From July 3 onward, a new airline will depart from Italy offering exclusively Business Class seats on direct flights to the Maldives. The carrier is BeOnd, and it will link Milan Malpensa with Malé twice a week (Wednesday and Saturday).
A new all-Business-Class flight
On board the small Airbus A321neo there will be only 44 leather seats that fully recline, along with various luxury amenities for as many incredibly lucky passengers who can secure a seat for the modest price of 2,590 euros, taxes included (regular carriers cost roughly twice as much).
There are three fares to choose from, each including different onboard services: Delight, Bliss and Opulence. The Delight fare includes a 10 kg carry-on and a 40 kg checked bag, plus fast track for quick boarding. The Bliss fare, in addition to the Delight services, also includes the Premium seat and access to the airport lounge. The Opulence fare, as the name suggests, includes all luxury services; therefore, in addition to everything offered in Delight and Bliss, Opulence passengers may take a hand luggage up to 15 kg and a checked bag up to 60 kg, changes to the booking are free, and, furthermore, they can enjoy free transfer aboard a private car from their home in Italy to the airport and back (not available in the Maldives).
This major novelty will give anyone choosing to spend a luxury vacation in the Maldives the chance to reach the archipelago at the outset of their journey in the best possible way. Bookings are already open.
The world’s leading tourist destination
The Maldives are the dream destination par excellence, so much so that on December 1st last year, during the World Travel Awards 2023 ceremony held in Dubai, they won, for the fourth year in a row, the award for the World’s Leading Destination, the premier global tourist destination. But that’s not all. The Maldives also won another award that has recently arisen, linked to destinations that, after the pandemic, managed to rebound quickly and strategically: the Global Tourism Resilience Award.
In recent days, the figures for tourist arrivals to the archipelago in 2023 were released: as many as 1.8 million visitors arrived, the highest number ever reached.
Super-luxury Maldives
Once you land at Malé International Airport and have waited for your transfer in a prestigious lounge, you are escorted by seaplane or private speedboat, depending on distance, to your island resort.
And here the choices are abundant because five-star resorts in the Maldives are many, from Constance Moofushi on the Alifu Atoll, the first resort frequented by Italians also due to the coral reef reachable on foot from the beach, to Sun Siyam Olhuveli overlooking a splendid lagoon, from Baglioni Resort Maldives on Dhaalu Atoll, an Italian property that has brought a bit of our tradition to the Indian Ocean and a favorite address for VIPs, to Emerald Maldives Resort on Fasmendhoo Island, part of Leading Hotels of the World.
But the list is endless because the Maldives atolls, by their very nature, tend to host a single resort per island, customizing each property and every feature to its own style, design, and objective. Everything depends on the budget, because even in luxury there are different tiers: you can find a resort from 2,000 euros per night, like the elegant COMO Maalifushi on the Thaa Atoll, but also up to 10,000 euros, like Kudadoo Maldives Private Island on the Lhaviyani Atoll, a micro-resort hosting only 15 ultra-exclusive overwater villas.
Maldives for everyone
If there is one wonderful thing about the Maldives, it’s that there is an island for every taste. Those seeking luxury, privacy, and tranquility will find it on one of the many atolls hosting five-star adults-only resorts.
Those traveling with families and with special needs regarding children’s entertainment will find island-resort options with animation, kids clubs, and plenty of attention devoted to the little ones. The Holiday Inn Resort Kandoona in South Malé offers meals, lodging, and transfers from the airport for children under 13.
For couples or honeymooners there are incredibly romantic islands that have created memorable experiences—from candlelit dinners on the beach to picnics on a sand bank in the middle of the ocean, to couples-only spa experiences in one of those stunning overwater villas that make you feel alone on the island. One example is Constance Halaveli on the North Ari Atoll, a five-star ultra-luxury property that holds the record for the longest jetty in the Maldives, along which the accommodations are accessed.
For the more athletic travelers who move with the sun, there are abundant options for snorkeling, diving, and all sorts of water activities, staying perhaps not in a super-luxury resort—though many exist, such as the brand-new Barceló Whale Lagoon Maldives on Bodufinolhu Island, one of the world’s most important spots for admiring whale sharks—, but instead in a simpler yet authentic guesthouse far from mass tourism. Among them, Reveries Diving Village on Gan Island in the Laamu Atoll, set within a traditional fishing-village environment, invites you to discover their traditions and lifestyle by immersing yourself in the local atmosphere.
