Marriott’s ultra-luxury brand makes its debut in the Maldives with the opening of The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, an archipelago on the north-eastern tip of North Malé Atoll. Like the rest of the Maldives, the area is famous for its untouched white-sand beaches and brilliant azure waters teeming with marine life.
The new property features minimalist architecture, and invites guests to embrace the beru, or ‘circle of island life’. Guest accommodations include 100, one- to three-bedroom villas, either set overwater, or nestled along pristine beach coves, each offering spacious living spaces that blur the line between indoors and outdoors with panoramic sliding doors, a sun deck with a private infinity pool and breathtaking views.
Seven distinct culinary venues strike a balance between high-end dining, beachfront luxury, and wellness-centered menus. Venues include a lantern-inspired overwater space, Summer Pavilion with contemporary Cantonese cuisine; Iwau, an open-air Japanese restaurant with two teppanyaki grills; La Locanda serving espressos in the morning, and aperitifs at sunset; family-friendly Med-inspired Beach Shack offering shared plates and grilled seafoods; Eau Bar offering fresh oysters and caviar while sipping on tableside crafted cocktails, or afternoon tea with a Maldivian twist, where sunset is celebrated each evening with drums and a fire ritual. Two of the resort's venues are located at Fari Marina, and reached by a short eight-minute journey in a dhoni, a traditional wooden fishing boat. Arabesque is a tribute to a traditional Bedouin tent offering flavours from Lebanon to North India; and Tum Tum is a food truck serving light Asian delights.
Activities on the resort feature Maldivian island life and culture, including exciting adventures with Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ambassadors of the Environment Program to connect guests with nature and ocean life, and presented for the first time in Asia-Pacific.
Also offered are a family cooking class, a bike safari around the resort and a "Wonders of Water" ocean mystery program facilitated by one of the program's resident naturalists, and the resort has a dedicated dive centre. Guests can also choose leisurely cruises on traditional dhonis for a chance to encounter dolphins, or swim with turtles and manta rays.
30 activities are aimed at the property’s youngest guests via Ritz Kids.
And, in addition to fitness retreats, the resort also features a comprehensive tennis program, a boduberu drumming class, campfires at the Beach Shack, where the resort's resident expert on the sea, evokes ancient traditions with traditional tales of life on the Maldivian archipelagos.
The Ritz-Carlton Spa offers nine treatment rooms including a spa suite with its own relaxation lounge, a salon and a boutique, with a menu of bespoke spa treatments and healing massages also features a botanical and artisanal body and skincare collection by Bamford.
"The Ritz-Carlton brand creates exceptional experiences inspired by the surrounding locales, with encounters that leave lasting impressions and meaningful memories," said Jennie Toh, Vice President of Brand Marketing and Brand Management, Asia Pacific, Marriott International.
For more information on The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, you can visit www.ritzcarlton.com/Maldives.
