W Maldives

Gavin Van Der Burgh

**W Maldives: Utopia From the Moment We Touched Down** My wife and I visited W Maldives while celebrating our 20th anniversary and travelling between several Marriott properties. As a longtime Marriott loyalist and Ambassador Elite member—and having stayed at 12 W hotels globally—I can confidently say the service here was the best we have experienced. From our arrival in Malé, everything was seamless. The seaplane journey was comfortable, although travellers should note that luggage over the 25 kg allowance per person is charged separately. When we reached the resort, staff from multiple departments welcomed us personally. Throughout our stay, everyone greeted us by name, recognised my Ambassador status and made us feel like royalty. Our overwater villa, room 226, was enormous, beautifully equipped and impeccably maintained. Although it is a longer walk from the main facilities, buggies were always readily available. Dining was excellent throughout. We enjoyed tapas and sundowners at SIP, superb fresh seafood and excellent wine recommendations at FISH, the Maldivian Independence Day beach barbecue at FIRE, and both breakfast and dinner at KITCHEN. The Ambassador breakfast benefit was particularly impressive. The activities were equally memorable: manta-ray snorkelling, excellent house-reef snorkelling, diving, wreck diving, deep-sea fishing and a magical Champagne-and-canapés sunset on the private island of Gaathafushi. The Jet Ski Blue Water Experience was fantastic—a 45-minute ride to a remote sandbar and complete tranquillity once we arrived. Even riding back through a rainstorm was an adventure, with the skilled team keeping safety the priority. A special thank-you to Sohi at the Dive Centre for expertly organising our diving and watersports, and to our wonderful hostess, Faye. The resort’s WhatsApp service made arranging everything effortless. Weather caused a slight delay to our departure, but the staff and management kept us comfortable and fully informed. W Maldives delivered one of the finest resort experiences we have ever had. With two more Marriott resorts still to come on our anniversary journey, they now have a very difficult act to follow.

Jasmine Yeoh

Where do I even start? W Maldives was beyond perfect and exceeded expectations in so many ways. We were truly spoilt by W Maldives and cannot imagine a perfect vacation anywhere else besides this place. It has set a such a high bar that will be tough for other properties to beat and everything we experienced there left us wanting more. We first visited in 2022 and recently returned for the second time. The interior of the rooms have undergone upgrading and we feel that it’s nicer than before. One of the things we enjoyed during our first visit was the breakfast. We felt that the breakfast spread was lesser as compared to our last visit (our favourite butter is no longer served) but the quality is still excellent. We’ve never had a dosa that tasted so good. The buffet dinner at Fire was fantastic. Freshly grilled seafood, great variety of other dishes besides seafood, incredible desserts and attentive staff who was always ready to help and get you what you need. Don’t even get me started on the food at Fish. The food was out of this world and mind blowing. We had originally planned on dining there for 2 nights but ended up returning day after day, for 4 days in total, because the food was so delicious. The service staff and chef were so willing to prepare the catch of the day in different ways for us and we enjoyed every single one of them. During our time at the resort, we were served by Ara, Lin, Areem, Kamlesh, Siska, John and a few other staff that we did not manage to get their names of. We have nothing but praises for these staff. They were incredibly sincere and kind and constantly ensured that our needs were met. They remembered our names and addressed us each time they saw us. Their service and level of attention to detail were impeccable and we were really touched by their gestures. We could really feel their warmth and genuineness. Nothing felt forced and you could really feel that it came from their heart. While chatting with Siska during breakfast, we asked her if there were other smoothie flavours available. She asked if there were any particular flavours we were looking for and we told her we would love to have banana smoothie. The next day, banana smoothie was available during breakfast and we were so pleased! We also mentioned to Siska that when we visited in 2022, there were more selections and flavours of french toast and pancakes. To our surprise, she served us a coconut french toast (which was one of the selections back then) during our last breakfast! We were so touched that she remembered our conversation and even went above and beyond to ask the kitchen to prepare the dish for us. Ara was really attentive and knew that we really enjoyed the grouper at Fish. She was knowledgeable and shared with us the different and cooking methods and types of fishes. When she met us during breakfast, she was very kind to mention that she’ll reserve a grouper for us for our dinner that night. Her level of attention to detail is commendable - when she brought us to our table, she realised that the wind was blowing in a particular direction and sat me at a different seat instead so the wind will not blow my hair into my face which would make it difficult for me to eat. It was such a small but nice gesture. Areem and John aka Aquaman were really friendly and passionate and shared so much about the marine life in Maldives with us. We really enjoyed the chats with them about the different marine animals they have seen around the resort and Areem even personally came to us to let us know that there were some nurse sharks nearby during our dinner. During our last breakfast, Kamlesh personally gifted us some small turtle keychains which was so cute and a great way for us to fondly remember our stay at W Maldives. His small and thoughtful gesture really touched us. The combination of everything - amazing food, impeccable service, fabulous views, luxurious rooms - made our stay beyond perfect and truly unforgettable. W Maldives is truly the epitome of paradise on earth and we will definitely be back again.

