Visitors to idyllic Gili Lankanfushi in the Maldives can now learn to catch that perfect wave with the opening of a top-notch surf ‘shack’ on the island. The high end resort has teamed up with renowned surfing company Tropicsurf to offer expert instruction for all ages and levels, complementing the five-star, luxury experience.

In the North Male atoll, surrounded by the sparkling Indian Ocean, Gili Lankanfushi is ideally located for unbeatable surfing. Some of the best breaks in the country lie on the doorstep, with three just a ten-minute boat ride from the resort and several more within 20 minutes. Tropical water temperatures, consistent swell and low crowds add to the appeal.

The new programme starts on 1 April, coinciding with the main surfing season, from April to October. However, there’s great surfing all year and Tropicsurf will operate year-round, with beginners and first-timers able to enjoy the smaller waves and empty line-ups outside of the peak period.

Gili Lankanfushi shares the same stretch of reef as the famous ‘Jails’ surf break, where the more experienced can push their performance. Thrill-seekers will love the challenge of the open tubes at Cokes or the excitement of racetrack waves like Honkies, while mellow waves at Ninjas or in the calm of the lagoon keep novices happy.

Tropicsurf specialises in combing the very best surfing with the very best resorts around the world and amazing, experienced instructors personally ensure everyone from the complete beginner to the hardened surfer feels inspired and in safe hands. All lessons and surf trips are bespoke and tailored to guests’ needs, whether it’s a private or group session. Schedules are never fixed but depend on ocean conditions and individual requests. Options include surfing from the resort and trips by dhoni (traditional sail boat) or speedboat to other waves, and range from an hour’s beginner lesson to all-day excursions (although 3.5 hours is the general session length).

State-of-the-art equipment can be hired at Gili Lankanfushi’s new Surf Shack, with all surfers might need, from special sun cream to protective clothing, on sale too. And at the end of a day in the swell, the fantastic facilities of Gili Lankanfushi await for pampering, relaxing and celebrating newly-learned skills in style. Truly a match made in heaven.

Fact box

Surfing lessons start at US$125 per hour, with equipment hire. Age range from eight upwards.

Villas (based on two sharing) at Gili Lankanfushi start at $1,385 / night + taxes.

About Gili Lankanfushi – the Maldives’ jewel in the crown

Award winning private island and resort Gili Lankanfushi is an easy 20 minutes by speedboat from Male’ international airport – where guests enjoy a luxurious barefoot existence and 360° views of the Indian Ocean with its white waves breaking gently over the house reef.

Enjoy naturally chic accommodation and a 24/7 Mr. Friday butler service. The resort’s 45 huge over-water villas with outdoor showers, including the secluded Private Reserve, offer unrivalled privacy and space.

Highlights include diverse fine dining (many ingredients grown in the organic garden), a chocolate cave, a jungle cinema, ample water sport options, a coral restoration programme and the holistic Meera Spa.

Gili Lankanfushi offers an authentic, luxurious experience that embraces its natural surroundings.

For reservations, please contact:

Tel +960 664 0304

Email: [email protected]

For media or photo enquiries:

Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives

Tammy Gan

Marketing Communications Manager

Email: [email protected]

Maldives – Imagine a place where time really does stand still. A peaceful haven of outstanding natural beauty, far from the stresses of the fast paced modern world. A sanctuary with space to truly reconnect to body and soul. Somewhere you are free to just be you.

Welcome to Gili Lankanfushi. A tiny private coral island resort lapped by the glistening, azure Indian Ocean. Sitting in its own crystal clear lagoon, an unbelievable luxury barefoot experience awaits. Feel the wind in your hair as the speedboat or our opulent yacht whisks you from Male’ international airport to our enchanting retreat, just 20 minutes away. Step ashore and leave your shoes aside, as the soft, white sand sinks between your toes and Mr. (or Ms.) Friday, a butler and friend during the length of your stay, greets you with a cooling spritz of peppermint spray. Time to exhale and leave everything else behind. You have arrived.

