Dn10

thank you!

RealCanadian

How would one asses luxury? W Maldives is extremely luxurious, the rooms are outstanding, the service exclusive, the food superb.. i never been to St.Regis maldives but I don't understand what "luxury " means when comparing STR to W when they are both 5 star hotels.

yosithezet

W is a fun brand while STR is a stuffy, old money luxury brand. Assuming the same price, one is Ferrari while the other is Rolls Royce in style. We have stayed at both and preferred W Maldives.

friedablass

Agree with all these points aside from the first albeit partially.

Although, the base room at STR is the Garden Villa I have consistently noticed that the upgrade with points or even cash to an OWV is really nominal. IIRC we were able to book straight into an STR OWV which is a couple of levels up from GV for only an additional $75 or 15k points per night which was a no brainer for us. This is still currently the rate.

All other of your points aside and not having stayed at the W, I think the actual OWV villas at STR look nicer and more luxurious but I'd definitely like to try the W for the superior snorkeling.

bgriff

It is to some degree to the taste of an individual of course, but -- not having stayed at the StR Maldives but having read a lot of reviews, and having stayed at the W -- I do think there are some places where the StR appears to clearly offer a more luxurious experience than the W, such as:

• A more elaborate breakfast offering
• Significantly larger rooms in the base overwater villa categories, with a bigger plunge pool (though with many of the villas having the plunge pool shaded by the building)
• More restaurant options (I can't comment on relative quality, and the W somewhat makes up for a lack of variety with the various theme nights while I haven't seen reviews of the StR mention any similar program, so there may be more to this category than meets the eye)
• A more elaborate spa
• A nicer lounge at MLE, and notably giving guests the option to stay in the StR lounge between their seaplane flight and international flight on departure from the hotel
• General newness of the StR leading to a better state of repair -- the W has been kept up well but does show its age in some respects

None of that is to say the W is a bad hotel, and indeed I think the W Maldives generally performs well above expectation for the W brand -- in most other markets a head-to-head comparison between a W and a St Regis would be a far greater difference. There are various little things that one might look to as a marker of luxury among high-end hotels, like the staff remembering guests' names, or taking the time to escort them to their destination rather than just pointing the way, where the W Maldives probably performs similarly to the StR, but where I have not typically experienced the same level of luxury at other Ws.

dip2007

Going in May 2021 and booked with Bonvoy Points the Fabulous Overwater Villa . Can anyone tell me the difference between Fabulous and Spectacular villa ? Is it worth spending the extra points .
Also i am Marriott Platinum Elie . Any chance i would be upgraded ?

On a side note does anyone know what would be the cost to arrange a sunset dinner at the private island that they mention in the website ?

bgriff

Welcome to FlyerTalk!

The difference between the villas is small -- the spectacular villas have an overwater hammock, and are apparently considered to be a better location (you can see where in the map in my review). I'm not entirely convinced the location is that much better, but I think the idea is that the seafloor is clearer in that area, and you would have a better sunset view as it is south-facing. There is definitely somewhat less privacy on the deck as you're more exposed to the beach, Fire, and Sip. Personally I wouldn't pay any more than a trivial added amount of points for the upgrade, and I believe there have been some reports of elites being upgraded for free.

On the private island dinners, when I was there 2 years ago, the dinner packages were around $1000-$1200 per couple plus tax and service charge including a multi-course dinner menu; I forget whether drinks were included or not. I had booked dinner but we were rained out the day of so I can't comment on how the experience is. There was also an option offered for a 90-minute sunset cruise with a bottle of sparkling wine and "chef's canapes" (no idea how much food that is) for $400++.

Given you are Platinum elite, note that you would get a 30% discount on your restaurant meals, but I believe it would not apply to the island package, so there would be an even bigger net cost difference vs. just getting a regular dinner.

dip2007

Thanks you . Your review was very elaborate and it did answer lot of my question . i guess there is no point to upgrade the room and i will take my chances if i get upgraded . If not no regrets . Being my honeymoon i would really like to do the private island dinner . I hope the weather wont pay a spoil sport .

RealCanadian

1150++ for private dinner on island

dip2007

Thank you Did you go for the same ? How was the experience ?

RealCanadian

We contemplated having the dinner on the private island but opted for private beach dinner instead. Its just so much money for just a few hours its crippling.

The experience is an option of just the dinner with a private chef and butler for 950usd ++ or a sunset drink + canopies + dinner for 1150++ usd..

All in all very few people have the capacity to afford to spend 1300 usd in a single dinner when you can have a nice trip for 2 to Mexico for 1300$ for a week in an all inclusive. Its unbelievable how expensive W Maldives is.

dip2007

Agreed with whatever you said . But since i have paid with points and booked flights with miles and considering this is my honeymoon i am inclined on this. However i will wait for the hotel to suggest some options and then decide. How much was the dinner on the beach ?

platbrownguy

Here were the menus from when we went. We didn't do any of these so can't comment on them.

dip2007

Thank you for sharing the same. I have an idea now on what to expect . One quick question - Does the 20% F&B discount for Bonvoy Platinum apply to these outings / dinner ?

gobears293

The discount does not apply to the special dinners. My wife and I were there in November and selected just the "Exclusive Sunset" package. Thankfully had the money saved up and set aside for something very special like this. If you have the means, I highly recommend it. Nothing flashy, but incredibly peaceful and relaxing.

My overall stay was simply amazing. Been meaning to write a full review since I returned but work and personal life has been incredibly hectic. Someone please ask my boss to give me a day off; I really want to share in detail our great experience.