RELEASE NUMBER 53 | 26
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HONOLULU – OUTRIGGER Maldives Maafushivaru Resort has been named a Gold Winner in the 2026 Travel Weekly Magellan Awards in the category of Hospitality – Overall, All-Inclusive Resort. The recognition honors the resort’s approach to all-inclusive hospitality, which is designed to make the entire island part of the guest experience.
In a destination where luxury resorts are abundant, Maafushivaru takes a different approach. Its all-inclusive island experience gives guests more ways to explore the Maldives, from dining across multiple venues to ocean adventures, immersive wellness, family experiences, and a private-island escape. The plan’s inclusions go well beyond a single restaurant or buffet, with daily breakfast, lunch and dinner, dinner at operational specialty restaurants, selected beverages, a daily-replenished in-room minibar, and snacks and treats at Kofee ’N Chill. More than 60% of guests choose the all-inclusive experience.
Signature experiences include snorkeling the house reef, marine biologist–guided whale shark quests, encounters with manta rays and sea turtles, sunset cruises and cinema under the stars, escapes to the uninhabited private island of Lonubo, and diving with PADI and SSI-certified instructors.
“Being recognized with a Gold Magellan Award is a meaningful achievement for our entire team,” said General Manager, Guillaume de Lasteyrie. “It reflects the care we put into every part of the guest experience, from exploring the incredible marine life around our island to sharing great food and helping guests discover the Maldives in their own way. We’re grateful to our team for making Maafushivaru such a special place for our guests.”
The resort’s Navasana Spa expanded in 2026 into a more immersive part of the guest journey, with aerial yoga, bungee fitness, Alchemy Bar and sound healing, Pilates-based movement, personalized fitness and multi-day holistic fitness journeys and healing retreats beside the Indian Ocean. Families are also a focus, with new 116-square-meter Beach Family Villas and the Treehouse Kids Retreat, a daily program for children ages 4 to 12, offered alongside the Kids Stay & Eat Free offer.
Conservation is part of the guest experience. A resident marine biologist leads guided snorkeling, marine education and coral planting, and the resort’s work connects directly to OUTRIGGER Zone. Results include more than 500,000 single-use plastic bottles eliminated and kept out of landfills annually, plastic transformed into turtle keychains, more than 81 coral restoration frames on site, monthly coral monitoring and reporting, a closed-loop water system and public daily water and energy reporting.
The Magellan Awards honor outstanding design, marketing and service across the travel industry. Entries are judged by a panel of top travel professionals against a benchmark of industry excellence, rather than against one another.
OUTRIGGER Maldives Maafushivaru Resort participates in OUTRIGGER DISCOVERY, the award-winning loyalty program of Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands. The program’s 38 million members enjoy recognition, rewards and exclusive experiences across 1,000 hotels from 60 brands in 100 countries. They can also earn and redeem DISCOVERY Dollars (D$), with D$1 equal to USD 1, on eligible stays, dining and experiences.
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