Water villa of the week: Hilton Maldives

week we are highlighting what we think is the best-value over the water villa resort in the Maldives, at least in the lower price categories. The Hilton Maldives is actually a 5-star resort that tends to exceed the expectations of those prepared for a 4-star chain hotel.

As one of the larger resorts of its kind in the Maldives, the Hilton has a lot going for it for those who like a long list of activities and restaurant choices. But honestly, the best feature here is probably that during slow times the water villas are available for about half the price of similar places nearby.

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This week: Hilton Maldives – Iru Fushi Resort & Spa

The Hilton Maldives – Iru Fushi Resort and Spa has 80 water villas (overwater bungalows) and 70 additional island rooms. At 150 rooms, it’s one of the largest in all of the Maldives, but in this case the size works well for the guests. At many of the other larger ones there are literally one or two restaurants, usually buffet-style, and that’s it. Here there are 6 different restaurants and 4 bars, which is obviously one for each 15 rooms even if they are full up. This means even if one or two of them are busy you’ll have others that will be mostly empty.

The size also allows them to have more pools and water sport options than most other resorts in the Maldives. It’s popular with romantic couples, but the size here also makes it ideal for families or other groups traveling together.

Some room features at the Hilton Maldives

Oversized day bed
Wine cellar
En-suite bathroom with its own private courtyard & i-spa bath
Sundeck
Large gazebo
Two rain showers
Balcony
Bathrobe
Dining table and chairs
Jetted tub/hydro spa
Coffee maker
Mini bar
Mini refrigerator
Glass-floor viewing panels

King Infinity Water Villas with private infinity pool

While the King Water Villas are quite large at 125 square metres, those looking for more luxury and privacy can upgrade to a King Infinity Water Villa, which is more luxurious and 150 square meters. There’s also a private infinity-edge swimming pool located right on your sundeck, making them hard to beat.

Prices at the Hilton Maldives

Starting at US$370 per night, but usually over US$500 per night

As mentioned near the top, a great feature here is the price. As a large hotel with a sophisticated international booking system this resort shows a different price for busy periods and much lower prices when bookings are slow. This usually occurs during the off season of June through October, but it can happen at any time.

The King Water Villas here compare favorably to most other resorts even when they are priced at US$670 per night, but if you get lucky and check for a slow period you can often find them below US$500, and sometimes as low as US$370 per night. Very few resorts in the Maldives discount aggressively like that, as they’d prefer to leave rooms empty than lower prices. Hilton seems to try to fill up as often as they can, and this leads to shockingly low prices at times.