May 7, 2021, 10:45 am
Last edit by: jason8612
Hotel email:
[email protected]
Resort Shared Seaplane Transfer:
Prices are inclusive of tax and fees and to be paid upon check-out.
420 USD per adult (12 years and above)
210 USD per child (ages between 2 and 11.99 years)
Baggage
Complimentary for infants (below 2 years)
Standard baggage is30 25kg including hand luggage. Excess weight will be charged at 5.60 USD per kg (per round trip).
Max dimensions are 158 cm and 32 kg. Infants do not have baggage allowance.
Hours
Operate between 06:00 to 16:00.
For check-in, last international flight must arrive at or before 15:30.
For check-out, first international flight must depart at or after 09:00.
Complete Details can be found here.
COVID Related Topics
Testing
Testing available at 120++ USD pp and reservations should be made no later than 72 hours prior to departure.
Quarantine/Isolation Policy
What happens if I test positive for COVID? Current policy can be found here.
Contact Tracing
Where can I find the list of properties under contract tracing? Here.
What happens if a resort is listed under contract tracing?
Guests must travel directly between MLE airport and the property post arrival and pre departure via international flight ONLY.
Inter-island transfers will be ceased and guests will not be able to arrive from, depart to, another island in the Maldives.
Water Sports & Diving Menu
Spa, Beauty, & Fitness Menu
F&B Menu
Latitude Menu
Riviera Menu
Tabemasu Menu
Turquoise Menu
Velaa Lunch Menu
Velaa Dinner Menu
Waves Menu
Wine Master List
Mini Bar Menu
Meal Plans
Prices are inclusive of tax and fees
Bed and Breakfast per night
30 USD per adult (12 years and above)
15 USD per child (ages between 3 and 11.99 years)
Half Board per night
95 USD per adult (12 years and above)
47.50 USD per child (ages between 3 and 11.99 years)
Complimentary for infants (below 3 years)
Full Board Plus per night
155 USD per adult (12 years and above)
77.50 USD per child (ages between 3 and 11.99 years)
Complimentary for infants (below 3 years)
All-Inclusive per night
230 USD per adult (12 years and above)
115 USD per child (ages 3 and 11.99 years)
Complimentary for infants (below 3 years)
Details can be found here.
F&B Bonvoy Discounts
General Members & Silver Elite 10%
Gold Elite 15%
Platinum, Titanium, & Ambassador Elite 20%
Full Details can be found here.
Resort Map
Can be found here.
Room total can be found here.
Beach Bungalow and Beach Villa are categorized by location. See the resort map for more information.
Paid/confirmed upgrades
Rates per night as of 08-May-2021
From Sunrise OWV to Sunset OWV 50++ USD
From Sunrise OWV to Sunset OWV w/ pool 250++ USD
Terms
Must be for entire duration of reservation
Requires non-refundable payment at time of confirming
Availability and rates subject to change
Can you apply SNAs at this property? No.
Late Checkout Policy (subject to availability)
General Members: None
Silver Elite: "Priority"
Gold Elite: 2pm
Platinum & Titanium Elite: 4pm
Ambassador Elite: 4pm or "Your24"
Welcome Gift
General Members & Silver Elite: None
Gold Elite: 500 points per stay
Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador Elite: Welcome Gift: 1000 points per stay OR amenity per stay OR breakfast at Turquoise Restaurant per day for 2 persons (member + 1)
Drone Restrictions
"We strictly prohibit the operation of any type of UAV or drones for any purpose within and above the premises of the resort as our guests' privacy is of our utmost concern. This prohibition extends to devices launched from the resort or from outside the boundaries of the resort. If you wish to take photographs or videos, you may do so at the common areas of our resort."
[email protected]
Resort Shared Seaplane Transfer:
Prices are inclusive of tax and fees and to be paid upon check-out.
420 USD per adult (12 years and above)
210 USD per child (ages between 2 and 11.99 years)
Baggage
Complimentary for infants (below 2 years)
Standard baggage is
Max dimensions are 158 cm and 32 kg. Infants do not have baggage allowance.
Hours
Operate between 06:00 to 16:00.
For check-in, last international flight must arrive at or before 15:30.
For check-out, first international flight must depart at or after 09:00.
