News
Kuda Villingili Resort wins Best Wellness Resort title at Global Wellness Day 2024
Kuda Villingili Resort, Maldives has announced its victory in the Best Wellness Resort competition held during Global Wellness Day 2024. The highly anticipated event, endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism and sponsored by COSMERC, took place on June 8, 2024. This accolade is a testament to Kuda Villingili’s commitment to wellness and its innovative approach to embracing nature.
The competition saw participation from 73 resorts, with 15 finalists presenting their celebrations to a panel of esteemed judges. The judges included industry experts and representatives from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Tourism. The evaluation criteria focused on the event’s outline, relevance to the #MAGENTANATURE theme, activity engagement, guest interaction, and the quality of event documentation through videos and photos.
Kuda Villingili Resort Maldives’ Global Wellness Day 2024 celebrations embodied the theme “Living in Harmony with Nature,” inviting guests and ambassadors to reconnect with the natural world. The three-day programme, from June 8 to June 10, offered a variety of activities designed to enhance physical and mental well-being while fostering a deep connection with nature.
The celebrations began at sunrise on June 8 with a beach yoga session, allowing guests and ambassadors to breathe in the ocean air and soak in the morning sun. This was followed by healthy drinks and an elevated organic breakfast buffet at The Restaurant. Guests and ambassadors participated in an immersive nature walk, learning about the island’s flora and its benefits to both humans and the environment. From hugging a banyan tree to estimate its age and discussing the many spiritual beliefs in different cultures related to the banyan tree to drinking freshly picked coconut from the island’s many coconut palms, the nature walk was a major highlight. The walk concluded with tree planting at Thundi Beach, which commemorated GWD 2024. A total of 8 different trees were planted, including a waterapple (Jamburoalu), beach heliotrope (Boashi gas), frangipani (Gulchampaa), iron wood (Kuredhi) and beach gardenia (Uni gas)making the already green paths of Kuda Villingili even more lush and soothing.
The spa team instructed guests and ambassadors on how to prepare Maldivian scrubs and talked about the advantages of using ocean water, coconut oil, and natural herbs in traditional Maldivian medicine. The fitness team hosted an outdoor fitness bootcamp, and expert yogis led outdoor yoga sessions. For children, the Kuda Fiyo Kids Club offered well-being walks, nature scavenger hunts, mini-Olympics, and nature-inspired arts and crafts.
Dr. Jayantha Karunarathne, Senior Medical Officer, Wellness Speaker, and Wellness Coach, praised Kuda Villingili’s efforts: “The team at Kuda Villingili truly embodied the concept of ‘Living in Harmony with Nature.’ Their impressive dedication and innovative approach set them apart, making them well-deserved winners of this competition. I look forward to seeing their continued success in the 2025 Global Wellness Day Best Resort event.”
Kuda Villingili Resort Maldives takes pride in this recognition and remains committed to delivering exceptional wellness experiences for both its guests and ambassadors. Following this win, the Kuda Villingili Resort celebrated with a barefoot walking marathon for the ambassadors and a special dinner, lifting the team’s spirits and emphasising the importance of a healthy ambassadors team that diligently serves and delivers its guests with exceptional, high-quality, luxury service. This award underscores the resort’s commitment to sustainable luxury and holistic well-being and also motivates it to further enhance and establish more wellness services and facilities on its sunny shores.
News
Versa Hospitality unveils Versa Keys rewards programme for guests
Maldivian-owned group Versa Hospitality on Wednesday announced the launch of Versa Keys: a tiered loyalty programme designed to reward guests for their curiosity, loyalty and time spent across the group’s growing collection of destinations worldwide.
Versa Keys introduces a membership structure based on nights stayed, with four tiers–Member, Silver, Gold and Platinum–each unlocking a progressively richer range of benefits across all Versa Collection and Niva properties globally. The programme launches across all locations on 1 October 2026 and is central to Versa’s ambition to deepen guest relationships as the group continues to expand internationally. Each new destination will be fully integrated into the programme on opening, meaning members’ nights and benefits travel with them wherever Versa goes next.
