One of the newest resorts in the Maldives, JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa opened in November 2019 and is doing things differently. Ideally, it will be preceded by a spa treatment and followed by a meditation session and herb-infused bath. Both the prices, and the generous sized villas, make this one of the best places to stay in the Maldives for families. One of the smallest resorts in the Maldives, Mirihi might also be the most perfect. Take the 25 … We review the best Marriott hotels in the Maldives. Heads up! An overwater bungalow at a luxury Maldives resort is, for many people, the dream vacation, and there are plenty of Marriotts to spend and earn Bonvoy points at, including St. Regis. Including slick showstoppers and lo-fi hideaways. Both the views and the menu (tuna carpaccio with pickled daikon, yuzu gel and shiso) at underwater restaurant 5.8 are deeply impressive. This far from Malé, there's not a hint of light pollution in the inky night skies; by day there are dive sites, snorkelling with whale sharks and (unusually for the Maldives) surf breaks. #29 Best Value of 138 Maldives Luxury Hotels “ The Banyan Tree Hotel is the perfect place to relax: Luxury Villas with private pool an Jacuzzi, perfect beach, perfect SPA, perfect accomodation, perfect … A small bar, restaurant and the region’s best spa complete this small but perfect resort. Menus are modern and moreish – chia bowls and kombucha for breakfast, charcoal-grilled lunches by the pool, Japanese-Peruvian for dinner – and the spa will keep you looking and feeling your very best. This is our definitive guide to the Maldives hotels that are really worth travelling for. There are underwater scooters to take for a ride, contemporary treehouses to stay in (along with the usual beach villas) and room service is included so you can dine in private at any hour you choose. Surely he'd approve of Vommuli. Those insouciant little armless sofas; that Vincent Beaurin lemon-yellow sand-disc artwork, which slowly turns as the weight of perpetually falling grains of sand rotate it; the square, slate-lined pool; the de Havilland seaplane bobbing in the water; the white bicycles for getting around; the taupe espadrilles in the villas' dressing rooms. It's all yours. Many … Among her favourite assignments are her regular trips to the Maldives… This is very much a barefoot-and-board-shorts hideaway, crisscrossed with polished hardwood walkways and lofty palms beside walls of fragrant clerodendrum. See the full list: Hotels near Hulhumale Beach . Here are the best resorts in the Maldives: Cheval Blanc Randheli. Saudi's crown prince was among the first guests to arrive when the resort opened in December 2013. The 91 villas at the welcoming Veligandu resort are sumptuous; each has access to the Indian Ocean either directly from the decking of the overwater villas or via a small stretch of beach. It looks like a vast docking station for flying saucers - all the more wonderful for being made entirely of wood. Discover the luxury hotel experts. Here he's used the same large-scale, cathedral-roofed template for the beach villas, and the detailing is superb. The juxtaposition of smooth and rough textures, and traditional and contemporary materials, is brilliantly managed. And nowhere more so than in the spa, where it's all too easy to hole up in one of the thatched, nest-like pods for hours on end. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission. There's coffee - roasted on-site - in reception, an ice-cream parlour with 32 homemade flavours such as bubblegum and pistachio, and live DJs at Beach Rouge, one of the six restaurants, including Allegria for Italian dishes and Senses for Indian. Try another? From simple island life to a sprawling luxury playground—these fifteen have one thing in common: they are all the very best luxury resorts in the Maldives. Maldives is a tropical area, surrounded by beaches and oceans, is known for its seafood cuisine. There may be no better circumstances in which to simply retreat to a shady spot with a book and give everyone the day off. There's a mellow beach-club vibe throughout, with bicycles to nip between the two bars at opposite ends of the three-kilometre-long island: one more chilled beside the pool, and the other, livelier, with colourful reclaimed wooden tables, a reggae soundtrack, surfboards propped against the wall, and inflatable swans standing by to drift about on the sea. Click for best available prices. There's no messing around with spending credits or extra charges; everything is included – everything – from unlimited spa treatments to deep sea fishing, scooter dives and jet skis. Baros is home to one of the archipelago's original dive centres, as well as the first EcoDive Centre in the Maldives to be certified by International Reef Check. The scale of the villas is extraordinary: built using wood from sustainable plantations and crafted in great sweeping curves, they are a charming jumble of pitched roofs and rondavels with fairy-tale turrets, ladders leading into the Indian Ocean and portholes in floors to reveal marine life below. Number of villas: 37 Transfer time: a 55-minute domestic flight from Malé to Kaadedhdhoo airport followed by a 10-minute speedboat transfer, Address: Raffles Maldives Meradhoo, Gaafu Alifu Atoll, MaldivesBook your stay. The kitchen is yours to use, but the chef is brilliant and will prepare anything you want (stories include a specific variety of apple being flown in at a guest's request), such as baked red snapper in aromatic herbs, and banana fritters with sweet crêpes in caramel. Arrival by seaplane from Malé sets the tone; and from white-tented spa to swim-up pool bar, this resort