W Retreat Spa & Maldives Review

This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us to W Retreat and Spa in the Maldives. From the moment the seaplane landed to the time we departed, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We stayed in the Ocean villa and absolutely loved our room -- private plunge pool, fish watching window on the floor, comfy lounge, outdoor feature, snorkeling from our balcony are all the things we really enjoyed! - by a guest

Very good to snorkel
The food is good
All staff friendly
Just as you are trapped on the island, you get bored if you go over three nights.

W stands for WOW! There is not much else to say about this resort. We were wowed by everything from the service to the food to the accommodations to the amenities. I wish this resort was closer to us so we can go back all the time! From the minute you walk off the seaplane every one of the employees knows your name and knows what you want even before you do.The seaplane transfer was seamless, all of our activities were wonderful, everything that we ate was amazing, and our room was beyond luxurious. I honestly can't say enough good things about this resort. From now on, we will always stay at a W whenever we travel! I would like to thank Anuj and his staff for truly making our honeymoon better than we could have ever imagined.

Just great Great very friendly and warm staff. Greetings to Alle

Hands down the best hotel I've ever stayed at. Everything is perfect from the villas, to the amenities to the staff, etc. You cannot find a better place to stay in the Maldives.

The stay was amazing. Hotel staff were the nicest we have ever encountered. Special shout to head chef Mr Singh, chef Farouq and also to Waheed. Those 3 were especially nice and very welcoming. The resort was top notch from clean rooms, amazing restaurants and excellent scenery

The best spa hotel! Perfect service, pure white sand beach with beautiful underwater world!

The facilities are slightly older than the newer resorts, but the aquatic environment is much better. The food is also delicious compared to other resorts ~

This island-type hotel is a once-in-a-lifetime experience! As you arrive, you d see a group of staff giving you a welcoming waving ovation. You are taken to your room by their convenient go-cart riding system. On this trip with my family, I stayed in the over-water house. I recommend it! The house gives a relaxing green hue color of the ocean and sea animals. It also has two beds, a small private pool, a big bathroom, and a net-bed directly above water! The W staff are also extremely nice and greet you every time! W Maldives Hotel also offers a variety of activities such as scuba diving, snorkeling, yoga, and some more! Occasionally, you d see turtles, sharks, fish, and eels - as well as some living corals. Finally, there s the food. W Maldives has done an extraordinary job of making use of their seafood and food they get from cargoes. Although it is quite pricey, the morning buffet, afternoon tea, and lunch, as well as the fancy dinner restaurant are remarkable. Putting a restaurant on an island changes the whole feeling. W Maldives is a truly enlightening journey of sea life and land life.

Beautiful scenery with emerald color beach and modern dining facilities with kind service. Both beach and ocean rooms are excellent with their own characteristics. Never forgettable taste of Mohito.

The staff here goes above and beyond to make sure your experience is top notch. The prices are obviously high, but it is an island! Breakfast is the best bang for the buck. The most private over water villas face away from the beach with unforgettable views of the coral reef!

The most amazing trip we've had! The facilities were amazing and the service was impeccable! The diving was amazing! (Thanks to Jay our Divemaster!) Food was excellent - everything is made to order and super fresh! But the best part, I think, is the Escape, their 80 ft sailboat. Amazing vessel (thanks to the captain who knows the best spots to go dive and see the whale shark and giant manta rays!). Yes it's expensive, but you get what you pay for.

Our first trip post the lockdown was truly memorable, all thanks to Mr Anuj and his team ! You guys surely know how to make guests feel special :) Had come here to celebrate my husbands 40th bday and we are leaving after a 4 night stay (which we wish we could have extended) Everything from the room to the food and overall hospitality was spectacular ! Thank you once again and we are hoping to come back soon !!!
P.S. A special thanks to the gym in charge, the Indian chefs and the bartender at the sunset bar who made this so special !! u guys rock !!!

All my worlds would be short of describing this awesome paradise.

OVERALL VIBE:
This is a secluded island where only the W Maldives lives. It is romantic, breathtaking, stunning and has a laid back, small island feel. This is all at the same time as melodic beats are playing in the background at the pool and bars. There is a DJ playing sometimes at the pool or at night at the SIP bar over the water until 11pm. The music while we were here was fun: oscillating between smooth and melodic to more upbeat later at night. It was never too much or overbearing, but really added to the amazing vibe of the hotel and island.

