Hilton <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/maldives/" target="_blank">Maldives</a> Amingiri Resort & Spa will open on Friday. The property features 109 over-water and beach villas, all with private pools. There are one and two-bedroom options, as well as the six-bedroom Amingiri Residence, which comes with its own private sun deck and pool, direct beach access, a spa treatment room, private gym and multimedia room. The resort’s strongest selling point is its proximity to the capital <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/travel/maldives-is-the-most-popular-travel-hotspot-for-emiratis-1.1151059" target="_blank">Male and its international airport</a>. “The resort is in the North Male Atoll, only 20 minutes from the airport via speedboat, so accessibility is fantastic,” says Gaurav Thakur, general manager at Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa. “We have seen how properties in the Maldives that are only a boat ride away from Male have a big advantage.” The resort is reflective of a new breed of properties in the Maldives, where the focus has shifted from insular, privacy-seeking honeymooners to also include couples, groups and families. There is more choice and a more sociable slant to some of the resort’s dining venues, as well as dedicated facilities for children and teenagers. Aura is a sophisticated pool bar with a “cocktail lab”; Sip tea lounge offers more than 50 varieties of tea, as well as home-brewed kombucha; the Beach Shack specialises in laid-back seaside dining and barbecues under the stars; Eden is a bar; Origin offers a fine-dining venue with a focus on sustainable cooking and minimal waste; and Habitat serves breakfast and then Asian and Italian flavours for the rest of the day. Wellness facilities include the Amingiri Spa, which is home to a hammam, yoga pavilion, 24-hour fitness centre and a salon. “Resorts used to be focused on honeymooners but they have changed their strategy to not only focus on couples but also families. We have a children's club that is one of the biggest in the Maldives, with its own mini splash park and swimming pool. We have also created Re:Fuel, a club for teenagers, so the kids will never get bored," says Thakur. “There is definitely a segment that still wants privacy and to keep to themselves, but a resort like ours offers flexibility. For example, shisha is very popular now. So we are working with a company in the UAE to offer shisha in the evening.” <b>Scroll through the gallery below to see how the Maldives plans to build one of the </b><a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/travel/destinations/2022/06/28/one-of-the-worlds-first-floating-cities-to-be-built-in-the-maldives/" target="_blank"><b>world's first floating cities</b></a><b> as a response to climate change</b>
