There’s a rare kind of glow that can’t be captured by the sun alone — it comes from within. 

For South African model, actress, presenter and life coach Marciel Hopkins, this glow radiates from a life built on authenticity, courage, and joy. A woman who has journeyed through reinvention, who’s turned self-acceptance into art — and who now finds her rhythm in the slow, golden pulse of island time.

This summer, Marciel returned to the Maldives, a place she had visited years before for work — but this time, it was something altogether different. A full-circle dream come true.

A water villa suspended above a turquoise expanse, days spent floating between ocean and sky, and a new chapter of motherhood unfolding under the Maldivian sun.

“It was a truly magical experience,” she says. “We didn’t know how it would be to travel with a three-month-old baby, but it was better than we ever imagined.”

A Soft Paradise

Jawakara Resort became more than a destination — it was a gentle awakening.
Mornings began with sunrise feeds and ocean breezes drifting through the villa. Afternoons melted into hours of swimming, snorkelling, and sharing freshly caught tuna, each day stitched together by stillness and salt air.

Describing the islands in three words — tranquil, dreamy, exquisite — Marciel’s tone carries the same calm she found there.

“The peaceful mentality of the resort inspired me — everyone runs on island time. No one is rushed, which forces you to be present and breathe every moment in.”

What Marciel Wore

For her oceanic escape, Marciel lived in pieces that echoed the serenity of her surroundings.

She wore the Palma Set in Crème, the Palma Top and Nila Bottom in Sky, and the Coast Palazzo Positano Set — soft silhouettes in sun-washed hues that moved like water and light.

Her evenings belonged to the Babylon Aquarius Dress, flowing and radiant, as if spun from the jungle itself.

Each look reflected Marciel’s effortless approach to style: feminine, unfussy, and grounded in feeling rather than perfection.

“Now that I’m a mom, I love pieces that are easy to wear but still beautiful for the ‘gram. BeachCult’s prints are vibrant and full of joy — they speak for themselves.”

Highlights from Marciel’s Journey

• Waking up to ocean views from her private villa, sunlight shimmering across the turquoise shallows.
• Dining on fresh tuna and sushi, a ritual she swears by.
• Sunsets and sunrise moments spent nursing her baby in quiet wonder - “breastfeeding in bed with a sunrise view was pure magic.”
• Exploring every corner of the resort, uncovering hidden pools, coral gardens, and stretches of beach that seemed to exist just for them.
• Savouring stillness, discovering that joy, like the sea, deepens when you stop to float in it.

The Muse Behind the Moment

Marciel Hopkins is more than a familiar face — she’s a force of grace and self-acceptance. From her days as a Miss South Africa finalist to becoming an international curve model, life coach, and presenter, Marciel’s story is one of reclamation: of body, of purpose, of peace.

Her life’s work now dances between worlds — guiding others toward self-love, sharing her radiance on screen, and living proof that femininity is strongest when it’s soft and sure of itself.

Her Maldives journey captures that essence: beauty in balance, the meeting point between motherhood and wanderlust, between discipline and ease, between strength and surrender.

Join Marciel on Her Sunlit Path

Let Marciel’s Maldivian reverie inspire your own. Step into her world of slow sunrises and island adventures wrapped in her top BeachCult pieces.

Share your story with us, tag @beachcult and use #SunChasers to join a circle of women who live honestly, love deeply, and shine fearlessly.