Nestled amidst the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives is a paradise on Earth, known for its pristine beaches, vibrant coral reefs, and unparalleled luxury. For me it has always been a dream to visit. With many luxury hotels to choose from, I went with the W Maldives, and here is my full review.
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Why I Booked W Maldives
The Maldives is a bucket list adventure for many (including myself), but it usually comes with a heavy price tag. I knew booking anything in the Maldives, that this was going to have be an award booking. At the time, this really narrowed it down to Marriott properties where i had the most points stored up and for me the W Maldives had the best redemption rates.
Location & Arrival
Getting from the United States to the Maldives is no easy task. It took me over 32 hours of flying to reach the Maldives. I flew from Phoenix to Chicago, Chicago to Doha, and finally Doha to Malé. It was a long and exhausting few days of travel, and I was only still in the capital city of the Maldives — I had yet one more flight to catch to reach W Maldives.
After clearing customs and grabbing my luggage, I exited the airport, and right in front is where all the resorts have little stands to start the check-in process. Luckily, about two weeks beforehand, the concierge at W Maldives had reached out to book us our seaplane.
While W Maldives does offer a transit lounge, we had come in just at the right time and only had to wait 10 minutes for our seaplane to the hotel, so we did not visit the lounge. Our transfer was with Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA). They allow 20kg of checked luggage and 5kg of hand luggage per person — anything extra costs more, and yes, they do weigh everything.
We were led to the seaplane, which only sat a handful of people and two barefoot pilots. We stopped at one other resort along the way to drop some passengers off before arriving at W Maldives — in total, it was about a 30-minute plane ride from the mainland to the resort.
Booking W Maldives: What I Paid
When looking at my options, I knew I wouldn’t be able to afford a cash booking. W Maldives was averaging $950 USD/night, not including the transfer to the hotel or government taxes and fees. I decided to use points for my stay: it cost 313,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to book a sunset overwater bungalow. Remember that when booking with points, the 5th night is free.
While taxes were only about $10 USD a day, the seaplane transfer was $595 USD per person and not covered by the points redemption.
While the seaplane was pulling into the dock, the staff of W Maldives were waving and welcoming us. As we stepped off the plane, we were handed a glass of champagne, and the general manager gave a short speech to introduce himself and the property. We also met with the culinary department, who asked about any dietary restrictions.
After all the introductions, we were picked up by a golf cart and taken around the property to see the layout, the restaurants, the pool, and finally our room.
The Overwater Bungalow
Room type: Sunset overwater bungalow | Size: ~1,500 sq ft
As we were dropped off, we were notified that our bags had already been placed in the room, and we were given a WhatsApp number for any requests. Walking in, it was hard to contain my excitement — staying in an overwater bungalow had long been a dream. Waiting in the room was a bottle of champagne as a welcome amenity.
The villa, at over 1,500 sq ft, had plenty of room to fit everything needed. In the middle, a large king-size bed looked out into the ocean through floor-to-ceiling retracting doors. A TV was mounted on a retractable arm so it wouldn’t disrupt the ocean view.
Next to the TV was a minibar stocked with soft drinks, water, and alcohol. The soft drinks and water were complimentary and refilled daily without having to ask. One of the coolest features of the room was right next to the minibar: a cutout in the floor covered by glass that let me see straight into the ocean — I could watch fish swimming right beneath my feet.
Wardrobes on both sides of the bed had plenty of room to hang everything, plus fit my suitcase. Not only did the bedroom have a sprawling footprint, but so did the bathroom. The shower and toilet were on the back wall, while a large tub was centered in front of a window looking into the ocean.
Walking out onto the deck, I knew I’d be spending a lot of time here. The privacy wall surrounding the sides was a comforting touch, ensuring no prying eyes from neighboring spaces. On one side of the deck, two sun loungers and a cabana beckoned relaxation, while the other side showcased a small infinity pool — though it’s worth noting the pool wasn’t heated, a bit chilly for my liking, though that didn’t stop me from enjoying it.
Finally, a ladder from the deck went right down into the ocean. We requested snorkel gear using the WhatsApp number, which worked great, and we snorkeled the rest of the early evening away.
Restaurants & Bars
There is a combination of 6 bars and restaurants at W Maldives.
KITCHEN is the main all-day bistro on the island, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Being a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum member, I was able to receive free breakfast daily. Breakfast at KITCHEN is buffet-style with made-to-order eggs, a selection of Western food, and local Maldivian food. Over our 5-day stay, the menu did rotate, but by the end we had experienced nearly all the offerings — staying much longer might have led to a sense of repetitiveness. Breakfast does include free alcoholic beverages such as mimosas and screwdrivers.
We had lunch and dinner at KITCHEN a few times as well, which was also very good, with generous portion sizes. If you’ve read any other blogs about the Maldives in general, you’ll know food is expensive — chicken fried rice cost me $35, but I must admit it was delicious.
SIP is a cocktail lounge at the far end of the island. We spent multiple nights here watching the sunset with a cocktail and some sushi before dinner — they have nets you can lay and lounge on right above the water.
WET is a staple at all W hotels and is a pool bar with light food options and drinks. We visited once and had a pizza on a day we had a scuba diving trip — a nice snack to hold us over until dinner.
Sadly, we never made it to KADA, a pop-up café where food is served family-style on sharing plates, right on the beach with wooden tree stumps for seating. We just never fit it into our plans.
The last two restaurants on the island are worth reserving in advance, since they have limited seating. FISH and FIRE are both dinner-only. FISH is, unsurprisingly, seafood-focused, though they do have non-seafood options like pasta. FIRE is a steakhouse located right in the sand, and it was my favorite restaurant of the whole trip — we went three of the five nights we were there.
There’s also in-room dining, ordered via a QR code in the room. We never used it ourselves, but the menu did seem limited.
Fitness Center & Spa
Above WET there’s an office area (who is really doing work while on vacation here) and a fitness center. The gym is on the smaller side — a few treadmills and some free weights, plus a personal trainer available on request. One day while I was running, the power went out and the treadmill stopped instantly — quite the experience.
The spa sits in a secluded area with a private jetty out into the water. The treatment rooms all have floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean. I didn’t get any treatments myself, but each room comes with a full list of what’s on offer.
Activities
Right near the fitness center is a large pool with plenty of sun loungers. Honestly, I only visited once and rarely saw many others there — every room at the resort comes with a private plunge pool, so there’s really no need for the big one.
W Maldives offers complimentary snorkel gear, and you can essentially snorkel anywhere on the island (just avoid the area where seaplanes land and take off). If you want to spot a sea turtle, head toward the spa — they like to hang out in that area.
There are plenty of other activities available on request, such as a yacht sunset cruise, snorkeling with whale watching, and a sunset dolphin cruise. We requested the whale-watching trip, at about $450 per person, but sadly didn’t end up going. We also wanted to spend a day at Gaathafushi, an uninhabited island next to the hotel, but it was fully booked.
W Maldives also has an on-site scuba shop, so we got a couple of dives in — the coral reef here is amazing, with an abundance of wildlife to see. Being in such a secluded area, there were 2 dive masters for the 3 of us, which was a nice ratio. A two-tank boat dive with rented gear cost about $250 USD.
Final Thoughts: Would I Stay at W Maldives Again?
W Maldives was paradise, and I loved every minute of it. That said, the trip offered some valuable insights — I discovered I thrive on fast-paced adventures, which aligns more with my personal travel style. W Maldives had plenty to do for the 5 nights I was there, but I think any longer would’ve been too long to keep me busy.
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