Planning a Christmas or New Year escape to the Maldives? Alila Kothaifaru Maldives has laid out a six-week festive calendar called Tides of Wonder, running from 21 December 2026 right through to 7 January 2027 — a stretch that even covers Orthodox Christmas, a rarity among island resorts.

The season opens with a Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Mirus Beach, and from there the days alternate between dolphin cruises, reef snorkelling, Maldivian cultural activities, wellness sessions and family-friendly events. The resort's resident marine biologist hosts two Marine Discovery Quiz Nights at Mirus Bar, with a Marina Raphael Swarovski bag as the grand prize — a curious but stylish twist on trivia night.

Food is clearly the backbone of the programme. Christmas Eve dinner at Seasalt comes with live entertainment, while Christmas Day brings a Four-Hands Dinner at Pibati Sul Mare pairing Executive Chef Frank Wackerhagen with Chef Mumu. Later highlights include a Ten Tides Omakase, traditional Maldivian dining at Alila Spice Garden, a Yakitori BBQ Night, and the New Year's Eve Gala — beach cocktails first, then a gala dinner with live performances, a mentalist and DJ Ossanna. The season wraps on 7 January with Orthodox Christmas dining and a White Beach Party back at Mirus Beach.

The pricing lever here is the resort's Stay Longer, Save More offer. Stays of seven nights or more include daily breakfast and dinner, dining and spa privileges, laundry savings and seaplane transfer benefits. Commit to 14 consecutive nights or more and round-trip seaplane transfers for two adults are complimentary — a meaningful saving in the Maldives, where seaplane transfers often add hundreds of dollars per person. It's a structure that clearly rewards booking the full festive run rather than dropping in for Christmas week alone.

Kothaifaru sits in the Raa Atoll, reached by seaplane from Malé, so the longer-stay math makes sense for travellers weighing up transfer costs against resort rates. For families and couples who like a resort with a packed but unhurried festive schedule — quiet mornings, a themed dinner most nights, the ocean always in the mix — this is one of the more detailed Christmas-to-New Year programmes announced so far for the 2026-27 season. Reservations run through the Alila Kothaifaru festive season page.

Reporting: Maldives Insider