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]
May 27, 2023, 10:25 pm
#1051
Join Date: Mar 2023
Posts: 25
Summary of my honeymoon trip @ W Maldives!
We booked 5 nights in a Spectacular OWV and had a great time! Here are some highlights I'd like to call out below.
We booked 5 nights in a Spectacular OWV and had a great time! Here are some highlights I'd like to call out below.
- Room - 8/10
- Our room was on the lagoon side and it was quiet
- Enough space for two people
- You do have to keep doors closed in order for the AC to run otherwise it will stop
- We put our luggage on the table and counter next to the TV
- Bed comfort rating 7/10
- Food & Drinks - 6.5/10
- We declined the half & full board options since paying it as we eat was a cheaper and better outcome
- For BLD (breakfast, lunch, & dinner) - everything was the same menu, although they had their 'special' nights where you pay a set price for an all-you-can-eat (we did the meat night but wouldn't pay $110 per person again for it)
- We tried a lot of different options from the menu and wasn't bad at all
- Their cocktails started at $25, and it was okay
- I think there is some room for improvement here but nothing we ate was horrible
- Staff - 10/10
- Everyone was super welcoming and helpful
- The staff are there at any time with anything you may need
- They communicate via WhatsApp (they replied very quickly)
- They arranged the pick-up & drop-off for the seaplane transfers very well, they took care of everything - I feel we would be lost without their team members
May 29, 2023, 8:05 am
#1052
Join Date: May 2000
Location: IAH
Programs: UA 1K 2.7MM, Marriott Titanium/LT Plat, IHG Spire
Posts: 3,317
I'm at the hotel now and would agree with mbbash217. I did find the breakfast buffet to be fantastic, so I might rate the food slightly higher. Beyond that the other food is good, not great. Room is very comfortable but the mattress is quite firm.
We have been snorkeling every day and have tried quite a few different spots of reef; sea life is excellent. I do NOT recommend the whale shark trip; you pay $595 plus service charge and we did not even see one. The staff tried but we were simply out of luck and there is no refund; it always took up six hours on our first day there. The manta ray trip is shorter and much less expensive ($200) and we were successful there. At the same time, just snorkeling the house reef is very enjoyable.
The staff is absolutely wonderful. I would love to return.
We have been snorkeling every day and have tried quite a few different spots of reef; sea life is excellent. I do NOT recommend the whale shark trip; you pay $595 plus service charge and we did not even see one. The staff tried but we were simply out of luck and there is no refund; it always took up six hours on our first day there. The manta ray trip is shorter and much less expensive ($200) and we were successful there. At the same time, just snorkeling the house reef is very enjoyable.
The staff is absolutely wonderful. I would love to return.
May 31, 2023, 12:41 pm
#1053
Join Date: Mar 2023
Posts: 25
I'm at the hotel now and would agree with mbbash217. I did find the breakfast buffet to be fantastic, so I might rate the food slightly higher. Beyond that the other food is good, not great. Room is very comfortable but the mattress is quite firm.
We have been snorkeling every day and have tried quite a few different spots of reef; sea life is excellent. I do NOT recommend the whale shark trip; you pay $595 plus service charge and we did not even see one. The staff tried but we were simply out of luck and there is no refund; it always took up six hours on our first day there. The manta ray trip is shorter and much less expensive ($200) and we were successful there. At the same time, just snorkeling the house reef is very enjoyable.
The staff is absolutely wonderful. I would love to return.
We have been snorkeling every day and have tried quite a few different spots of reef; sea life is excellent. I do NOT recommend the whale shark trip; you pay $595 plus service charge and we did not even see one. The staff tried but we were simply out of luck and there is no refund; it always took up six hours on our first day there. The manta ray trip is shorter and much less expensive ($200) and we were successful there. At the same time, just snorkeling the house reef is very enjoyable.
The staff is absolutely wonderful. I would love to return.
Jul 14, 2023, 1:18 am
#1054
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: AMS via SAN via LAX via BWI via PHL via PHX
Posts: 48
We just stayed 5 nights on points... getting that free 5th night is nice. Quick little report, as I feel the need to give back to this site, as I get so much from it!
Trip from AMS through Doha to Male overnight was fine. Arriving in The Maldives in the morning is great, but not getting much sleep does start you off kinda tired.
Seaplane to W was cool trip... expensive of course.... around $600 per person roundtrip. We made one stop at another resort, so it took about 45 mins total.
Upgraded from "fabulous" overwater room to "spectacular" overwater room... The room was great. Bed was firm. View is of course amazing. We hate the lack of door to the bathroom area, and the toilet room door that doesn't actually go to the ceiling. It's a trend we wish would go away... We like a bit of privacy now and then... The deck and outisde of room are showing their age just a bit... the sea water takes a toll.
