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Pilates in Paradise — Maldives, 2027
Daily pilates. One private island. Ocean as far as you can see. 3, 5 or 7 nights of the deepest reset you'll ever book.
3, 5 or 7
Nights, your choice
all - inclusive
no add-ons
women
Only
small
Group
multiple
Departure Dates
What makes this different
Most retreats ask you to choose — movement or rest, adventure or stillness. This one doesn't
One private island. One extraordinary reef. Every morning begins with mat pilates overlooking, the Indian Ocean stretching out in front of you — and every stay includes a sunset sound healing session to match, no matter which package you choose.
Nothing here is stripped back to make room for the retreat. Kandooma's own all inclusive inclusions come standard: three meals a day, unlimited selected drinks, daily guided snorkelling excursion, a sunset cruise, a sunrise fishing excursion, a spa treatment, and — for certified divers — a dive a day, every day of your stay. Layer daily pilates, SUP yoga on the lagoon, evening restorative sessions and, on the longest stays, a private 1:1 and an ice bath recovery on top, and you've got a retreat that gives you more the longer you stay — not less.
Choose 3 nights for a taste, 5 for the sweet spot, or 7 for the full reset. Whichever you pick, everything is already built into the price — nothing to figure out, nothing sprung on you at checkout.
This isn't a retreat squeezed into a resort stay. It's what the Maldives is actually for.
Is this retreat right for me?
You breathe better with salt in the air. You think more clearly underwater. The ocean is where you actually come back to life.
The Maldives has been on your bucket list forever — but you didn't want to do it on a honeymooners' island, surrounded by couples and candlelit dinners for two.
You want to snorkel a reef that blows your mind, do pilates with nothing but open ocean in front of you, and quietly think: is this my actual life right now?
You want the real Maldives — with a small group of women who feel like you’ve known them forever.
A day in paradise
7:30am Morning mat pilates at our ocean view yoga deck
8:30am Breakfast (included)
9:30am Swim in the gorgeous ocean
10:30am Swim with (friendly) sharks* optional excursion
1:00pm Lunch at one of the 3 amazing restaurants (included)
3:00pm Enjoy a spa treatment
5:30pm Evening restorative session (sound healing, yin yoga)
6:30pm Dinner under the stars (included)
8:00pm Time to rest & do it all over again tomorrow
Inclusions
Tailor your journey - 3, 5 or 7 nights on a private island, South Malé Atoll
All breakfasts, lunches & dinners — three meals a day, every day
Unlimited drinks
Daily morning mat pilates with Courtney on the ocean-view deck
Evening restorative yoga or yin (most nights)
Sunset sound healing — every package, every duration
Daily guided reef snorkelling, sunset cruise & sunrise fishing excursion
30-min spa treatment at COMO Spa
One dive per day for certified divers — equipment & guide included
Return speedboat transfers, Malé ↔ Kandooma
SUP yoga on the lagoon (5 & 7 nights)
Private 1:1 with Courtney + ice bath recovery (7 nights only)
Not included: international flights, travel insurance, personal spending, tips.
How we move
The deck opens to the Indian Ocean on three sides. Most mornings, dolphins pass while you're still in your warm-up.
This is where the reset actually begins.
Morning pilates here is slow, deliberate, and more demanding than it looks — spinal articulation, deep core connection, the lateral work that reawakens everything a long-haul flight and a busy life quietly switch off. Each session builds something real: the kind of strength and stability that stays with you long after you've rolled up your mat. Come as you are. If you want to turn the dial up, we'll meet you there.
As the sun drops toward the water, we return to the same deck — but slowly. Restorative yin, crystal singing bowls, a silence that feels earned. The morning was for building. The evening is for releasing everything you carried here.
Two practices. One deck. The ocean holding all of it.
Where you’ll stay
Meet your host
Courtney Lanfranco
Founder, Holistic Escapes · Pilates & Yoga Teacher
While Pilates in the Wild takes me back to Sri Lanka every year, the Maldives isn't a retreat destination for me — it's home. I live here. Not near here — here, on a Maldivian island with my husband and our little one, in this ocean every single day.
Before founding Holistic Escapes, I spent years as a flight attendant, seeing the world but quietly burning out in the process. Pilates and yoga brought me back to myself, and eventually brought me here — to a life built around the ocean, movement, and slowing down enough to actually feel it. When I designed Pilates in Paradise, I wasn't guessing at the best time of day for sound healing on the sand, or hoping the reef would be calm for your morning practice. I already knew.
