LIKE THE DANIEL CRAIG MURDER mystery, Glass Onion, a motley crew assembles in late October on a beautiful, remote island for a getaway to remember.

We have the founder of a luxury streetwear label from Los Angeles, a Welsh electronic musician, an ocean art activist and a healing arts practitioner.

But instead of a whodunnit, these talents have instead gathered for a collaboration at Patina Maldives in the Fari Islands, for the resort’s Cosmopolitan Ocean Festival. The event is the second large instalment of the property’s Pathways series – immersive, on-island programmes designed to inspire personal transformations, including new lifestyle practices.

If that’s your cup of tea, then over four days, you’ll participate in activities ranging from sound healing and a marine facial care session to a yacht race. There are moments of calm and exploration, such as learning about breath work and making your own perfume, but also sun, sea, several shindigs and the unveiling of a fascinating ocean-plastic wall installation.

In short, you’ll meet new people, try a variety of experiences, and, if not persuaded to commit to new life habits – the ethos underlying the resort’s Pathways programmes – will have at least considered the possibility.

Still, there are those who don’t care for community and connections (one guest even has a “leave me alone” tattoo), and want only a quiet escape to an island paradise. That is easily accommodated too.

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Art and aesthetics done right

The resort is the first from new lifestyle brand Patina Hotels & Resorts, a hospitality concept by Capella Hotel Group, which is in turn owned by the Pontiac Land Group.

Opened in 2021, it has 90 beach and water villas and 20 studios, sitting on the largest of four man-made islands in the Maldives’ North Male Atoll. Yes, imagine that – just six years ago, the Fari Islands didn’t even exist. Where there was once a shallow lagoon now also stands the Ritz-Carlton on one island, with Capella to open in 2027 on another; the fourth island is the site of the resorts’ staff accommodation.

Arriving at Patina’s jetty via speedboat from Male airport at night, we are struck by a building in the distance, glowing in pink. The next day, we discover that it is James Turrell’s Skyspace Amarta pavilion. The American artist, who is preoccupied with the interaction between light and space, is known for his signature series of Skyspace permanent installations all over the world, where enclosed spaces frame the sky through an aperture in the ceiling.

The Skyspace, with its changing lights, is one of several art installations dotted around the island. Wandering about, you’ll chance upon other site-specific commissions. Examples include Chinese artist Yang Hongjie’s eight mirrored columns and a Porto-based studio’s large, curved white concrete slab resembling a massive piece of paper that has floated onto the beach. They reflect the Kwees’ – Pontiac Land’s owners – partiality to art and its place in the unique environment of each property.

Of course, the archipelago is known for its luxury resorts with all manner of Instagrammable villas – and Brazilian architect Marcio Kogan’s tropical modern design for Patina certainly puts it on that hot list. Here, he connects the inside to the outside and keeps to low, simple structures that blend with, rather than compete against, their natural surroundings.

Kogan’s use of earthy hues and climate-appropriate materials, such as wood, rattan, linen, stone, timber pole screens – and rather unorthodox grey-coloured bed linen – is a nod to the resort’s location, as well as his minimalist sensibilities.

Each villa’s heavy glass doors slide open completely to lead to a private garden, outdoor tub and pool. It seems more natural to simply turn the air-conditioning off and use the ceiling fans instead. So we do. Surprisingly, the room remains insect-free.

An island of plenty

Many holidaymakers in Maldivian resorts are stuck with limited dining options on their respective islands. This is clearly not an issue at Patina, which has a whopping 12 food and beverage concepts offering authentic cuisines from Chinese and Japanese to South American, Aegean, contemporary European, Lebanese, Maldivian and plant-based options.

Now, why would anyone come all the way to the middle of the Indian Ocean to eat, say, Chinese food at Patina’s Wok Society, you ask? Well, because it’s there, helmed by the quick and energetic chef Zhang Sichuan – and it’s very good. 

Plus, there are three irresistible food trucks offering juicy burgers, Thai and Vietnamese street food, and best of all – free ice cream.

There’s a lot you could eat, but also multiple ways of burning those extra calories off. For one, cycling skills are handy here and biking is a far more convenient and fun way to explore the 42-hectare island than sitting on a golf buggy driven by your Essentialist (a fancy term for butler).

You can pick from a range of water sports, work out in the resort’s sleek gym or play some padel tennis. Recently, those who played real tennis could even do that (for a fee) with Patina’s guest tennis legend and former world No 2, Alexander Zverev.

Children can get their fix at Patina’s experiential kids’ club, or make ceramic structures with adults. Those structures are used by the resort’s in-house marine biologist for coral propagation.

Our favourite activity though, is a snorkelling trip out at a reef about an hour’s boat ride away. We spot lobsters (and strangely, feel a little hungry), a sea turtle and two black-tipped baby reef sharks. If you’re lucky, you may also see dolphins en route.

Essential services 

Your Essentialist, with whom you communicate via WhatsApp for all your needs, is a rather helpful fellow. For instance, when one guest needs a change of shirts in the middle of an outdoor communal dinner, a quick message to his Essentialist gets the latter to his villa within a minute. Photos of said guest’s shirts come back, and before you know it, two options are picked and discreetly handed to him.

Like many hotels and resorts these days, Patina Maldives has a list of green credentials. These include the basics such as not providing single-use plastics, harvesting from its own permaculture garden and buying from local fishermen who fish sustainably. The resort also goes a level deeper, recycling energy from air-conditioning vents to heat showers, installing rooftop solar panels on its villas, and using prefabricated construction methods to reduce environmental impact.

Still, you will not miss the sight of trucks ferrying sand, coming and going on the island as they politely stop to let you cycle by. It’s a stark reminder of the continuing work to fight erosion on an island to which thousands of trees destined to be cut down on other islands were transplanted.

So yes, Patina Maldives offers a next-gen luxurious experience on a dreamy Maldivian island. Enjoy it. But when you leave, it’ll be good to keep sustainability as one of your new life habits.

The writer was a guest of Patina Maldives (patinahotels.com/maldives)