For our honeymoon, Carl and I went to the beautiful island of Maldives. The Maldives is a tropical group of islands located in the Indian Ocean. It consists of 26 atolls, which are made up of over 1,000 coral islands. It has been a dream bucket list destination of mine so I was so excited for our trip! I couldn’t wait to experience white sand beaches, a fabulous overwater villa with stunning views, and swim in crystal-clear water. There are so many resorts to choose from in the Maldives. I spent countless hours reviewing tons of different resort options. After all the research, we decided to stay at the luxurious W Maldives. The W Maldives is located on the tropical Fesdu Island, in the middle of the Maldives’ North Ari Atoll. This area of the Indian Ocean is known for its incredible dive sites where you will find manta rays, whale sharks, sea turtles and thousands of tropical fish. This luxury resort has one of the best house reefs that is perfect for swimming and snorkeling. We are so glad we chose this resort because we had the best time and such a great experience. We loved our stay! In this W Maldives resort review, I will be sharing all the details of our overwater villa accommodations, dining options, things to do, and the overall ambiance of the resort.
Best Time to Visit the Maldives
In this W Maldives Resort Review, I thought it would be helpful to share the best time to visit the Maldives. The best time to visit the Maldives mostly depends on your preferences and the activities you plan to do. Here are some general considerations:
High Season (December to March) – This period is considered the dry northeast monsoon season. It has lower humidity and minimal rainfall. The weather is generally sunny, making it an ideal time for water activities like snorkeling and diving. This is the peak tourist season so prices for accommodations and flights may be higher.
Shoulder Season (April to June) – This period marks the transition to the southwest monsoon season and you may experience some rainfall. However, the weather is still pleasant and it’s a good time to visit if you want to avoid the crowds and take advantage of potentially lower prices.
Low Season (July to October) – This is the wet southwest monsoon season, with higher humidity and a higher chance of rain. Even thought the weather is unpredictable, it’s also the low tourist season, which means you may find discounted rates on accommodations and fewer crowds.
Ultimately, the best time to visit the Maldives depends on your preferences. If you prefer dry and sunny weather, the high season is your best choice. If you are looking for more budget friendly options and don’t mind some rain, the shoulder or low seasons could be a good choice. Keep in mind that the rain is often in short, heavy bursts.
Carl and I went in mid-December and we had amazing weather. It only rained once in the middle of the night.
How to Get to the Maldives
I thought it would be helpful to share transportation information in this W Maldives resort review. In order to get to the Maldives, you have to fly into Velana International Airport (MLE) in Malé, the capital of the Maldives. Some major airlines offer direct flights from certain cities, but the majority of flights have layovers. The airlines that fly to Malé include Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and others.
Once you arrive in Malé, you need to take a flight or speedboat to reach your specific island resort. There are over 1,000 islands in the Maldives and every resort in the Maldives is basically it’s own island.
The W Maldives is a 25-minute seaplane ride from Malé that is $595 per person. There is a booth at the airport where you check in for the seaplane flight.
Once you are checked in, they take you in a shuttle to the W Maldives lounge at the seaplane terminal. The lounge is a large waiting area with couches and they offer coffee, soft drinks, water, and juice with some light snacks and sandwiches as you wait for your seaplane flight. They want the seaplane to be full so the only downside is if you are the first to arrive at the lounge, you have to wait until other passengers arrive. We ended up having to wait there a few hours. However, during this time, one of the W Maldives employees went over the details of our stay and checked us in. This was great because we didn’t have to worry about checking in when we got to the resort and can be taken straight to our room.
Once the departing seaplane was ready, you are escorted to board. Depending on the plane you are on, you may need to make other stops on the way to drop off other guests at different resorts. On our seaplane, we only had to stop once which wasn’t bad at all! It took us around 30 minutes to get to the W Maldives. Taking a seaplane was such a cool experience and I loved seeing all the different islands of Maldives when we were flying.
Arrival to W Maldives
When you arrive to the W Maldives, you are greeted with a warm welcome from all the staff and a staff member offers you a drink and a cold towel. Your bags are taken and each couple or family is loaded onto a golf cart. You are driven around the island for a tour of the resort and taken to your room. The entire arrival experience to your room was easy and super efficient. The entire staff is amazing. Everyone is super friendly and makes you feel right at home and nothing is ever too much to ask.
