By Rama Gaind.
We are actually happier than usual on holidays, and with the festive season not too far away, many of us are going overseas on vacation this year. Christmas is a time to rejoice with family and friends. Destinations are aplenty, as are the reasons for celebrations.
On Christmas Day, wondrous surprises lie in store as Santa’s sleigh touches down on the shimmering sands of SAii Lagoon Maldives.
Studies show Christmas Day is the happiest day of the year by a considerable margin. One enchanting way to indulge and spread good cheer is to celebrate in the Maldives.
In fact, there are two hotels there offering some amazing specials. Both resorts, just 15 minutes by speedboat from Male, opened in September 2019 as part of Crossroads Maldives.
The Hard Rock Hotel Maldives will ring in the New Year with all things pink for the resort’s first festive season. The SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton, will spread festive cheer and ring in the New Year with exotic celebrations, live entertainment and tropical delicacies
Hard Rock Hotel Maldives is ready to rock ‘n’ roll this Christmas with an array of music-themed festive activities on offer throughout the holiday season. Think pink as the resort decks its halls with rose-coloured decorations, accessories and beverages, inviting guests to complement the theme and dress pretty in pink.
The festivities kick off on 22 December with an Island Food and Wine Fun Fair, where delicacies of the world are combined with fragrant wines from the resort’s cellar to create a bountiful island feast. Guests are invited to adorn a chef’s hat and apron at Sessions and learn the tricks of the trade behind each chef’s live cooking station, featuring an assortment of exotic flavours from Indonesia to Japan, to Saudi Arabia.
Just 15 minutes by speedboat from Male, fun in the sun awaits you at the Hard Rock Hotel Maldives that opened in September 2019 as part of Crossroads Maldives, the first integrated resort destination of the island nation.
On 23 December, little rock stars are invited to rock around the Christmas tree with the resort’s tree lighting ceremony at Octagon Lawn, accompanied by delicious Christmas cookies, fruit punch and heart-warming mulled wine for adult rockers.
On Christmas Eve, families and friends can come together to enjoy Christmas In The Sand at Sessions, a novel dining experience on the peaceful shores of Hard Rock Hotel Maldives. On Christmas Day, jingle all the way to The Elephant and The Butterfly, where rosé and pink hats are aplenty and a pink Christmas brunch like no other awaits.
The festivities resume on 27 December with La Vie en Rosé Fridays; sip rosé, savour seafood, soak in the sunshine and dance to live music throughout the day at The Elephant and The Butterfly. On 29 December, celebrate the delights of the Indian Ocean with a seafood market.
On New Year’s Eve, Hard Rock rings in the New Year with all things pink, where a sumptuous feast at Sessions tickles the tastebuds, and everything from gin, to cocktails, to champagne and beer, are all served in shades of pink. Live entertainment ensues by the beach with Latino band Sugar, followed by renowned acoustic guitarist Luca Stricagnoli.
SAii Lagoon treats
The festive season is all around at SAii Lagoon Maldives, as the resort celebrates its first SAiisational winter with a series of fun-filled activities for guests of all ages. Decorations of blue and silver will echo throughout the resort, bringing festive cheer to the island paradise.
The Hard Rock Hotel Maldives features a collection of music-infused overwater and beachfront villas.
The festivities begin on 22 December, as you join the resort’s chefs to craft and decorate your very own gingerbread house at Miss Olive Oyl. The build-up to Christmas continues on 23 December, when parents, children and couples are invited to enjoy the resort’s SAiisational Tree Lighting, during which fruit punch, cookies and glühwein will be served to the sound of joyous SAiicarollers.
On Christmas Eve, little ones can make their way to Santa’s Wishing Counter at Koimala & Maalimi’s Junior Kids Club and Camp, where Santa’s helpers will be ready to make wishes come true on Christmas Day. Christmas Eve dinner will be served at Miss Olive Oyl.
On Christmas Day, wondrous surprises lie in store as Santa’s sleigh touches down on the shimmering sands of SAii Lagoon Maldives. Guests will be invited to gather around Koimala & Maalimi’s Junior Kids Club and Camp as an exciting morning filled with engaging activities and amusement awaits. At lunchtime, Miss Olive Oyl Pool will host Art Of The Party; a colourful event featuring flamboyant costumes, vibrant artworks and Mediterranean delights alongside live musical entertainment.
SAii reignites the festivities on 27 December with a seafood market at Miss Olive Oyl, showcasing the freshest local catches of the day.
The SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton, also offers a collection of overwater and beachfront villas decorated with artisanal furniture, scattered across a picturesque island paradise.
On New Year’s Eve, guests can enjoy an exotic celebration at One Thousand And One Nights, an evening filled with aromatic flavours, fairy tale lighting and live entertainment. The celebrations continue after dinner in Café del Mar Maldives with a Countdown Party till late.
Whichever venue you choose, the magic of Christmas 2019 should be long remembered … along the lines of what Charles Dickens said:
“Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!”
DETAILS BOX
Hard Rock Hotel Maldives
SAii Lagoon Maldives
About Curio Collection by Hilton
Crossroads Maldives