Visha Mahir, CEO, Versa Hospitality, says: “Versa Keys reflects everything we believe travel should be. It rewards the moments that matter–the time guests invest, the experiences they seek out and the memories they leave with.As we grow, the programme grows with them: every stay across every destination counts, and every tier unlocks something more meaningful.”
A programme that grows with guests
Unlocking a lifetime of rewards with Versa Keys is easy. Simply stay across the Versa Hospitality portfolio to accumulate nights and unlock benefits, redeemable at any of Versa properties.
The four tiers are structured as follows:
- Member | 1-6 nights: Membership begins automatically from the moment you check in for the first time.
- Silver | 7+ nights: Receive enhanced arrival privileges, early check-in (subject to availability) and discounts on food and beverages, spa and excursions and laundry services.
- Gold | 48+ nights: Gold members unlock a curated experience for two once per stay, a guaranteed late check-out until 4pm and an additional 5% discount on top of Silver benefits across food, beverages, spa and excursions.
- Platinum | 84+ nights: The programme’s highest tier builds on everything Gold offers. Platinum members enjoy increased discounts on food, beverages, spa and excursions–an additional 5-10% on top of Gold–plus discounts on in-villa dining and minibar and a guaranteed late check-out extended to 6pm.
Simple to join, effortless to use
Guests are automatically enrolled from their first stay and nights accumulate naturally across all group properties. Resort teams are on hand throughout each stay to highlight earning opportunities, guide guests through their benefits and ensure the programme adds value at every touchpoint.
Versa Hospitality is the evolution of Universal Resorts–the pioneering force behind over 50 years of Maldivian hospitality. Today, Versa carries that legacy forward, shaping extraordinary destinations across the Indian Ocean and beyond.
The Versa portfolio is defined by two distinct yet complementary divisions: the lifestyle-led brand Niva, uniting six properties in the Maldives and Seychelles, and a curated collection of acclaimed resorts including Huvafen Fushi, Milaidhoo and Baros.
Action
Mason Ho confirmed for 2026 Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy
There are surfers who follow a game plan. And then there’s Mason Ho. A blend of style icon, surfing heritage and technical standout, Ho has built a career doing things his own way, usually at full speed, often upside down and regularly pushing the limits of performance across challenging reef breaks and unconventional equipment.
This is exactly why the Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy feels like a natural fit.
For Ho, part of the appeal lies in the opportunity to surf through different eras of the sport – an event where adaptability matters as much as performance, where board choice can shape a heat, and where surfers are recognised not only for power but for style, flow and reading the moment.
From unlikely barrels to impossible lines, few surfers in the modern era have built a career on instinct in quite the same way. Whether riding single fins, twins, thrusters or something less conventional, Ho approaches surfing less as a fixed discipline and more as an open-ended exploration, a quality that continues to define his style and his impact on the sport.
“I try to approach it like I’m living in another time,” says Ho. “If it’s single fin day, I think about guys like Michael Peterson, my dad and Uncle D. Then when it’s twin fin day, I start thinking about MR and all the stories my dad used to tell me. That’s what makes this event so unique. You get to step into different eras of surfing throughout the week.”

Hosted by Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa, the invitation-only event brings together six of surfing’s most celebrated athletes to compete across three iconic board divisions: single fin, twin fin and thruster. Set against the clean, high-performance walls of Sultans, the format rewards adaptability as much as power, style as much as strategy, and timing as much as talent.
“Mason brings a completely unique energy to this event,” says Mark Winson, Event Director. “You genuinely never know what he’s going to do next – whether it’s on a wave, on a board, or in the channel between heats. But underneath all of that personality is one of the most naturally gifted surfers on the planet.”
Ho, who returns for his second Surfing Champions Trophy appearance, said the experience of competing in the event once before has only increased his anticipation for 2026.
“Last time I didn’t really know what to expect,” he says. “This year I’ve got a slight clue, which makes me even more excited to come back healthy. The waves have been super fun the last few years, the resort is amazing and there’s always a really cool crew around. I can’t wait to get back out there.”
Mason joins Kai Lenny as the first two athletes announced for this year’s event. The remaining 2026 competitor line-up will be revealed in the coming weeks, with updates shared across surfingchampionstrophy.com and Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa channels.

