Celebrate Summer at the Baa Atoll Summer Festival 2018

Baa Atoll (Maldives) – May 16, 2018 (travelindex.com) – Summer is coming and what better way to welcome our guests than joining forces with other resorts in Baa Atoll to offer our best, as a destination? With this thought in mind, resorts namely – Soneva Fushi, Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru, Dusit Thani, Amilla Fushi, Vakkaru Maldives and Finolhu, all located in Baa Atoll have come together to celebrate the Summer Festival with a bang in Baa Atoll calling it the “Baa Atoll Summer Festival 2018”.

This first ever and one-of-its-kind festival will be held from 20th July to 3rd August 2018, bringing the best each resort has to offer in the dining scene. Guests from each resort will have the opportunity to experience the varied cuisines Baa Atoll has to offer as a destination, on dedicated nights. This will give them a taste of our creativity and service, with a chance to explore other islands during their stay.

As per MATATO (Maldives Association of Travel Agents & Tour Operators), Destination Marketing is the new trend Maldives is aiming for. Stats show that the tourism industry has welcomed more than 1.3 million tourists in 2017 and this number will grow for the market this year and in the years to come.

“The Baa Atoll Festival is a brilliant concept and opportunity, and hopefully becomes an annual event that resorts and guests look forward to. And I hope this festival will be marketed to tourists around the world through all these resorts PR channels”, says MATATO President Abdulla Ghiyas.

On Wednesday, 9th May 2018, all participating resorts came together in Soneva Fushi Sandbank to bring this festival to light with an official announcement during a gathering with Chefs, Marine Biologists and the leaders.

The Baa Atoll Festival will officially launch on Friday, 20th July 2018, with a cocktail event in each of the resorts where the teams will celebrate with their guests the opening night. From Saturday, 21st July, each resort will welcome the guests from other resorts with a special set menu for dinner in their featured dining restaurant, for two consecutive weeks on a designated night.

This gives the resort the opportunity to showcase its ‘Dining Scene’ to the guests of the resort itself and those visiting from the other islands for dinner, transportation will be organized by the respective resorts to the featured resort on a daily basis, for a minimum charge of $25++ per person. If the guests would like to repeat their experience in a specific resort, then special arrangements will be made to accommodate the same. Each resort will present a set menu for $120++ per person on food with a special menu for kids. Therefore the price of the menu in each featured restaurant will remain the same. This is compiled with an aim to create an experience for the guests as the talented chefs unveil their dishes.

This destination dining concept aims to tantalize the taste buds of our guests in all participating resorts and make Baa Atoll location in Maldives a ‘must visit’ Atoll during summer. Moreover, during this summer festival, each resort will offer a calendar of activities to keep the entire family entertained, from water sports to kids’ activities and more. It is fun time for all!

The team have come together to show the strength in the form of a dedicated website and social media account that will be constantly updated with beach activities, events and water experiences. With this first ever event, Baa Atoll destination has created a benchmark for itself and aims to be more creative in the years to come with the support of Maldives Media.

The Baa Atoll Festival closing ceremony will once again bring the teams together in celebration, on a Sandbank for a Catamaran Regatta competition on Sunday, 3rd August 2018.

Schedule for the Baa Atoll Festival 2018:
– Saturday, 21st July & 28th July: Amilla Fushi
– Sunday, 22nd July & 29th July: Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru
– Monday, 23rd July & 30th July: Finolhu
– Tuesday, 24th July & 31st July: Dusit Thani
– Wednesday, 25th July & 1st August: Soneva Fushi
– Thursday, 26th July & 2nd August: Vakkaru Maldives

Visit: www.baaatollfestival.com for more information and follow us on Instagram: @Baa_Atoll_Festival #SummerFestival #DineAroundinBaa #TourDeBaa #ItsBetterInBaa #DineAround

About the resorts and participating restaurants:
Soneva Fushi (resort):
The original Soneva. The No News, No Shoes blueprint for all desert island barefoot luxury hideaways, located within the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Maldives. Soneva Fushi inspires the imagination with 61 spacious beachfront villas, ranging in size from one to nine bedrooms, hidden among dense foliage.

