COMO Hotels and Resorts to open new property in The Maldives for October 2013

View of the Thaa Atoll from the Maalifushi Water Villa Pool.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 11, 2013 (Toronto, ON) – COMO Hotels and Resorts has announced it will open an exclusive new property in the Maldives this October. Maalifushi by COMO, an eight-hectare private island in the southerly Thaa Atoll, will be the company’s second resort in the Maldives. Its sister property, Cocoa Island by COMO, located further north in the South Malé Atoll, opened in 2002.

The 66-room property will be the first luxury resort on the unspoilt Thaa Atoll where it will offer away-from-it-all seclusion and an abundant underwater experience. The island’s pristine white sands and bright turquoise lagoons are neighboured by a string of uninhabited islands – perfect dashes of powdery sand and lolling palm trees – including another island belonging to the resort that can be booked for castaway picnics and romantic private dining.

On the main resort island, tropical vegetation featuring exotic birdlife provides lush curtains for private rooms, suites and villas, as well as Maalifushi’s ‘Madi’ restaurant, ‘Thila’ pool and lounge bar. Overwater accommodation, including a number of exclusive luxury suites and villas with private pools, as well as ‘Tai’ restaurant, can be found on the west of the island, all offering uninterrupted views across the ocean.  Interiors throughout the resort are by Japanese designer Koichiro Ikebuchi; they will bear the hallmarks of COMO’s signature, pared-back style, with locally sourced materials, natural light and open vistas taking centre stage.

Underwater, the Thaa Atoll boasts a range of unspoiled corals, attracting a whole host of colourful reef fish and sea creatures. Opportunities to spot magnificent Hammerhead and Whale Sharks also offer a rare environment for dive enthusiasts.

Other key highlights of Maalifushi by COMO will include:

• Three expansive, two-bedroom overwater COMO Villas
• ‘Madi’ restaurant featuring all-day international, Maldivian and healthful COMO Shambhala Cuisine
• Overwater ‘Tai’ restaurant and bar serving Japanese-inspired cuisine incorporating fresh, locally-sourced fish and seafood
• COMO Shambhala Retreat spa with gym, eight overwater treatment rooms and yoga pavilion
• On-island Dive Centre and guided diving excursions including a Marine Biologist and PADI instructors
• Activities and excursions including dolphin cruises, fishing, snorkeling and sailing

Maalifushi by COMO will be reached by a 50-minute seaplane ride from the Maldives’s main airport at Malé.

For more information please visit: comohotels.com/maalifushi

About the COMO Group and COMO Hotels and Resorts
COMO Hotels and Resorts creates personalised luxury travel experiences in its Urban Hotels, Island Resorts, Adventure Retreats and Wellness Resorts – highlighting wellness, cuisine, adventure and culture, service and design – while always trying to uphold a strong, sustainable approach towards the people and places where we operate.

Founded by Christina Ong, COMO Hotels and Resorts develops and manages handpicked, individually curated properties: The Halkin by COMO in London, two Metropolitan by COMO hotels in London and Bangkok, Parrot Cay by COMO in the Turks and Caicos, Cocoa Island by COMO in the Maldives, and three Uma by COMO experience resorts in Bali and Bhutan. Point Yamu by COMO is a new property in Phuket, Thailand, opening 2013. The company also manages COMO Shambhala Estate in Bali in partnership with its sister brand in wellness, COMO Shambhala, which promotes health, relaxation and learning through its products, services, cuisine, treatments and spa facilities within each COMO property.