Complete Details can be found here.
COVID Related Topics
Testing
Testing available at 120++ USD pp and reservations should be made no later than 72 hours prior to departure.
Quarantine/Isolation Policy
What happens if I test positive for COVID? Current policy can be found here.
Contact Tracing
Where can I find the list of properties under contract tracing? Here.
What happens if a resort is listed under contract tracing?
Guests must travel directly between MLE airport and the property post arrival and pre departure via international flight ONLY.
Inter-island transfers will be ceased and guests will not be able to arrive from, depart to, another island in the Maldives.
Water Sports & Diving Menu
Spa, Beauty, & Fitness Menu
F&B Menu
Latitude Menu
Riviera Menu
Tabemasu Menu
Turquoise Menu
Velaa Lunch Menu
Velaa Dinner Menu
Waves Menu
Wine Master List
Mini Bar Menu
Meal Plans
Prices are inclusive of tax and fees
Bed and Breakfast per night
30 USD per adult (12 years and above)
15 USD per child (ages between 3 and 11.99 years)
Half Board per night
95 USD per adult (12 years and above)
47.50 USD per child (ages between 3 and 11.99 years)
Complimentary for infants (below 3 years)
Full Board Plus per night
155 USD per adult (12 years and above)
77.50 USD per child (ages between 3 and 11.99 years)
Complimentary for infants (below 3 years)
All-Inclusive per night
230 USD per adult (12 years and above)
115 USD per child (ages 3 and 11.99 years)
Complimentary for infants (below 3 years)
Details can be found here.
F&B Bonvoy Discounts
General Members & Silver Elite 10%
Gold Elite 15%
Platinum, Titanium, & Ambassador Elite 20%
Full Details can be found here.
Resort Map
Can be found here.
Room total can be found here.
Beach Bungalow and Beach Villa are categorized by location. See the resort map for more information.
Paid/confirmed upgrades
Rates per night as of 08-May-2021
From Sunrise OWV to Sunset OWV 50++ USD
From Sunrise OWV to Sunset OWV w/ pool 250++ USD
Terms
Must be for entire duration of reservation
Requires non-refundable payment at time of confirming
Availability and rates subject to change
Can you apply SNAs at this property? No.
Late Checkout Policy (subject to availability)
General Members: None
Silver Elite: "Priority"
Gold Elite: 2pm
Platinum & Titanium Elite: 4pm
Ambassador Elite: 4pm or "Your24"
Welcome Gift
General Members & Silver Elite: None
Gold Elite: 500 points per stay
Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador Elite: Welcome Gift: 1000 points per stay OR amenity per stay OR breakfast at Turquoise Restaurant per day for 2 persons (member + 1)
Drone Restrictions
"We strictly prohibit the operation of any type of UAV or drones for any purpose within and above the premises of the resort as our guests' privacy is of our utmost concern. This prohibition extends to devices launched from the resort or from outside the boundaries of the resort. If you wish to take photographs or videos, you may do so at the common areas of our resort."
Le Méridien Maldives Resort & Spa, Thilamaafushi, Maldives [Master Thread]
Mar 25, 2022, 11:55 am
#1096
Join Date: Feb 2022
Posts: 29
Mar 26, 2022, 4:52 am
#1097
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: ORD
Posts: 701
All Inclusive
It appears that all inclusive is the highest package you can purchase and it includes alcohol. Am I able to have unlimited drinks in my room? The entire reason I am going is to relax in my room, but I want drinks in my room too.
Mar 27, 2022, 1:25 pm
#1098
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Honors Diamond, Delta Gold
Posts: 4,333
Rather not, maybe they could underpromise and overdeliver.
In my case we booked two rooms (my wife has Platinum status) and asked whether my wife status could apply to the second room (she will be in the same room as me as second room is for our friends) and they answered that no.
In my case we booked two rooms (my wife has Platinum status) and asked whether my wife status could apply to the second room (she will be in the same room as me as second room is for our friends) and they answered that no.
Mar 28, 2022, 1:50 am
#1099
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: SPG Plat 100
Posts: 48
I would book the second room under her name and account and have her check in for it so that status would apply to it. Who actually ends up sleeping in the beds of each room really is of no business to the hotel and I don't see why you shouldn't get benefits for both rooms when you are both physically at the resort. Would be a problem if she wasn't, but since she is there it shouldn't be an issue.
