Jan 2, 2019, 3:02 pm
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 Malé Atoll, 23km southwest of Malé and Velana International Airport [MLE] (also known as Malé 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:
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)
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 Malé Atoll, 23km southwest of Malé and Velana International Airport [MLE] (also known as Malé 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
- 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)
Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi {MDV}
Sep 19, 2022, 1:27 pm
#2836
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: LAX
Programs: United Silver, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond
Posts: 988
Tried to request the same butler for my March 2023 stay but was informed she is no longer there. I wonder if the turnover rate is relatively high at these places? I know my butler from St. Regis also left to become a fisherman not long after my stay there
Sep 19, 2022, 5:01 pm
#2837
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Somewhere over the rainbow
Programs: Airline Free Agent, Bonvoy Platinum, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,811
Wouldn't be a surprise. If they're a local, they might not be able to see their families much throughout the year and that might be more important than making more money. I had a conversation with one of the employees during my yacht transfer and if I recall correctly, he said they're only able to see their family once every three months or something. It would require him to get to the airport, take a seaplane, then a boat ride. For non-locals, the beauty of the Maldives might go away after several weeks, especially since there probably isn't much to do outside of work.
Sep 19, 2022, 5:54 pm
#2838
Join Date: Dec 2008
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 669
Who was your butler? Feel free to PM me but mine left too (also a woman). But I actually had a new one my second time around that I liked even better.
Sep 19, 2022, 9:17 pm
#2840
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Honors Diamond, Delta Gold
Posts: 4,349
Since the same "how do I book this hotel?" question comes up a lot, can someone who can edit the wiki add a bullet point under the "booking with points" (or somewhere else) section explaining:
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.
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.
Sep 21, 2022, 5:52 am
#2841
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: 7,328
Lagoon side for me and then cycle to wherever for snorkelling. I wouldn't stay here again unless they could guarantee I'd be lagoon side as the light pollution from Male was outrageous on the other side at night - which is more important to me than the snorkelling off my deck.
Sep 21, 2022, 5:41 pm
#2843
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,164
Sep 21, 2022, 8:47 pm
#2844
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Mumbai
Programs: Gold Member w/Hilton & Marriott
Posts: 48
Hello everyone.
Just came back from WA Maldives. What an amazing experience.
I was given 301 King Reef Villa for 3 nights but my wife just didn't like the view of Male city from the villa so we were upgraded to 115 King Grand Overwater Villa for last 2 nights. I don't know but I personally still prefer Overwater Villas. The light & dark blue colour of the ocean and unobstructed view just gives perfect feel of Maldives. Something which we felt Reef Villa had missing. Of course the colour of the ocean were almost the same I guess the far you go towards the ocean and stay, the better it gets.
Water was very calm in Reef Villa. It was great to snorkel as there were more fishes near our villa compared to King Grand Overwater Villa. The water was choppy at King Grand Overwater Villa but the marine life was amazing. We saw so many blacktip reef sharks and a big manta ray twice. Once you go near the edge, lots of corals out there. Even at Reef Villa, lots of corals and marine life. But we personally loved being at King Grand Overwater Villa.
The water was way too calm at Reef Villa and it never felt like we are in the middle of the ocean which was true. Don't go with the expectation that it's going to be "like" Overwater Villa cause it's definitely not. The water is too shallow and it's just good for pictures to give you feel of an Overwater Villa but it's not.
Privacy is far better in Reef Villa but that doesn't bother us at all. What really bothered me was the sound of buggy or gold carts riding around the villa. Both the villas had the same problem and it felt noisy. Even if you wake up 6am in the morning, you will hear buggy passing by. But it was alright, we enjoyed our snorkelling way too much and did snorkel at the dive centre and outside our villas.