Khalid M.

My stay at W Maldives was honestly a very memorable one overall, and for a first Maldives experience, it definitely delivered. One thing I really think guests should know beforehand though is the seaplane transfer situation. My flight from Abu Dhabi was at 8:50 AM and after almost 4 hours of travel, I arrived in Male around 1:30 PM expecting to reach the resort within the 25 minutes mentioned for the seaplane ride. What surprised me was having to wait almost 3 additional hours at Male airport because seaplane schedules are arranged around multiple international arrivals and different resorts. So realistically, my first day at the resort was almost gone by the time I arrived around 6 PM, especially considering the premium amount paid per night. As for the resort itself, the villas are nice and comfortable, though not “mind blowing” luxury in terms of interiors. I’d personally rate the rooms around 7.5/10. Where this resort truly stands out is the service. The staff are honestly the biggest asset of this place. Everyone was incredibly kind, attentive, warm, and genuinely helpful throughout the stay. Requests were handled within minutes, and the hospitality never felt forced. Special thanks to Aiham and Ameen from the hotel team, and Adam from The Kitchen restaurant, who really made the experience feel personal and welcoming. I also loved that the island isn’t excessively large or overcrowded. It feels lively without being chaotic, and that balance made the experience much more enjoyable. As a Muslim traveler, privacy for my wife was very important to me, and the team genuinely accommodated this by assigning us one of the most private villas possible, which we really appreciated. One of the highlights of the trip was booking the private sunset island experience. Being dropped off on a completely private island with nobody else around was something truly unforgettable. While the actual setup there could definitely be improved, the views and atmosphere completely made up for it. The beaches are exactly as shown in pictures. Crystal clear water, amazing colors, beautiful sand, no disappointment there at all. The spa however was unfortunately one of the weaker parts of the resort. The area and treatment rooms felt outdated, and the therapists honestly did not match the level expected from a resort like this. Food overall was good, but I do think there’s room for improvement in the restaurant aesthetics and dining experience. Also worth noting that not everything is covered under HB/FB packages, which can become expensive quickly. Overall, I’d give W Maldives a solid 8/10. Would I come back? Maybe. But mainly because I’d also love to explore other islands and resorts in the Maldives after this experience.

Maria Dimitrova

We arrived after several flights with long delays, feeling stressed and exhausted, but by the very next day, we already felt like we were in paradise. We have been to many places in the Maldives and around the world; we are currently staying at Ananea Madivaru, but the difference is noticeable and we truly miss you! W Maldives offers an exceptional combination of delicious, high-quality food, a beautiful house reef, and comfort in every single detail of the villas—it’s clear that everything has been carefully thought out. As for the service and the staff, no praise is enough! Everyone was exceptional, so kind, and caring. Special thanks to: Jem from Fire and Kitchen our sommelier, the sweet and wonderful Celine from Kitchen, our friend from Kazakhstan at Kitchen, Aquaman, who kept us entertained with his great stories! We also want to thank the people who so diligently cleaned our villa. A special thank you to the gentle, smiling girl whose name I unfortunately didn't catch (as she likely went on break), but she looked after Villa 126 and worked so hard to make everything sparkle with cleanliness! Thank you, W Maldives—our stay with you was fantastic!

BJ Poznecki

Violet and I spent our honeymoon at the W Maldives, and it was truly the most incredible vacation we’ve ever experienced. From the moment we arrived, the service was phenomenal. The entire staff made us feel so welcomed and cared for, everyone knew our names, and went out of their way to make every moment special. One of the highlights was how thoughtful and personal everything felt. For our Honeymoon and Valentine’s Day, they surprised us by decorating our room with beautiful rose petals and preparing a relaxing bubble bath, which was a romantic and unforgettable touch. What really stood out was the attention to detail. The staff noticed we were going to the gym every day and surprised us with water bottles so we could stay hydrated. Aiham in guest services made us a personalized bag with a stingray design for us. Beyond the thoughtful surprises, the property itself is stunning, the food was amazing, and the overall experience was luxurious, warm, and personal. The W Maldives created memories that we’ll cherish for the rest of our lives. If you’re looking for breathtaking scenery with world-class hospitality and heartfelt service, we can’t recommend the W Maldives enough. We are already dreaming about coming back.