Christmas is almost upon us and resorts across the Maldives are preparing to celebrate the festive period with a host of special activities, culinary treats and celebrity guests.
Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa is offering a full programme of activities for kids, including movie nights, Christmas crafts and cards, and learning how to make pizzas and mocktails. It will all be topped off with the grand arrival of Santa Claus himself on 24 December.
Adults can enjoy special excursions and spa indulgences while the kids play. The resort’s culinary team is also busy preparing “a celebration of festive gastronomy” with plenty of champagne and three major festive dinners.
An adults-only retreat managed by Thailand’s leading hotel operator, Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa is planning a “Candy Cane Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses” event as a whimsical experience for couples and honeymooners.
Other special treats during the period include a Maldivian seafood barbecue, performances by the Cuban trio 2 Clave, an Arabian Shisha Night, and a 120-minute spa journey featuring “enchanting SPA Cenvaree rituals with body contour wrap or scrub, milk bath enjoyed with sparkling wine, aromatherapy massage, and spa gift set.”
The sister property of Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa meanwhile offers activities with appeal to both couples and families, including diving in the house reef with a sunken shipwreck as well as Christmas-themed feasts and complimentary wellness activities.
Daily activities for children include origami art, making handmade greeting cards, and baking cookies for Santa and his reindeers. Adults are sure to enjoy performances by New Delhi’s foremost electronic dance DJ and producer DJ SRV.
Over at the 2021 TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Award winner Iti Maafushivaru, Clarita de Quiroz – an award-winning singer, model and pianist – is in town to provide live entertainment to complement culinary offerings and special events.
The resort is planning to kick off Christmas with a gala bubble party at the beach. Santa’s arrival at the Water Bar with gifts to delight kids will be followed by a party with DJ Simon to cap off Christmas Eve. DJ Simon will also throw a New Year’s party for all guests to welcome 2022.
British pop star Pixie Lott is the headline act for Amilla Maldives Resort and Residence’s New Year’s Eve show. Three weeks of “thrills and entertainment” at the resort kicks off with the unveiling of a massive hand-decorated Gingerbread House followed by a Children’s Fashion Show, which will feature kids strutting the catwalk in sustainable clothing and accessories they made during Kids’ Club sessions.
Dutch superstar footballer Arjen Robben will teach key skills to aspiring youngsters at a five-day camp as LUX tennis resident pro Ryan Brough hosts the Amilla Cup Tennis Tournament.
Maldivian DJ Tappu will kick off the New Year’s Eve show with local group Limestone Band as warm up acts for Pixie Lot and Russian DJ Alex Fresh, who will count down the last seconds of 2021 before a fireworks display.
Amilla will also celebrate Russian Orthodox Christmas with Russian pop star Dima Bilan performing on 6 January supported by his band and DJ Alex Fresh.