Mar 28, 2022, 3:36 am
#1100
Join Date: Mar 2022
Location: AKL
Posts: 12
Hi,
I am trying to book 5 nights some time in Oct 2022, I noticed beach bungalow = 140k pt. while Sun raise OWV = 190k pt. I am pretty new to this and just want check with you guys if the difference worth 50 k points? Thank you.
I am trying to book 5 nights some time in Oct 2022, I noticed beach bungalow = 140k pt. while Sun raise OWV = 190k pt. I am pretty new to this and just want check with you guys if the difference worth 50 k points? Thank you.
Mar 28, 2022, 4:08 am
#1101
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: SPG Plat 100
Posts: 48
Also be mindful that today is the last day to book the hotel at those rates, as tomorrow new higher points pricing is supposed to kick in.
Mar 28, 2022, 4:40 am
#1102
Join Date: Feb 2022
Posts: 29
Unless you have small kids then the OWVs are (in my view) much nicer than the beach ones.
I agree with the consensus that sunrise is better than sunset - more shaded deck; better lagoon access and some superb sunrises. Spend the extra money you’d save on a sunset room in the Riviera bar on cocktails!
Mar 28, 2022, 8:29 am
#1103
Join Date: Mar 2022
Posts: 68
Decided on LM finally! Would 6 days be too much for LM with kids? I am worried what my kid can do other than snorkelling and swimming... First time to an island type vacation. Also, any tips on saving money on the water activities? The package offered by the dive centre supposed to save money (I guess) but the included activities are very limited... like no dolphins cruise, no guided snorkelling, or turtle hunt... Thanks again for your advice.
Mar 28, 2022, 9:34 am
#1104
Join Date: Dec 2020
Programs: British Airways Gold, Hyatt Globalist, Delta Platinum, Bonvoy Titanium, Singapore Krisflyer Gold
Posts: 152
You should be able to pick sunrise OWV for 140k points + $50/night ($250 total for 5 nights). The beach bungalows are actually quite nice and probably better for families with small kids, but the OWVs are great and most of the pictures of them that you'll see online don't do them justice. If you don't have young kids and enjoy the OWV experience, I strongly suggest paying the $50/night upgrade option. Even with the upcoming devaluation, you should be able to get a lot more value out of 50K points than $250.
Mar 28, 2022, 9:35 am
#1105
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: SMF
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium, SPG LTP
Posts: 1,526
Decided on LM finally! Would 6 days be too much for LM with kids? I am worried what my kid can do other than snorkelling and swimming... First time to an island type vacation. Also, any tips on saving money on the water activities? The package offered by the dive centre supposed to save money (I guess) but the included activities are very limited... like no dolphins cruise, no guided snorkelling, or turtle hunt... Thanks again for your advice.
totally agree that 50k pts > 250USD.
Mar 28, 2022, 11:20 am
#1108
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: SMF
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium, SPG LTP
Posts: 1,526
We just returned from a 10 night stay at the LM with my wife and daughter (10). We took a “once in a lifetime” trip to the Maldives last June and stayed at the Westin. We absolutely loved it and immediately started scheming a return. The low intro redemption rates at the LM proved too tempting. Here’s an overview of our stay along with a comparison to our stay at the Westin.
Arrival
MLE was a mess when we got there. We arrived around 7:50am from DXB and were held on the plane for a few minutes due to a crowded arrival hall. The hall was still crowded when we got in and the line we chose moved significantly slower than the other lines (just like picking the wrong line at Costco) and it took well over an hour for us to get through. After that, it was smooth sailing. It took us a couple of minutes to find the LM rep, but once we did, he grabbed our bags, got us checked in with TMA, and loaded us on the TMA bus. As we unloaded, we were told our plane was ready so we jumped on a second bus, and were taken to the boarding area. After a few minutes, we boarded and were off to the LM. Our entire TMA flight was LM guests. Perhaps we were the guests that the plane got held for this time around…
On arrival at LM, several staff greeted guests and we were directed to the LM Hub (lobby), given cold towels and welcome drinks, and checked in. Our FD agent escorted us to our villa via buggy and shared her WhatsApp number with us. She served as our point of contact for our stay, essentially serving the role of our butler at the Westin (dining reservations, questions, passing along info on special events, etc.) It worked well for us.