I lead every session on Pilates in Paradise myself. Every single one.
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With 10+ years of immersion in yoga, pilates and holistic healing — and qualifications in Pilates Mat, 200hr and 300hr Yoga Teacher Training, Yin & Restorative Yoga, Breathwork and Somatic Mind-Body Healing — Courtney brings both depth of knowledge and a rare warmth to every session. Guests consistently say her classes exceed every expectation, that she explains things in a way that instantly makes your shoulders drop away from your ears, and that from the moment you land to the moment you leave, you feel completely taken care of.
Every package includes:
No hidden extras. Taxes and return speedboat transfers are already built into your price — you won't see a surprise item at checkout.
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Your villa rate includes all inclusive: daily breakfast, lunch and dinner at selected restaurants; unlimited beverages within a specified band; daily snacks; daily guided reef snorkelling; a Sunset Splash Cruise per person, per stay; a Sunrise Fishing Excursion per person, per stay; a 30-minute spa treatment per adult, per stay, at Kandooma Spa by COMO Shambhala; complimentary Wi-Fi; and, for certified divers, one dive per day under the Dive Free programme (equipment, air/Nitrox, boat and guide included). Children under 13 stay and eat free under Kandooma's Kids Stay & Eat Free programme.
Return speedboat transfers between Malé airport and the resort, and the Maldives green tax, are included in every package — already built into the price you see. -
Every morning begins with a mat pilates session led by Courtney, on a gorgeous outdoor deck overlooking the Indian Ocean as your backdrop. All levels welcome.
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One evening, every guest closes the day with a group sound healing session as the sun goes down over the atoll. Included on every package, every duration.
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As the day winds down, most evenings close with a restorative yoga or yin session — designed to soften the body and prepare you for the deepest sleep you've had in years. Included on every package, every duration.
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Practice on the water. A guided SUP-based yoga and pilates session on the lagoon — balance, breath and a little bit of falling in, on purpose.
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For certified divers, every night of your stay unlocks another day underwater — one complimentary dive a day, with equipment, air/Nitrox, boat and guide all included under Kandooma's Dive Free programme. Stay 7 nights, dive 7 days.
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60 minutes, one-on-one with Courtney — entirely tailored to what your body needs that day.
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Choose from four categories — Garden Villa, Beach View Villa, Beach House Sea View, or Overwater Villa Sea View — each set within Kandooma's private island in the South Malé Atoll.
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Fly into Velana International Airport, Malé (MLE). From there, a return speedboat transfer takes you straight to the resort — already included in your package.
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International flights to Malé (MLE) and home; travel insurance (mandatory — must be purchased at time of booking); personal spending, shopping and optional spa treatments beyond your included session; tips and gratuities.
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Twin share guests are matched with a compatible roommate, considered carefully the same way we do it on Pilates in the Wild. Private room guests have their own space throughout. Either way, you're never navigating it alone.
Your retreat, your length
3 Nights — The Taste
From $1,610
Per person twin share
A short reset — daily pilates and one sunset sound healing session on Kandooma's private reef.
✓ Daily AM Mat Pilates
✓ Evening Restorative/Yin Sessions
✓ Sunset Sound Healing (1x)
✓ One scuba dive per day (for certified divers)
5 Nights — The Sweet Spot
From $2,070
per person, twin share
Our most popular length — enough time to properly unwind, on the water and off it.
✓ Daily AM Mat Pilates
✓ Evening Restorative/Yin Sessions
✓ Sunset Sound Healing (1x)
✓ One scuba dive per day (for certified divers)
✓ SUP Yoga/Pilates Session (1x)
7 Nights — The Full Reset
From $2,760
per person, twin share
The complete experience — every session, plus a private 1:1 and an ice bath recovery to close it out.
✓ Daily AM Mat Pilates
✓ Evening Restorative/Yin Sessions
✓ Sunset Sound Healing (1x)
✓ One scuba dive per day (for certified divers)
✓ SUP Yoga/Pilates Session (1x)
✓ Private 60-Min 1:1 with Courtney
✓ Ice Bath Recovery Sessions (3x)
Certified diver? Every night unlocks another day of Kandooma's Dive Free programme — so 7 nights means 7 dives, included. Full pricing by villa category below ↓
Build your retreat
Select a villa, your dates, and how you'd like to stay — your price updates as you go.