The W mantra is "Whatever, whenever" and they really do try to live up to that. The customer service from the staff is impeccable. They will literally do whatever you ask of them. You want them to design you a dish of the menu, yes, they will. You want them to cut off the heads of your prawns, yes, they will. You want to go to dinner a little later than you planned for, no problem, you can do it. It is whatever you want, whenever you want it. This hotel will make me consider staying at other W's in the future to see if the service is the same. One thing that must be said, is that there is AMAZING ambient lighting all over the island: at your room, the pool, the bars....when the lights go down, this light is just magical. And the sunsets are just some of the best I have ever seen! The sand on the sunset side of the beach is so white, with the crystal light blue water, and the light blue horizon...it all seems to melt together as one and seem to be never ending. Watching that view with the sunset and how the sky lights up is nothing less than awe inspiring.

We contemplated staying here or the St. Regis Maldives and decided to stay here because if you are going to be all alone on an island, we decided, you want great service and a good coral reef to snorkel. This hotel lived up to all of that and more! I highly recommend it!

PROS:
They offer free water in reusable glass bottles that are replenished in your room daily, multiple times a day. There's ladies night at the SIP bar where women get 1 free drink. Happy hour at the pool daily from 530-630 where is BOGO on drinks. Daily at 1pm they have free frozen fruit bars, 4pm has free magnum ice cream bars (they are so good). Beautiful, relaxing, chill vibe with gentle electronic music playing in the background in some areas--some areas are completely quiet and tranquil. Even with the hotel at full capacity, it never feels too full, and there are many secluded areas to have private moments on. Sometimes you feel you are on your own private island....aaaah. Housekeeping is constant...fresh towels, fresh water, clean room at all times. The reef here is great with many beautiful fish.

CONS:
Some of the really small things is that the AC goes into eco mode, which I understand, but then you come back to a fairly hot room that takes a while to cool down. Maybe they could have it not be SO eco or have a longer turn off time. There is alot of knocking on the door daily. KIDS: they allow them now and there is no separate pool or area for them, so they are in the pool with their noodles and super soaker guns, being kids. It ruins the tranquility. When we were here, there were only a few, so it wasn't horrible....but I was told the week before there was 20 of them...eek...that would not be fun as it is small sleepy island.

FOOD
There are 3 main restaurants that rotate with 1 being closed daily (Kitchen, Fish, Sip). There is also sushi at the SIP bar as well as some burgers and pizza at the WET bar pool

SERVICE
IMPECCABLE.

ELITE LOYALTY
As a platinum elite, was allowed to choose breakfast as my amenity. It was great! Glad we chose it. There is no lounge here for elites, but one is not really needed. They had a sunset reception for elites one night on the jetty with champagne and cocktails, dj spinning, and appetizers. Did I mention the sunset view from the jetty! WOW

Excellent, awesome service and heavenly part of the planet

One of the best W hotels visited. Especially love the house reef there.

Had a fantastic stay at this amazing resort and would return without a doubt.
PROs: nature, rooms, service
CONs: nothing serious, really

One of the unique Honeymoon and Holiday destination

Awesome place, w Maldives is a best place to come for your honeymoon. If badget permits pls try once W Maldives; you will get the unforgettable wow experience here. The blue sea, serene water, sun set, snorkelling, scubadiving and underwater life will mesmeris you. The staff is here very attentive, humble and prompt.

Great service and facilities! All the staff knew our names and even wished me happy birthday on the day of. Beautiful diving and snorkeling as well - saw turtles, sharks and octopus. Only wish there were more food options.

Like no other place. Service service service.

Everybody here trying to make you smile be happy and serve you the way you want. I was there and every employee helped me with an outstanding grade of hospitality.

Food overthere is 5 star. Restaurant Fire has one of the best stakes i've ever tried. Breakfast at Kitchen has it own way yo treat you. Starti g from pastry to juices.
The juices chef was eager to create different kind of mixed juices to my taste.

Mahmoud was willing to serve dishes out of the menu for us, and he was creative in completing the table with full lunch meal.

Tomas, Chunk, Mahmoud, Maryam, Faisal, and all staff thank you very much.

