W Maldives, the Unique Wavemaker, has returned after an entire renovation, bringing with it cutting-edge design, playful new additions and that free-spirited power it’s identified for. From award-winning marine life to non-public island escapades, from daring villa design to seamless, intuitive service, it is a resort that balances barefoot glamour with high-energy enjoyable. It’s as suited to a blissful retreat as it’s to an adrenaline-filled escape.
Background and Idea
W Maldives takes the standard allure of the Maldives and offers it a vibrant twist. The resort’s No matter/Every time service ethos is greater than only a slogan. Visitors can design their very own bespoke moments, whether or not it’s a night time on a non-public island, a totally tailor-made spa day or a romantic dinner below the celebs, and the crew will make it occur to the best customary.
I may message the crew at any time on WhatsApp. After I unintentionally dropped my telephone and tripod off my villa’s pool deck, a fast SOS had the great Ishara at my door inside minutes to retrieve it. He even returned moments later with a bag of rice to assist dry it out. This intuitive, considerate strategy sums up the W Maldives expertise. Nothing is an excessive amount of hassle and it’s all delivered with real heat.
The environment is welcoming and relaxed, with administration as approachable because the entrance of home crew. One can find pockets of peace and calm as simply as one can find DJ units, sundowners and energetic gatherings. The workers are each bit as memorable because the surroundings, at all times smiling and genuinely ensuring every visitor feels particular. Being greeted by identify and requested how your day has been might sound small, however it makes a giant distinction and is among the causes this property stands out as a jewel in Marriott’s Maldivian portfolio.
Location
Set on heart-shaped Fesdu Island within the North Ari Atoll, the resort is a 25-minute seaplane trip from Malé Worldwide Airport with Trans Maldivian Airways. The journey is a deal with in itself, providing a fowl’s eye view of scattered atolls, shifting sandbanks and infinite shades of blue. From the second you verify in on the seaplane terminal lounge to the second the plane skims throughout the lagoon on touchdown, the sense of arrival is unforgettable.
Its place in one of many Maldives’ richest marine environments means the home reef is accessible immediately from the seashore or villa steps. The resort is playful, energetic and calm suddenly, with every temper completely balanced. Mornings typically started with a stroll across the island, pausing to say hiya to George, the resident heron, who grew to become a quiet and comforting presence throughout my keep.
Meals and Drink
Eating at W Maldives is as a lot about setting and environment as it’s about flavour. Each restaurant makes the a lot of the island’s views, whether or not you’re perched above the reef, sitting barefoot within the sand or gathered round a poolside desk.
Kitchen is the resort’s all-day eating spot with an open plan structure and stay cooking stations. Mornings start with freshly baked pastries, tropical fruits and eggs made to order, whereas evenings carry a global menu that blends acquainted consolation dishes with native touches.
- FISH is the culinary spotlight, an overwater restaurant that champions an ocean to desk strategy. A lot of the seafood is line-caught that day and ready with inventive aptitude. Eating right here below the celebs, with the sound of the water beneath, feels romantic and refined.
- FIRE takes its inspiration from the artwork of barbecue, providing grilled meats and seafood in a relaxed seashore setting. Visitors can dine with their toes within the sand and a backdrop of flickering torches.
- SIP is the place for a sundown ritual. Its round deck sits above the lagoon and serves Nikkei-inspired small plates alongside a cocktail record that’s ingenious and vibrant. Watching the solar sink into the horizon here’s a should.
- WET Deck brings collectively the social facet of the resort with a swim-up bar, poolside seating and a menu of tapas-style bites, recent salads and tropical drinks. Music performs all through the day, making a energetic but relaxed scene.
For an additional special day, the resort gives personal eating experiences starting from sandbank picnics to in-villa chef service.
One among my private highlights was the floating breakfast. Some may even see it as purely for pictures, however there’s something very particular about having fun with a fantastically ready breakfast in your individual pool, looking throughout the lagoon. Completely poached eggs, tropical juice and the quiet of the morning made it one to recollect.
Visitor Rooms and Suites
All 77 villas have been redesigned as a part of the renovation, every with a non-public plunge pool, direct entry to the seashore or lagoon, and interiors impressed by the island’s pure environment. Seashore Villas draw from mangrove tones, whereas Overwater Villas take cues from whale shark patterns.
The brand new Oasis Two Bed room Seashore Villas are standout additions, full with spacious decks, video games tables and a two-storey water slide into the pool. I needed to attempt it. As if flying into the Maldivian bushes on my first try was not sufficient adrenaline for one morning, I climbed again up for an additional go. Equal components thrilling and hilarious, it’s a element that sums up the resort’s playful spirit.