Food is amazing. Breakfast at Tasing Table was very good. I heard from many that it's very lavish but honestly, I've seen more lavish spread of breakfast than WA Maldives breakfast. But it wasn't any less either. They had Arabaic, Chinese, Indian food section. Champagne was good at the breakfast and cocktail hours at Peacock Alley was also very nice. I did gave them a feedback of giving at least Black Label or Chivas instead of Ballentine's. It's just not WA standard. Even though we did not drink our complimentary wine bottle since we were snorkelling so much, we always drank 2 glass of whiskey or vodka at Peacock Alley just to relax and we loved it. Yasmeen & Zuma were too good. Li Long was under maintenance. We didn't try Ledge, Terra, Rock as we are vegan and we hardly had any options there.
My butler was Sameer from Uzbekistan. He was very nice and very generous. Very straight forward but always with a smile on his face and did everything for us in a very smooth manner. His follow up for our restaurant reservations and other things was unmatched. He replied in seconds on WhatsApp and he was very prompt on everything. Service is top notch. There was never a time we felt let down or found anything wrong. It was an absolute 10/10.
Would I come here back again? 100% but not to my next Maldives trip. I would first like to visit St Regis Maldives or may be if there's any other exciting Maldives resort but WA Maldives remains No.1 on my list.
I would love to answer if you have any questions.
Just came back from WA Maldives. What an amazing experience.
I was given 301 King Reef Villa for 3 nights but my wife just didn't like the view of Male city from the villa so we were upgraded to 115 King Grand Overwater Villa for last 2 nights. I don't know but I personally still prefer Overwater Villas. The light & dark blue colour of the ocean and unobstructed view just gives perfect feel of Maldives. Something which we felt Reef Villa had missing. Of course the colour of the ocean were almost the same I guess the far you go towards the ocean and stay, the better it gets.
Water was very calm in Reef Villa. It was great to snorkel as there were more fishes near our villa compared to King Grand Overwater Villa. The water was choppy at King Grand Overwater Villa but the marine life was amazing. We saw so many blacktip reef sharks and a big manta ray twice. Once you go near the edge, lots of corals out there. Even at Reef Villa, lots of corals and marine life. But we personally loved being at King Grand Overwater Villa.
The water was way too calm at Reef Villa and it never felt like we are in the middle of the ocean which was true. Don't go with the expectation that it's going to be "like" Overwater Villa cause it's definitely not. The water is too shallow and it's just good for pictures to give you feel of an Overwater Villa but it's not.
Privacy is far better in Reef Villa but that doesn't bother us at all. What really bothered me was the sound of buggy or gold carts riding around the villa. Both the villas had the same problem and it felt noisy. Even if you wake up 6am in the morning, you will hear buggy passing by. But it was alright, we enjoyed our snorkelling way too much and did snorkel at the dive centre and outside our villas.
Food is amazing. Breakfast at Tasing Table was very good. I heard from many that it's very lavish but honestly, I've seen more lavish spread of breakfast than WA Maldives breakfast. But it wasn't any less either. They had Arabaic, Chinese, Indian food section. Champagne was good at the breakfast and cocktail hours at Peacock Alley was also very nice. I did gave them a feedback of giving at least Black Label or Chivas instead of Ballentine's. It's just not WA standard. Even though we did not drink our complimentary wine bottle since we were snorkelling so much, we always drank 2 glass of whiskey or vodka at Peacock Alley just to relax and we loved it. Yasmeen & Zuma were too good. Li Long was under maintenance. We didn't try Ledge, Terra, Rock as we are vegan and we hardly had any options there.
My butler was Sameer from Uzbekistan. He was very nice and very generous. Very straight forward but always with a smile on his face and did everything for us in a very smooth manner. His follow up for our restaurant reservations and other things was unmatched. He replied in seconds on WhatsApp and he was very prompt on everything. Service is top notch. There was never a time we felt let down or found anything wrong. It was an absolute 10/10.
Would I come here back again? 100% but not to my next Maldives trip. I would first like to visit St Regis Maldives or may be if there's any other exciting Maldives resort but WA Maldives remains No.1 on my list.
I would love to answer if you have any questions.
Sep 22, 2022, 2:42 pm
#2845
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 56
Hello everyone.
Just came back from WA Maldives. What an amazing experience.
