all due respect to offline travel agents and the hard work and expertise they can provide, those traveling to the Maldives for a private-island holiday don’t really need them, and will almost certainly save money without one. If you’ve only ever booked luxury holidays with your friendly neighborhood travel agent, then you might as well carry on doing that. But if you don’t have a travel agent and unsure of the value they bring, read this article and you’ll discover that you are probably better off without them.
One of the larger private-island resorts in the Maldives, the Vilamendhoo Island Resort & Spa only added its 30 Jacuzzi Water Villas in late 2010, so everything is still new and pristine. There are 154 rooms and villas on the island as well, and with that size there are great benefits for guests, not least of which is a very reasonable price compared to similar water bungalows in the Maldives.
With a remote location near the equator, the 112-room Ayada Maldives Resort is now opening, bringing the first Turkish-themed resort to the Maldives. Developed by the Ankara, Turkey-based Aydeniz Group, this is a serious 5-star-plus resort that should compete well among super-luxury Maldives resorts.
From the decorations in each room to the Turkish hammam with plunge pools to the Turkish cafe (one of 7 restaurants and bars), the theme makes the Ayada Maldives a unique entrant in this category and one of the few resorts in the country meant to conjure up imagery other than the tropics themselves.
this year, the PlanHotel group quietly added water villas to their two Maldives resorts, which were also both celebrating their 20th anniversary. What makes these water villas unusual is their unique sense of style that is unlike anything else in the Maldives.
The 25 water villas at each resort were designed by Italian Architect Mr. Ettore Mocchetti, and even a quick look shows that the extensive use of white both inside and out gives the villas a 5-star look that contrasts with the thatched-roof hut designs found at most other Maldives overwater bungalow resorts.
Overwater bungalows and water villas are known for being expensive, but at least they are also known for being larger than a typical hotel room, especially when you include the private decks. There are over 110 resorts in the world offering these over-the-water rooms, and almost all of them are over 500 square feet, and usually around 1,000 square feet. This makes those about 2 to 3 times larger than a typical city hotel room.
Featuring 48 water villas, the Beach House Maldives – A Waldorf Astoria Resort is unusual in several ways, and a perfect hotel for honeymoon couples seeking an upscale destination that is out of the way. Its location is part of the key to the solitude, as you actually have to fly to Malé International Airport, and then a 55-minute flight to Hanimadhoo Airport before you board the speed boat that takes you to the Beach House.
Most overwater resorts cater with bungalows and villas that house a luxury bedroom in addition to a seating area and private deck, but did you know that there are also resorts that take it up a notch and offer two bedrooms, and sometimes even three bedroom suites? These resorts do have a higher nightly rate and are considered to be in the super luxury category, but are well worth the money if you have it.
fact that almost every overwater bungalow resort in the world is both tropical and remote for most of us, means that airfares are usually going to be a bit expensive as well. There’s really no getting around the fact that these long flights to exclusive destinations are never cheap, but you can still find deals at certain times of the year, especially if you fly in the off-season for that particular destination.
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.
want to stay in an overwater bungalow or a water villa, you most likely are going to want to head to either the South Pacific (Bora Bora, Moorea, Tahiti etc) or the Maldives, which is just southwest of India. There are nearly 30 resorts with overwater bungalows in the South Pacific , and over 75 with water villas (as they are usually called there) in the Maldives.