Luxury island destination Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa ready to open

Milton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa will open on Friday. The property features 109 over-water and beach villas, all with private pools. There are one and two-bedroom options, as well as the six-bedroom Amingiri Residence, which comes with its own private sun deck and pool, direct beach access, a spa treatment room, private gym and multimedia room.

The resort’s strongest selling point is its proximity to the capital Male and its international airport. “The resort is in the North Male Atoll, only 20 minutes from the airport via speedboat, so accessibility is fantastic,” says Gaurav Thakur, general manager at Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa. “We have seen how properties in the Maldives that are only a boat ride away from Male have a big advantage.” The resort is reflective of a new breed of properties in the Maldives, where the focus has shifted from insular, privacy-seeking honeymooners to also include couples, groups and families. There is more choice and a more sociable slant to some of the resort’s dining venues, as well as dedicated facilities for children and teenagers.

Aura is a sophisticated pool bar with a “cocktail lab”; Sip tea lounge offers more than 50 varieties of tea, as well as home-brewed kombucha; the Beach Shack specialises in laid-back seaside dining and barbecues under the stars; Eden is a bar; Origin offers a fine-dining venue with a focus on sustainable cooking and minimal waste; and Habitat serves breakfast and then Asian and Italian flavours for the rest of the day.

Wellness facilities include the Amingiri Spa, which is home to a hammam, yoga pavilion, 24-hour fitness centre and a salon.

“Resorts used to be focused on honeymooners but they have changed their strategy to not only focus on couples but also families. We have a children's club that is one of the biggest in the Maldives, with its own mini splash park and swimming pool. We have also created Re:Fuel, a club for teenagers, so the kids will never get bored," says Thakur.

“There is definitely a segment that still wants privacy and to keep to themselves, but a resort like ours offers flexibility. For example, shisha is very popular now. So we are working with a company in the UAE to offer shisha in the evening.” Scroll through the gallery below to see how the Maldives plans to build one of the world's first floating cities as a response to climate change