Villa
We booked a sunrise overwater villa and that’s exactly what we got, but short of getting a 2BR over water villa, I don’t think I would have wanted any other room. I echo others stated preference for sunrise OWV. We had the last sunrise villa an really liked it. Yes, the color scheme is a bit weird and the saloon doors aren’t the best, but the bathroom is gorgeous and the outdoor spaces were great.
Of note, the rooms aren’t super family friendly. There’s a sofa at the foot of the bed that our daughter slept on, but it’s not very big so not great for taller kids. Luckily, ours is on the shorter side. They do have rollaways, but adding one would suck up most of the remaining floor space on one side of the bed. We paid $75 per night extra for our daughter (included breakfast).
Food
With the elimination of the elite dining discounts, the half board was a no-brainer. You basically get a 3 course dinner for the price of an entree (and ++ is included on the meal plan). We didn’t start with it immediately as we had traveled from California and were jet lagged, but added it on Day 3 for 4 days and then upped to Full Board Plus for the final 5 days. Full Board Plus was a splurge, but we were glad we did it. We were on the fence on which plan and splitting it up like this was nice.
One glitch for us was how the meal plan was applied to our daughter at our first dinner on the plan. As we started ordering, the waitress said, “oh, there’s a different menu for kids” and then disappeared and came back with a menu we had never seen before. It was a generic pasta, chicken nugget-type kids menu, priced at $15 each. We hadn’t seen a kids menu prior to this and were a bit taken aback that we were paying meal plan prices for a secret $15 kids meal. We panicked that we had screwed up getting the meal plan. We checked in with our contact the next day and she checked with a colleague and said our daughter could order 2 courses off the main menu at lunch and dinner. Everything went smoothly after that so we’re not sure if the first server was mistaken or everything got fixed after we asked, but I would advise families looking at the plan to confirm how it applies to kids before purchasing.
We were really happy with the food. Breakfast spread was solid. Pastries were excellent and the egg guy poached my eggs perfectly every time. They rotated noodles every day and had a variety of western and Asian options.
Lunch at Velaa was great. They have great ceviche and the pizzas are legit. Plenty of other options too. One day I had a soft shell crab “burger”. There are a couple of sectional sofas and about four club chair sets at the edge of Velaa where you can eat lunch too, which we enjoyed.
Turquoise and Velaa are the two dinner options on the meal plan. We didn’t go to Tabemasu. We’re not big on dinner buffets, but we actually did it twice and were impressed. It’s normally $85 and $120 on some specialty nights. They had a special Holi Festival Indian buffet for $120, but included it on the meal plan. On another night, there was a lobster/steak buffet on the beach (I might be slightly off on the theme) that was $120 and not included (offered $50 pp credit on meal plan). The menu is available every night at Turquoise, and we actually found it to be very good. Some servers were more enthusiastic about having us order than others. The setting is quite nice with a handful of tables on the beach, but it can feel weird being the only table ordering dishes at a buffet. Still, it was a very nice experience.
Dinner at Velaa is the hot ticket, though as others have noted, they don’t set very many tables and don’t truly seem at capacity. We were able to get next day reservations any time we tried except once. A good strategy is probably to book all the nights you think you’ll want when you arrive and then cancel as needed. One of our dinners there was just okay (overseasoned fish), but everything else was excellent. Steaks were always cooked to perfection. Lamb was beautifully prepared. Tuna was like butter. Loved the lobster tuna tartare.
Pacing was always really nice at meals. It always felt like just the right amount of time between courses. I appreciated that the meal plan made for more leisurely meals as we likely wouldn’t have ordered as many courses when ala carte.
The LM claims to have the largest greenhouse in the Maldives. Their hydroponic greens were pretty phenomenal and we had many excellent salads.
Kids Club
The club had all the bells and whistles and, unlike many clubs, they seemed to genuinely carry out the activities on their schedule (art projects, pizza making, scavenger hunts, etc). Our daughter usually spent a couple of hours a day there and the staff and kids always seemed super engaged. It wasn’t just pop in a movie or turn on the Nintendo, which we appreciated.
