This was enough to get the developers the first “green loan” in the Maldives, which they plan to use for continued upgrades to make the Fari Islands “zero-carbon ready.” Together, it was enough to win the place an EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) Advanced Certification, an international standard developed by a member of the World Bank Group. They carefully vet their off-island food suppliers, look for more efficient ways to transport guests and supplies, organize guest programs focused on coral propagation, and focus on kids club activities meant to teach the “next generation of champions for the ocean,” along with the 3D printer and nifty little STEM lab. (He also notes that the Fari Islands are higher above sea level than some other places.)Īnd so, along with 2023’s bare minimum practices like banning guest-facing single-use plastic and trying to grow at least some food organically on site, the resort has undertaken some meaningful initiatives. General manager Antonio Saponara admits that along with a genuine affinity for the islands, he applied for the job in part because he knows that the Maldives-famously the front line of climate change-may not be around all that much longer. Still, Patina Maldives is doing far more than the minimum. It’s fair to question whether such press releases are mere greenwashing, as the Maldives’ model of abundance on private islands inevitably creates a footprint. There, they’ve managed to create remarkably fertile soil on an island that didn’t exist at all just a few years ago, and are harvesting large amounts of produce-about 440 pounds of eggplant alone, according to a press release. Notably, the “signature dining” restaurant is called Roots and bills itself as a “purveyor of conscious cuisine.” This means it’s a plant-based restaurant that serves tasting menus in the middle of the resort’s organic Perpetual Garden. And at the laid-back Aegean-inspired Helios, some of the kitchen brigade hails from Turkey.Īn Asian-accented lunch at Fari Beach Club, one of 12 restaurants on the property Georg Roske Newly appointed Peruvian chef Nick Magdeleno helms the fire kitchen at the pan-South American Brasa, which specializes in the grilled meats of the southernmost countries, as well as Lima-style ceviche and tiradito. Many of the chefs in those restaurants have traveled a long way to be serving their native cuisine on a speck in the Indian Ocean.Īt the glamorous yet authentic Wok Society, chef Zhang Sichuan turns out dishes that highlight different cultures and regions of China. When they add in-villa dining and the possibility of hopping over to the Ritz-Carlton, there are 18 dining options. Officially, Patina has 12 restaurants, which is quite a lot for a 110-room resort, even one in the Maldives. That marina allows for fun activations (as the marketers like to say), such as a daily happy hour with sushi and craft cocktails, the light show in Turrell’s Skyspace and a little corral of food trucks serving Thai street food, various burgers and homemade gelato (vegan options available, of course). As a result, it has services not only for the guests of its own 90 beach and water villas and 20 studios but also for guests who “island-hop” from the Ritz-Carlton and for yachties on longer adventures. it was chosen as the island that would be home to the Fari Marina.

Tuk-Tuk Gelado at Patina Maldives, Fari Islands Georg RoskeĪs the youngest-skewing and certainly the biggest resort in the Fari Islands.

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