W Maldives

The staff were incredibly warm and welcoming — their hospitality made me feel completely relaxed and at home. Every detail was taken care of with such thoughtfulness. This has truly been the best vacation experience of my life.

We have already been twice to W, back then in 2009 and 2011, thus we were pretty excited to come back and see their transformation. This time we stayed in a premier overwater villa on the reef-side with uninterrupted view over the ocean towards their private island Gaathafushi. The contemporary design of the water villas is influenced by the sea, for example the outside hanger is formed like a sea urchin. Outdoor area is comfy with a private pool and lounging area. The superior overwater villas differ a bit, for example the bathtub isn’t free-standing and all of those face lagoon-side. The reimagined beach villas are pretty attractive with a fresh and bright look. Especially the bathroom nicely changed compared to the former times. Beach villas feature two different kind of bath thubs, the orange, translucent one is certainly the cooler option. And a new category 2 bedroom beach villa with private slide has been established. The island itself is beautiful and lush, with fine sandy beaches all around and a turquoise lagoon. In addition to the stylish pool area & bar WET, sun loungers are also placed directly on the beach. Ideal for water villa guests or those who want to relax on that wide stretch of sand. Sun protection for comp use is provided on the towel station, always a nice treat. On sunrise side, the beach is smaller, and especially at high tide narrow. Things can of course always change, it’s nature. Snorkelling was amazing! We started our trip at SIP bar towards AWAY Spa. We encountered about 5 sharkies and turtles, and many of the other usuals were around as well. Also coral-wise it was really nice. Definitely one of our best snorkelling experiences in the Northern part of the Maldives within the last years! Water sport fans will surely love the legendary sea bob. Every guest gets one complimentary photo shooting, that's a lovely souvenir. Also, private island Gaathafushi is definitely a fantastic option for a romantic picnic or a rustic overnight stay. Culinary-wise, the offer is on a very high level. FIRE is kind of jungle meets beach outlet. Now it features also a rustic-chic covered area, which is a real upgrade. FIRE is a stunning and romantic venue with its iconic fireplace in the middle. On the first night we enjoyed a lovely beach BBQ along with a pleasant evening entertainment. Different popular musicians and DJ’s are performing on a regular base. Breakfast at KITCHEN was not bad at all, yet the choice of bread/rolls and fruit I found a little bit limited. The danish fruit pastries were lovely and hubby was very satisfied with his eggs royale. SIP bar now Nikkei cuisine under the helm of talented chef Diana. A super addition to the other restaurants, and surely a light dinner alternative. We enjoyed some nice bites whilst watching the sunset. FISH outlet is located next to the bar, as well in the overwater complex. It’s elegantly and airy designed and focusses on freshly caught fish. Our dinner there was superb. Glass-bottled house water is served free of charge in all outlets. The island vibe is chilled and laid-back, staff team attentive and amiable. Of course the original philosophy “whatever you want – whenever you want” is still in force. RM Christian and GM Amila have been visible which is always a should-be in the luxury league, especially on a small island. Even if you are in the not less populated Ari area, it’s a pretty remote feel here on the island with a good view from all points. W is a chic place and combines a relaxed beach club vibe with an authentic Maldivian ambiance. We had a fantastic time on the island and will surely return.

The snorkeling is super good. The food of every restaurant is delicious. The service here is fantastic, especially the manager Saito helped us a lot.

Wonderful service provided by all the stuffs on the island. Requests are always responded to promptly, all the problems were solved in short times ,thank you for the warm care!We really got a perfect experience during holiday!

I spent 5 nights there to celebrate my birthday and I had the best experience ever! The island, resort and specially the people that work there were the absolutely best!

A wonderful experience with the rich marine ecosystem. Friendly staff, delicious food. I will recommend it to my friends.

Beautiful island and friendly staff. We had an amazing honeymoon experience here. Food is good and the snorkelling experience is fantastic! Highly recommended for anyone who wants a special and relaxing honeymoon experience.

Me and my spouse Alex celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary at the W Maldives after the refurbishment. We enjoyed snorkeling in the world class house reef - saw turtles and reef sharks multiple times, even from the coral reef right outside our own overwater villa. Service was outstanding. We received a complimentary upgrade to a Premier Overwater Villa. Bed and tub decorations to celebrate our anniversary were provided, with complimentary sweet treats every now and then. We’d especially like to thank Celine and Hasan at KITCHEN. They were super friendly and knowledgeable, such as showing us great places to snorkel. They also went above and beyond at our last night at the W - We were unable to secure reservations at FIRE to celebrate our anniversary but they truly saved the day and made it a memorable evening by their attentive service and also by arranging complimentary desserts and champagne. They made us feel so welcome at the W. We’d also like to thank Dhikko at front desk for arranging our dinner reservation back in Malé before our flight out of the Maldives. All in all, we could not recommend the W Maldives more.

We just returned from an unforgettable 8-night stay at the W Maldives for our 28th anniversary. From start to finish, the service was exceptional. A special thanks to Attea, our wonderful personal assistant, who made everything seamless. Mornings were a joy with Richard, Amjad, Celine, and Hassan at breakfast—always welcoming. Dinners with Adam, Nihal, and Hassan were equally memorable. A highlight was the incredible Sri Lankan dinner prepared by Vasantha—flavorful, authentic, and full of heart. We loved training with Tutu and spent hours snorkeling the vibrant house reef, one of the best we’ve seen. The weather was absolutely perfect every day. Thank you to the entire W Maldives team for making our anniversary so magical—we can’t wait to return!

Here we had the best snorkeling and the best service in all around perspective. Also, the food is amazing, especially the fish restaurant, highly recommend the octopus and the grouper fish. You can see black fin sharks when you had dinner, very impressed.