Dec 7, 2018, 8:29 am
Last edit by: razflyer
Post #515 is an EXTENSIVE review w/ pics. Link
Food menus: Kitchen, In-Room Dining, Fire, Fish
Prices may change (sometimes substantially) so not necessarily up to date.
Excursions and activities pricing
Food menus: Kitchen, In-Room Dining, Fire, Fish
Prices may change (sometimes substantially) so not necessarily up to date.
Excursions and activities pricing
W Maldives [Master Thread]
Apr 29, 2021, 2:00 pm
#905
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Boston, MA, USA
Posts: 203
I just booked a last-minute solo trip, and I think I'll be at the W as well - arriving May 11, too. 😀 Just deciding for sure whether to go with the W or St Regis. Seems W wins for sea life, and St R for luxury. I'm torn - same number of Bonvoy points (roughly), but the St R has a much higher $ cost.
May 1, 2021, 6:52 pm
#906
Join Date: Jun 2017
Programs: AA Explat, MVP 75K, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 26
I just booked a last-minute solo trip, and I think I'll be at the W as well - arriving May 11, too. 😀 Just deciding for sure whether to go with the W or St Regis. Seems W wins for sea life, and St R for luxury. I'm torn - same number of Bonvoy points (roughly), but the St R has a much higher $ cost.
For my case, for a 5 night stay in Aug, for the W I am deciding to pay the lower than usual cash (still expensive) rate vs spending 400k points, as there is a $750++ (plus sea plane transfer and tax) half board rate through Marriott luminous which includes dinner at Kitchen.
May 2, 2021, 10:32 am
#907
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: Delta Gold, UA Gold, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum
Posts: 275
I’m in the same boat as you. I have a trip planned in Aug for the W, but am afraid that it will not live up to expectations as I’ve been to the St. R. The St. Regis is beyond luxurious and the base over water villas are significantly bigger. At the W, the room opens directly to the bed and there is no sofa living space, while this is not the case at the St. R. However from the pictures and reviews of the W, the reef and sand/beach quality is significantly nicer than the St.R. The St R beach can best be described as rocky. If they were the exact same number of points, I would probably choose the St. R. The “reef” at the St Regis, which probably not as good as W, still has tons of fish and even turtles.
For my case, for a 5 night stay in Aug, for the W I am deciding to pay the lower than usual cash (still expensive) rate vs spending 400k points, as there is a $750++ (plus sea plane transfer and tax) half board rate through Marriott luminous which includes dinner at Kitchen.
For my case, for a 5 night stay in Aug, for the W I am deciding to pay the lower than usual cash (still expensive) rate vs spending 400k points, as there is a $750++ (plus sea plane transfer and tax) half board rate through Marriott luminous which includes dinner at Kitchen.
Reasonable critique of the room size/layout, but for us, we spent very little time in the room, so it didn't matter much.
That $750 rate is really darn good. Kitchen has the least interesting food of the three restaurants for dinner, but quality was still really good. So if you prioritize beach/relaxation/reef quality way more over food, then it totally makes sense.
May 11, 2021, 2:25 pm
#908
Join Date: Jun 2017
Programs: AA Explat, MVP 75K, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 26
Last sea plane?
Does anyone know what time the last seaplane departs the W to go to the airport?
I have an option of a flight leaving MLE at 5:35pm or at 10pm so wanted to see if it was worth doing the 10 to take a later flight or keep the 5:35pm flight.
Do they still open up the departure lounge?
I have an option of a flight leaving MLE at 5:35pm or at 10pm so wanted to see if it was worth doing the 10 to take a later flight or keep the 5:35pm flight.
Do they still open up the departure lounge?
May 11, 2021, 2:51 pm
#909
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Brooklyn
Programs: Delta Diamond, Bonvoy something good; sometimes other things too
Posts: 5,050
Does anyone know what time the last seaplane departs the W to go to the airport?
I have an option of a flight leaving MLE at 5:35pm or at 10pm so wanted to see if it was worth doing the 10 to take a later flight or keep the 5:35pm flight.
Do they still open up the departure lounge?
I have an option of a flight leaving MLE at 5:35pm or at 10pm so wanted to see if it was worth doing the 10 to take a later flight or keep the 5:35pm flight.
Do they still open up the departure lounge?
Frankly, MLE is not the most fun place to hang out, and the 10pm departure would guarantee you have at least a 4-5 hour layover, whereas the 5:35pm flight there's a chance you get put on a seaplane flight where you have a more reasonable 2-3 hour layover, so I would stay with the 5:35pm flight. But up to you.
May 11, 2021, 2:58 pm
#910
Join Date: Jun 2017
Programs: AA Explat, MVP 75K, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 26
I flew out on a ~2pm flight IIRC, and there was one later seaplane flight than that the day I departed. My flight out of MLE departed at ~8pm so I actually would have preferred to get the later seaplane flight but it seems they try to balance out people's MLE wait time somewhat, so the available seats on the last seaplane flight were reserved for people flying on later redeyes. But the schedule can also change somewhat day to day, so it's hard to predict exactly what might happen with either flight option.
Frankly, MLE is not the most fun place to hang out, and the 10pm departure would guarantee you have at least a 4-5 hour layover, whereas the 5:35pm flight there's a chance you get put on a seaplane flight where you have a more reasonable 2-3 hour layover, so I would stay with the 5:35pm flight. But up to you.
Frankly, MLE is not the most fun place to hang out, and the 10pm departure would guarantee you have at least a 4-5 hour layover, whereas the 5:35pm flight there's a chance you get put on a seaplane flight where you have a more reasonable 2-3 hour layover, so I would stay with the 5:35pm flight. But up to you.
May 11, 2021, 6:28 pm
#913
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: SFO/YYZ
Programs: AC 25K, AS MVP Gold, BA Bronze, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,468
They require a PCR test which will almost certainly be a nasal swab but may differ in whether the sample is collected from deeper in the nasal cavity or not.
May 11, 2021, 7:23 pm
#914
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: bay area, ca
Programs: UA plat, , aa plat, marriott LT titanium
Posts: 4,833
Do u live in the US? I used pixel and cvs (had a backup just in case I didn't get results in time) - both are self administered and easy - and not painful!
May 11, 2021, 8:11 pm
#915
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: SFO/YYZ
Programs: AC 25K, AS MVP Gold, BA Bronze, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,468
The fact that a self-test with no observation is accepted sort of defeats the purpose. You can just drop the swab in the tube unused and send it in for guaranteed negative result.