I was given 301 King Reef Villa for 3 nights but my wife just didn't like the view of Male city from the villa so we were upgraded to 115 King Grand Overwater Villa for last 2 nights. I don't know but I personally still prefer Overwater Villas. The light & dark blue colour of the ocean and unobstructed view just gives perfect feel of Maldives. Something which we felt Reef Villa had missing. Of course the colour of the ocean were almost the same I guess the far you go towards the ocean and stay, the better it gets.
Water was very calm in Reef Villa. It was great to snorkel as there were more fishes near our villa compared to King Grand Overwater Villa. The water was choppy at King Grand Overwater Villa but the marine life was amazing. We saw so many blacktip reef sharks and a big manta ray twice. Once you go near the edge, lots of corals out there. Even at Reef Villa, lots of corals and marine life. But we personally loved being at King Grand Overwater Villa.
The water was way too calm at Reef Villa and it never felt like we are in the middle of the ocean which was true. Don't go with the expectation that it's going to be "like" Overwater Villa cause it's definitely not. The water is too shallow and it's just good for pictures to give you feel of an Overwater Villa but it's not.
Privacy is far better in Reef Villa but that doesn't bother us at all. What really bothered me was the sound of buggy or gold carts riding around the villa. Both the villas had the same problem and it felt noisy. Even if you wake up 6am in the morning, you will hear buggy passing by. But it was alright, we enjoyed our snorkelling way too much and did snorkel at the dive centre and outside our villas.
Food is amazing. Breakfast at Tasing Table was very good. I heard from many that it's very lavish but honestly, I've seen more lavish spread of breakfast than WA Maldives breakfast. But it wasn't any less either. They had Arabaic, Chinese, Indian food section. Champagne was good at the breakfast and cocktail hours at Peacock Alley was also very nice. I did gave them a feedback of giving at least Black Label or Chivas instead of Ballentine's. It's just not WA standard. Even though we did not drink our complimentary wine bottle since we were snorkelling so much, we always drank 2 glass of whiskey or vodka at Peacock Alley just to relax and we loved it. Yasmeen & Zuma were too good. Li Long was under maintenance. We didn't try Ledge, Terra, Rock as we are vegan and we hardly had any options there.
My butler was Sameer from Uzbekistan. He was very nice and very generous. Very straight forward but always with a smile on his face and did everything for us in a very smooth manner. His follow up for our restaurant reservations and other things was unmatched. He replied in seconds on WhatsApp and he was very prompt on everything. Service is top notch. There was never a time we felt let down or found anything wrong. It was an absolute 10/10.
Would I come here back again? 100% but not to my next Maldives trip. I would first like to visit St Regis Maldives or may be if there's any other exciting Maldives resort but WA Maldives remains No.1 on my list.
I would love to answer if you have any questions.
Just came back from WA Maldives. What an amazing experience.
I was given 301 King Reef Villa for 3 nights but my wife just didn't like the view of Male city from the villa so we were upgraded to 115 King Grand Overwater Villa for last 2 nights. I don't know but I personally still prefer Overwater Villas. The light & dark blue colour of the ocean and unobstructed view just gives perfect feel of Maldives. Something which we felt Reef Villa had missing. Of course the colour of the ocean were almost the same I guess the far you go towards the ocean and stay, the better it gets.
Water was very calm in Reef Villa. It was great to snorkel as there were more fishes near our villa compared to King Grand Overwater Villa. The water was choppy at King Grand Overwater Villa but the marine life was amazing. We saw so many blacktip reef sharks and a big manta ray twice. Once you go near the edge, lots of corals out there. Even at Reef Villa, lots of corals and marine life. But we personally loved being at King Grand Overwater Villa.
The water was way too calm at Reef Villa and it never felt like we are in the middle of the ocean which was true. Don't go with the expectation that it's going to be "like" Overwater Villa cause it's definitely not. The water is too shallow and it's just good for pictures to give you feel of an Overwater Villa but it's not.
Privacy is far better in Reef Villa but that doesn't bother us at all. What really bothered me was the sound of buggy or gold carts riding around the villa. Both the villas had the same problem and it felt noisy. Even if you wake up 6am in the morning, you will hear buggy passing by. But it was alright, we enjoyed our snorkelling way too much and did snorkel at the dive centre and outside our villas.
