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Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi {MDV}

Old Jan 2, 2019, 3:02 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: Jaffar
:-: Welcome to the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi Wiki! :-:
Notes: All prices are in US Dollars and are exclusive of taxes unless specified (by ++)

Tax Information
10% Service Charge (levied by resort. For info on this and how it's distributed, see this post)
16% T-GST (Tourist Goods & Services Tax, levied by the Maldivian government, current as of Jan 1, 2023). Old 2022 rate was 12%.
Total tax is 27.2%, not 26% as one would think. Example; $100 + 10% = $110, then add 16% on to $110 for a total of $127.20.
Tip: To work out prices before the 27.2% taxes, multiply by 0.7862, i.e; 127.2 * 0.7862 = 100
A Green Tax of $6pp/pn (levied by the Maldivian government) has been introduced starting from 1 November 2015. Points/Redemption bookings are exempt from the tax for up to two guests per room

Booking with points
Bookings must be cancelled 30 days prior in order to avoid one full night's charge at BAR. (some days cancellation period is 14 days check your reservation details for the exact applicable cancellation policy)
Website and phone agents state that a cash deposit equivalent to the BAR per night will be taken when booking stays with points. This is an error. NO CASH DEPOSIT IS TAKEN WHEN MAKING A POINTS BOOKING
Free night certificate: The phone agent states that a cash deposit equivalent to the BAR per night will be taken when booking your free night. This is an error. NO CASH DEPOSIT IS TAKEN WHEN USING YOUR FREE NIGHT CERTIFICATE
This hotel is extremely popular. Rooms are released to be booked with points about 1 year in advance. It seems to be a partially manual process so it's not an exact science. After being released those rooms get booked within a matter of minutes. If you have specific dates you want you need to book them one at a time a year in advance, or risk booking last minute. Yes that makes it hard to use the 5th night free. You can book 5 individual nights and cancel them all to rebook getting the 5th night free, but there's only about a 50% chance the rooms go back into inventory so it's risky. There is no secret, just check Hilton.com all the time. If you don't want to do that, someone else will and they'll get the rooms.

Transfers To and From Resort
Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi is located in South Mal Atoll, 23km southwest of Mal and Velana International Airport [MLE] (also known as Mal International Airport, previously known as Ibrahim Nasir International Airport)
Transfer experience includes personal service for your group after luggage pick-up until arrival on the yacht; yacht includes dedicated server for champagne, non-alcoholic beverages, and light snacks. Departure experience on the yacht is the same, and your group be personally escorted through airline check-in until airport security.
Pricing in 2021 is $650++, 2020 is $600++ per person, and 2019 it was $350++ per person per way ($1724.80 return inclusive of taxes for 2 passengers). The price for kids 5 and under is complimentary while kids 6-11 years old are charged $300++ per person. If the yacht is not available, a speedboat will be provided by the resort. If this happens, you may be refunded the yacht transfer fee.
Pricing for 2022 will increase to $730++ for adults and $365++ children 6-12, see website by clicking here.
Pricing for 2023 will increase to $780++ for adults ($995.28 nett) and $390++ for children 6-12
The resort offers the ability to redeem Hilton Honors points for your transfer, .strValue1=all&promoGroupList[1].strValue1=en_US&qt[0].type=fieldsearch&qt[0].name=panname_country_s&qt[0].value1=MDV&rc=24&sort=timeleft_asc]click here.
See this post for a detailed review of the yacht transfer (Courtesy of jphripjah)
Third party transfers are not permitted by the resort.
Transfer to / from Conrad Maldives Rangali Island: A private seaplane transfer from the Waldorf to the Conrad, taking approximately 25 minutes, is approximately USD 8,125++. Most guests travel between the resort booking the standard round trip seaplane from Male to Rangali and then the Yacht transfer round trip from Male to Waldorf.

Time
Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi time has been set one hour ahead of Male time to give an extra hour of daylight each day. For ease, set phone or Dhaka Sri Lanka time zone.