Activities
The dive center is operated by Sub Oceanic. We didn’t make the trip because of the Dive Center, but would go back because of it. The staff were fantastic. They were kind, funny, enthusiastic, and we found ourselves wanting to book more trips with them. We did the house reef snorkel trip twice (speed boat with the marine biologist), handline fishing, sunset dolphin cruise, turtle snorkel trip, and beginner scuba. Everything was very well run, felt super safe, and had nice, new equipment. Tours never felt rushed and if they were going well and people were up for it, they seemed flexible to let them run longer than scheduled.
Snorkeling/diving on the house reef was great. As others have mentioned, it’s a hike out there–we only did it with the dive center. Saw turtles, rays, tons of different fish. Never saw reef sharks while in the water, but saw a few from the OWV pier.
We’ve never dived before, but my daughter and I ended up doing it and were really impressed. We sent her out with them for a second trip and they took great care of her.
The turtle trip was over closer to Cocoon resort and pretty spectacular despite some choppy seas. Great coral, fish, turtles, etc., and a manta ray.
Handline fishing was a lot of fun. We didn’t catch anything other than a small piece of coral (sorry, ocean!), but the captain caught 3 fish and they cooked one up for us at dinner for $30++. They provided beer and soda on the trip. Same for the sunset dolphin cruise where we saw a lot of dolphins.
We used kayaks and paddleboards a couple of times for free.
LM vs. Westin
We loved the Westin, but booked the LM for this trip for variety and value. Each resort does some things better, but if we get back to the Maldives again, it will be LM (or non-Marriott if the right opportunity presents itself).
For context, we visited Westin in June (lower season) and deeper in the pandemic (India was closed) so crowds were very low when we were there. The Westin is way smaller and is much more intimate. We saw the same four or five servers our entire stay and our daughter was the only child on the island so it was hard not to feel special. It had more of a boutique vibe.
Our OWV at Westin was 3-4 times larger than LM, but bigger isn’t always better. Westin was definitely better for extra people in the room (there were two couches, one of which was converted to a dedicated bed for our daughter). The bathroom at the LM was a lot nicer in our opinion (except for the lack of bidet toilet) and the outdoor deck space at the LM, while infinitely smaller than the Westin, was far more functional. It had covered deck and due to being a sunrise view, we got much more shade, which we like.
LM is a much bigger island with a lot of sandy shallow water around it, which makes for more iconic turquoise views. We were never able to get into the water from our Westin villa, which was basically in the reef, due to choppy seas. We could basically get into waist deep water anytime we wanted at the LM, but snorkeling was a hike. Our snorkeling experience at LM was far superior, but we only did it as part of a guided trip due to the distance from shore. Some of these differences could be due to visits in different seasons.
Food is probably a wash. Both were excellent in terms of quality and experience. We ate a lot more at LM due to being on the meal plan, which could be a plus or minus, depending on how you view that.
Our total resort bill was about $600 more at LM (10 nights) than Westin (11 nights), but we did way more activities at LM and were on the meal plan so it felt like a good value.
Other Observations
Arrival
MLE was a mess when we got there. We arrived around 7:50am from DXB and were held on the plane for a few minutes due to a crowded arrival hall. The hall was still crowded when we got in and the line we chose moved significantly slower than the other lines (just like picking the wrong line at Costco) and it took well over an hour for us to get through. After that, it was smooth sailing. It took us a couple of minutes to find the LM rep, but once we did, he grabbed our bags, got us checked in with TMA, and loaded us on the TMA bus. As we unloaded, we were told our plane was ready so we jumped on a second bus, and were taken to the boarding area. After a few minutes, we boarded and were off to the LM. Our entire TMA flight was LM guests. Perhaps we were the guests that the plane got held for this time around…
On arrival at LM, several staff greeted guests and we were directed to the LM Hub (lobby), given cold towels and welcome drinks, and checked in. Our FD agent escorted us to our villa via buggy and shared her WhatsApp number with us. She served as our point of contact for our stay, essentially serving the role of our butler at the Westin (dining reservations, questions, passing along info on special events, etc.) It worked well for us.
