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A wide range of hotels have added new enrichment activities for guests to enjoy. Madeleine Barber selects a sample for clients with different interests
Some clients with R&R as their only aim will opt to stay lazing by the pool, while others will want to use their time spent on holiday to learn or develop a new skill, and even contribute to positive change in the process.
We’ve cherry-picked some of the best and quirkiest new enrichment activities around the world that are now available for customers to enjoy once they’re ready and able to travel.
The Padi Mermaid Programme at Pullman Maldives Maamutaa Resort in Gaafu Alifu Atoll invites imaginative guests to live out their “fantasea”. Launched in May, it gives swimmers the chance to don a mermaid tail and dive deep into the ocean to learn to match Ariel’s underwater abilities and make friends with the local marine life.
“The Padi mermaid programme is accessible to everyone, including kids from as young as six years old,” says Christophe Victor, director of sales and marketing at Pullman Maldives Maamutaa. “There are four courses, from beginner to advanced, so guests with no previous scuba or freediver certification are able to obtain a diploma.”
Holidaymakers can also choose to stay in an Aqua Villa, which features a bedroom beneath the water’s surface, so they can spend their nights underwater too.
Book it: An all-inclusive stay for two at Pullman Maldives Maamutaa costs from £935 per night, or £4,855 in an Aqua Villa (excluding transfers). Padi Mermaid courses cost from £70-350 depending on experience. pullmanmaldivesmaamutaa.com
Guests at Greece’s Sani Resort now have the chance to hone their survival skills beside the Aegean Sea at the new Bear Grylls Survival Academy, which was introduced last year. The family course for those aged eight and over gives budding survivalists the chance to try fire making, raft building and food foraging. There is also a six-day course geared towards teens.
“The family courses provide a unique bonding experience,” says Lee Barker, regional director of sales and marketing (UK, Scandinavia and the US) at Sani Resort. “We advise agents to pre-book their customers as it is a very popular new addition.”
Book it: Classic Collection offers a seven-night stay for two adults and two children in a junior suite on half-board at Sani Resort for £2,899, including flights and transfers (based on 3 May 2022 departure). The Bear Grylls Survival Academy family course is €40pp per day. classic-collection.co.uk agent-login
The week-long South Africa Conservation Volunteer Experience at Amakhala Game Reserve is a new addition to the Premier Holidays portfolio and perfect for clients seeking extra-special animal encounters on their safaris.
Participants will contribute to game management, animal tracking, predator monitoring and anti-poaching patrols, as well as educate local school groups and help with gardening. When volunteers are off duty they can enjoy guided walks, overnight camping, canoeing, boating and star gazing.
“I’d highly recommend upgrading the final two nights to one of Amakhala’s luxury lodges so clients can relax and recharge their batteries before perhaps going on to explore other regions of South Africa,” says Carly Charteris, national sales manager at Premier Holidays.
Book it: Premier Holidays offers the South Africa Conservation Volunteer Experience at Amakhala Game Reserve for £1,335pp, including seven nights’ accommodation, meals, transfers and flights. Based on travel between 23 April and 11 July 2022 and two sharing. trade.premierholidays.co.uk
The newest residents at Italy’s Toscana Resort Castelfalfi in the heart of the Tuscan hills are creating a buzz.
Visitors can see the hotel’s 40,000 bees – who moved in last May – on a tour of the site’s plastic-free apiary and adopt one of the 20 queen bees and their families through the resort’s Be A Farmer Bee Edition programme.
“The experience is best suited to couples and solo travellers staying on the estate who are keen to learn more about the importance of bees to our ecosystem and the vital practice of beekeeping,” says Isabella Moroni, vice president of leisure sales for Europe at Preferred Hotels & Resorts.
Those who do adopt a bee will receive VIP tours of their beehive and a private honey tasting experience, while jars of the sweet stuff will be posted to them to have at home.
Book it: Prices for a stay at Toscana Resort Castelfalfi with Preferred Hotels start from £274 per room, per night, including the beehive tour and a selection of wellness and culinary activities. preferredhotels.com
Puente Romano’s Be A Cheesemaker For The Day activity is new as part of the Spanish hotel’s “What Would You Like To Do Today?” programme. Guests can visit a small, family-run farm in Andalucia’s Crestellina Mountains to learn how to milk one of the farm’s friendly goats and familiarise themselves with the region’s traditional craft of making artisan goat’s cheese by hand.
Sergio Gomez, director of marketing at Puente Romano, says enrichment activities are having a moment: “As well as a pent-up demand for bucket-list activities this year, experiences that take guests back to basics and allow them to learn a new skill are more popular than ever. Foodie experiences like this are great for couples, groups of friends and children alike.”
Book it: Sovereign offers a four-night B&B stay at Puente Romano in a junior suite for £1,504pp, based on two sharing. Includes flights on 1 September 2021. The Cheesemaker for the Day experience is £351 per group (max 10). agents.sovereign.com
Last year, Three Camel Lodge in the heart of Mongolia and the Gobi Desert partnered with a non-profit organisation to help preserve the Mongolian Bankhar; a dog native to the Mongolian Steppe. Visitors can get acquainted with the lodge’s two pooches and their three puppies, who will be rehomed with the nomadic Mongolian family this summer, as well as learn about how the dogs are bred and trained.
“As part of the experience, guests can ride Mongolian horses to visit a nomadic family,” explains Undraa Buyannemekh, president of Nomadic Expeditions and Three Camel Lodge.
Book it: Prices for a stay at Three Camel Lodge start from £401pppn, based on two sharing a deluxe ger and including all meals, soft drinks, activities, group tours, national park entry fees and transfers. staybeyondgreen.com
Since The House in Barbados became an all-inclusive property in April, guests have been able to pop next door to fellow all-inclusive Elegant Hotels properties Tamarind and Treasure Beach to benefit from their wealth of activities free of charge. Crafty options include guided art crawls showcasing the island’s best galleries, painting workshops and creating a rock mandala.
“As an intimate, adults-only boutique hotel with its own Romance Concierge, The House is particularly suited to couples and honeymooners,” says Glynis Jeffery, director of sales and marketing for the UK and Europe at Elegant Hotels. “With the new all-inclusive concept, they can now enjoy complimentary activities at five other Elegant Hotels.”
Book it: Caribtours offers seven nights’ all-inclusive in a garden-view junior suite at The House for £2,399pp. Based on stays between 28 June and 31 October 2021 and including flights. agent.caribtours.co.uk
