Viceroy Hotel Group announced today that the company will unveil the newest addition to its growing Viceroy Hotels and Resorts collection with the December 2010 opening of Viceroy Maldives.  The property is being developed by Maldives-based, luxury hotel developer, EoN Resorts (EoN), in partnership with Mubadala Development Company (‘Mubadala’).

Set on the pristine, crescent-shaped island of Vagaru, located in the Shaviyani Atoll, in the heart of the Indian Ocean, Viceroy Maldives will be the first Viceroy to open outside of the Americas in late 2010.  The property will feature 61 luxury villas, situated for maximum privacy both over the crystalline water as well as on the white sand beaches that ring the 17-acre island.

The villas – amongst the largest of the Maldives resorts – will boast from 1,345 to 3,300 square feet of indoor space, with generous outdoor private areas, all including plunge pools.  The resort will also offer five unique food and beverage outlets, a spacious over-water spa and fitness center, a signature pool and pool deck and a full-service dive and watersports activities center allowing Viceroy guests to take advantage of the world-class diving, fishing and snorkeling available in the resort’s house reef and beyond.

Viceroy Maldives Website: www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/maldives/

Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, will open Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa, Maldives, the first luxury resort south of the equator in the Maldives, on 26 July 2009. The resort will offer guests a stylish experience in a spacious, boutique-style environment. Located on Addu Atoll, the resort will encompass over six kilometres of coastline and nearly two kilometres of breathtaking white sandy beach.

First-time visitors and Maldives aficionados will be rewarded with a distinctive new experience of the archipelago. The natural dense vegetation sets it apart from many other resorts in the Maldives. The three-kilometre- long island features 12 hectares of lush vegetation, 17,000 coconut trees and 45 species of plants. The island has over six kilometres of coastline and three natural freshwater lagoons, naturally tinged red, green or blue. Guests will be able to enjoy walking trails, prodigious wildlife, and a plethora of underwater discoveries.

The unique Shangri-La hospitality envelops guests as they disembark from their international flight at Male airport. Guests are then escorted by the Shangri-La host into the relaxing domestic airport lounge before taking the connecting flight to Addu Atoll. As air-conditioned domestic flights from Male to Gan International Airport operate round the clock, guests no longer need to waste their vacation time due to the limited operation of seaplanes, which are required to access other resorts. The resort is just an eight-minute boat ride away from Gan, and is also accessible by private jet which can land at the newest Gan International Airport.

The resort will comprise 142 spacious stand-alone villas, from private ocean retreats to tropical luxury tree house villas with panoramic views. All villas will feature both an indoor and outdoor shower, a private terrace leading to the beach and either a waterfront or lush garden. Each villa will be equipped with two iPods and docking stations, a DVD player and an espresso machine. The villas will be a minimum of 133 square metres in size, while the two presidential villas will measure up to 957 square metres each.

The resort will feature 16 luxury tree house villas, a first for the Maldives, perched on stilts offering a special three-metre high perspective of the island through tropical foliage. The tree house villas, with separate bedroom and living room, will measure 218 square metres, each with its own private infinity pool.

Other distinct villa options available to guests will be the water villas with terraces and outdoor showers extending over the clear ocean water; beach villas with separate bedroom and living room, connected by a wooden deck to a private infinity pool; twin beach villas, comprising two bedrooms and an infinity pool; and water pool villas. Two presidential villas will also be available for guests who prefer to indulge in ultimate luxury and exclusivity, one of which is constructed over water and featuring a 96 square metre private pool.

CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La — Shangri-La’s signature spa brand inspired by the legend of Shangri-La in the Lost Horizon novel – will offer treatments, therapies and well-being programmes based on Chinese, Himalayan and Asian healing rituals and traditions from across the region as well as “Kandu Boli” experience, unique indigenous treatments inspired by the cowrie shell and other natural treasures found in the Maldives. CHI will be located in its own spa village in the resort, with spacious individual treatment villas, offering “spa within a spa” privacy and luxury. Ocean views and enchanting gardens will make this secluded sanctuary a haven of healing power and deep calm for guests.

In addition to long stretches of fine white sand beach, the natural lush vegetation of the island features a nature trail for guests who are keen to explore. To discover the fascinating lifestyle and culture of untouched Maldivian villages, guests can simply take a short boat ride to neighbouring islands. International diving enthusiasts are already familiar with the island’s colourful coral reef and the dramatic 140-metre shipwreck of the British ship Loyalty, which is located within a half-hour boat ride from Villingili Island.

To preserve the vegetation, Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa, Maldives has been constructed around large trees, including some towering old banyan trees. Underwater work and detailed marine surveys have been carried out to ensure the preservation of coral.

Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa, Maldives will provide a selection of bars and restaurants. The Khazaanaage Restaurant, meaning House of Treasure in Dhivehi, is inspired by Ibn Battuda, will serve cuisine from the regions he travelled to, including the Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean and South China Sea. Dishes with enchanting flavours will be created using spices and herbs from the chef’s organic garden. International culinary experiences at the Javvu Restaurant will provide guests with further variety.

In the heart of the natural island is a 30,000-square-metre Village Centre. The centre will encompass an eco-centre and a water sports centre featuring surfing, scuba diving, snorkelling and a variety of non-motorised water activities. The Village Centre will also include a free-form pool, two tennis courts, a dedicated indoor and outdoor area for children, boutiques and an entertainment centre. A medical clinic with international doctors and decompression chamber, fully-equipped to deal with diving-related disorders will provide medical services for guests. The resort’s salon will also offer wedding gowns and wedding ceremonies for couples who are swept off their feet by the natural beauty and mesmerizing experience at the Shangri-La Villingili Resort and Spa, Maldives.

When you stay at Soneva Resorts Maldives you know that you are in harmony with the environment and the local community. Not only are you in tune with our Six Senses SLOW LIFE philosophy: Sustainable – Local – Organic – Wholesome Learning – Inspiring – Fun – Experiences, now you also have the opportunity to join us in our special projects.

Soneva Resorts Maldives have designated the period from 01 June – 22 December 2009 as its Six Senses Social Season, during which guests are offered the opportunity to give a little of themselves to the Maldivian community in return for an extended stay at Soneva Resorts Maldives.

The programmes offer activities such as teaching at local schools, hospital volunteer work, assisting with the waste-to-wealth projects, working on local farms or any other project ideas which the resort would be delighted to support based on the guests individual profession and expertise. The guests’ participation will not only help the local community but will also provide them with a greater understanding of the traditions and challenges of the local culture, resulting in a mutually beneficial and enriching experience for all.

The Offer:

STAY FOR 14 NIGHTS AS A PAYING GUEST AND get 14 MORE COMPLIMENTARY NIGHTS!
In return you participate for a total of 4 days in one of our community projects.
Validity period: 01 June – 22 December 2009

Terms & Conditions:

• Valid for stays booked directly with the Resort or via third party.
• For the total of a consecutive 4 weeks stay, the guests have to do 4 days community work, either on individual days or consecutively.
• Bookings need to be made with a minimum lead time of 3 months to allow a tailor-made program.14 nights complimentary includes accommodation ONLY.

Tourist resort chain Club-Med has dropped the prices of their products in Maldives, Malaysia and Phuket, to avoid possible adverse affects the global financial crisis may have on tourism.

The Club-Med marketing office in Bangkok, says that a lot of people are purchasing their holiday products, as they are offering special discounts for the first 100 customers to their new holiday packages.

Although only Maldives, Malaysia and Phuket participated in the package, it now appears that Club-Med resorts in cities such as Bali have also expressed interest in joining the package.

Speaking from Club-Med Kanifinolhu Resort in Maldives, Abdul Samadh told Miadhu News that the resort is performing well this year, and that they expect it to remain so until May.

Experience tourism investors say that, the Club-Med resort lowering their package prices despite being one of the earliest international chains to be established it Maldives, indicates the possible obstacles that the tourism sector might face this year.

Source: Miadhu News

COLOMBO (AFP) – The Indian Ocean island of the Maldives plans to open 11 new islands to foreign investors to develop upmarket tourist resorts, an official said Wednesday.

The new resorts, some to be built on reclaimed land, will add to the 33 resorts islands currently under development, the island’s Planning Ministry executive director Mohamed Shareef told AFP by telephone.

“The government wants to build resorts on the outskirts of some of the highly populated islands, to bring tourism development closer to the local communities,” Shareef said.

Potential investors also win the right to 100 hectares of coral reef, from which they can reclaim up to 15 hectares for additional resort land.

Shareef said the concept aimed to create jobs for local communities, allowing them to commute daily to work. Expatriate workers from Asia and Europe currently take up over half of the jobs on each resort.

Tenders for the new “resort reef” islands are expected to be announced in the coming weeks, Shareef said.

In 2006, President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s government leased 35 islands to foreign and local investors for resort development. Only two of those are currently in operation.

The government is also building 10 new regional airports to compliment the booming resort development and allow locals to commute quickly between the chain of 1,192 islands.

About 700 kilometres (435 miles) southwest of Sri Lanka, Maldives is a magnet for upmarket tourists, where guests pay up to 14,500 dollars a night to scuba dive and sleep in wooden cabins built over turquoise blue waters.

Tourism accounts for over a third of Maldives’ economy of just under a billion dollars.

It has enabled the nation of 369,000 people, mainly Sunni Muslims, to emerge as the richest in South Asia, with a per capita income of 3,400 dollars.