Food is eye wateringly expensive, as expected. We had free breakfast with our Bonvoy status, so that became a way to fill up and then skip lunch. Over the 5 nights/6 days, we spent about $1000 on food... no lunches, free breakfast and very minimal drinks and such. The food quality is fine... but not anywhere close to what you would expect for the price. The was the biggest negative by far of the trip. Almost every night there was some sort of "all you can eat" event happening at one of the restaurants. We joined the "Asian Market" night... $110 per person... a row of about 8 food stations were set up outside with everything from make-your-own soups to fresh grilled meat skewers to a wok-noodle station... it was a nice atmosphere, but again... before drinks, was it worth $220, of course not.... but you are out in the middle of the Indian Ocean on a tiny island... so it's all just to be expected.
June/July is the rainy season... we knew it going in.. and wow... did we ever get a storm! Waves crashing over our deck.. parts of our roof blow off... other rooms lost cushions from deck furniture (we saw them floating by). All in all, we lost about 1.5 days of "sun time" to the weather, but were very content relaxing, reading, and enjoying the room.
The staff is golden. All of them.... from the greeter in Male (Cindy, she was amazing), to the restaurant crew, to the house keeping staff... all so friendly and focused on customer experience. They do a great job.
The island is nice. Obviously small.. it's part of the experience. We walked around the whole circumference in about 25 minutes. A couple of the beach spots have amazing sand and water access. We snorkeled a ton. Swam with a giant sea turtle and got some amazing videos. Was my partners' favorite part, she is still so happy we found the turtle.
We used AA points to fly roundtrip from AMS. So all in, this "free trip" with travel and accommodations all on points ended up costing us about $2300. I am not sure you can do a resort like the W for much less.
So... verdict? If anyone cares... We are glad we went. We have a ton of Marriott points from work travel, and The Maldives certainly offers one of the best "values" for redemption. This isn't really our style of vacation/travel... we love to be on the go, seeing new things, exploring, etc... and you just really can't do that here. We are definitely NOT luxury travelers either, so some of the whole experience of a private resort is just lost on us. We both agreed we would rather go to Greece or Spain than back to The Maldives... These places are way closer, have more to get out and do, and have better and far more affordable food.
Trip from AMS through Doha to Male overnight was fine. Arriving in The Maldives in the morning is great, but not getting much sleep does start you off kinda tired.
Seaplane to W was cool trip... expensive of course.... around $600 per person roundtrip. We made one stop at another resort, so it took about 45 mins total.
Upgraded from "fabulous" overwater room to "spectacular" overwater room... The room was great. Bed was firm. View is of course amazing. We hate the lack of door to the bathroom area, and the toilet room door that doesn't actually go to the ceiling. It's a trend we wish would go away... We like a bit of privacy now and then... The deck and outisde of room are showing their age just a bit... the sea water takes a toll.
Food is eye wateringly expensive, as expected. We had free breakfast with our Bonvoy status, so that became a way to fill up and then skip lunch. Over the 5 nights/6 days, we spent about $1000 on food... no lunches, free breakfast and very minimal drinks and such. The food quality is fine... but not anywhere close to what you would expect for the price. The was the biggest negative by far of the trip. Almost every night there was some sort of "all you can eat" event happening at one of the restaurants. We joined the "Asian Market" night... $110 per person... a row of about 8 food stations were set up outside with everything from make-your-own soups to fresh grilled meat skewers to a wok-noodle station... it was a nice atmosphere, but again... before drinks, was it worth $220, of course not.... but you are out in the middle of the Indian Ocean on a tiny island... so it's all just to be expected.
June/July is the rainy season... we knew it going in.. and wow... did we ever get a storm! Waves crashing over our deck.. parts of our roof blow off... other rooms lost cushions from deck furniture (we saw them floating by). All in all, we lost about 1.5 days of "sun time" to the weather, but were very content relaxing, reading, and enjoying the room.
The staff is golden. All of them.... from the greeter in Male (Cindy, she was amazing), to the restaurant crew, to the house keeping staff... all so friendly and focused on customer experience. They do a great job.
The island is nice. Obviously small.. it's part of the experience. We walked around the whole circumference in about 25 minutes. A couple of the beach spots have amazing sand and water access. We snorkeled a ton. Swam with a giant sea turtle and got some amazing videos. Was my partners' favorite part, she is still so happy we found the turtle.
We used AA points to fly roundtrip from AMS. So all in, this "free trip" with travel and accommodations all on points ended up costing us about $2300. I am not sure you can do a resort like the W for much less.