Food is amazing. Breakfast at Tasing Table was very good. I heard from many that it's very lavish but honestly, I've seen more lavish spread of breakfast than WA Maldives breakfast. But it wasn't any less either. They had Arabaic, Chinese, Indian food section. Champagne was good at the breakfast and cocktail hours at Peacock Alley was also very nice. I did gave them a feedback of giving at least Black Label or Chivas instead of Ballentine's. It's just not WA standard. Even though we did not drink our complimentary wine bottle since we were snorkelling so much, we always drank 2 glass of whiskey or vodka at Peacock Alley just to relax and we loved it. Yasmeen & Zuma were too good. Li Long was under maintenance. We didn't try Ledge, Terra, Rock as we are vegan and we hardly had any options there.
My butler was Sameer from Uzbekistan. He was very nice and very generous. Very straight forward but always with a smile on his face and did everything for us in a very smooth manner. His follow up for our restaurant reservations and other things was unmatched. He replied in seconds on WhatsApp and he was very prompt on everything. Service is top notch. There was never a time we felt let down or found anything wrong. It was an absolute 10/10.
Would I come here back again? 100% but not to my next Maldives trip. I would first like to visit St Regis Maldives or may be if there's any other exciting Maldives resort but WA Maldives remains No.1 on my list.
I would love to answer if you have any questions.
Sep 22, 2022, 11:55 pm
#2846
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Mumbai
Programs: Gold Member w/Hilton & Marriott
Posts: 48
Be excited and happy cause you going to have an amazing time. Don't forget to snorkel towards the edge of the reefs. Marine life is very beautiful out there. Also, definitely go to Zuma & Yasmeen.
Enjoy your stay.
Sep 23, 2022, 5:34 pm
#2848
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 13
Did you guys have trouble getting the proper amount of points for the spend at WA?
I initially received (with diamond status) 10x points on ONLY 1 night (out of a 8 night stay) for my incidentals (restaurants, activities, etc) plus the 10% gratuity. Didn’t think gratuity would count.
I emailed them for a correction on the rest of the nights with my folio and I got 10x points on approximately 90% of my incidentals (gratuity did not count towards base points on their calculation).
Can anyone confirm what counts for base points at this property?
I initially received (with diamond status) 10x points on ONLY 1 night (out of a 8 night stay) for my incidentals (restaurants, activities, etc) plus the 10% gratuity. Didn’t think gratuity would count.
I emailed them for a correction on the rest of the nights with my folio and I got 10x points on approximately 90% of my incidentals (gratuity did not count towards base points on their calculation).
Can anyone confirm what counts for base points at this property?
Sep 23, 2022, 8:24 pm
#2849
Join Date: Dec 2008
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 669
Did you guys have trouble getting the proper amount of points for the spend at WA?
I initially received (with diamond status) 10x points on ONLY 1 night (out of a 8 night stay) for my incidentals (restaurants, activities, etc) plus the 10% gratuity. Didn’t think gratuity would count.
I emailed them for a correction on the rest of the nights with my folio and I got 10x points on approximately 90% of my incidentals (gratuity did not count towards base points on their calculation).
Can anyone confirm what counts for base points at this property?
I initially received (with diamond status) 10x points on ONLY 1 night (out of a 8 night stay) for my incidentals (restaurants, activities, etc) plus the 10% gratuity. Didn’t think gratuity would count.
I emailed them for a correction on the rest of the nights with my folio and I got 10x points on approximately 90% of my incidentals (gratuity did not count towards base points on their calculation).
Can anyone confirm what counts for base points at this property?
Sep 24, 2022, 4:12 am
#2850
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: SFO/YYZ
Programs: AC 25K, AS MVP Gold, BA Bronze, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,469
There is also too much inconsistency with the fruit and veggie offerings day to day.
If they ever get Dave Pynt to make some breakfast dishes I'll have to book a trip back ASAP.