Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Maldives has introduced Sol & Sea.

Perched elegantly above the crystal-clear waters of the Indian Ocean, Sol & Sea is an exclusive overwater dining destination at Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Maldives, offering an intimate culinary journey inspired by the rich coastal traditions of India.

Thoughtfully designed for only 16 guests, this refined dining experience combines uninterrupted sunset views, bespoke service, and the soulful flavours of India’s coastline in a setting defined by understated luxury and island serenity.

At Sol & Sea, the art of the traditional Indian coastal thali is elevated through sophisticated presentation and carefully curated regional flavours. Drawing inspiration from the coastal kitchens of Indian Western Coastline each menu celebrates the richness of Indian spices, the freshness of ocean harvests, and the depth of authentic culinary heritage.

As twilight settles over the lagoon and the horizon glows in hues of gold and amber, guests are invited to savour an immersive dining experience surrounded by the tranquil beauty of the Maldives. Every detail — from the gentle sea breeze and candlelit ambience to the thoughtfully paired flavours — has been designed to create moments of connection, indulgence, and lasting memory.

Elegant, intimate, and destination-led, Sol & Sea offers a distinctive expression of luxury dining where the warmth of Indian hospitality meets the timeless beauty of the ocean.

Experience highlights:

• Exclusive 16-seater overwater dining venue
• Signature Indian Coastal Thali experience (Vegetarian & Non-Vegetarian option)
• Curated sunset dining atmosphere
• Personalised and intimate guest experience
• Ideal for couples, honeymooners, and celebratory occasions
• Elevated luxury dining concept unique to the Maldives

As the sun sets over the Indian Ocean and the evening unfolds beneath the stars, Sol & Sea invites guests to discover a soulful expression of coastal India surrounded by the serenity of the Maldives.

At JOALI Maldives, creativity is not confined to galleries, dining rooms or the architecture of its villas. It appears across the island in different forms: in art installations placed among palms, in design-led spaces that frame the lagoon, in culinary experiences that treat food as a medium of expression, and, during the Eid al-Adha break, in the controlled movement of a piping bag as Pâtissier Karim Bourgi demonstrated how to fill an éclair.

Maldives Insider visited JOALI Maldives during the Eid break, at a time when the resort was hosting Bourgi for an exclusive pastry residency. The programme brought one of the region’s recognised pastry talents to Muravandhoo Island in Raa Atoll, offering guests a closer look at the work behind modern French pastry. Bourgi is the founder of KAYU Bakehouse and recipient of the MENA’s 50 Best Pastry Chef Award 2023, and his residency at JOALI Maldives was designed as more than a guest-chef appearance. It was an invitation into technique, memory, discipline and flavour.

The centrepiece was the Pastry Atelier on 29 May at Vandhoo. Held from 12pm to 1pm, the session was intimate in format and technical in focus. Bourgi guided guests through the artistry of creating a modern French pastry, using the éclair as the point of entry into a wider conversation about structure, texture and control.

The éclair is familiar enough to appear simple. It is also unforgiving. The shell must be light but stable. The filling must have the right consistency. The pastry must be filled evenly without being overworked. In Bourgi’s hands, the process became a study in precision. He showed that filling an éclair is not a final mechanical step, but part of the architecture of the pastry itself.

The demonstration centred on how to fill the éclair properly. Bourgi explained through practice how the angle of the piping bag, the pressure applied, and the timing of each movement determine the result. Too little pressure leaves gaps. Too much can distort the shell. The goal is even distribution, balance and restraint.

For guests, it was a rare opportunity to observe a pastry technique broken down into its essential parts. In a resort environment, dining is often experienced as a finished moment: a plated dessert, a table by the water, a flavour remembered after the meal ends. The atelier reversed that sequence. It brought guests into the making, allowing them to see how a polished dessert depends on repetition, judgment and touch.

This is where the session became especially interesting. It was not theatrical in the obvious sense. There was no need for excess. The theatre came from concentration: the movement of Bourgi’s hands, the pause before applying pressure, the awareness of when the pastry had been filled correctly. The lesson was clear. In pastry, creativity is inseparable from control.

The residency opened on 27 May with the debut of an exclusive dessert at a sundowner reception at Mura Beach. Created for JOALI Maldives, the dessert was inspired by the Maldives and reimagined in the form of an iconic location at the resort. It drew on local ingredients including coconut and mango, layered with citrus notes and hints of vanilla. The programme concluded on 30 May with a High Tea and Dessert Tasting at Mura Bar, pairing a curated tea selection with Bourgi’s signature KAYU pastries and the dessert created for the resort.

Together, the three experiences formed a compact but complete residency: a debut, a masterclass and a tasting. Each offered a different way to encounter Bourgi’s work. The sundowner introduced the creative concept. The atelier revealed the technique. The high tea placed his pastries within a slower tasting format, giving guests time to engage with flavour and form.

The residency also fitted naturally into JOALI Maldives’ wider identity. The resort, located on Muravandhoo Island in Raa Atoll, has built its positioning around the “Joy of Creative Living”. Since opening, JOALI Maldives has stood apart in the Maldivian luxury segment through its art-immersive approach, integrating art, design, gastronomy and island life into the guest journey. Its villas and residences are part of a design narrative, while the island itself functions as a space where guests encounter creative works in open-air settings.