Here your idyllic personal hideaway is one of our 45 spacious, rustic overwater villas crafted from natural wood and glass. A palette of sparkling blues paints the horizon, the ocean stretching to infinity wherever you gaze. The open design, with indoor and outdoor living space, allows you the freedom to be yourself, the sound of the sea and warm breeze soothing all senses. No noise, no distraction and a private, exclusive home that has to be seen to be believed. Here, multi coloured fish dart in turquoise waters beneath the deck or glass bottomed bath, a curious heron perches on the rooftop, a gentle eagle ray glides by, the bounty of nature all around.

Our Crusoe Residences are accessed only by boat, drive one yourself or call a floating pontoon any time and more unparalleled magic awaits at our phenomenal four bedroom Private Reserve. 500 metres from the resort, the largest overwater villa in the world offers privacy, space and luxury beyond comparison. Each bedroom is as large as most villas elsewhere, with a new freshwater infinity swimming pool, cinema room, spa, gym, library, bar and huge dining areas at the water’s edge among countless incredible features. Wherever you stay, your own genuinely caring Mr. (or Ms.) Friday is available 24/7, discreetly second guessing every need or desire, ensuring a completely stress free stay.

Dining becomes an international adventure at Gili Lankanfushi, with our talented multi national and local chefs creating simple and fresh taste sensations on every plate. We believe your culinary experience can be the difference between a good holiday and an exceptional one.

Gili Maldivian Fusion dishes brim with herbs and vegetables straight from our organic gardens, while our pole and line caught seafood comes fresh from the Indian Ocean. A crisp Chablis or rich Malbec from our extensive selection of fine wines, tastes even better under our starlit skies.

Feast on an endless choice of cuisine at our exciting dining venues. Feel the sand beneath your feet at the Main Restaurant as you have breakfast like a king on a banquet of international delights, be it a freshly squeezed tropical smoothie from the healthy detox menu, dim sum or sweet French toast. Lunch from the organic salad bar or from the three course à la minute menus. By night, candles twinkle as you dine on Michelin star worthy fare, from delicately spicy Thai coconut soup to black truffle capellini. Allow our luxury street food markets to pique your senses, held four nights a week. Brimming offerings such as the Mediterranean Spice Souk, Asian Street Market, Fisherman’s Grill or Passage Through Indian Tandoor evening. Succulent sushi and sashimi are among tantalising options on the menu at By the Sea, our signature Japanese Fusion restaurant, which also boasts a fun, interactive teppanyaki grill table. Choose from over 24 martinis on the cocktail list of our Overwater Bar, built on stilts over the lagoon, or opt for a lunch of Mediterranean delicacies there as you soak up the dreamy ocean views.

For a wine tasting with a difference, follow a glass stairway down to our chilled underground cellar, slip a hot water bottle under your feet and let our expert sommeliers guide you with surprising yet complementary food and wine pairings with wines from our 400 varieties from 30 regions around the world. The culinary wonderland continues in our subterranean Chocolate and Cheese Rooms where exotic flavoured handmade chocolates will melt in your mouth and delicate artisanal cheeses set taste buds tingling. Or why not just let the finest foods come to you and dine in the privacy of your own villa? Life doesn’t get much better.

At Gili Lankanfushi nature becomes your playground with an array of activities to make the most of the incredible surrounds. Delve into the mystery of the underwater world on a diving trip: our multilingual expert instructors run night and day dives to some of the most spectacular sites in the Maldives. Snorkel with black tipped sharks and turtles, led by our marine biologists, learn to surf that perfect wave, the biggest break in the Maldives is just 15 minutes from the resort or windsurf across sparkling lagoons. Luxuriate on our incredible 14 metres Riviera yacht as you cruise through remote atolls, or visit local islands for a real insight into authentic Maldivian life. Wake up to a sunrise yoga class overlooking the ocean and after dark follow candle lit paths through the dense, exotic foliage to our jungle cinema for a movie experience like no other.