Where Champs Come to Surf
First staged in 2011, the Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy has become one of surfing’s most distinctive invitation-only events, bringing six celebrated athletes to Sultans to compete across single fin, twin fin and thruster divisions. Past names include Mark Occhilupo, Taj Burrow, Josh Kerr, Kelly Slater, Joel Parkinson, Michel Bourez, Carissa Moore, Maya Gabeira and more. After Bourez’s dramatic 2025 win, complete with a comeback from injury and the event’s only perfect 10, this edition has plenty to live up to. With Kai Lenny and Mason Ho now confirmed, it is already shaping up to be beautifully unpredictable.
The Garden-Island Base at Kuda Huraa
Just 25 minutes by speedboat from Malé, Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa gives the event its warm, garden-island base, with easy access to North Malé Atoll’s best breaks and a longstanding collaboration with Tropicsurf. Between heats at Sultans, guests can expect post-surf stories, recovery rituals, sunset gatherings and the rare chance to swap board talk with world champions in boardshorts. Serious surfing, very unserious tan lines.
To reserve a stay during the 2026 Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy and enquire about the Surf’s Up package, contact reservations.mal@fourseasons.com or call +960 66 00 888.
Family
Four Seasons Maldives expands focus on prenatal wellness and couples’ retreats
Four Seasons Resorts Maldives has been highlighted as a key destination in Four Seasons’ latest collection of babymoon experiences across Asia, offering a range of wellness, relaxation and personalised treatments designed for expectant parents.
The initiative brings together experiences across the company’s resorts in Asia, with Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa and Four Seasons Private Island Maldives at Voavah featured prominently for their focus on prenatal wellbeing and holistic wellness.
At Landaa Giraavaru, the resort’s AyurMa wellness centre offers programmes rooted in Ayurvedic principles, yoga therapy and naturopathy. Treatments are designed to promote relaxation and wellbeing through personalised wellness plans tailored to individual needs.
Meanwhile, Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa offers wellness journeys beginning with a naturopathic consultation at ŪRJĀ. Expectant parents can access customised experiences including sound healing, breathwork and mineral-based facial treatments.
For guests seeking a more private retreat, Four Seasons Private Island Maldives at Voavah offers exclusive-use accommodation and bespoke wellness experiences. Among the offerings is the Ocean of Consciousness Experience, which combines meditation, exfoliation, massage and breathwork in a treatment designed to encourage relaxation and mindfulness.
According to Four Seasons, the growing demand for babymoon travel reflects a desire among expectant parents to take time away from daily routines before welcoming a new child. The company said its resorts across Asia are focusing on wellness, mindfulness and meaningful experiences that allow couples to reconnect and prepare for parenthood.
Beyond spa and wellness programmes, the Maldives properties also provide opportunities for guests to enjoy private dining experiences, personalised services and uninterrupted time together in secluded island settings.
The Maldives resorts form part of a broader Four Seasons Asia collection that includes destinations in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Palau. The collection combines wellness treatments, culinary experiences and cultural activities designed to help couples slow down and create lasting memories before the arrival of their child.
“Together, Four Seasons Resorts of Asia redefine the babymoon as more than a getaway — it is a purposeful pause,” the company said in a statement. “In a world of constant connectivity, these experiences offer the rare luxury of being fully present, allowing expectant parents to reconnect, restore, and step into parenthood with intention.”
-
News1 week agoTwo islands, one wellness journey: Coco Collection launches restorative retreat
-
Excursions1 week agoAnantara Maldives celebrates 10,000 coral milestone with Dr Oriana Migliaccio
-
News1 week agoNH Maldives Kuda Rah celebrates World Ocean Day through hands-on marine conservation
-
News1 week agoFrom Barefoot Luxury to Bare Luxury: Soneva charts a new chapter
-
Action1 week agoSun Siyam Iru Veli expands reef restoration efforts with new coral planting programme
-
News1 week agoFour Seasons Maldives brings sporting legends and explorers together for summer programme
-
Awards1 week agoHuvafen Fushi becomes Maldives’ only Condé Nast Traveller Triple Crown property
-
News1 week agoGrand Park Kodhipparu celebrates nine years of memorable island experiences


