Phase 1
Maldivian restaurant
Traditional Maldivian cooking, led by cooks from Uligan, opening with the Athirige villas.
Ulifushi · Culture and dining
A living heritage, shared through experience.
Experiences shaped by the rhythms of island life, with culture encountered through craft, music, food and shared knowledge.
Planned experiences
Taking part, not looking on.
Bodu Beru
The great drum. A rhythmic tradition with roots in East Africa, building from a slow beat to a shared, trance-like energy.
Kasabu viyun
Hand-weaving with gold and silver thread, once a mark of refinement on the collars of women's dress.
Liyelaa jehun
Maldivian lacquer work, built up in layers of colour and patience, long linked to ceremonial objects.
Island crafts
Fangi vinun (coconut-frond weaving), thundu kunaa (reed-mat weaving), roanu (coir rope) and galuvadaan (stone carving).
Foraging and farming
Walks through the gardens with local growers, tasting and learning the uses of native edible and medicinal plants.
Stories and excursions
A local storyteller's evenings, and trips to historic sites of the northern atolls. Historical objects from across the Maldives are placed around the village.
Dining philosophy
Nourishment rooted in tradition.
Food shaped by land, sea and memory.
Maldivian food culture was never designed. It was lived, shaped by the sea, the limits of the island and knowledge passed between hands. Nothing was wasted, and certain plants were known to cool a fever or restore strength.
At Ulifushi, women from Uligan are welcomed into the kitchen as custodians of family recipes. Ingredients are seasonal, local wherever possible and kept close to their origin.
Where to eat
From the village table to a private courtyard.
Phase 2
Kaage
After the traditional family dining house: an open pavilion for communal, unhurried meals at the heart of Uthuru Dheyvi.
Phases 2 and 3
Main restaurant, bar and more
A main restaurant, specialty and pizza restaurants and a bar complete the dining as the hotel grows.
Malaafaiy feasts
A celebration once reserved for the most honoured guests.
The malaafaiy is a round wooden tray in lacquer work, wrapped in cloth and piled with rice, curries and sweets. Such feasts were once kept for dignitaries and great occasions, and the tradition had nearly faded by the 1990s.
Ulifushi plans to revive it for groups, celebrations and honeymooners, with bodu beru, storytelling and traditional recitation. Gaadiyaa carts will also travel the village with fresh coconuts, fruit and local snacks.
Ulifushi is in development. Descriptions reflect the current concept and may change before each phase opens.
Plan ahead