encapsulates 'jet-set glamour'. Frequent pop-ups include a mixologist making Aperol cocktails at East Point, an open-air cinema on the beach - and the sudden appearance of a rack of Panama hats guests can borrow. Resorts too close to the capital, Malé, may have views across to its high-rise skyline; others may have a neighbouring hotel within earshot or clear sight. The place looks great and feels great too. The Best Luxury Hotels in the Maldives. There's also plenty to do. While a lot of resorts in the archipelago are couples-only, the Marriott’s 60 spacious villas are refreshingly open to all. You've got the splendours of the Baa Atoll lapping at your shores and your own yacht on which to explore it. By Lee Cobaj. A wine-and-cheese station for a glass of rouge and a sliver of brie while sitting on a bench fashioned from a fishing boat. When you spot a woman in Prada getting off one of the seaplanes arriving at Malé airport, it's almost certain she'll have been staying at Reethi Rah. But at Hurawalhi, it's what's below the surface that really counts. Hotel Riu Palace Maldivas Hotel Riu Palace Maldivas, Kedhigandu Island, Dhaalu Atoll, Republic of Maldives The all-inclusive resort, Hotel Riu Palace Maldivas is located on the private island of … Besides, if you take advantage of viewing the incredible marine life, you’ll spend most of your time getting wet anyway…. Cobaj is a travel writer born in Glasgow and raised in Hong Kong. The Maldives is more famous for romantic sunsets than right-handers, but Six Senses - the only resort in the southern Laamu Atoll - sets itself apart from the fly-and-flop brigade with its Yin Yang surf break. Murex Beach, Hotel Ocean Grand at Hulhumale, and Vilu Rest Hotel are some of the most popular hotels for travellers looking to stay near Hulhumale Beach. Go stand-up paddleboarding at sunrise or take the yacht out for the day. Michelle Jana Chan, Number of villas: 24Transfer time: a 30-minute seaplane from Malé, Address: Soneva Jani, Medhufaru Island, Noonu Atoll, Maldives Book your stay, On one side of this island retreat - a circular hectare bisected by a sandy path lined with banana trees and bougainvillaea - is an open-air thatched bar, restaurant and water sports; on the other are the villas and a tiny but brilliant spa. There's an inspiring young dive team - all of whom appear to speak half a dozen languages and hold higher degrees in easy-going charm - to help you into your mask and fins. from around £2439pn), this ultra luxurious getaway is where the likes of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge vaycay. Renowned Istanbul-based design studio Autoban (behind London’s Duck + Rice, the extraordinary airport in Baku and numerous hotels in their hometown such as the House Hotels and the Witt Suites) were commissioned to come up with something fresh and different at Joali. Lee Cobaj, Cobaj is a travel writer born in Glasgow and raised in Hong Kong. In the Guerlain spa, reached by dhoni, even a glance upwards from the massage bed prompts a smile in appreciation of the exquisitely woven rattan ceiling. The 10 beach and 20 over-water villas are simple and rustic, with apple-green, wood-panelled exteriors, coconut-leaf-thatched roofs and wicker sun loungers on the terraces (but no televisions, as the point here is to unplug). Together with the Seychelles, the Maldives is my … The resort occupies a languid, picture-perfect stretch of sand – Veligandu means 'sandbank' in Maldivian – and has a nice community feel, which is something of a rarity. The tab for the nectar is 41,000 Yankee dollars. Little wonder then that Maldives is a honeymoon hot spot and a regular fixture on calendars of the elite and anyone looking for picture-perfect, sun-drenched, prices drop for the rainy season (May to November), which really just means sporadic showers and higher humidity. The signature restaurant, Ba'theli, serving Maldivian and trade-route-inspired dishes in three cleverly interlinked dhonis, is a show-stopper. Niyama’s also a top spot for surfing. The resort is also big on action, with diving, kite-surfing and SeaBobs (which zoom underwater like dolphins), and scheduled DJ's spinning tracks in the evening. The entire resort is open-air, there are no televisions and the “no news, no shoes” atmosphere will lull the most stressed of characters into soporific bliss. And the marine life is so profuse you can spot an aqua-menagerie without even getting your feet wet (20 hawksbill turtles have been recorded as living around the island). Places to Stay The Most Romantic Hotels in the Maldives. the best resorts … Serious foodies might find the nightly buffet a tad repetitive, but it is, nevertheless, delightfully laid-back, carefree and barefoot. View Full Profile. Voavah is where woven seagrass met diamond-polished concrete and fell hopelessly in love. Throughout their stay everything and more is provided; think cots, kids’ menus, Dhoni Club with play rooms in traditional Maldivian boats, climbing walls, surf school and 24-hour babysitting service – there’s even a picnic island with sea swings and beach hammocks. Since it opened, a cookery school has been added and its overwater villas now have pools, but the beach pool villas are still the best: thrillingly big and impressive, they have wardrobes and shoe space to match. By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Seaplane wait for tired tots the newest resorts in the Maldives no long seaplane wait for tots! Met diamond-polished concrete and fell hopelessly in love Ardmore and slippers on relaxed luxe ’ t just honeymooners. Per night but these are unusual times, so please always check heading! 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