So... verdict? If anyone cares... We are glad we went. We have a ton of Marriott points from work travel, and The Maldives certainly offers one of the best "values" for redemption. This isn't really our style of vacation/travel... we love to be on the go, seeing new things, exploring, etc... and you just really can't do that here. We are definitely NOT luxury travelers either, so some of the whole experience of a private resort is just lost on us. We both agreed we would rather go to Greece or Spain than back to The Maldives... These places are way closer, have more to get out and do, and have better and far more affordable food.
Aug 14, 2023, 2:44 pm
#1055
Join Date: Mar 2023
Posts: 25
great write up!
We just stayed 5 nights on points... getting that free 5th night is nice. Quick little report, as I feel the need to give back to this site, as I get so much from it!
Trip from AMS through Doha to Male overnight was fine. Arriving in The Maldives in the morning is great, but not getting much sleep does start you off kinda tired.
Seaplane to W was cool trip... expensive of course.... around $600 per person roundtrip. We made one stop at another resort, so it took about 45 mins total.
Upgraded from "fabulous" overwater room to "spectacular" overwater room... The room was great. Bed was firm. View is of course amazing. We hate the lack of door to the bathroom area, and the toilet room door that doesn't actually go to the ceiling. It's a trend we wish would go away... We like a bit of privacy now and then... The deck and outisde of room are showing their age just a bit... the sea water takes a toll.
Food is eye wateringly expensive, as expected. We had free breakfast with our Bonvoy status, so that became a way to fill up and then skip lunch. Over the 5 nights/6 days, we spent about $1000 on food... no lunches, free breakfast and very minimal drinks and such. The food quality is fine... but not anywhere close to what you would expect for the price. The was the biggest negative by far of the trip. Almost every night there was some sort of "all you can eat" event happening at one of the restaurants. We joined the "Asian Market" night... $110 per person... a row of about 8 food stations were set up outside with everything from make-your-own soups to fresh grilled meat skewers to a wok-noodle station... it was a nice atmosphere, but again... before drinks, was it worth $220, of course not.... but you are out in the middle of the Indian Ocean on a tiny island... so it's all just to be expected.
June/July is the rainy season... we knew it going in.. and wow... did we ever get a storm! Waves crashing over our deck.. parts of our roof blow off... other rooms lost cushions from deck furniture (we saw them floating by). All in all, we lost about 1.5 days of "sun time" to the weather, but were very content relaxing, reading, and enjoying the room.
The staff is golden. All of them.... from the greeter in Male (Cindy, she was amazing), to the restaurant crew, to the house keeping staff... all so friendly and focused on customer experience. They do a great job.
The island is nice. Obviously small.. it's part of the experience. We walked around the whole circumference in about 25 minutes. A couple of the beach spots have amazing sand and water access. We snorkeled a ton. Swam with a giant sea turtle and got some amazing videos. Was my partners' favorite part, she is still so happy we found the turtle.
We used AA points to fly roundtrip from AMS. So all in, this "free trip" with travel and accommodations all on points ended up costing us about $2300. I am not sure you can do a resort like the W for much less.
So... verdict? If anyone cares... We are glad we went. We have a ton of Marriott points from work travel, and The Maldives certainly offers one of the best "values" for redemption. This isn't really our style of vacation/travel... we love to be on the go, seeing new things, exploring, etc... and you just really can't do that here. We are definitely NOT luxury travelers either, so some of the whole experience of a private resort is just lost on us. We both agreed we would rather go to Greece or Spain than back to The Maldives... These places are way closer, have more to get out and do, and have better and far more affordable food.
Trip from AMS through Doha to Male overnight was fine. Arriving in The Maldives in the morning is great, but not getting much sleep does start you off kinda tired.
Seaplane to W was cool trip... expensive of course.... around $600 per person roundtrip. We made one stop at another resort, so it took about 45 mins total.
Upgraded from "fabulous" overwater room to "spectacular" overwater room... The room was great. Bed was firm. View is of course amazing. We hate the lack of door to the bathroom area, and the toilet room door that doesn't actually go to the ceiling. It's a trend we wish would go away... We like a bit of privacy now and then... The deck and outisde of room are showing their age just a bit... the sea water takes a toll.
Food is eye wateringly expensive, as expected. We had free breakfast with our Bonvoy status, so that became a way to fill up and then skip lunch. Over the 5 nights/6 days, we spent about $1000 on food... no lunches, free breakfast and very minimal drinks and such. The food quality is fine... but not anywhere close to what you would expect for the price. The was the biggest negative by far of the trip. Almost every night there was some sort of "all you can eat" event happening at one of the restaurants. We joined the "Asian Market" night... $110 per person... a row of about 8 food stations were set up outside with everything from make-your-own soups to fresh grilled meat skewers to a wok-noodle station... it was a nice atmosphere, but again... before drinks, was it worth $220, of course not.... but you are out in the middle of the Indian Ocean on a tiny island... so it's all just to be expected.