Extend your journey
Add Sri Lanka
A Sri Lanka Pilates & Culture Retreat — 7 nights across five UNESCO locations, before your Maldives reset begins.
Book both retreats together and save. $200 combo discount
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Your journey begins in Colombo (CMB), Sri Lanka's main international airport, with direct and connecting flights from most major Australian cities. Seven nights later, as the Sri Lanka retreat ends, you'll fly directly from Colombo to Malé (MLE) — about 1.5 hours — where a return speedboat takes you straight to Kandooma to begin your Maldives reset. We recommend booking as a group so we can travel together; full flight guidance is sent once your extension is confirmed.
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Your Sri Lanka extension includes 7 nights across five handpicked properties in Negombo, Sigiriya, Kandy, Ella and Galle; daily breakfast and dinner (night one is breakfast only); daily pilates and evening restorative sessions; and visits to four UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the highland train journey, and genuine cultural immersion throughout. Full inclusions are confirmed in your personal quote.
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Each morning opens with a dedicated pilates session in a different setting — from the shore of Negombo Lake to a mountaintop in Ella. Evenings wind down with restorative yoga and breathwork. All levels welcome.
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Sri Lanka is one of the most culturally rich small countries on earth. Your journey includes four UNESCO World Heritage Site visits, the legendary highland train through tea country, and a wildlife safari — plus plenty of time to wander ancient temples and soak up five distinct regions in seven days.
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Morning: pilates in a new setting, followed by breakfast. Daytime: UNESCO sites, the highland train, a wildlife safari, or simply time to explore. Evening: restorative yoga or breathwork, dinner, and rest before the next region.
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Five handpicked luxury and boutique properties, one for each stop on the journey — Negombo, Sigiriya, Kandy, Ella and Galle — each chosen for its character, setting, and proximity to the morning pilates location.
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This extension is for you if you want to ease into your Maldives reset with a week of movement, culture and adventure first. If you love the idea of waking up somewhere new, want to move your body in extraordinary places, and want to arrive at Kandooma already unwound — Sri Lanka is where that begins.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Not at all. All sessions suit every level, from complete beginners to seasoned practitioners. Modifications are always offered.
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Courtney Lanfranco — founder of Holistic Escapes and a Maldives local. She leads every session on Pilates in Paradise herself.
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Daily mat pilates each morning, evening restorative or yin sessions, one sunset sound healing session on every package, and — on 5 and 7 night stays — SUP yoga/pilates on the lagoon.
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We keep it small and women-only, so it stays personal and connected rather than a resort takeover.
THE EXPERIENCE
TRAVEL & LOGISTICS
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Velana International Airport, Malé (MLE) — a return speedboat transfer is already included.
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Most nationalities get a free visa on arrival — check requirements for your passport before you travel.
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Yes, mandatory, purchased at time of booking — covering medical, emergency evacuation and trip cancellation.
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Yes — many guests pair this with our 7-night Sri Lanka Pilates & Culture Retreat beforehand, with a $200 combo discount.
ACCOMMODATION & INCLUSIONS
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All-inclusive dining, unlimited beverages within a set range, daily guided reef snorkelling, a sunset cruise and sunrise fishing excursion, a 30-minute spa treatment, WiFi, and one dive a day for certified divers. Speedboat transfers and green tax are already built into your price.
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International flights to/from Malé, travel insurance (mandatory), personal spending beyond your included spa treatment, and tips and gratuities.
— What villa types are available? Four categories on Kandooma's private island: Garden Villa, Beach View Villa, Beach House Sea View, and Overwater Villa Sea View. -
Four categories on Kandooma's private island: Garden Villa, Beach View Villa, Beach House Sea View, and Overwater Villa Sea View.
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A $500 deposit secures your place, followed by a personalised welcome pack with itinerary, villa details, flight guidance and packing list.
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Our retreats are non refundable. Full details provided at booking — we recommend travel insurance covering cancellation.
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Book a 10-minute call with Courtney, or download the retreat guide.
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Deposits are non-refundable. We strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance to protect against any changes to your plans. Full terms and conditions are available on our booking terms page.
BOOKING & SUPPORT