We were a party of seven and we all felt specially cared FOR. The room service, food, spa, staff, manager, facilities etc. I felt like a princess everyday with the tub and bed filled with roses, the manager also gave me a special birthday gift and the entire team were genuinely glad to have us. We couldn't have had a better experience, THANKS FOR MAKING THIS MY MOST MEMORABLE BIRTHDAY AND HOLIDAY!

The W Maldives did not disappoint. It is a very luxurious escape...

However, everything aside from the room and maybe breakfast depending on the rate you book, comes at an extra. So if you are paying dollars and bot using points to book the room, be prepared to add an extra 1200USD or more, depending on the activities you choose.

In my honest opinion, 7 days were too many, as it is the only resort on the island and far from other islands, therefore after you ve done all of the activities, you kind of are left having a bit of cabin fever

The seaplane transfer is frustrating, as it is a non negotiable part of your bill for staying at the W, but isn t their own private seaplane, unlike the four seasons, and they operate on their schedule, not your s.

Food at the restaurants was good. But definitely over priced for what you get. Alcohol was decently priced.
The staff is very friendly.
Pools are refreshing, not heated. No hot tub, but a cold tub option!!?

The gym is great and better than most hotel gyms out there.

Wifi throughout resort was great!

Would I return, sure, but not before seeing the rest of the world.

Friendly Reminder:
Can t bring your own alcohol to the Maldives. No drones either.

The hotel is very wonderful in all respects the staff is very helpful and the services of the villas are very beautiful and modern design The Fire Restaurant offers the most beautiful sea meals The spa center is modern and wonderful for me I consider it one of the three best resorts in the Maldives
The only thing wrong with the prices is too high

Secluded, peaceful, beautiful. Exceptional staff and service. Opt for the over-water villa, you won't regret it!

Amazing hotel with amazing staff, especially Raj from the fitness department. Overwater bungalows are awesome!

It is one of the best resort i have ever been. Staff is very nice,water house is big and beautiful. Only issue is the weather is not good.

The price range is not cheap at all, but I think that you can get an experience that was reasonably priced in total, such as the hospitality of the staff, the quality of the food, the proximity from the room to the sea, and the refined atmosphere.
Basically, I can not play in the sea, eat gohan, go to the SPA, relax in the room, or just relax, but I think it is the best environment where you can relax with your full power.
Since I went on a honeymoon, I have come back to this area and repeated many times while considering other resorts.

Marvelous place for vacation, villa on water (Fabulous room type) is amazing. All staff are friendly.

A wonderful resort that offers a unique experience. I have many fond memories of it.

While expensive, the views, activities, food and the overall experience are worth the price.

We had an amazing time at W Maldives visiting in March 2019. Anuj, general manager, and his team made us feel very welcome. The whole experience felt personal and people were genuinely helpful, friendly, and willing to help with anything. The resort is very private and we didn t see a lot of people throughout our stay. All the details of your stay are thought through and we found that even small things that are usually annoying were well taken care of (we had a lot of coffee pods in the room, plenty of still water to stay hydrated, and enough towels for the beach and pool). Amazing experience.

10/10 experience, highly recommend and would definitely visit again

Absolutely amazing. The staff's were very good, well trained and the food was very good.
They stood up to 5 star standards.
I love the sandy beaches.
I would recommend to take the water bungalow where you can see the sunset.

Very beautiful, hip and luxurious.... a real paradise... amazing hospitality...if you are vegetarian, craving for good Indian food, Naveen is the person to look for... Naveen prepared an amazing Indian spread with daal makhni, 3 varieties of roti(including tandoori roti) , papa, barbeque vegetables, mint chutney , mango chutney, salad and rice... it
Tasted like we are eating at a 5 star in Delhi itself

This little slice of heaven is breathtaking, it was our first time here in the maldives, we spent 8 nights at W maldives, what a relaxing trip it has been, the resort is beautiful so well maintained and beautifully decorated with attention

In addition to beauty or beauty, and the food in the restaurant is very good, especially the BBQ on the beach.

Very nice location and service. The rooms that are on the island are better than those in the sea.