June/July is the rainy season... we knew it going in.. and wow... did we ever get a storm! Waves crashing over our deck.. parts of our roof blow off... other rooms lost cushions from deck furniture (we saw them floating by). All in all, we lost about 1.5 days of "sun time" to the weather, but were very content relaxing, reading, and enjoying the room.
The staff is golden. All of them.... from the greeter in Male (Cindy, she was amazing), to the restaurant crew, to the house keeping staff... all so friendly and focused on customer experience. They do a great job.
The island is nice. Obviously small.. it's part of the experience. We walked around the whole circumference in about 25 minutes. A couple of the beach spots have amazing sand and water access. We snorkeled a ton. Swam with a giant sea turtle and got some amazing videos. Was my partners' favorite part, she is still so happy we found the turtle.
We used AA points to fly roundtrip from AMS. So all in, this "free trip" with travel and accommodations all on points ended up costing us about $2300. I am not sure you can do a resort like the W for much less.
So... verdict? If anyone cares... We are glad we went. We have a ton of Marriott points from work travel, and The Maldives certainly offers one of the best "values" for redemption. This isn't really our style of vacation/travel... we love to be on the go, seeing new things, exploring, etc... and you just really can't do that here. We are definitely NOT luxury travelers either, so some of the whole experience of a private resort is just lost on us. We both agreed we would rather go to Greece or Spain than back to The Maldives... These places are way closer, have more to get out and do, and have better and far more affordable food.
Mar 3, 2024, 3:47 am
#1057
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: Top Tier Flyertalk Member
Posts: 687
- the rooms are definitely dated. The whole resort is pretty old, and due for an upgrade (coming next year)
Initially ranked in the same category as the StR or Ritz, this is definitely a step down. However, with dynamic awards, it's now where it should be compared to the others. Let's wait until the renovation is complete to see if that will change.
Initially ranked in the same category as the StR or Ritz, this is definitely a step down. However, with dynamic awards, it's now where it should be compared to the others. Let's wait until the renovation is complete to see if that will change.
Mar 4, 2024, 12:31 am
#1059
Join Date: Mar 2024
Posts: 2
I had a reservation booked for June, from last year, and only learned it was closed from viewing the messages here (thank you for posting!). Unusual customer service to not tell me the hotel was closed until I had to contact them.
The hotel confirmed it is closed from may until November 2024.
Was thoroughly upset that I had to contact them to tell me it was closed, they told me they were in “the process” of redirecting people to the JW Maldives, not really a comparable property IMO.
Cancelled my booking for the st Regis instead.
The hotel confirmed it is closed from may until November 2024.
Was thoroughly upset that I had to contact them to tell me it was closed, they told me they were in “the process” of redirecting people to the JW Maldives, not really a comparable property IMO.
Cancelled my booking for the st Regis instead.
Mar 4, 2024, 12:38 am
#1060
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: SFO/YYZ
Programs: AC 25K, AS MVP Gold, BA Bronze, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,472
I had a reservation booked for June, from last year, and only learned it was closed from viewing the messages here (thank you for posting!). Unusual customer service to not tell me the hotel was closed until I had to contact them.
The hotel confirmed it is closed from may until November 2024.
Was thoroughly upset that I had to contact them to tell me it was closed, they told me they were in “the process” of redirecting people to the JW Maldives, not really a comparable property IMO.
Cancelled my booking for the st Regis instead.
The hotel confirmed it is closed from may until November 2024.
Was thoroughly upset that I had to contact them to tell me it was closed, they told me they were in “the process” of redirecting people to the JW Maldives, not really a comparable property IMO.
Cancelled my booking for the st Regis instead.
Renders of refurbished villas look really good. Are they making any changes to the restaurants? The food here was enough of a reason for me to not come back.
Mar 6, 2024, 1:54 pm
#1062
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 255
Apr 24, 2024, 1:04 pm
#1063
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: EWR
Posts: 81
Stunning design, but the color palette is quite a departure from the bold colors I associate with the W brand. Everything looks really luxurious though, especially the free-form mirrors in the bathrooms. The only thing that looks unappealing is the new deck couch on the OWV. The previous big round one looked poofy and comfy. This couch being square with exposed metal legs doesn't seem right. But overall 10/10 design and I can't wait to make a booking. Hope the points cost stays the same 
Looks good.