Resort Information / Spa / Activities
WA Ithaafushi is made up of three islands (95% man-made)
There are 2 standalone OWVs (Over Water Villas) and 121 villas in total
Click here (Hilton's website) or here (dedicated website) to visit the resort on the web
The kids club (one of the biggest in the Maldives) is for children between 4 to 11 years. Click here for detailed information and here for the schedule. Click here, here and here for basic reviews and comprehensive sets of pictures (All courtesy of Traveler Dave)
See this and this post for info on the Christmas Eve and New Years Eve Gala Fee
Click here to visit the resort's listing on TripAdvisor
Tennis courts: See this post
For a new map of the resort click here
> For the old map of the resort click here * Note that this map is orientated north and so the SUNRISE and SUNSET written on it are incorrect. Also note that you receive a black and white map when you arrive and this is not as good nor as detailed as the one posted here. For comments on the quality of the map, click here
Snorkelling spots and other info 3e4sd:Link to post: (Courtesy of AirForceFlyer)
Scuba Diving pics :Link to post: (Courtesy of Traveler Dave)
Activities Brochure (prices as of July 2019)
Spa pics and review :Link to post: (Courtesy of Traveler Dave)
Wellness Programme :Link to post: (Courtesy of AirForceFlyer)

Resort Information - F&B and Menus
The resort has 11 restaurants / bars
Kids under 6 eat free when ordering from the dedicated kids menu (all restaurants except the adult only ones have kids menu; does not apply to in-room dining)
Some restaurant menus are available in PDF format on the resort's website. Click here to visit the relevant page on their website
Menus for most restaurants as of early October 2020: See this post
For pictures of most of the menus: Part 1 and Part 2
Dining Programme / restaurant opening times: See this post and the post below it
IVD (In Villa Dining) menus: See this post
Yasmeen - Menu version discussion here.
Terra is $298.00++ per person. As of December 2019, the set menu includes Amuse Brioche (3 selections per person), a starter (tuna, avocado, caviar), 2 courses highlighting lobster and wagyu beef with a pallet cleanse in between, a dessert course, then finishing with 3 additional sweet selections per person.
The Ledge - See this post. Note that this menu changes daily but there are probably only 2 for each day and 14 in total (7 for lunch and 7 for dinner). Chefs rotate to the resort from Burnt Ends in Singapore.
+ Peacock Alley 1/2 priced drinks daily after 9:30pm. High-quality cocktails and liquors available at a very affordable price ranging from $13-$15 post discount
+ Tasting Table full buffet breakfast with made to order entrees and complimentary Champagne for $65++/person or Free for Hilton Diamond / Gold
+ Glow and Yasmeen wine selections are priced in the $65 - $85 ++ range per bottle.
Lunch can be purchased at the main pool or beach from Nava or The Ledge. The majority of lunch entrees cost $30-$50++. Lunch is also available at Tasting Table, Tangled, or In Villa Dining.
A new pizza oven was flown in from Italy to replace the original oven installed at Nava, and an Italian chef traveled to the resort to work with the team to elevate pizza quality in early December of 2019.
During festive season 2019, the resort introduced a lobster & champagne dinner on the beach, including tasting stations, free flow champagne, and a live band for $298++ per person.

Miscellaneous Information
Villa pool depth: See this post
Best snorkelling spots: See this post and this post
Complimentary water (in villa): See this post
Walking / getting around the resort: See this post
Sunset / Sunrise at the resort: See this post and this post
Power outlet configuration: See this post


Elite member benefits:

Hilton Honors GOLD MEMBERS:
  • Full breakfast at Tasting Table
  • In-villa VIP welcome bottle of wine and fruits
  • Complimentary daily afternoon delights (see here for pic) with a fine selection of beverages crafted by mixologist and sommelier from 16:00 to 17:00 at Peacock Alley. Note The afternoon delights have been removed and replaced with a bowl of nuts or crisps for example
  • 50% special offer on selected beverages at Nava Beach Club from 22:00 to 23:30
Hilton Honors DIAMOND MEMBERS:
  • Full breakfast at Tasting Table
  • Free item from the kids menu for kids under 6 y.o. (staff are somewhat flexible on this age limit)
  • In-villa VIP welcome Champagne, sweet and savoury amenities, note this could be downgraded to a bottle of red wine.
  • [Diamond only benefit] With a selected 60-minute massage, enjoy a complimentary additional 30-minute at Waldorf Astoria Spa
  • Complimentary daily afternoon delights (see here for pic) with a fine selection of beverages crafted by mixologist and sommelier from 16:00 to 17:00 at Peacock Alley. Note : The afternoon delights have been removed and replaced with a bowl of nuts or crisps for example
  • 50% special offer on selected beverages at Nava Beach Club from 22:00 to 23:30 (January 2021: Currently at Peacock Alley as Nava closes at 7pm due to Covid-19 service changes)

