Kuda Villingili Resort in the Maldives has announced that it has won the Best Wellness Resort competition held during Global Wellness Day 2024. Endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism and sponsored by COSMERC, the highly anticipated event took place on 8 June 2024. The accolade is a testament to Kuda Villingili’s commitment to wellness and its innovative approach to embracing nature.
The competition saw 73 resorts take part, with 15 finalists pitching their events to a distinguished panel of judges, including industry experts and representatives from the Ministries of Health and Tourism. Evaluation criteria focused on the event description, relevance to the #MAGENTANATURE theme, participation in activities, guest interaction and the quality of event documentation through video and photos.
Kuda Villingili Resort Maldives’ Global Wellness Day 2024 celebrations embodied the theme “Living in Harmony with Nature” and invited guests and ambassadors to reconnect with the natural world. The three-day programme, from 8th June to 10th June, offered a range of activities aimed at enhancing physical and mental wellbeing while fostering a deeper connection with nature.
The celebrations began with a beach yoga session at sunrise on June 8th, where guests and ambassadors breathed in the sea air and soaked up the morning sun, followed by healthy drinks and a premium organic breakfast buffet at the restaurant. Guests and ambassadors took part in an immersive nature walk, learning about the island’s plants and the benefits they provide to both humans and the environment. Major highlights of the nature walk included hugging a banyan tree to estimate its age, discussing the many spiritual beliefs of different cultures associated with banyan trees, and sipping fresh coconut from the island’s many coconut trees. The walk ended with a tree planting at Thundi Beach in commemoration of GWD 2024. A total of eight different types of trees including Water Apple (Jamburoalu), Beach Heliotrope (Boashi gas), Plumeria (Gulchanpaa), Iron Wood (Kuredhi) and Beach Gardenia (Uni gas) have been planted, making the already lush Kuda-Villingili trail even greener and more inviting.
The spa team trained guests and ambassadors how to make a Maldivian scrub and explained the benefits of using seawater, coconut oil and natural herbs in traditional Maldivian medicine. The fitness team hosted an outdoor fitness bootcamp and expert yoga instructors led outdoor yoga sessions. For children, Kuda Phyuyo Kids Club offered health walks, nature exploration, a mini Olympics and nature-themed arts and crafts.
Dr Jayantha Karunaratne, Senior Medical Officer, Wellness Speaker and Wellness Coach, praised Kuda Villingili’s efforts and said, “The team at Kuda Villingili truly embodied the concept of ‘Living in Harmony with Nature’. Their incredible dedication and innovative approach set them apart and made them a worthy winner of the competition. We look forward to watching their continued success at the Global Wellness Day Best Resort 2025 event.”
Kuda Villingili Resort Maldives is proud of this recognition and remains committed to providing exceptional wellness experiences to both guests and ambassadors. Following this award, Kuda Villingili Resort hosted a barefoot walking marathon and exclusive dinner for its ambassadors to boost team morale and highlight the importance of a healthy team of ambassadors who are dedicated to providing exceptional, high-quality luxury services to guests. The award highlights the resort’s commitment to sustainable luxury and holistic wellness and also motivates it to further enhance and establish more wellness services and facilities on its sun-drenched shores.
