Santa arriving by traditional boat rather than sleigh is the kind of detail that sets a Maldivian Christmas apart, and it's the centrepiece of Mercure Maldives Kooddoo's festive programme this year. The resort is staging 'Voyage of the Dhoni – A Maldivian Island Celebration', a season-long programme running from 21 December 2026 to 7 January 2027 that wraps Christmas and New Year in local culture rather than generic tinsel.
The theme borrows from the dhoni, the wooden boat that has carried people and goods between Maldivian islands for centuries, and the resort frames the whole festive stay as a voyage: guests move through a calendar of dining, music and island encounters rather than a fixed lineup of events.
Christmas week opens with a tree lighting ceremony, then leans into Maldivian Boduberu drumming, live music and festive spreads that mix classic holiday dishes with local flavours. The lagoon gets its own moment too, with Santa scheduled to make his entrance by dhoni — a photo opportunity most northern-hemisphere resorts can't match. New Year's Eve is the programme's peak: Boduberu performances, festive drinks, a celebratory feast and live entertainment leading up to a midnight countdown under the stars, welcoming 2027.
Cluster Resort Manager Riaan Drever describes the dhoni as a symbol of connection between people and places, and the resort's pitch is that the season should feel spontaneous and locally rooted rather than imported. In practice that means the emphasis sits on cultural encounters, sunset gatherings and island flavours alongside the usual resort festivities.
For travellers weighing up a festive Maldives trip, Kooddoo has a practical advantage worth knowing: the island hosts the domestic airport serving the southern Gaafu Alifu atoll, so arrivals can be by short domestic flight rather than a long seaplane transfer. The programme runs across nearly three weeks, so it works whether you travel for Christmas, New Year or the quieter stretch in between. Anyone considering a booking should confirm festive-season rates and minimum-stay requirements with the resort directly, as peak dates across the Maldives typically command a premium and fill early.
It's a good fit for couples and families who want a resort holiday with a genuine sense of place — drumming, local food and boat-borne Santa included — rather than a purely generic celebration transplanted onto an island.
Maldives Insider