My Villa Throughout My Keep
I stayed in a Premier Overwater One Bed room Villa, the place each design element nodded to the ocean. Whale shark rugs, fish scale wall textures and wardrobes fading in a sundown ombré created a way of place. The centrepiece toilet featured a hanging clear blue bathtub that matched the lagoon past.
Exterior was my very own personal cabana, a sea urchin-inspired swinging seat, solar loungers, an infinity pool and an out of doors bathe. Few pleasures evaluate to stepping again into your personal villa and slipping into the nonetheless waters of your individual pool, a serene sanctuary that feels totally your individual. Consideration to element was faultless, and the night turndown service felt like a small ceremony in itself after sizzling days exploring the island.
Different Services
- AWAY Spa gives overwater remedy rooms and steam services. My session with therapist Yangchen started with a refreshing welcome drink and time within the steam room. I used to be then led to the open-air spa deck over the ocean for a conventional foot ritual utilizing lavender oil, orange spray, coconut scrub, lime for cleansing and coconut milk water to rinse. The 60-minute full-body therapeutic massage that adopted was bliss.
- FIT Gymnasium has ocean-facing gear and is open 24 hours, however it’s greater than only a place to raise weights. The resort runs a schedule of health lessons for all ranges, from dawn yoga on an open deck to energising HIIT circuits, core conditioning, and purposeful coaching periods. Visitors also can be part of stretching, mobility or guided meditation lessons for one thing extra restorative. Each class is small and personalised, permitting the teacher to adapt to particular person wants, making it straightforward to maintain your health routine on monitor or attempt one thing utterly new.
- WAVE Watersports Centre gives all the things from diving and parasailing to yacht journeys. The home reef, nonetheless, is the star attraction. Snorkelling with my teacher Adhil was a private spotlight. The resort’s win for Finest Home Reef on the Journey + Leisure Asia Awards 2025 is nicely deserved. We glided previous coral gardens teeming with fish, noticed eagle rays and met Bob, the resident sea turtle, earlier than being joined by needlefish darting round us. It was probably the most spectacular reef I’ve seen within the Maldives.
You may additionally select to constitution the resort’s personal yacht, Escape, for a sundown sail, an intimate dinner and even an in a single day ocean escape. Alternatively, hop on a dhoni for island-hopping, fishing or dolphin-spotting excursions.
We additionally spent a night on the resort’s personal island, Gaathafushi. Sundowners, hors d’oeuvres and cocktails by candlelight on bean luggage, with smooth music within the background, made for an evening like no different. Visitors also can keep in a single day in an open-air cabana for the final word castaway expertise.
USPs
- Lately renovated with recent design and playful new additions
- Water slide geared up two-bedroom villas
- Award-winning home reef
- Distinctive, intuitive service
- Non-public island experiences on Gaathafushi
TLE High Suggestions
- Guide a Premier Overwater Villa for ocean views and a way of privateness
- Strive the water slide within the Oasis Two Bed room Seashore Villa, not less than twice
- Don’t miss a floating breakfast for the final word deal with
- Spend a night on Gaathafushi for a reminiscence you’ll speak about for years
- Snorkel the home reef with a information to satisfy its most well-known resident, Bob the turtle
Closing Ideas
From dawn walks with George the heron to sliding into my pool from a two-storey deck, from dancing needlefish on the reef to candlelit cocktails on a non-public island, W Maldives was as a lot about moments because it was about luxurious. Snorkelling alongside Bob, the resident sea turtle, eagle rays and shoals of vibrant fish was a reminder of how extraordinary this setting is. The eating may hold you fortunately on the island for weeks, with every venue providing its personal environment, from the class of FISH to the barefoot allure of FIRE and the energetic power of WET Deck. Even the best meals, like breakfast at Kitchen or a floating feast in my villa pool, felt elevated by the setting and repair.
The No matter/Every time idea isn’t just a intelligent model line; it really works in follow. Whether or not it was rescuing my telephone from the depths of the pool deck, arranging a last-minute spa session, or establishing a night on a non-public island, the crew anticipated what I wanted earlier than I had even requested.
W Maldives has the wonder you anticipate from the Maldives, but additionally an power, heat and sense of enjoyable that makes it stand out. It is a resort that is aware of easy methods to ship excessive model and excessive spirits in equal measure, whether or not you’re right here for love, leisure or slightly adrenaline. It’s not only a place to remain, it’s a place to stay totally within the second, and it does so flawlessly.
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