W Maldives Accommodations
The accommodations at the W Maldives typically feature a modern and chic design with a blend of natural elements. Each spacious villa has thatched roofs, tiled floors, and marine-themed accents. The W Hotels brand is known for its upscale luxury amenities so you will find super comfortable beds, state-of-the-heart entertainment systems, and a stylish and chic bathroom.
The W Maldives has two types of accommodations: overwater villas and beach bungalows. Each one comes with a private plunge pool. In the overwater villas, you have direct access to the best house reef and every beach villa is beachfront and comes with a balcony.
- Fabulous Overwater – one bedroom villa with an ocean view and private pool
- Spectacular Overwater – one bedroom villa with a lagoon view, hammock and private pool
- Wonderful Beach Oasis – one bedroom villa that is beach front with a beach view that has a private pool and balcony
- Wow Ocean Escape – two bedroom villa with a king bed, two queen beds, a private pool, and ocean view
- Extreme Wow Ocean Haven – two bedroom villa with two king beds, a private pool, and ocean view
Carl and I definitely wanted to experience an overwater villa so we booked the “Spectacular Overwater” room. This is a one bedroom villa with a king bed, hammock, and a private pool. Our room was incredible! It had a huge open layout and even a glass porthole where you can see the water below. It was also cool that the room had it’s own stereo system where you can connect your phone via bluetooth. There was also a ladder for direct access to the sea for swimming and snorkeling.
Dining Options
In this W Maldives resort review, I had to include a section on their restaurants. The food here was literally the best food I’ve ever had at a resort. They had great cocktails and even their mocktails (non-alcoholic drinks) were amazing. Everything we had was incredible and some nights they even had special events like sushi night. When you are there, definitely take a look at the schedule to see what is going on that week.
Here are the different restaurant options that you can find at the W Maldives resort.
Kitchen
Kitchen is W Maldives’ all-day dining bistro. They have an open style-kitchen with live cooking stations. This is where you are served an incredible breakfast buffet, as well as an a la carte menu. You can find everything from omelettes and french toast to fried rice and noodle dishes. They also serve lunch and dinner. You can dine inside or outside, but I love that they have seating outside where you can put your feet in the water.
Fish
Fish is their overwater restaurant that serve seafood. They are open on selected days of the week for dinner. We came here on their sushi night and loved it! For dessert, they even had a “make-your-own” crepe station. I recommend requesting a table right by the water so you can see stingrays, fish, and reef sharks while eating dinner.
Fire
Fire is the restaurant we went to on our first night at the W Maldives and it was our favorite. This restaurant has both a jungle and beachy vibe that is front of an open fire. You can even sit at a table with sand beneath your feet. It is an elevated barbecue restaurant where you will find amazing grilled food options. They even have a tandoori oven where they bake naan and other Indian specialties. You have to try their garlic naan and chicken tikka – it was delicious!
Wet
Wet is their poolside bar and swim-up bar where you can pair their signature cocktails with wood-fire pizza, burgers, salads, and delicious Asian cuisine.
Kada
Kada is their Asian Fusion beach pop-up cafe where food is served family style on sharing plates. You can find local Maldivian food on the menu.
Sip
Sip is a relaxed spot for drinks near the pool. It is their outdoor bar where you can find breathtaking sunset views. You can enjoy champagne, martinis, and delicious cocktails with fresh sushi and sashimi selections.
Room Service
At the W Maldives, I recommend ordering room service to your overwater villa at least once during your stay. And if you are going to order room service, you have to experience a floating breakfast or lunch! It is a large floating basket that gets hand-delivered to your private pool. You can enjoy your food while lounging in the pool.
Private Dining
For a more personal experience, guests can have private dinners on the beach, a terrace, or other secluded spots. The menu can be customized based on your preferences.
Things to Do
The W Maldives offers a a bunch of activities that cater to different interests and preferences. There is something for everyone! From underwater adventures to serene spa retreats, the resort provides an opportunity for guests to create lasting memories in this tropical paradise. Here are the best things to do at the W Maldives:
Relax
Maldives is the ultimate destination for relaxation. When you stay in an over-water villa, you never really need to leave your room. Carl and I spent most days relaxing on our patio, laying in our hammock, lounging in the pool, or swimming in the water right next to our villa. Most people stayed in their villas too so sometimes it felt like we had the entire place to ourselves.
Throughout the resort, there are also many spots to relax, including hammocks and hanging benches.