Gili Lankanfushi is a place made for romance, where incredible, life long memories are created. Watch the evening sun turn the sky crimson red as you sip champagne on a traditional Maldivian dolphin cruise for two, enjoy a sumptuous picnic just for you and your love on our very own private One Palm island, or even hold the ultimate wedding or renew your vows in our secluded Lagoon Champa – Wedding Pavilion. Our team is able to customise special events beyond your wildest dreams, from a seaplane flight to spy a secret message written on Palm Beach, to a ‘Love Treasure Hunt’ with clues leading couples to breath-taking romantic treat after treat.

Luxury lives in harmony with nature at Gili Lankanfushi and protecting our beautiful environment is at the heart of everything we do. Join in our ambitious Coral Line Project, the first of its kind in the Maldives, working to preserve and procreate colourful marine treasures. Or perhaps sign up for a science dive and help collect data with our team for the likes of Turtles with the Olive Ridley Project and the Manta Rays ID Project with the Manta Trust.

Our sanctuary is where you can nourish body, mind and soul making it a place where inner peace comes naturally. Step inside the serene, overwater Meera Spa and feel all tension disappear as you choose from a multitude of blissful treatments. Allow some of the world’s best trained therapists to pamper you with delicious products from luxury brands Voya and Sodashi, featuring only the finest natural ingredients, designed to rejuvenate and restore. Seaweed body wraps draw on nature’s healing powers, tailored facials leave skin aglow, while our special four handed massages encourage relaxation like never before. Visiting masters in residence add to our expert team, offering enticing, unusual options like Tibetan singing bowl sessions to enliven the spirit and focus the mind. Simply the most authentic holistic journey you could ever wish for. A journey back to you.

This is Gili Lankanfushi. A place like no other. A private haven to reconnect to self. To fall in love again with the wonder of life. To be and simply breathe.

Based on 2 people sharing, the opening category of Villa Suites’ rates start at $1,385 USD / night (excluding taxes.) For enquiries and reservations, please contact Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives at tel: +960 664 0304 or email: [email protected]. For more information, please visit www.gili-lankanfushi.com.

For Media Enquiries:

Tammy Gan

Marketing Communications Manager

Tel: +960 664 0304

Email: [email protected]

Buzz Aldrin, one of the first two men to walk on the moon in 1969, was the first guest to stay at Gili Lankanfushi’s newly upgraded Private Reserve, the largest overwater villa in the world, when he visited with his family last month.

A big fan of space, the sprawling 1,700 square meter villa was the perfect choice for the Aldrin clan, offering a vast all-natural, luxury hideaway, surrounded by the Indian Ocean.

“Everyone needs space! Having ample space is important to me. And I value my privacy too! The Private Reserve is so big you can probably even see it from space!” said Buzz.

Standing alone in the middle of the sparkling lagoon, 500 metres from the resort and accessible only by boat, the Private Reserve offers total privacy for those seeking respite from the limelight. The nearest villas are 300 metres away, guaranteeing total seclusion, while the incredible master suite offers guests further privacy within the villa itself.

Built of wood and glass and sleeping up to 12 people, the three-bedroom Private Reserve is cleverly designed to give families and groups of friends ample indoor and outdoor living space to relax and share quality time together in idyllic surrounds. A new 63-metre fresh water swimming pool overlooks the lagoon, with jacuzzi and sun-decks, while a water slide from the top deck into the lagoon adds to the fun.

“This resort is the perfect family setting. You’re far away from distractions and you get to enjoy this beautiful place. I especially like to bring my family here as it’s a unique place to build long lasting memories. Within the Private Reserve, we still don’t crowd each other out, but we dine together a lot, it’s perfect.”

To ensure guests’ every need is met, the Private Reserve has two personal Mr. Friday butlers on hand 24/7 (who can live-in if required). Meals are created to specific tastes by a personal chef using the very freshest ingredients and produce from the resort’s organic vegetable and herb gardens and fish caught daily by pole and line in the lagoon and all washed down with the vast selection of organic wines. A private spa with sauna and steam room, gym and state-of-the-art cinema save guests from needing to venture out if desired.

For those wanting to explore beyond the villa, some of the best diving in the world is literally lapping at your toes and the resort’s Ocean Paradise Dive Centre offers unforgettable underwater experiences with expert instructors. According to Buzz, scuba diving is the closest thing to being in space.

