At Patina Maldives, sustainability and luxury blend harmoniously

Since the Patina Maldives resort opened in 2021, it has worked to prove that sustainability efforts can be made without sacrificing the comforts of a high-end experience. Located a 45-minute boat ride from Malé International Airport, Patina is on one of four islands that make up the Fari Island archipelago (also nearby are a Ritz Carlton and a Capella Hotel).

Patina Maldives, a soul-freeing paradise in Fari Islands

The boat docks along the island's sugar-like sand coastline and crystalline turquoise waters and guests are clapped in by a welcoming committee before being escorted to one of the site's 90 private villas. Peak through the palm trees along the way, and you might see a glimpse of the island's very own James Turrell artwork – a colour-shifting chamber with an aperture in the ceiling that opens to the sky.

Patina is a paradise but one in the shadow of disaster. According to Nasa and the US Geological Survey, 80 per cent of the Maldives is projected to be uninhabitable by 2050. It is an epicentre of global warming, and while sustainability is a hot topic in every sector of the luxury industry – whether it's fine dining, designer fashion or high-end travel – Patina's location at the very heart of the climate crisis means it needs, more keenly and urgently than most, radical eco-conscious alternatives. It must master finding those alternatives without sacrificing the services and amenities that make it one of the world's best resorts.

Examples of this balancing act are everywhere: the palm tree-shrouded villas, which come with a private pool, hammock and outdoor bathtub, have solar panels on the roof and were constructed with renewable materials local to the area. Throughout the day, they are restocked with water filtered on the island and stored in glass bottles with recycled tin lids. No single-use plastics are used anywhere on site; even during the construction of the resort plastic water bottles were banned.

All of the island's 11 restaurants, which range from plant-based cuisine to Greek and Nordic-Japanese fusion, operate on a zero-waste policy. Guests are assigned an 'essentialist' who travels around the island in solar-powered buggies and can be reached around the clock via WhatsApp to drop off extra sunscreen, book snorkelling sessions and, as I saw one night at dinner, go into someone's room, find them a cooler shirt and deliver it to the table within ten minutes.

Patina Maldives taps Haeckels to craft bespoke natural in-room amenities and spa products

The island's partnership with Haeckels is perhaps the best example of its eco-friendly ingenuity. For Patina, Haeckels has transplanted its signature method for repurposing seaweed from the beaches of Margate to the shores of the Maldives, combining the island's seaweed with locally foraged ingredients like lemon verbena, lime and lemongrass.

'The ocean is our muse,' says the brand's managing director Charlie Vickery. 'It has informed every decision we have made over the past 12 years, from game-changing ocean-first packaging to proprietary ingredients that help to protect the oceans. When Patina reached out back in 2020, it was a meeting of minds over 5,000 miles away. Patina's progressive stance on ocean conservation and sustainability married perfectly with our vision for tackling the wasteful hotel amenity industry through innovation.'

The collaboration continued most recently with Haeckels’ involvement in Patina's Cosmopolitan Ocean festival at the end of October 2023. It was the second instalment of the island's 'Pathways series', a calendar of events meant to enhance guests' stay at the resort by encouraging healthier lifestyle habits during their holiday and beyond. Days were filled with wellness activities like sound meditation and breathwork sessions from LA-based healing arts practitioner Avery Whitmore, along with fragrance-making classes and skincare tutorials from Haeckels, which also launched a new Thallasophile perfume specifically for the event.

'Honouring the ocean, we created a first-of-its-kind fragrance replicating a swim on the beach before venturing onto the luscious tropical island,' says Vickery. 'This fragrance comes in a roll-on applicator and is a cosmeceutical using skincare ingredients at its core. These ingredients are antioxidant, moisturizing and emollient, which means healthier, hydrated, and smoother skin, protected from free radicals and environmental damage.'

The evenings were filled with complimentary cocktail receptions, dinners and parties DJ-ed by celebrated creatives like Welsh electronic musician Kelly Lee Owens and English singer Lil Silva. 'Patina, as a space, has always championed the ocean, and we wanted to put a definitive spotlight on it,' says Jinou Park, creative director of the Cosmopolitan Ocean event. 'When we think of the ocean, we usually see it as a passive backdrop to the human movement. In the age of rising sea levels and climate change, we wanted to deliberately bring the ocean to the centre of our perspective – as the theatre of human connection.

'Patina is always looking for ways for its community to touch and feel the brand in immersive and enriching ways. A multi-day festival of creative arts and healing – like Cosmopolitan Ocean – is one important way. We want to do more.'

patinahotels.com