For couples searching for the perfect fall vacation - or making honeymoon plans - Four Seasons Resort Maui literally has it all. Think relaxation, pampering, sports, beach and water activities, hiking, Spa treatments, the best in food and wine from three top restaurants - and even boutique trunk shows featuring chic designer fashions not easily found in stores at home. Plan a tropical stay in paradise to coincide with September is Couples Month.

The trunk shows, scheduled to run throughout the month at the Resort's distinctive boutique shops Cabana and 22 Knots, will feature a number of inspired designers including Vincent Peach artistically crafted collection of leather and beautiful fresh water and black Tahitian pearls; Ranjana Khan exclusive and elegant charmeuse silk sarongs - ideal travel apparel; and Letarte luxe bathing suits, coordinated cover-ups and sportswear. Personal stylist Jessica Grant, senior buyer for Seaside Luxe LLC, creator of the Resort shops, will be on hand from September 11-16, 2012. Maui Mari Ocean Jewelry, Jemma Sands (jewelry), OluKai (men’s and women’s sandals), Helen Kaminski Australia (hats) and PilyQ Barcelona (swim and resort wear) are among other featured trunk shows.

The Resort is going all out by offering up a host of specially-designed activities sure to capture the interest of couples. Most of the activities are being offered on a complimentary basis, including cooking, cocktail-making and wellness talks and demonstrations. Couples can attend cooking demonstrations en cuisine with Master Executive Chef Roger Stettler, Maui’s 2012 Chef of the Year. The Resort’s charismatic bartenders will teach the secrets of how to make some of the most popular and exotic cocktails with names such as Smile, Hana Haze, and Blueberry Mojito. A series of outdoor wellness classes will feature experts in energy healing, couples’ meditation and relationship work, all arranged by the Resort’s award-winning Spa. There will be more activities from which to choose - everything from beachside yoga, golf and tennis to zip-lining, snorkeling and hiking, with a long menu of other options in between.

This August, eight Maldivian surfers will make waves alongside six ex-world champions in the world’s most luxurious surfing event. Hotly anticipated to be the country’s biggest ever showcase of Maldivian surfing, the inaugural Four Seasons Maldives Domestic Champions Trophy will be held at Four Seasons Resort Kuda Huraa from August 27 to September 2, 2012, alongside Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy, a showdown between six ex-world champions. Organized by luxury surf pioneers Tropicsurf, Four Seasons Maldives Domestic Champions Trophy will be run from Four Seasons Explorer catamaran. The domestic competition will see local surfers competing under the same world-class standards as the adjoining world champions’ event, with equal commentary, computer scoring and ASP judging criteria.

“We’re delighted to be given the opportunity to showcase our best local talent alongside living legends such as Tom Curren, Mark Occhilupo and Martin Potter,” commented Ismail Haleem of the Maldivian Surfing Association. “The Maldives is fast gaining a reputation as one of the world’s best surfing destinations and we’re looking forward to showing the world that we’ve got surfing talent to match.” The Maldivian surfers will be selected by the Maldivian Surfing Association prior to the event via a local competition. Each will then compete in four-man event heats to qualify for the final – a MVR 25,000 showdown for the title of Four Seasons Maldives Domestic Champions Trophy 2012.

The domestic final will place immediately prior to the Surfing Champions Trophy final on the last day of competition, in a move aimed to give equal billing to local stars. The only difference in the two competitions lies in board selection: local surfers will compete on conventional thruster boards, whereas the world champions will tackle three boards ranging from retro single-fins to contemporary triple-fins. Despite not featuring in last year’s inaugural event, Maldivian surfers were still very much front of mind. The 2011 victor, Mark “Occy” Occhilupo (Australia), dedicated his win to the late Tony Hussein Hinde – considered to be “the father of surfing in the Maldives” – who looked after Occhilupo on his first visit to the country more than a decade ago.

Occy will be returning to this year’s Surfing Champions Trophy event to defend his crown. Joining him will be Tom Curren (USA) – three-time world champion and true soul surfer; Martin "Potz" Potter (South Africa) – world champion, aerial-pioneer and all-round Mr Cool; longboard master Phil Rajzman, the only Brazilian in history to become world champion of the elite ASP World Tour; Damien Hardman (Australia) – two-time world champion; and 2005 Women’s World Champion, Chelsea Hedges (Australia) . Guests booking Kuda Huraa’s all-inclusive four or seven-night Champions Trophy package – available from August 27 to September 2 only – can get right on top of the action with competition day passes aboard the vessel plus three half-day surfing passes with Tropicsurf. Back on land, they’ll also get to rub shoulders with their surfing heroes and experience a level of intimacy and camaraderie unique in competition surfing.