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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 Mar 22, 2022, 10:35 am
  #2161  
 
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 20
Originally Posted by Willbur
This isn't true, you can combine points and certificate. I have done it on numerous bookings and have it for an upcoming one at Conrad BB in October. You have to call in to do it (obviously due to the certs) and you just have to find a rep that is knowledgeable. Those who are lazy or don't know will simply tell you that it can't be done, but just HUCA.
thank you !! So to confirm, as soon as I see a 5 night standard availability, I have to call in and talk to a rep? And pray that those dates dont get booked by someone else right ?
arsebandit is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2022, 10:35 am
  #2162  
 
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 20
Duplicate
arsebandit is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2022, 10:39 am
  #2163  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: BHX
Programs: BA GGL CCR GfL, SQ Gold, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond, Marriott Plat, Cafe Nero Loyalty Card (7 Stamps)
Posts: 7,311
Originally Posted by arsebandit
thank you !! So to confirm, as soon as I see a 5 night standard availability, I have to call in and talk to a rep? And pray that those dates dont get booked by someone else right ?
It certainly sounds that way, and no guarantee the rep will know how to do it based on the above post.

Honestly if I saw 5 nights availability pop up I think I'd just book and if the next night or two happened to still be available I'd call to try and get those done as FNC nights.
Wozza2404 is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2022, 10:59 am
  #2164  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 3,163
Originally Posted by Willbur
This isn't true, you can combine points and certificate. I have done it on numerous bookings and have it for an upcoming one at Conrad BB in October. You have to call in to do it (obviously due to the certs) and you just have to find a rep that is knowledgeable. Those who are lazy or don't know will simply tell you that it can't be done, but just HUCA.

However, a certificate does not get you the full points value off, it gets you the prorated points off. The calculation works like below:

First, calculate the total number of points that would be needed for the 5 night stays with a 4th night free. So 150k x 4 nights = 600,000 HH points required.
Now divided that 600,000 by the 5 nights, so 120,000 average per night.
Each free night certificate used is going to save you 120,000 points, and not the potentially expected 150,000.
So using 2 free night certs, you end up with a stay costing 600k -120k -120k = 360k + 2 FNCs.

The above explains the mechanics, and the below is a quick shorthand way to determine the points needed when combining with FNC on a 5 night stay:
[Standard Rate] x 80% x [Number of nights you don't have a FNC to cover]
150k x 80% x 3 = 360k
I've seen blog posts about this method but thought they were outdated and Hilton did not allow this anymore.
I stand corrected.

Now I am getting curious: can you get a 5th night free without having to use any points if you have 4 FNs in your account?
Or do you still need to pay 120,000 points on top of the 4 FNs if you were to aim for a 5th night free booking at the WA Maldives with 4 FNs?
agjil is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2022, 11:03 am
  #2165  
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Programs: Hilton Diamond
Posts: 97
Big if true
chris30269 is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2022, 4:57 pm
  #2166  
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 736
Originally Posted by arsebandit
thank you !! So to confirm, as soon as I see a 5 night standard availability, I have to call in and talk to a rep? And pray that those dates dont get booked by someone else right ?
Yes, you can't book any FNCs without calling a rep. It used to be easier to get the FNCs included (maybe took 2 reps) and now it's common to churn through 3-4 reps to get one who can make it happen. You can honestly usually tell within the first minute if they're going to be able to get it done - don't waste an hour of your life with a rep if they don't seem to think it's possible but they want to "look into it."

Originally Posted by Wozza2404
Honestly if I saw 5 nights availability pop up I think I'd just book and if the next night or two happened to still be available I'd call to try and get those done as FNC nights.
Exactly this. If a stay pops up that I have been waiting for I usually don't try to call reps to make it happen - book the five nights on points and then add any FNCs to the front and back. Plus, this route saves the most points.

Originally Posted by agjil
I've seen blog posts about this method but thought they were outdated and Hilton did not allow this anymore.
I stand corrected.