Villa
We booked a sunrise overwater villa and that’s exactly what we got, but short of getting a 2BR over water villa, I don’t think I would have wanted any other room. I echo others stated preference for sunrise OWV. We had the last sunrise villa an really liked it. Yes, the color scheme is a bit weird and the saloon doors aren’t the best, but the bathroom is gorgeous and the outdoor spaces were great.
Of note, the rooms aren’t super family friendly. There’s a sofa at the foot of the bed that our daughter slept on, but it’s not very big so not great for taller kids. Luckily, ours is on the shorter side. They do have rollaways, but adding one would suck up most of the remaining floor space on one side of the bed. We paid $75 per night extra for our daughter (included breakfast).
Food
With the elimination of the elite dining discounts, the half board was a no-brainer. You basically get a 3 course dinner for the price of an entree (and ++ is included on the meal plan). We didn’t start with it immediately as we had traveled from California and were jet lagged, but added it on Day 3 for 4 days and then upped to Full Board Plus for the final 5 days. Full Board Plus was a splurge, but we were glad we did it. We were on the fence on which plan and splitting it up like this was nice.
One glitch for us was how the meal plan was applied to our daughter at our first dinner on the plan. As we started ordering, the waitress said, “oh, there’s a different menu for kids” and then disappeared and came back with a menu we had never seen before. It was a generic pasta, chicken nugget-type kids menu, priced at $15 each. We hadn’t seen a kids menu prior to this and were a bit taken aback that we were paying meal plan prices for a secret $15 kids meal. We panicked that we had screwed up getting the meal plan. We checked in with our contact the next day and she checked with a colleague and said our daughter could order 2 courses off the main menu at lunch and dinner. Everything went smoothly after that so we’re not sure if the first server was mistaken or everything got fixed after we asked, but I would advise families looking at the plan to confirm how it applies to kids before purchasing.
We were really happy with the food. Breakfast spread was solid. Pastries were excellent and the egg guy poached my eggs perfectly every time. They rotated noodles every day and had a variety of western and Asian options.
Lunch at Velaa was great. They have great ceviche and the pizzas are legit. Plenty of other options too. One day I had a soft shell crab “burger”. There are a couple of sectional sofas and about four club chair sets at the edge of Velaa where you can eat lunch too, which we enjoyed.
Turquoise and Velaa are the two dinner options on the meal plan. We didn’t go to Tabemasu. We’re not big on dinner buffets, but we actually did it twice and were impressed. It’s normally $85 and $120 on some specialty nights. They had a special Holi Festival Indian buffet for $120, but included it on the meal plan. On another night, there was a lobster/steak buffet on the beach (I might be slightly off on the theme) that was $120 and not included (offered $50 pp credit on meal plan). The menu is available every night at Turquoise, and we actually found it to be very good. Some servers were more enthusiastic about having us order than others. The setting is quite nice with a handful of tables on the beach, but it can feel weird being the only table ordering dishes at a buffet. Still, it was a very nice experience.
Dinner at Velaa is the hot ticket, though as others have noted, they don’t set very many tables and don’t truly seem at capacity. We were able to get next day reservations any time we tried except once. A good strategy is probably to book all the nights you think you’ll want when you arrive and then cancel as needed. One of our dinners there was just okay (overseasoned fish), but everything else was excellent. Steaks were always cooked to perfection. Lamb was beautifully prepared. Tuna was like butter. Loved the lobster tuna tartare.
Pacing was always really nice at meals. It always felt like just the right amount of time between courses. I appreciated that the meal plan made for more leisurely meals as we likely wouldn’t have ordered as many courses when ala carte.
The LM claims to have the largest greenhouse in the Maldives. Their hydroponic greens were pretty phenomenal and we had many excellent salads.
Kids Club
The club had all the bells and whistles and, unlike many clubs, they seemed to genuinely carry out the activities on their schedule (art projects, pizza making, scavenger hunts, etc). Our daughter usually spent a couple of hours a day there and the staff and kids always seemed super engaged. It wasn’t just pop in a movie or turn on the Nintendo, which we appreciated.
