The Baa Atoll resort was recognised in Moscow for a design identity shaped by bold colour, natural textures and a contemporary take on Maldivian island living.
Finolhu, a Seaside Collection Resort in Baa Atoll, has been named Best Design Resort in the Maldives at the Global Destination Awards.
- Finolhu, a Seaside Collection Resort, has been named Best Design Resort in the Maldives at the Global Destination Awards by World Fashion Channel.
- The Baa Atoll property’s design was created by London-based studio Muza Lab and blends bold colours, expressive patterns, natural textures and playful details.
- Finolhu has 125 villas and a two-kilometre sandbank, with design carried through its accommodation, restaurants, bars and social spaces.
- The resort also positions creativity as part of the guest experience through art, gastronomy, wellness, sport, entertainment and visiting-artist collaborations.
(NEWS) BAA ATOLL, Maldives, 2026-Sep-30 — /Travel PR News/ — Finolhu has added a new design accolade to its awards record after being named Best Design Resort in the Maldives at the Global Destination Awards, an international luxury travel event organised by World Fashion Channel.
The award was announced at a ceremony in Moscow bringing together hospitality professionals, international hotel brands, travel specialists and figures from the wider luxury lifestyle sector. The awards recognise destinations, hotels, resorts, restaurants and individuals across the global travel and hospitality landscape.
For Finolhu, the recognition centres on an aesthetic that deliberately moves away from more conventional interpretations of Maldivian luxury. The resort, part of the Seaside Collection, is located within the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Baa Atoll and was designed by London-based studio Muza Lab.
A contemporary approach to island design
Across Finolhu’s 125 villas, restaurants, bars and communal spaces, the design language combines bold colours, expressive patterns, natural textures and playful decorative elements. That visual identity extends from beachfront and overwater accommodation to the resort’s two-kilometre sandbank and the barefoot setting of Crab Shack.
The result is a property that uses design as a central part of the guest experience rather than simply as a backdrop. According to details published by Visit Maldives, the award reflects Finolhu’s broader effort to create a contemporary interpretation of island life while maintaining a strong sense of individuality across the resort.
Creativity beyond the villas
Finolhu also frames itself as an “Island Playground”, combining its design identity with a year-round programme spanning art, gastronomy, wellness, sport and entertainment. Visiting artists and creative collaborations form part of that approach, adding workshops, installations and other immersive encounters to the stay.
The award therefore recognises more than architecture or interiors alone. It places Finolhu within a wider strand of luxury hospitality in which visual identity, programming and social spaces are increasingly designed as one connected guest experience.
World Fashion Channel, which presented the award, is an international lifestyle television network covering fashion, beauty, travel and luxury lifestyle. The network says it reaches more than 30 million viewers and is distributed through major Russian cable and satellite operators as well as hotels, shopping destinations, luxury boutiques, restaurants and wellness venues.
For the Maldives, where resort competition often centres on location, service, privacy and natural setting, Finolhu’s latest recognition highlights design as another differentiating factor within the country’s luxury hospitality market. Its combination of Baa Atoll surroundings, a highly identifiable visual style and creativity-focused programming has become a defining part of the resort’s positioning.
More information about the destination and its resort portfolio is available from Visit Maldives.