Accommodation:
At opening the resort defined Beach Villas as the lowest category of accommodation (only this category bookable with points). The next highest category was Reef Villas then above that, the Overwater Villas. Note: villas on the Private Island do not count.
This will change in 2020. Quote from the resort "Please be informed that for next year we have changed our villa category. Kindly note that the Reef Villa will be our base category, next will be the Overwater Villa and then the Beach Villa. Basically the Beach Villa will be a higher category compared to reef Villa and Overwater Villa."
See this post for the conversation related to this. Pricing has changed as well to reflect this. See below for 2020 pricing.
Note that as of August 2019 the BV is still available to book on points in 2020. This may change, however.

Prices - Accommodation (2020):

***** March 2020 Figures *****
Beach Villa USD 2630
Overwater Villa USD 2430
Reef Villa USD 1930


Prices - Accommodation (2019):

***** July 2019 Figures *****
2 Bedroom Beach Villa with Pool USD 3850
2 Bedroom Over Water Villa with Pool USD 4350

***** October 2019 Figures *****
Beach Villa USD 2100
Grand Beach Villa USD 2300
Reef Villa USD 2300
Grand Reef Villa USD 2500
Overwater Villa USD 2500
Grand Overwater Villa USD 2700


***** Upgrade Costs - Jul 2019 *****
Two Bedroom Beach - US 2000
Two Bedroom Grand Beach - US 2200
Two Bedroom Reef - US 2200
Two Bedroom Overwater - US 2400

***** Upgrade Costs - Oct 2019 *****
Reef Villa USD 200
OWV USD 400


Villa Types and Abbreviations used in this thread (listed in order from most basic to most luxurious)

-- BVs (Beach Villas) --

BV (Beach Villa)
GBV (Grand Beach Villa)

-- RVs (Reef Villas) --

RV (Reef Villa, the Garden Villa category shown in the pre-opening promo video)
GRV (Grand Reef Villa, also a type of Garden Villa shown in the pre-opening promo video)

-- OWVs (Over Water Villas) aka Ocean Villas in rewards booking --

OV (Overwater Villa)
GOV (Grand Overwater Villa)
SMR (Stella Maris Residences)

-- Occupancy Information --
See this post for maximum occupancy of each villa type

Villa Selection
See this post and this post
Privacy - Beach Villas: For pics, info and opinions, see the following posts; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10


Travel & Safety Information
The Maldives is listed in Category 1 (the highest category) on the
WHO Zika virus classification table. However, don't let that scare you because as of April 13, 2017 there has only been one confirmed case of Zika in the Maldives
Click here for information related to the single Zika infection in the Maldives (reported in January of that year)


Contact
General Enquiries: [email protected]
Reservations Department: [email protected]
Tel: +960-4000-300
Click here for hilton site and click here for Waldorf Maldives website

Weather:
Note: since the resort is close to Mahibadhoo (where there is a weather station), I have added this info from the Conrad Maldives thread as both resorts are close by and the weather will be the same as far as forecasts go (MaldivesFreak)
General info on weather in the Maldives: Link 1 Link 2 (Maldivian government website)
Recommended Android weather app: eWeather HD. See this post for detailed info on the app, settings, tips and general weather info (Courtesy of MaldivesFreak)
Want to get an idea about the weather in the month of August? Click here to read a post from a FT member that spends 2 weeks at Rangali during this month (Courtesy of Splotly)


Pictures - Resort under construction:
January, 2018 :Link to post:
June, 2018 :Link to post:
Approx October, 2018 :Link to post:
January, 2019 :Link to post:

