The well renowned and prestigious New York based Time Magazine featured Maldives alongside some of the most charming destinations in the world in its recently released list of World’s 100 Greatest Places of 2021. This headline will be highlighted in the TIME Magazine’s August cover story, detailing the latest and most glamorous luxuries that Maldives has to offer. Ranked alongside prominent cities such as Cairo, Tokyo and Paris, Fari Island’s Patina Maldives and Ritz-Carlton Maldives along with Velaa Private Island was highlighted in the article as it showcases the new and exciting experiences that the year has brought to the Maldives. Here is why these islands were specifically talked about: 

The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands.

Located in North Male’ Atoll, The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands opened its doors to welcome visitors on 1st June 2021 and is part of the Fari Islands archipelago featuring three world-renowned brands. The 5-star resort seeks a minimalistic approach to luxury with 100 simple yet awe-strikingly glamorous overwater and beach villas with staggeringly beautiful private infinity pools, making this the picture perfect island getaway. Embracing inspirations from the golden sun and Maldivian local culture, these gorgeous villas offer a variety of villa types, ranging from one bedroom to three bedrooms, ensures that all types of guests are considered and comfortable and this relaxation is elevated through the world-class, legendary service that The Ritz-Carlton brand boasts with the island’s distinguished ‘Aris Meeha’. 

Being one of the gems of the Fari Islands archipelago, guests that visit The Ritz-Carlton Maldives have access to the magnificent Fari Marina, the social hub of the community. The Marina is built around the ever so vibrant Fari Beach Club with high-end boutiques, art studio, Fari Lagoon Coral Adoption & Marine Biology Centre and a selection of refined, upscale restaurants. Its refreshing scene of cultural extravagance, balancing cosmopolitan glory and a spiritual, carefree island spirit, makes it one of the most unique destinations in the country. Within The Ritz-Carlton Maldives resort, they also offer a choice of astounding culinary experiences where a long list of international and local cuisines meet along with several recreational activities and services and most significantly, the captivating Ritz-Carlton Spa, sat right above the bluest of lagoons. 

Patina Maldives, Fari Islands. 

Similar to The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Patina Maldives is perched atop the turquoise lagoons of North Male’ Atoll and is conjoined to the island archipelago that makes up Fari Islands. Patina Maldives brings to you one of the most unique experiences with their 90 contemporary one to three bedroom Beach and Water Pool Villas along with 20 Fari Studio Villas, completely accentuating the resort’s distinctive and radiant character. This island offers guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in a completely new expression of island life through their tailor-made wellness journeys, interactive music programmes, the most captivating culinary experiences and more. Art and communal togetherness is at the heart of everything Patina stands for and this is especially reflected in the extraordinary James Turrell Skyspace Pavillion and the embracement of the vibrant social scene of the Fari Marina Village and Fari Beach Club. 

This luxurious island opened in May 2021 also stays in line with their goal to establish a more sustainable and environmentally friendly Earth with their advance towards addressing waste in its supply chain and boosting their guests’ health through the introduction of several elegant, plant-based restaurants and most notably became the first resort in the Maldives to create a kids’ club, recreation and dive centres that are 100% solar-powered. This ensures that guests are empowered with ways to make a difference and leave the island with a fresh outlook on ways to reduce their own carbon footprint. 

Velaa Private Island

Perched in the depths of the emerald islands of Noonu Atoll, Velaa Private Island takes exclusivity to new heights with the blend of the classy elegance exuded by Maldivian culture and Post-Modern extravagance of contemporary luxury, courtesy of the ingenious abilities of famed and award-winning Czceh architect, Petr Kolar. Velaa Island, directly translating to ‘Turtle Island’ in Dhivehi, the local language, was named as such due to the generations of sea turtles that gather on the magnificent beaches to lay their eggs. This glorious creature is honored by the island as they built the over-water villas shaped together to form the head of a turtle while the island acts as the body. This meaningful and beautifully exuberant detail can be viewed from the seaplane as guests arrive onto the island. 

This resort is home to 47 villas, houses and exclusive residences with 18 of the villas being over-water. The irresistible and charming Romantic Pool Residence sits separate from the island and can only be reached by boat, maximising privacy and serendipitous seclusion away from reality. They also take the course of environmentally-friendly progression very seriously with their initiative of bringing forth the most extensive coral regeneration project in the Maldives. 

These new ventures into curating diverse varieties of island vacation experiences put Maldives on the TIME’s list as a front-runner in island luxury. This was also due to the fact that Maldives came out of the pandemic high and running as it was the first country to offer quarantine-free stays for anyone that has been fully vaccinated. The health and safety of visitors are highly regarded as the country also has plans to offer vaccines to tourists on arrival, once all residents have had the opportunity to receive their full dosage. The Maldives is a magical and futuristic location that couples classic simplicity of island living with contemporary trends and sustainable ventures. Truly the face of the future of tourism.