This is not incidental to the guest experience. JOALI Maldives has consistently treated creativity as a pillar of hospitality. The resort has hosted and developed collaborations with artists, designers, culinary figures and creative practitioners, allowing guests to experience the island through different disciplines. Its previous initiatives include the Imagi-Nature Art Festival, held in collaboration with art consultant Tatiana Gecmen-Waldek, as well as a creative collaboration with Studio Pen, the South African design studio known for its playful visual language. The resort has also welcomed culinary artist Marie Yuki Méon for an art-immersive dining experience, extending the idea of creativity into gastronomy.

Seen in that context, Bourgi’s residency was not an isolated Eid activity. It was part of a broader JOALI pattern: bringing creative individuals into the resort environment and allowing their craft to interact with the island. In this case, the medium was pastry.

For the Maldives’ resort industry, such programming reflects a wider shift in luxury hospitality. High-end guests are no longer only seeking accommodation, privacy and dining. They are seeking access — to people, processes, ideas and stories. A visiting chef residency, when executed well, becomes a form of cultural and technical exchange. It gives the guest something to participate in and something to take away beyond the plate.

At the Pastry Atelier, that takeaway was tangible. Guests did not merely taste an éclair; they understood it differently. The session showed why pastry kitchens rely on accuracy, but also why accuracy alone is not enough. The pastry chef must understand the behaviour of each component. The shell, filling and finish must work together. A small change in handling can affect the final texture and presentation.

For hospitality professionals observing the session, it also offered a reminder of the value of culinary storytelling. A dessert can be served beautifully and still remain distant from the guest. But when the guest sees how it is made — when the technique is explained, demonstrated and shared — the dessert gains context. It becomes connected to the person who made it, the place in which it was served and the memory of the experience.

This is particularly relevant in the Maldives, where resorts compete not only through their physical assets, but through the depth of their programming. Culinary residencies, art events, wellness retreats and design-led collaborations are now part of how properties define themselves. The strongest examples are those that feel aligned with the resort’s identity rather than added for effect.

Bourgi’s residency at JOALI Maldives achieved that alignment. The pastry atelier was refined but approachable, technical but engaging. It respected the craft while making it visible to guests. It also reflected JOALI Maldives’ broader commitment to experiences shaped by creativity, whether through art, design or cuisine.

As the session ended, the éclair remained the central lesson. It was a simple form through which Bourgi demonstrated a complex discipline. Filling it properly required care, timing and restraint. In that moment, pastry became a language of precision.

The experience stood out not because it was elaborate, but because it revealed what is often hidden. Behind a polished dessert is a sequence of decisions. Behind a guest experience is planning, craft and collaboration. At JOALI Maldives during Eid, Karim Bourgi brought those elements together, turning a pastry demonstration into a study of hospitality through technique.

Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru invites guests to discover an elevated dining journey at Saffron through an exclusive collaboration with Visiting Guest Chef Tipa, Head of Saffron at Banyan Group, who brings over a decade of culinary experience across Thailand and overseas.

Available from 17 June to 17 July 2026, A Southern Thailand Gastronomic Experience introduces a specially crafted, limited-time menu created exclusively for this one-month culinary collaboration. Designed as an immersive culinary journey at Saffron, the special menu presents a refined introduction of Southern Thailand’s rich culinary heritage through a contemporary lens.

Thoughtfully curated with harmony in taste, texture, and aroma, the menu celebrates Thai distinctive flavours through contemporary cooking techniques rooted in tradition. Signature highlights include Gai Yang Kor Lae, charcoal-grilled chicken served with Southern-style peanut sauce, and Gaeng Kiew Wan Nua, grilled beef tenderloin paired with aromatic green curry sauce.

Chef Tipa will be in residence at Saffron, Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru from 15–19 June, bringing her culinary expertise to the island. Throughout her career, she has played an important role in shaping distinctive restaurant experiences and championing evolving perspectives within Thai cuisine for many Banyan Tree resorts in Southeast Asian region.

Beyond the dining experience, guests may connect more closely with Chef Tipa through two exclusive Thai Cooking Classes on 17 and 18 June. Designed as engaging and hands-on sessions, the classes invite guests to discover authentic techniques and inspirations behind Thai cuisine while creating meaningful moments of cultural discovery.

Saffron, Banyan Tree’s signature Thai restaurant, was introduced to Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru in 2024 as part of the resort’s transformation, bringing a deeper exploration of Asian gastronomy to the island. The restaurant celebrates Thai cuisine through Saffron’s signature touches – from its welcoming hand-washing ritual to curated rice selections through the Rice Master experience – inviting guests into a deeper appreciation of Thai culture and cuisine.

As Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru continues to evolve its guest journey, culinary is an important part of the resort’s transformation. Following its 2024 renovation, the resort expanded its dining experiences to include three restaurants and two bars, creating a variety of flavours and experiences for guests.

A Southern Thailand Gastronomic Experience will be available at Saffron from 17 June to 17 July 2026, with Visiting Guest Chef Tipa at the resort from 15–19 June 2026.

For reservations and enquiries, please visit the resort’s website.