Beach + Pool
You should definitely make time to explore the resort and the island. You can relax at the pool in one of their cabanas or loungers or lay out on a beach chair under an umbrella.
Snorkel
The resort’s location in the North Ari Atoll is known for its vibrant marine life. This makes it an ideal destination for snorkeling and scuba diving. Their coral reef circles the entire island. Carl and I would go snorkeling right outside our villa. We even saw a shark one day! The staff said the best spot to snorkel is by the spa. We snorkeled there one day and saw so many different types of tropical fish! You can even see sea turtles.
Their snorkeling gear is free for hotel guests. They are available to be picked up at DOWN UNDER, their Diving Center.
The resort also offers these snorkeling and diving excursions on group tours:
- Whale Sharks: You can hop aboard their ESCAPE yacht to one of their dive sites and see whale sharks. They can grow up to 40 feet long so it would be so awesome to get close to them and swim alongside them.
- Giant Rays: W Maldives also has a fun tour option where you get to snorkel or dive with giant rays.
- Night Snorkeling: This is a really cool option to see the vibrant marine life by night.
- Beginner Course: If you are new to snorkeling, you can take a beginner course and opt for a guided tour of their house reef with their resident marine biologist.
Whale and Dolphin Cruise
The Maldives is home to quite a few species of whales, including the Tropical Bottlenose Whale, which is deemed to be the rarest whale in the planet. They also have dolphins like the Spinner and Fraser’s dolphins. You can book one of their many dolphin or whale watching cruises to see these beautiful creatures.
Luxury Yacht Tours
You can charter W Maldives’ own private yacht, ESCAPE, on a sailing cruise. They offer a sunset cruise where you can enjoy a glass of champagne and some small bites. You can have dinner where a private chef prepares your most favored cuisine paired with a glass of wine. They offer overnight stays where you can also snorkel or dive with whale sharks. You can also do full day or half day charters where you can cruise around Ari Atoll. You can stop on a local island and get a cultural tour or be secluded on a sandbank in the middle of the Indian Ocean for some swimming, snorkeling, or diving.
Island Hopping
Hop between habited and inhabited islands on their traditional dhoni boat, speedboat, or luxury yacht. You can mingle with locals to learn about the Maldivian lifestyle, shop in local markets, observe trade handling at the fish market, or indulge in traditional cuisines. This is a great way to learn about the rich history, culture and traditions of the Maldives.
Reserve a Private Island
If you are looking for a private island adventure, there is a private island near the W Maldives named Gaathafushi that you can reserve and have it all to yourself. You can have it for the day or book an overnight experience. For the overnight experience, you have a private chef to cook you a delicious BBQ dinner and wake up to a champagne breakfast cuisine. This is a great option for a proposal, romantic overnight stay, a special occasion with your loved ones and friends, or for group parties.
Fishing Excursion
If you love fishing, check out W Maldives’ fishing excursions. They offer full day or half day big game fishing, traditional Maldivian sunset hand-line fishing, and private night fishing.
Spa
The W Maldives has an amazing spa called AWAY Spa. It offers a range of treatments like body scrubs, massages, therapy baths, and fitness classes. It’s cool that they have overwater treatment rooms where you get a beautiful view of the ocean.
Fitness and Yoga Classes
If you want to stay active during your trip, check out their fitness center! Their fitness center, FIT, has a bunch of equipment available to use and is open seven days a week and 24 hours a day. You can work out overlooking the Indian Ocean while listening to the sound of the waves. They offer a bunch of fitness classes like yoga, boxing, pilates, and yoga. They even do private sessions.
Water Sports
As you can see in this W Maldives Resort review, the hotel excels in pampering their guests, but they also cater to those seeking adventures. The W Maldives offers a variety of water sports. You can go windsurfing, jet skiing, parasailing, kayaking or paddle boarding! The resort provides you with all the equipment and their experienced instructors will help guide you.
From this W Maldives resort review, it is obvious that the resort’s seamless blend of luxury and Maldivian hospitality sets it apart from other resorts. Whether you are seeking a romantic getaway, an adventure-filled vacation, or simply a trip to unwind, W Maldives caters to everyone. From the moment you arrive to the second you depart, every aspect of the W Maldives experience is crafted to ensure indulgence, relaxation, and adventure.
Hope you enjoyed my W Maldives Resort Review!
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