge, Turtles Kids’ Club, and one of South Ari Atoll’s best house reefs.
Guests can also enjoy a diverse entertainment programme with live music and DJs, traditional cultural performances, fish feeding and much more.
Featured
‘Eutopia: The Infinite Bloom’ comes to Sun Siyam Vilu Reef this festive season
Sun Siyam Vilu Reef, part of the Privé Collection within the House of Siyam, has announced its festive programme, “Eutopia: The Infinite Bloom”, which will run from 22 December 2026 to 7 January 2027.
The seasonal programme features activities and experiences for guests of all ages. Dining will take centre stage with Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve gala dinners by the water, exclusive Chef’s Table experiences and seafood barbecues on the beach.
The evening entertainment programme will include live acoustic performances, island DJ sets, aerial dance shows and Maldivian cultural performances.
During the day, guests will be able to explore the resort’s lagoon through activities such as house reef snorkelling, sunset Jet Car rides and sandbank excursions. The Spa will offer wellness rituals and couples’ therapies, while younger guests can take part in gingerbread decorating, a fashion show and Santa’s arrival on the beach.
“Eutopia is our invitation to celebrate and embrace nature, meaningful moments, and the relaxed luxury that defines Sun Siyam Vilu Reef through our festivities,” said Masdhooq Saeed, Cluster General Manager.
“From unforgettable ocean adventures to starlit beach celebrations, every experience has been thoughtfully designed to create lasting memories that will continue to flourish long after the season ends.”
The programme will culminate with a New Year’s Eve celebration on the beach on 31 December, featuring live music, midnight toasts and a fireworks display over the water.
The resort’s festive programme is available to view online, with bookings open for stays between 22 December 2026 and 7 January 2027.
Awards
Sun Siyam Iru Veli earns top wedding destination honour at TTM Awards
Fresh from being named Best Honeymoon Destination in 2025, Sun Siyam Iru Veli was recognised as Best Wedding Destination at the Travel Trade Maldives Awards & Gala 2026, held at Crossroads Maldives on 27 August. The award further reinforces the resort’s commitment to celebrating romance in all its forms.
Surrounded by turquoise lagoons and white-sand beaches, Iru Veli provides a natural setting for couples seeking an intimate island retreat. Every villa features a private pool, while secluded beaches, private sandbanks and a 24-hour all-inclusive dine-around experience offer guests privacy and flexibility throughout their stay.
The resort hosts celebrations of different scales, ranging from barefoot ceremonies by the ocean to larger events encompassing the entire island. Dedicated wedding planners work closely with each couple to personalise every element, ensuring that both the ceremony and the wider stay reflect their individual story.
This flexibility extends beyond the resort’s wedding packages. Simple Romance, Grand Gesture and Sandbank Magic provide couples with a starting point, with each celebration customisable through décor, dining, wellness, entertainment and island experiences. For occasions requiring complete exclusivity, full-island buyouts allow the resort experience to be tailored around the couple and their guests.
The celebrations can continue beyond the ceremony through candlelit dinners beneath the stars, spa rituals for two, sunset cruises and time spent together across the island. These experiences enable couples to shape the occasion around their preferences, with personal moments unfolding throughout their stay.
“Every couple arrives with a different story and a different vision for their celebration. There is no template here. From intimate ceremonies for two to full-island celebrations with family and friends, our role is to create moments that feel completely personal. That is exactly what our team does. They listen first and then create a ceremony that truly reflects the couple. This award is a testament to the dedication and care they put into making every moment memorable,” said Masdhooq Saeed, Cluster General Manager of Sun Siyam Iru Veli and Sun Siyam Vilu Reef.
The annual TTM Awards & Gala brings together travel professionals and hoteliers to recognise achievements across the Maldivian hospitality industry. Iru Veli’s latest award further strengthens its position among the Maldives’ leading destinations for weddings and romantic escapes.
Action
Chef Jake Norman and Molly O’Donoghue join Niva Dhigali for November programme
Niva Dhigali Maldives will welcome visiting chef Jake Norman and British pickleball champion Molly O’Donoghue for a curated programme of island experiences this November, bringing together dining and active wellbeing in the Maldives.
Norman began his culinary career making pizza in the markets of Guadalajara, Mexico, before working in several London restaurants, including St John, Ottolenghi and Sabor. He now leads the kitchen at Updown Farmhouse in Kent, where his cooking focuses on seasonal ingredients, live-fire techniques and Mediterranean influences.
On 18 November, Norman will host an exclusive dinner at Faru, presenting a menu that combines Mediterranean flavours with influences from Mexico and the Middle East, while incorporating ingredients sourced from the Maldives.
The shared dining experience will feature Indian Ocean produce, grilled dishes and smoky flavours, with a menu designed to reflect the setting and encourage guests to dine at a relaxed pace.
The programme will also include pickleball sessions hosted by British champion Molly O’Donoghue. A national champion in mixed and women’s doubles, as well as a European champion in mixed doubles, O’Donoghue first discovered the sport while studying in Australia. She has since competed internationally and worked to introduce the sport to players around the world.
At Niva Dhigali, O’Donoghue will conduct beginner sessions and advanced coaching, giving guests of different skill levels the opportunity to learn, play and develop their technique.
Located in Raa Atoll, Niva Dhigali Maldives is surrounded by tropical vegetation, a lagoon and the Indian Ocean. The November programme, featuring Norman’s dining experience and O’Donoghue’s pickleball sessions, forms part of the resort’s approach to offering guest experiences centred on food, wellbeing and the island environment.
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