Anantara Dhigu and Anantara Veli Resorts in the Maldives are renewing their focus on wellness with the introduction of nutritional therapy, wellness cuisine workshops and health and nutrition seminars. The addition to the team of an on-property Nutritionist, combined with the resorts’ comprehensive spa, wellness and medi-spa facilities, gives Anantara Dhigu and Anantara Veli guests a truly immersive wellness experience equal to that of many leading destination spas.
The arrival of resident Naturopath and Nutritional Therapist, Kelly Manning gives guests staying at Anantara Veli and Anantara Dhigu, along with those at sister resort Naladhu Private Island, the opportunity to focus on their nutrition to help overcome stress, sleep issues and unhealthy eating patterns, including those which may have built up over the past year, as well helping with immunity, digestion, weight management, hormones, skin and blood sugar balance.
Kelly, who is from the UK, trained at the College of Naturopathic Medicine in London. She offers 90-minute nutrition and lifestyle consultations that include anthropometric testing using a Tanita scale monitor and tape measure to assess the guests’ body composition, particularly looking at body fat, cellular hydration, muscle mass and metabolic age. She will also check the guest’s eyes, fingernails and tongue for signs of any other health issues. She will then apprise which systems of their body require nourishment and support to achieve overall balance. Guests receive a tailored diet, lifestyle and supplement plan with a handful of practical achievable recommendations to get them started during their stay and a more detailed plan to continue at home.
The resorts have introduced new wellness breakfast and beverage menus, which have been developed by Kelly and the resorts’ Chefs, with healthy dishes for lunch, dinner and snacks coming soon.
Guests at the three resorts can also join Kelly’s health and nutrition seminars. “Simple Tips for Eating Healthily” is designed to end mealtime chaos and quick fix options and develop a planned balanced diet; “Nutrition; Sleep Health and Creating Evening Rituals” looks at the correlation between nutrition, sleep and overall wellbeing and “Peak Performance Nutrition” identifies nutrition strategies through diet, vitamins, minerals and herbs to increase immunity and energy levels and reduce stress. The seminars include cooking demonstrations and tastings and can be attended as a group or booked privately for a personalised session.
Family-focused Anantara Dhigu, adults-only Anantara Veli and the exclusive 20-villa Naladhu Private Island are each on separate islands just minutes apart by boat across a stunning natural lagoon in the South Malé Atoll. Just a 30-minute speedboat journey from Malé Airport, guests can share the facilities of the resorts, which between them offer one of the broadest spa and wellness offerings in the Maldives. As relaxation and ‘me time’ have become even more important over the last 12 months, the over water Anantara Spa at Anantara Dhigu offers a newly refreshed menu with four new signature journeys, including the Sundari Sunset spa ritual, which is a deep relaxation massage on a floating platform, followed by champagne whilst watching the sun go down. Once darkness has fallen, the Moonlight Reflections spa healing ritual encompasses meditation and a healing massage on a private beach under the night sky.
The recently opened Cocoon Medical Spa located at the Balance Wellness by Anantara facility at Anantara Veli offers the highest level of aesthetic and wellness treatments performed by medical professionals. Whether guests require a vitamin IV infusion after a long flight for an energy boost or wish to turn back time with a Cleopatra 24 Carat Gold & Collagen Facial, using diamond microdermabrasion and LED Light therapy, the highly trained staff have the expertise and knowledge to formalise a programme specifically tailored to each guest. Other treatments include diamond microdermabrasion to exfoliate and increase blood flow to the skin, velashape fat blast to reduce body fat and oxygen therapy to boost energy levels.
The resorts’ overall offering comprises an impressive range of body experiences, facial treatments, Ayurvedic therapies and wellness programmes, in addition to complimentary daily yoga sessions with the yoga guru, movement therapy and fitness sessions can be booked with the resident personal trainer.
A calendar of Masters of Wellness in residency during the year is in place at Anantara Veli. Claude Simard is an internationally acclaimed Psycho-Energetic Massage specialist, using his highly developed sensitivity and intuition to combine therapeutic massage with Inner Child work. Claude will join the team from March 15th to the end of April. During the same period Jill Banwell will guide guests in Crystal Healing, Yoga, Massage, Meditation and Tarot. In residency from May to the end of October, Dome Srisawat is a certified Physiotherapist, specialising in Myofascial Release, a unique muscular manipulation technique to resolve acute pain and continuous aches by releasing energy blockages in the connective muscle tissues. To wrap up the year, Muayad Najemeddin will be returning during December until the end of January 2022, practicing Reiki and the healing art of Tibetan Singing Bowls.
Prices for a 90-minute nutrition and lifestyle consultation start from USD 305. Seminars and cookery demonstrations start from USD 50 per person for 90 minutes. Prices for a stay at Anantara Veli start from USD 475++ for an Over Water Bungalow with breakfast and at Anantara Dhigu from USD 535++ for a Sunrise Beach Villa on half board basis.