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LUX* South Ari Atoll announces spiritual retreat
With the motto of reinventing health and wellbeing, LUX* South Ari Atoll Resort & Villas has announced their upcoming wellness retreat – Spirit of the Sea – in collaboration with Lee Wellness.
During this three-day experience, energy healing practitioners will guide you through a spiritual journey to help you understand energy healing and balancing techniques.
The retreat is designed in a way that each individual attending the session feels valued and energised from their minds, heals from within and is inspired, at the same time.
The Spirit of the Sea retreat is based on the element of ‘water’, and what better location than the stunning and relaxing LUX* South Ari Atoll Resort & Villas to experience an energy shifting experience.
Past attendees have had profound and powerful experiences through retreats curated by Lee Wellness.
The Spirit of the Sea retreat promises healing of the body and mind from trauma, anxiety, emotional distress and limiting beliefs in a safe space that is indulgent and will relax you.
The attendees can benefit from ‘unlimited’ private energy healing sessions, a benefit that is not offered in any other wellness retreat, which also ensures that attendees get the maximum benefits out of their participation.
The highlights of this retreat include, getting to know your chakras, psychic supper, live stories around a bond fire, psychometry, learning about good crystals to promote productivity and focus, learning intuitive eating, clairvoyant evening, yoga and meditation, past lives and Akashic records, tradition-al healing with Reiki, quantum jumping at Jungle Gym, a powerful gratitude and healing circle and unlimited private energy healing sessions.
Attendees will also learn about energy from a scientific perspective, how to open and use their intuition, how to release fears and limiting beliefs, how to work with energy from a quantum physics perspective and how to imbibe it into their daily lives to become more abundant, happier and bring mental peace and physical harmony.
Lee Wellness is a Dubai based wellness centre that teaches, inspires and practices meditation, energy healing and balancing techniques. It is a space created out of Passion and Ingenuity by world renowned energy healer Lee Whyberd. Most of the energy techniques practiced at Lee Wellness are based on metaphysics and quantum physics.
Several ancient methods and practices re-incarnated from ancient civilisations of Egypt, India and other countries in the world are practiced and will be implemented in The Spirit of the Sea retreat as well.
Lee Wellness’ experienced practitioners will guide you through this spiritual retreat to bring about peace within yourself so that you get the true potential of being abundant, successful and living healthy, fulfilling lives.
Lee Wellness in association with ‘Happy UAE’ is also part of the School of Life podcast focused on happiness and well-being, which is an initiative that is part of UAE’s National Wellbeing Strategy 2031.
Get keen on green with your breakfast, lunch and dinner, as part of the retreat, with a choice of vegan and vegetarian menu.
The Lux Collective’s Keen on Green concept offers a range of plant-based cuisine incorporated into the à la carte menus of every restaurant.
Highlighted by a Keen on Green logo, these veggie-driven, plant-based dishes feature a calorie count. A set of guidelines and standards are drawn up to prioritise healthier cooking methods such as steaming, baking, grill-ing, slow cooking at low temperature and pressure cooking. Wherever possible, raw methods of food preparation are favoured over cooking.
Additionally, you get one complimentary spa treatment at the multi-award-winning LUX* Me Spa, seaplane roundtrip transfers, arrival PCR Test at the LUX* Lounge and much more, as part of this retreat.
- Booking window: Till July 20
- Booking link: www.luxresorts.com/en/maldives/hotel/luxsouthariatoll
- Booking code: spiritofsea
- Retreat dates: July 27-29
For more information, visit www.luxresort.com. To make a reservation, email at STAY@luxmaldivesresort.com.
Easter celebrations have been taking place at Amilla Maldives, centred around the presence of Paddy the Travelling Bear, who has featured in a series of activities designed for families and younger guests.
The programme began on 1 April and continues until 12 April. Throughout this period, Paddy has appeared daily across the island, leading activities such as Easter egg hunts, treasure trails and creative sessions held in various outdoor settings. The character has provided continuity across the programme, with families engaging in scheduled activities over the course of the celebration.
Additional elements, including themed poolside activities and mermaid experiences, have been incorporated into the programme, offering interactive experiences for younger guests.
A key event was held on 5 April, when a character known as Bunny arrived on the island by jet ski and joined Paddy for a series of activities. The event brought together guests for a shared Easter celebration.
The programme has been structured to include a mix of workshops, cultural activities and evening gatherings. Activities will continue until 12 April as part of the resort’s Easter programme.
The Indian Ocean provides consistent surf conditions throughout the year, but each September, Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa hosts the Surfing Champions Trophy at the Sultans break. The event is scheduled to return from 4 to 11 September 2026, bringing together professional surfers, guests and spectators.
Now in its 14th edition, the Surfing Champions Trophy is an invitation-only event featuring professional surfers competing across three board disciplines: single fin, twin fin and thruster. The competition takes place at Sultans, a reef break in North Malé Atoll, with Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa serving as the base for participants, officials and attending guests.
The line-up for the 2026 edition will be announced in stages in the coming months.
The event was first held in 2011, with Mark Occhilupo winning all three divisions and the Grand Champions Final. Since then, previous winners have included Damien Hardman (2012), Taylor Knox (2013), Dave Rastovich (2014), Shane Dorian (2015), Taj Burrow (2016, 2017 and 2024), Josh Kerr (2018 and 2019), Kelly Slater (2022), and Joel Parkinson (2023).
Over the years, the competition has also featured a range of international surfers, including Carissa Moore, Maya Gabeira, Tom Curren, Rob Machado, Layne Beachley, Bethany Hamilton, Mikey February, Jeremy Flores and Jadson Andre.
The 2025 edition saw Tahitian surfer Michel Bourez secure victory despite sustaining a hamstring injury during the event. He won both the thruster division and the Grand Champions Final, achieving the only perfect score of the competition in the closing moments of the final. Other participants included Owen Wright, Jesse Mendes, Craig Anderson and Maldivian wildcard Ismail Rasheed.
In parallel with the event, the resort offers the “Surf’s Up” package, which includes coaching sessions with Tropicsurf professionals, guided surf trips, daily yoga sessions, spa treatments, and accommodation with transfers. The package is available to guests seeking to participate in surf-related activities during the event period.
Updates on the 2026 competition, including participant announcements, will be released through official channels of the Surfing Champions Trophy and Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa.
JOALI has announced a partnership with retired footballer Fara Williams, who will visit JOALI Maldives and JOALI BEING this April to lead a series of football-related activities for guests and the local community.
Fara Williams is among the most capped players in English football history, with 172 international appearances for the England women’s national team. Over the course of her career, she represented clubs including Chelsea and Charlton Athletic, and captained Everton to victory in the Premier League Cup in 2008 and the FA Women’s Cup in 2010.
As part of the initiative, Williams will host a football workshop for girls from Dhuvaafaru Island on 11 April 2026. The session is intended to support the development of women’s football in the Maldives and reflects JOALI’s engagement with communities in Raa Atoll.
In addition, family-focused football sessions will be held for resort guests on 13 April at JOALI Maldives and on 17 April at JOALI BEING. These sessions will provide children and families with the opportunity to participate in football activities guided by Williams.
JOALI Maldives offers villas starting from USD 3,256 per night for two guests sharing a Water Villa with Pool on a bed and breakfast basis. At JOALI BEING, villas start from USD 3,162 per night for two guests sharing an Ocean Pool Villa on a bed and breakfast basis.
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