Now I am getting curious: can you get a 5th night free without having to use any points if you have 4 FNs in your account?
Or do you still need to pay 120,000 points on top of the 4 FNs if you were to aim for a 5th night free booking at the WA Maldives with 4 FNs?
While I've never done it with 4 FNCs, I bet you would still need to pay 120k for the 5th night due to the prorated calculation used. The max I've ever used in a 5 night reservation is 2 FNCs. But if someone happens to be successful definitely report back (although in this thread there aren't going to be a ton of opportunities for it).
Willbur is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2022, 5:54 pm
  #2167  
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 81
I have 8 nights booked in June but I want to cut it down to 7. Is it possible to have them shorten the reservation by 1 night and get a refund without canceling the entire reservation?
avidchurner is offline  
Old Mar 22, 2022, 9:49 pm
  #2168  
 
Join Date: Mar 2022
Posts: 4
Hi guys, I would like to upgrade the room to OWV for incoming stays. I am wondering if I should do it directly with the hotel or through Hilton to enjoy the points if I use aspire cc. Or the benefits are same for both ways? Thank you!
travel moon is offline  
Old Mar 23, 2022, 2:53 am
  #2169  
 
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 20
Originally Posted by Willbur
This isn't true, you can combine points and certificate. I have done it on numerous bookings and have it for an upcoming one at Conrad BB in October. You have to call in to do it (obviously due to the certs) and you just have to find a rep that is knowledgeable. Those who are lazy or don't know will simply tell you that it can't be done, but just HUCA.

However, a certificate does not get you the full points value off, it gets you the prorated points off. The calculation works like below:
Found 5 night availability for Conrad Maldives, and called the agent to get the 5th night free using 240k points + 2 FN. He denied it, stating that the policy doesnt allow this blah blah. Not sure if this is a property limitation, or the agent limitation. But he did mention that if I can give him a booking number where this happened, he can see if he can get me the 5th free night,
arsebandit is offline  
Old Mar 23, 2022, 3:15 am
  #2170  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: BHX
Programs: BA GGL CCR GfL, SQ Gold, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond, Marriott Plat, Cafe Nero Loyalty Card (7 Stamps)
Posts: 7,311
Originally Posted by arsebandit
But he did mention that if I can give him a booking number where this happened, he can see if he can get me the 5th free night,
LOL! No chance.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
Wozza2404 is offline  
Old Mar 23, 2022, 6:54 am
  #2171  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 3,163
Originally Posted by Willbur
While I've never done it with 4 FNCs, I bet you would still need to pay 120k for the 5th night due to the prorated calculation used. The max I've ever used in a 5 night reservation is 2 FNCs. But if someone happens to be successful definitely report back (although in this thread there aren't going to be a ton of opportunities for it).
Thanks for the reply.
I think your prediction is probably right.
I currently have 3 FNCs, too bad I am not going to get a 4th one anytime soon to test this out.
agjil is offline  
Old Mar 23, 2022, 11:22 am
  #2172  
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Programs: Hilton Diamond
Posts: 97
Originally Posted by travel moon
Hi guys, I would like to upgrade the room to OWV for incoming stays. I am wondering if I should do it directly with the hotel or through Hilton to enjoy the points if I use aspire cc. Or the benefits are same for both ways? Thank you!
Are you asking about paying for an upgrade to an OWV? If so, you'd have to do that with the hotel directly. I don't think Hilton corporate can do that. Paying for something through the hotel directly or with Hilton corporate gives you the same points on an Aspire (they're both Hilton purchases) so it doesn't matter
chris30269 is offline  
Old Mar 23, 2022, 11:32 am
  #2173  
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Programs: Hilton Diamond
Posts: 97
Originally Posted by avidchurner
I have 8 nights booked in June but I want to cut it down to 7. Is it possible to have them shorten the reservation by 1 night and get a refund without canceling the entire reservation?
They will almost certainly have to cancel the whole thing. It seems like they can't make any changes to anything once it's booked. You can try contacting the hotel directly and asking.

In my endless daily searching I just left the search at the default "1 adult", got so excited when I saw dates, went and booked, and tried to change it to 2 adults and they couldn't. I had to cancel and rebook because apparently they take that occupancy very literally
chris30269 is offline  
Old Mar 23, 2022, 1:38 pm
  #2174  
 
Join Date: Feb 2022
Posts: 25
5+ night Availabilities starting March 24 2023
SMVSH is offline  
Old Mar 23, 2022, 3:10 pm
  #2175  
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 387
Great find! Is it better to go earlier in March or late in March?
yolie is offline  

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