Out of the Blue (participating restaurant):
Once Upon a Table, which opened in May 2018, is one of the five new outlets in Soneva Fushi’s ‘Out of the Blue’ dining complex; a two-storey overwater structure with beautiful views of the sunset. A culinary theatre showcasing some of the biggest names in fine dining, Once Upon a Table’s horseshoe shaped table seats just eight diners for an intimate dining experience. In 2018, more than 30 of the world’s top chefs, most with one or two Michelin stars, will cook at the outlet.

Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru (resort):
Combining innovation, wellness and conservation, Landaa Giraavaru is a 44-acre wonderland of pristine tropical beauty in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Exotic jungle greenery is flanked by immaculate white beaches and one of the Maldives’ largest natural lagoons.

Blu (participating restaurant):
Overlooking a 1.2 mile lagoon, Blu embraces the essence of the Maldives as the place where the ocean meets the sky. This contemporary Italian restaurant serves light Mediterranean fare during the day and offers a fine dining experience in the evening, serving up vibrant dishes with a Southern Italian accent.

Dusit Thani (resort):
Dusit Thani Maldives blends graceful Thai hospitality with the unparalleled luxury setting of The Maldives, encircled by white sandy beaches and a stunning 360-degree house reef full of marine life.

Benjarong (Participating restaurant):
Benjarong, the signature overwater Thai restaurant, takes diners to the Land of Smiles with authentic delicacies bringing Royal Thai cuisine to Baa Atoll.

Amilla Fushi (resort):
The name itself translates to ‘island home’ – effortlessly welcoming in the most idyllic ways. A comfortably elegant retreat in the UNESCO Biosphere of Baa Atoll, Amilla Fushi stands apart from the crowd with its minimalist white villas and its appreciation for the avant-garde.

Feeling Koi (participating restaurant):
Crystal waters lap below Amilla Fushi’s signature restaurant. Japanese minimalism on an open deck, chefs performing in a theatre kitchen – culinary magic with exquisite presentation. Izakaya-style dining comes to life with openhearted service and shared ‘tapas’ plates. Umami works of art in a spectacular setting. Downstairs, a lounge bar for post-dinner drinks. Smooth sounds from the DJ, moon reflecting off the seas.

Vakkaru Maldives (resort):
Within the UNESCO BIOSPHERE RESERVE of Baa Atoll in the Republic of the Maldives lies a reef island composed entirely of sediment produced on the surrounding coral “faru” (or reefs), 85% it is thought, by parrotfish, the fish grinding up coral during feeding and, after digesting the edible content, excrete the rest as sand, creating the powder soft, brilliant white sands that encircle the island.

ONU (participating restaurant):
ONU means Bamboo in Dhivehi. An elegant bamboo fashioned culinary theatre within a tropical plantation offering a dining experience inside and out, seasoned with a tropical ambiance, idolising the finest from our organic farm. A designed space with showcase kitchen, counter dining, garden pavilions and lounge areas.

Finolhu (resort):
Where do the cool cats go to catch some rays? Finolhu, of course. Let us clue you in on what’s shakin’ at the grooviest resort in the Maldives. Whether you want to be thrilled or be chilled, tune in or tune out, Finolhu’s your bag, baby. Welcome to the Grooviest Island in the Maldives.

Kanusan (Participating restaurant):
Kanusan’s deck dips you into a dazzling dining experience. Whet your whistle on classic favourites such as Mandarin roasted duck and larb gai – with a refreshing Kanusan twist. Kanusan features a totally fresh overwater bar area and two dining areas. There’s a chilled indoor dining space, and an open lower deck which provides the archetypal Maldivian experience of being surrounded by the sights and sounds of the sea.

For any enquiries, please contact:
Brinda Hora, Director of Communications
Amilla Fushi & Finolhu Resorts
The Small Maldives Island Co
brinda@tsmic.mv
+960 7922 343