Activities
The dive center is operated by Sub Oceanic. We didn’t make the trip because of the Dive Center, but would go back because of it. The staff were fantastic. They were kind, funny, enthusiastic, and we found ourselves wanting to book more trips with them. We did the house reef snorkel trip twice (speed boat with the marine biologist), handline fishing, sunset dolphin cruise, turtle snorkel trip, and beginner scuba. Everything was very well run, felt super safe, and had nice, new equipment. Tours never felt rushed and if they were going well and people were up for it, they seemed flexible to let them run longer than scheduled.
Snorkeling/diving on the house reef was great. As others have mentioned, it’s a hike out there–we only did it with the dive center. Saw turtles, rays, tons of different fish. Never saw reef sharks while in the water, but saw a few from the OWV pier.
We’ve never dived before, but my daughter and I ended up doing it and were really impressed. We sent her out with them for a second trip and they took great care of her.
The turtle trip was over closer to Cocoon resort and pretty spectacular despite some choppy seas. Great coral, fish, turtles, etc., and a manta ray.
Handline fishing was a lot of fun. We didn’t catch anything other than a small piece of coral (sorry, ocean!), but the captain caught 3 fish and they cooked one up for us at dinner for $30++. They provided beer and soda on the trip. Same for the sunset dolphin cruise where we saw a lot of dolphins.
We used kayaks and paddleboards a couple of times for free.
LM vs. Westin
We loved the Westin, but booked the LM for this trip for variety and value. Each resort does some things better, but if we get back to the Maldives again, it will be LM (or non-Marriott if the right opportunity presents itself).
For context, we visited Westin in June (lower season) and deeper in the pandemic (India was closed) so crowds were very low when we were there. The Westin is way smaller and is much more intimate. We saw the same four or five servers our entire stay and our daughter was the only child on the island so it was hard not to feel special. It had more of a boutique vibe.
Our OWV at Westin was 3-4 times larger than LM, but bigger isn’t always better. Westin was definitely better for extra people in the room (there were two couches, one of which was converted to a dedicated bed for our daughter). The bathroom at the LM was a lot nicer in our opinion (except for the lack of bidet toilet) and the outdoor deck space at the LM, while infinitely smaller than the Westin, was far more functional. It had covered deck and due to being a sunrise view, we got much more shade, which we like.
LM is a much bigger island with a lot of sandy shallow water around it, which makes for more iconic turquoise views. We were never able to get into the water from our Westin villa, which was basically in the reef, due to choppy seas. We could basically get into waist deep water anytime we wanted at the LM, but snorkeling was a hike. Our snorkeling experience at LM was far superior, but we only did it as part of a guided trip due to the distance from shore. Some of these differences could be due to visits in different seasons.
Food is probably a wash. Both were excellent in terms of quality and experience. We ate a lot more at LM due to being on the meal plan, which could be a plus or minus, depending on how you view that.
Our total resort bill was about $600 more at LM (10 nights) than Westin (11 nights), but we did way more activities at LM and were on the meal plan so it felt like a good value.
Other Observations
- LM is big. We walked a lot, which was great. Every day was at least 15 to 20,000 steps. Buggies were readily available for those not wanting to walk, but we generally only called for one to and from dinner unless we were in a hurry to get somewhere.
- Despite being big, it rarely felt crowded. We were sometimes the only people in the pool area.
- The island is really lush. Like walking through a jungle lush. We were pleasantly surprised.
- The resort manager is very visible. We saw him all over the place and he even gave us rides in his buggy a few times.
- Departure info came in really late. We had an early flight out of MLE, which meant a 7am seaplane flight. We knew it would be pretty early, but did not get specifics until 9pm the night before.
Mar 28, 2022, 7:11 pm
#1110
Join Date: May 2006
Location: KSNA/KLAX
Programs: IML GOLD, Bonvoy LTPE, WOH Globalist, AAEXPLT
Posts: 645
Burning more points before tomorrow's devaluation... 10 nights booked in October!
Just out of curiosity, how much cash outflow should I expect? This is what i have so far...
280,000 bonvoys (booked before devaluation!)
$1520 (seaplane/sunrise villa upgrade)
$1300 (halfboard 2 pax 10 nights titanium)
Just out of curiosity, how much cash outflow should I expect? This is what i have so far...
280,000 bonvoys (booked before devaluation!)
$1520 (seaplane/sunrise villa upgrade)
$1300 (halfboard 2 pax 10 nights titanium)