WHAT’S NEW

Kandima Maldives is billed as a contemporary ‘four-star-plus’ lifestyle resort. Owned by Pulse Hotels & Resorts, it offers 274 studios and villas.

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has signed an agreement to manage its first resort in the Maldives. The planned 105-unit resort, Mövenpick Resort & Spa Kuredhivaru Maldives, will be situated on the remote Kuredhivaru Island in Noonu Atoll and contain 33 Beach Villas and 72 Over Water Villas. It is scheduled to open in Q2 2018.

SriLankan Airlines recently started four-times weekly flights between Colombo and Gan on A320s, providing more convenient connections for travellers staying on the southern islands.

Shangri-La Villingili Resort & Spa has launched an all-inclusive Maldives package (running until January 7 2018) priced from $729 per person per night which includes daily buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner for two at Javvu restaurant (or a credit of $90 per person for dinner at Fashala or Dr. Ali restaurants); an unlimited selection of regular beverages and selected cocktails among other benefits.

Baros Maldives’ Wellness Experience for Eid Al-Fitr includes yoga, Balinese massages and Ayurvedic treatments. Rates until July start from US$1,112 per night for two in a Deluxe Villa, exclusive of taxes and service charges.

The Small Maldives Island Company has two resorts under its umbrella, Amilla Sushi and Finolhu, and both aim to “push the boundaries” of your typical unwinding Maldivian holiday.

The Maldives has begun charging a $25 airport development charge from foreign passengers arriving at the main Velana International Airport, according to the Maldives Insider. Only transit passengers and those with diplomatic immunity are exempt from the tax, which will be included by airlines in their fares.