“Scuba diving in the ocean has a similar freedom to being in space,” said Buzz. “Particularly when you’re upside down! I tend to spend most of my time under water upside down. There are many, many more large schools of fish here than I’ve seen in many places. You get to see mantas and sharks and don’t have to go down deep.”

While the facilities of the resort – named the Best Hotel in the World by TripAdvisor in the Traveller’s Choice Awards 2015 – are just a short boat-ride away, the Private Reserve offers the ultimate in privacy and luxury. A truly special place that no guest wants to leave.

Buzz was photographed by French photographer Cyril Mason, renowned for taking iconic photos of the world’s greatest sports people and adventurers.

Privacy. Exclusively. Yours.

Private Reserve Rates / night range from $11,000-$23,630. Plus local government taxes. Room-only basis. The Reserve sleeps up to twelve people.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Ms Sophy Williams at [email protected] or +44 (0)7969 834220

High-resolution and rights-free photos of the Buzz Aldrin, his family and the Private Reserve can be downloaded from https://goo.gl/2rhjoU

Please credit @_cyrilmasson

Gili Lankanfushi’s Meera Spa – winner of the 2016 Condé Nast Johansens Spa Awards for Excellence in the Best Newcomer category – is offering guests the chance to reboot mentally and physically on a Detox Programme with renowned iridologist, nutritionist and detox expert Jennifer Thompson.

The life-changing seven-day retreat in the beautiful over-water Meera Spa, from 3rd-9th February 2016, will focus on natural healing through a juice and smoothie cleanse, with the idyllic, relaxing setting complementing the process. As part of the programme, Jennifer will use iridology (iris analysis) sessions to assess guests’ health and advise them on a path of personal wellbeing through diet and lifestyle changes. As well as the seven-day programme, three and one day options are available.

“Eyes are not only the windows to the soul, but our state of health too”, explains Jennifer.

In an age where our bodies are over-loaded with toxins and under regular stress, detoxing offers a welcome break to the system and promises renewed vitality, as well as helping tackle many conditions from insomnia to arthritis. Besides the carefully-planned, cleansing liquid diet, daily yoga, meditation and spa treatments are included, as well as talks and workshops on all aspects of holistic health. It’s ideal for weight-loss and for anyone looking to unwind, slow down, rejuvenate and learn how to enjoy optimal health of body, mind and spirit in the long-term.

Jennifer will also be offering individual iridology consultations, helping identify any health concerns and advising on how to address them. Our team of talented chefs are on hand to tailor meals suited to guests’ needs using the freshest organic produce grown on the island.

Jennifer is part of a programme of world-class resident holistic practitioners who visit Gili Lankanfushi throughout the year, with other detox programmes in the pipeline.

In an age where our bodies are over-loaded with toxins and under regular stress, detoxing offers a welcome break to the system and promises renewed vitality, as well as helping tackle many conditions from insomnia to arthritis. Besides the carefully-planned, cleansing liquid diet, daily yoga, meditation and spa treatments are included, as well as talks and workshops on all aspects of holistic health. It’s ideal for weight-loss and for anyone looking to unwind, slow down, rejuvenate and learn how to enjoy optimal health of body, mind and spirit in the long-term.

Facts:
The Detox Programme – starts with USD 3156.00 ++ per villa suite per night.
Individual Iridology Consultations cost $200 / hour.

Gili Lankanfushi™, Maldives is an intimate coral island in a sparkling lagoon, with jetties threading across the water out to spacious villa accommodations. Gili Lankanfushi™ is set on the private island of Lankanfushi in the North Malé Atoll. This luxury resort is just a 20-minute speedboat ride from the International Airport at Malé, the capital of the Republic of Maldives. This 5-star resort is set on the private tropical island of Lankanfushi in the Malé Atoll, one of the 19 atolls that stretch over 800 kilometres through the Indian Ocean. It is one of the 1190 islands that make up the Maldives.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Contact Sophy Williams on [email protected] or +44 (0)7969 834220