BAA ATOLL, REPUBLIC OF MALDIVE - Proud to represent one of the world’s foremost luxury resorts, the team at Vakkaru Maldives have always done everything in their power to ensure guests enjoy a holiday experience to treasure forever. But with all of the challenges that have swept across the world this year - and the time that family and friends share together more precious than ever before - it was decided that Vakkaru Maldives should take its commitment to truly supporting guests’ wellbeing even further. Launching on 1 August to coincide with the resort’s reopening, Vakkare is a new standard in luxury hospitality, unmatched in the Maldives, that will place the concept of care at the core of all that Vakkaru Maldives offers.
Comprising four pillars -We Kare, Self Kare, Let’s Kare and After Kare- Vakkare incorporates not just the resort’s practical responses to the challenge of operating a remote private-island resort in the age of Covid-19 but also considers the physical, social and emotional needs of guests who have sought out this peaceful retreat as a timeless sanctuary in which to rest, rejuvenate and refocus following the exhaustions of the last few months.
A mantra that will guide the Vakkaru team through this new era, We Kare signifies the resort team’s dedication to sincerely investing in the wellbeing of its members and everyone who visits. It is a renewed commitment towards displaying empathy, surpassing guest expectations, and delivering happiness. It also means ensuring every possible step is taken so each new arrival can be completely confident their health and safety is fully protected. Vakkaru Maldives has always upheld the highest hygiene standards, but nonetheless various new measures have been introduced in response to the emergence of Covid-19.
They include thorough medical checks for team members and health screenings for new arrivals, alongside enhanced sanitisation practices and the provision to guests of We Kare packs to include face masks and other personal items and keepsakes. While social distancing is now a consideration around the world, its implementation didn’t require a drastic change to the property’s infrastructure. With the protection of privacy a consideration from day one, villas, restaurant seating and the like have always allowed for exclusivity. A portfolio that will deliver uplifting encounters, indulgent moments and wonderful memories, Self Kare refers to the many restorative, wellness-minded experiences and services that will be available to every guest.
Among them are a range of enhanced light- and no-touch spa treatments and rituals that will complement the resort’s most popular massages and facials. Those returning to Vakkaru will find a greater emphasis on visiting practitioners who specialise in meditation and yoga, alongside a range of transcendental sound therapies facilitated by the reverberations of crystal healing bowls. The ultimate new spa immersion is the resort’s signature Merana Healing Journey, a day-long ritual that incorporates yoga, sound healing and a rebalancing coconut shell massage.
For those inspired to improve their physical fitness, Vakkaru’s personal trainer is on hand to tailor programmes and the range of outdoor exercises on offer will include tennis, beach volleyball and family-friendly mini triathlons. Nourishing dining experiences will be available throughout Vakkaru’s restaurants, with the Vakkare symbol in menus signifying refreshing, nutritionally balanced dishes that promote good health without ever compromising on taste or satisfaction. To learn more about healthy eating, guests can pick perfect produce themselves in the resort’s flourishing organic garden, before participating in a Self Kare cooking class. Alternatively, the resort’s team will take care of everything by facilitating pleasure-filled private-dining experiences that might take place within sight of the ocean on the beach or under the glow of starlight within the comfort of guests’ villa. During the day, private nature walks will wind through the forest of over 2,300 coconut trees that shades Vakkaru’s interior - should anyone request refreshment, the walk’s guide will be happy to pluck a coconut directly from a treetop.
With the healing power of nature so fundamental to Self Kare, guests will also be encouraged to explore the majesty and truly rare beauty of the seascape that envelops the resort. Located in Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve internationally recognised for the abundance of sea life drawn to its warm, crystalline waters, Vakkaru Maldives can arrange private, marine biologist-led excursions in search of graceful manta rays and aweinspiring whale sharks, alongside access to superlative diving and snorkelling sites. They include a remarkable blue hole, so close to Vakkaru’s beach that it can be reached in just a few minutes by kayak.
That abundance of natural wonders contributed significantly to Vakkare’s third pillar: Let’s Kare. Keenly aware of their responsibilities to this vulnerable, vital ecosystem, the team at Vakkaru Maldives already follow stringent sustainability procedures and will increasingly look to facilitate opportunities for curious guests who wish to contribute to environmental and community-based endeavours, be they participating in coral-planting programmes, assisting local conservation efforts or supporting community work on local islands. Vakkare means not just taking care of team members, guests and the resort, but making a meaningful, positive difference to the broader region and beyond.
Those tenets combined with the incredible beauty, exceptional villas and world-class facilities Vakkaru Maldives has always provided should mean every stay stands out as truly special. So that sense of good health and happiness is sustained long after their return home, Vakkare’s After Kare will be a wellness-centred loyalty programme providing guests with tips from visiting practitioners and the Vakkaru team, alongside a range of exclusive offers and special surprises.
Combined, those four pillars are intended to support a guest experience that holds an unwavering, sincere sense of true hospitality at its heart. At a time when so many feel the need for a worry-free escape more than ever, each warmly welcomed visitor to Vakkaru Maldives can count on the team’s commitment to Vakkare. They will be certain to take the utmost care of absolutely everything.
Tags: Vakkaru Maldives
