This year, though, many travellers are balancing that feeling with a more complex backdrop. Flight schedules are fluid, headlines are heavy, and spontaneity now comes with practical questions: If I book, can my plans adapt?

The Maldives continues to be one of the region’s most sought-after escapes. Resorts like Nova Maldives offer that balance: a chance to step away for a few days, with the flexibility travellers are seeking right now.

Nova Maldives: For travellers seeking depth, meaning, and a “feel something again” kind of holiday.

South Ari Atoll

Nova is the antidote to over styled Maldives luxury. Rooted in a community led all inclusive concept on an all natural island, it’s designed for travellers who want to connect, to the ocean, to local culture, to themselves.

Its location is its biggest headline: Nova sits inside the South Ari Marine Protected Area, one of the few places on Earth where whale sharks appear year round, with seasonal manta gatherings. For editors, this marine credibility is gold: it turns Nova from a resort into a story.

Days here naturally fall into a rhythm: sunrise yoga, marine excursions, coral regeneration workshops, underwater meditation, Holhuashi cultural gatherings, and long, warm meals in the resort’s social, open design. It’s slow living with substance, not just silence.

This year the resort is riding strong momentum, including a “Best of Barefoot 2026” award that reinforces the feel good, soul first narrative.

The Eid experience

For Eid, Nova leans into beachfront celebration. Its Malaafaiy-Keyn beach dinner brings together Maldivian curries, grilled reef fish, Arabic tagines, kebabs and festive sweets in a relaxed seaside setting designed for families and friends to gather under the stars. The result feels both rooted and relevant for Gulf travellers over Eid.