Dubai, UAE-: It’s almost time to travel for the holiday season! Escape the hustle-bustle of city life and celebrate a blissful Christmas and New Year’s Eve with loved ones, surrounded by azure blue waters at Patina Maldives, Fari Islands. The resort has planned an exciting line-up of memorable festive experiences for all age groups including sandbank dining, family movie nights, tennis tournaments and fun workshops.
The celebrations will begin on 20th December with a glittering Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Fari Marina Village, the resort’s vibrant communal space. Guests can sing along to their favourite carols, play carnival games and also enjoy cocktails. On Christmas Eve, Helios, the hotel’s Aegean restaurant, will be serving canapés and bubbly, along with a scrumptious buffet on the beach. While on Christmas Day, Veli Bar and Portico will offer the ultimate family brunch featuring international favourites and Christmas specialities. Santa Claus will arrive at Fari Beach Club and meet little ones, as Christmas snacks circulate alongside live entertainment.
During the festive season, the resort will offer exclusive pairing dinners for gastronomes including an Italian degustation dinner at the resort’s European bistro Farine and Saké tasting at KŌEN with a theatrical marriage between Japanese and Nordic cuisine. After a joyous week, guests can bid farewell to 2022 and usher in the new year with their friends and family at Helios’ New Year’s Eve Gala. The unique gastronomic experience will feature live cooking stations inspired by Jules Verne’s classic novel Around the World in 80 days, along with the finest beverages.
Throughout the festive period, families can indulge in a variety of activities and make the most of their vacation. From 23rd to 30th December, guests can gather for Movie Nights at Fari Marina Village and watch holiday movies, with popcorn and marshmallows. Family Pool Fiestas will run at Portico from 28th December to 3rd January where guests can participate in a range of fun pool and beach games including water polo and coin bob, and can tuck into delicious Mexican delights from the carts at the celebration.
Children will be kept occupied at Patina Maldives’ world-class kids club, Footprints, where activities are centered on play as a medium of self-discovery, giving all children their own space to develop a life-long foundational skills of creative confidence and inquisitiveness. Kids will learn to make Christmas ornaments using upcycled materials and methods of prefabrication with a precision laser cutter (to take home or add to the resort’s Christmas tree), write letters to Santa, build gingerbread villas with the help of the hotel’s expert pastry team, get introduced to the wonders of the ocean by the resort’s resident marine biologist and learn tennis from the resident coach. In addition, children can join F1 for Schools, an international STEM programme where they can design, manufacture and race an official miniature F1 car.
On 29th December, guests can celebrate the end of the year at Fari Marina Village Festival, packed with live performances, local artisan vendors, delectable food and beverages and a poolside party at Fari Beach Club. Additionally, tennis aficionados have the option of battling it out on court during Patina Maldives’ annual holiday tennis tournament also held on 29th December.
Fans of ethical fashion can partake in a Family Fashion Show on 30th December and walk down the runaway in chic resort wear curated by designers. On the other hand, art lovers can explore the marvellous artwork of local Maldivian artist Eagan Badeeu, with an exhibition titled, ‘The Lion Fish and The Plastic Bag’, an exploration of the various forces competing beneath the surface of the sea: the lionfish symbolising life, survival and positivity, and the plastic bag, an icon of destruction and negativity.
As sustainability runs at the forefront of Patina Maldives’ philosophy, travellers can combine a laidback getaway, and give back to the environment. Guests can join Kevala artisans from Bali at the Marine Biology Centre for a series of exclusive pop-up pottery lessons and discover how ceramics can aid in the restoration of coral reefs. They can also adopt a coral or support Olive Ridley Project’s rehabilitation efforts by adopting a sea turtle, along with participating in beach clean ups.
The end of the year is also an opportunity to destress and connect with oneself. At FLOW, visiting practitioner Hannah Gallagher (yoga and meditation instructor and somatic healer) will take guests on a relaxing journey through her invigorating sessions.
Patina Maldives, Fari is located in the new Fari Islands archipelago in the North Malé Atoll, just 45 minutes away from Velana (Malé) International Airport. Travellers can make the most of their winter escape by booking a four-night stay, to receive 20% off on the stunning one-bedroom beach villas or 25% off for the one-bedroom water villas.