Pictures & Videos - Post-opening:
General pics of the resort (July, 2019) :Link to post: (Courtesy of jphripjah)
The Stella Maris exclusive! :Link to post with links to videos: (Courtesy of alanslegal)
Breakfast buffet at Tasting Table - Post #1 :Link to post: (Courtesy of alanslegal)
Breakfast buffet at Tasting Table - Post #2 :Link to post: (Courtesy of jphripjah)
Breakfast buffet at Tasting Table - Post #3 :Link to post: (Courtesy of Traveler Dave)
Breakfast buffet at Tasting Table - Post #4 :Link to post: (Courtesy of Another Getaway)
IVD(in villa dining) :Link to post: (Courtesy of Stivelio)
Terra (views from all 7 'cages') :Link to post: (Courtesy of jphripjah)
Terra and Family Pool :Link to post with link to video: (Courtesy of alanslegal)
Reef Villa with sunset view :Link to post: (Courtesy of Stivelio)
Views in the direction of Male (night & day pics) :Link to post 1: (Courtesy of wekxbrainx) :Link to post 2: (Courtesy of jphripjah)
Bicycle tour :Link to post:
Various resort and villa pics from a stay in November 2019 :Link to post: (Courtesy of aspenedelen)

Reviews:
Review by Jermyn
Review by goldelite8
Review by escape4
Review by Falcons05 (text only)

Historical Information for high rollers:
+ $135 shisha, Check out this post
+ If you do NOT have Gold/Diamond status with Free breakfast AND you decide NOT to pay the $65++ for full buffet at Tasting Table, then you may or may not encounter a $35 charge for a single egg
+ 106,000 dollar bottle of wine: Click
here for a picture of the wine menu (reactions follow on subsequent pages)


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Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi {MDV}

Old Jan 23, 2022, 7:41 am
  #1861  
 
Join Date: Dec 2021
Posts: 30
Originally Posted by walterD
Must be my lucky day, snagged 5 nights @ 120K in November this morning, and 2 more days this afternoon for the week before
would you mind sharing which dates you secured? Would help me to get an idea about my chances for additional nights in November/early December. Thanks in advance.
m1sRVolkert is offline  
Old Jan 23, 2022, 8:40 am
  #1862  
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Programs: Virtuoso Luxury Travel Agent; Bonvoy Titanium Elite; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 662
Just grabbed 7 nights, Jan 23-30 2023
brokenwindow is offline  
Old Jan 23, 2022, 8:55 am
  #1863  
 
Join Date: Dec 2021
Posts: 10
Originally Posted by brokenwindow
Just grabbed 7 nights, Jan 23-30 2023
can you explain how this is possible? Because I thought we could only book one year in advance.
Mr407 is offline  
Old Jan 23, 2022, 9:00 am
  #1864  
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Programs: Virtuoso Luxury Travel Agent; Bonvoy Titanium Elite; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 662
Originally Posted by Mr407
can you explain how this is possible? Because I thought we could only book one year in advance.
just checked the price calendar, and saw that it was avail at 120k per night. showed phantom availability for ~24 hours but finally it let me book it today. .

I booked my stay for this year which was Jan 2-9 2022 on Jan 2 2021, so I guess they release rooms 1 year before as check-in date but checkout date can be later
brokenwindow is offline  
Old Jan 23, 2022, 9:24 am
  #1865  
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Glasgow
Posts: 60
You muts have been very lucky as there isnt even 1 night in Jan 2023 left at 120k !
mchristie2 is offline  
Old Jan 23, 2022, 10:51 am
  #1866  
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Seoul, KR
Programs: MAR Titanium, HH Gold
Posts: 574
Originally Posted by brokenwindow
just checked the price calendar, and saw that it was avail at 120k per night. showed phantom availability for ~24 hours but finally it let me book it today. .

I booked my stay for this year which was Jan 2-9 2022 on Jan 2 2021, so I guess they release rooms 1 year before as check-in date but checkout date can be later
I was eyeing on that period with phantom availability a few hours ago although I knew I couldn't travel around that time for my works sadly. Good to see you got it!
noeatbutgo is offline  
Old Jan 23, 2022, 11:20 am
  #1867  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Honors Diamond, Delta Gold
Posts: 4,296
Originally Posted by brokenwindow
just checked the price calendar, and saw that it was avail at 120k per night. showed phantom availability for ~24 hours but finally it let me book it today. .