All I ll say is Laksman and Lasantha from the sip bar, the manager from the kitchen restaurant along with the chef and Christina from breakfast/fish/fire bbq... we re AMAZING!!! They are definitely the 5 star employees on this property. Came all the way from the states and these guys and gal really made an impression. We feel as if they have became our friends! Especially Laksman ! We visited the We week of May 1st.

No more than 3 days no activities outside beach pool, beware of mosquitoes.

Stunning piece of paradise, you'll never want to leave!

Absolutely AMAZING. I love the beach and over the years have traveled to many countries and have to say that the Maldives is my favorite. The W is a beautiful property and the staff are friendly and thoughtful. I mentioned I love mangos and every morning they brought me a plate at breakfast. They also decorated my room and left me a cake for my birthday. The snorkeling is literally a few steps into the beach and stunning. Every time I snorkeled I saw turtles!!!! I have nothing but positive things to say. It is expensive but totally worth it.

In one world, Heaven. Too good. Very friendly staff.

Once in a lifetime adventure. Luxury space and service from the moment you exit the seaplane and welcomed with a glass of champagne to the beautifully appointed accommodations, and signature W whatever/whenever service.

Paradise!! Unfortunately also a bit of a rip off. Eg: Water in the restaurant is $12 - no outside bottles allowed. When dropping thousands of $$$ for a honey moon, I would expect things to be included (as with other resorts in the Maldives)...

Will be back soon
Amazing to be her

W Maldives is a real-life Instagram fairytale that you can be a part of and follow online for the rest of your life. The warm aqua water, white powder sand beaches, amazing house reef, beautiful tropical foliage and over water villas are all 12 out of 10. The customer service is the best. Kudos to the Best Server - Kudey, the Queen of Dessert -Ilaria, the Best Bartenders - Nishl & Ajit, the Best Accommodating Chef - Chef Bakaa and the Kings of Hospitality Aanis & Aneese. Thank you to Chunky for planning such an amazing and memorable week for our honeymoon. This is truly the trip of a life-time and the epitome of a tropical paradise island . It was sad to say goodbye. The only disappointment was the amount of times we were asked when we were planning on coming back as we were leaving. It is a long way from Canada and an expensive trip. Either way, it was an experience that will be a great memory for my Wife and I for the rest of our lives. We would love to return one day.

Pat & Hillary

Snorkeling level stick! Snorkeling sees many sharks!

I really want to explore this beautiful island again.

After landing to the most breathtaking surroundings we were then greeted by the most warm welcomes I have ever experienced from a hotel - the entire team waving us into the dock from the sea plane.. we were then introduced to the talent / employees buy Anuj the GM who throughout the trip checked in personally with us to make sure we were having the best time possible and given a driven tour of the island. on arrival to our over water bungalow we were presented with a beautiful bottle of champagne to celebrate our honeymoon with a nice note from the team..

I could not of imagined how beautiful the Maldives were as no picture can do it justice. the team always went above and beyond to make sure we were happy and comfortable.The W really has set a new standard for holidays for myself and my wife ( one s we could struggle to match) this was truly a magical honeymoon thanks to the W Maldives and it s talent.. be sure to ask for chunky the local W insider as he can help with all your needs at the resort and give you some great advice on how to maximize your stay..!

Out of 10 score

Location: 10/10
Ocean bungalow villa: 11/10
Food: 10/10
Facilities and activities: 10/10
Staff: 11/10

PS

Make sure you take full advantage of the in house experts and join some of the session they provided throughout the day especially the yoga and boxing...! Mark from the fitness studio was a great teacher

The entire island has been occupied by the Chinese, super beautiful, super luxurious, super enjoyable, and super expensive.

Fantastic property. Great snorkelling off the villas and beach

Visited in 2010

The water villas are very beautiful
Cleanliness is wonderful
Service is indescribable
The view is Khorafiya
Prices are of course high

What a amazing place is this...Island is so tiny but everything is available for guest... staff is unbelievable..they even know your name while entered in resort..

Wonderful venue, great chef, warm friendly staff, service is well organized and efficient. Diving sites average but coral is definitely recovering. We will return

Beautiful hotel, with a very high quality service, very friendly staff, ideal for snorkeling and we eat very very very well! Excellent at all levels

Best Service.
Very Very Profesional.
Staff is Amazing.
Really enjoy my stay there.

Mr Khoja.