I booked my stay for this year which was Jan 2-9 2022 on Jan 2 2021, so I guess they release rooms 1 year before as check-in date but checkout date can be later
That's cool to know because you don't see that when looking at the flexible calendar. At least, I don't.
friedablass is offline  
Old Jan 23, 2022, 1:50 pm
  #1868  
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,756
Originally Posted by brokenwindow
Just grabbed 7 nights, Jan 23-30 2023
wow, I saw that last night and even called Hilton to book them but they couldn't so I assumed it was a bug. Congrats!
yoyo is offline  
Old Jan 23, 2022, 3:37 pm
  #1869  
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Somewhere over the rainbow
Programs: Airline Free Agent, Bonvoy Platinum, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,809
Anyone know if they have electric air pumps that we can use for pool floats?
JK likes this.
Jimgotkp is offline  
Old Jan 23, 2022, 4:52 pm
  #1870  
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: IAH
Programs: HH Diamond, Bonvoy something
Posts: 126
They have pumps available, but for a fee. See post #1580
Grapenut is offline  
Old Jan 23, 2022, 11:03 pm
  #1871  
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: SAN
Posts: 1,302
Originally Posted by Jimgotkp
Anyone know if they have electric air pumps that we can use for pool floats?
Google hair dryer air pump if you dont want to pay hotel

They did blow ours up for free.

TD
Jimgotkp likes this.
Traveler Dave is offline  
Old Jan 24, 2022, 12:18 am
  #1872  
 
Join Date: Dec 2021
Posts: 8
Originally Posted by Traveler Dave
Google hair dryer air pump if you dont want to pay hotel

They did blow ours up for free.

TD
Did you ask your butler about this or go somewhere specific for it? There now and wondering about the same thing.
Awardtravelman is offline  
Old Jan 24, 2022, 1:32 am
  #1873  
 
Join Date: Dec 2021
Posts: 30
Originally Posted by nexusCFX
Not the case in general. The actual 5th night is the free one. I had a 5 night booking in March where the individual days were priced as 120,120,120,150,120 and the 5 night booking priced at 510k.
Looks like the reservation system is kind of volatile or keeps changing. My experience was different and just last week I looked for a 5 night booking in November and I found one spot at 4x120k pts, while all the single days showed over 1 million pts.

Originally Posted by m1sRVolkert
I am not using hotelalert, regularly checking the Hilton website instead. Regarding the RV Nov 26-Dec 01, I found it interesting that the website does not show any availability for one night stays for those days. Searching for a 5 night stay I found the open RV Nov 26-Dec 01.

Experienced similar behaviour looking for reward stays at Conrad Maldives before but it was the first time I noticed it for the Waldorf.
m1sRVolkert is offline  
Old Jan 24, 2022, 1:43 am
  #1874  
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: SFO/YYZ
Programs: AC 25K, AS MVP Gold, BA Bronze, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,431
Originally Posted by m1sRVolkert
Looks like the reservation system is kind of volatile or keeps changing. My experience was different and just last week I looked for a 5 night booking in November and I found one spot at 4x120k pts, while all the single days showed over 1 million pts.
That's due to inventory tied to minimum stay duration. Every booking I've ever made here has had at least one night that only appeared when booking at least N nights consecutively. As you mentioned, this property and the Conrad both employ that in different ways.

Anyway the 120/150k variability is separate from how 5th night free is applied. The fact is, when you make the booking, the breakdown is going to show the price per night and the 5th night chronologically is the one that is zeroed out. If any of the four preceding ones are pricing out above 120k, the total cost will exceed 480k.
nexusCFX is online now  
Old Jan 24, 2022, 6:43 am
  #1875  
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 363
Originally Posted by nexusCFX
That's due to inventory tied to minimum stay duration. Every booking I've ever made here has had at least one night that only appeared when booking at least N nights consecutively. As you mentioned, this property and the Conrad both employ that in different ways.
Are there minimum stay durations at the hotel other than during holiday periods? Im looking at a stay in February 2023.
setho212 is offline  

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