The Best Ways to Fly and Stay in the Maldives With Points [2023]

The Maldives is considered one of the most sought-after luxury vacation destinations in the world. Made up of more than 1,000 coral islands, the Maldives is a tropical archipelago located in the Indian Ocean.

With its incredible white sand beaches, extensive coral reefs, and crystal-clear blue water, the Maldives is the perfect island excursion for a relaxing vacation or special honeymoon destination.

And the Maldives can be a fun adventure, too! With an endless amount of water sports to choose from, no visit is complete without experiencing some of the best snorkeling and diving spots in the world (think manta rays and whale sharks).

While the Maldives does have some budget-friendly accommodations, most of those are in or very close to the capital city of Malé (MLE), and might not meet your high expectations for the Maldives.

This guide will help explain the best award programs for you to upgrade your entire dream vacation to the Maldives. From flights to hotels, we’ve got you covered to help you experience the Maldives in style without the high price tag.

Update:In light of the spread of COVID-19, the suggested routes below may not immediately be available for booking. Please contact the airline for the most current available options and review COVID-19 updates for the Maldives.

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Best Programs to Book Award Flights to the Maldives

Getting to the Maldives sounds like it could be a difficult task — a group of islands thousands of miles away in the middle of the Indian Ocean doesn’t seem like it would be super easy to get to!

But since this is such a sought-after destination, many airlines do offer flights to the Maldives. While no U.S. airlines offer flights directly to the Maldives, there are plenty of other options utilizing your flexible reward points and partner award charts.

Award availability may be a challenge when looking for flights to the Maldives, but we’ve got a great guide to help make searching for award space easier.

Hot Tip: If you’re running into a lot of dead ends, consider flying into Colombo (CMB), Sri Lanka. It’s just about an hour away by air to the Maldives and often has much more award availability.

American Airlines AAdvantage

The American Airlines AAdvantage program can help you get to the Maldives even though American Airlines doesn’t operate flights there.

On its partner award chart, the Maldives falls into the Indian Subcontinent region. Here are the one-way rates for award flights on Oneworld Alliance partners and partner airlines from the U.S.:

Main Cabin: 40,000 AAdvantage Points
Business: 70,000 AAdvantage Points
First: 115,000 AAdvantage Points

American Airlines offers some great options to get to the Maldives by booking on its partner airlines. Here are some of our favorite partners to redeem AAdvantage miles to the Maldives.

Etihad

Etihad offers flights from the U.S. to the Maldives via Abu Dhabi (AUH) in the United Arab Emirates.

American Airlines does not show Etihad award availability or allow you to book these award flights online. You can search for award availability directly on Etihad and look for Etihad Guest seats since those are what American Airlines usually has access to.

Etihad offers an incredible first and business class product on its long-haul flights from the U.S., including the famous Etihad First Class Apartment on its A380 aircraft, which flies from New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) airport.

Etihad First Class Apartment - Apartment 4K from Doorway — The Apartments on Etihad’s A380 are second to none. Image Credit: Alex Miller

Etihad flies to Abu Dhabi from the following cities in the U.S.:

Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
Los Angeles International (LAX)
New York-John F. Kennedy International (JFK)
Washington Dulles International (IAD)

Award availability is usually pretty decent. Be sure to search segment by segment to increase your odds of finding the Etihad Guest award seats.

Hot Tip: If you are looking specifically for business or first class award seats on Etihad, the U.S. reservation agents are known to have difficulty in seeing that award space. Try calling other American Airlines reservation centers like Australia or Singapore, who can usually see Etihad’s availability.

Want to know other ways to book Etihad airways to the Maldives in style? Check out our in-depth guides to the best ways to book Etihad business class flights and Etihad first class flights in a step-by-step guide.

Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific offers flights to the Maldives via Hong Kong International (HKG), where it operates direct flights 4 times a week.

American Airlines also does not allow you to book or see award availability on Cathay Pacific flights on its website. You can search award availability on British Airways or Qantas, and once you find your preferred seats on Cathay Pacific, call AAdvantage to book.

Cathay Pacific offers an incredible business and first class product on all flights from the U.S., but only offers business class flights on the 6-hour flight to the Maldives from Hong Kong.

Cathay Pacific flies to Hong Kong from the following cities in the U.S. and operates the Hong Kong – Malé route on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Boston Logan International (BOS)
Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
Los Angeles International (LAX)
New York-John F. Kennedy International (JFK)
Newark Liberty International (EWR)
San Francisco International (SFO)
Washington Dulles International (IAD)

There are a few more ways to get access to Cathay Pacific award seats using other airlines’ programs. Alaska Airlines actually beats American Airlines in rates, but it doesn’t seem to have as much access to award seats.

Hot Tip: You do have other options to fly up front with Cathay Pacific to the Maldives. Check out our step-by-step guide for booking business class flights and first class flights on Cathay Pacific.

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways offers flights to the Maldives via Hamad International in Doha (DOH) and operates flights from 10 U.S. cities while providing daily flights from Doha – Malé.

Award bookings and availability for Qatar Airways flights are not available when searching on American Airlines. Instead, it’s best to check the award search engines on British Airways or Qantas to find availability before calling AAdvantage.

Qatar Airways does not offer any of its first-class products from its U.S. destinations. Don’t let that deter you if you’re going for ultimate luxury since its business class product can easily be compared to some other first class products out there!

We would highly recommend trying to get availability on its business class product QSuites, which is among the best business class products on the market.

Qatar, QSuites, 11F & 11E, Boeing 777 — Image Credit: Alex Miller

Qatar Airways flies to Doha from the following U.S. cities:

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
Boston Logan International (BOS)
Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
Dallas-Ft. Worth International (DFW)
George Bush Intercontinental-Houston (IAH)
Los Angeles International (LAX)
Miami International (MIA)
New York-John F. Kennedy International (JFK)
Philadelphia International (PHL)
Washington Dulles International (IAD)

Best of all, all Qatar Airways U.S. routes have QSuites!

For even more information, check out our article on the best ways to book Qatar Airways QSuites.

Bottom Line: American Airlines AAdvantage provides some of the best award rates (70,000 one-way in business class) and best premium cabins in first and business class (Etihad Apartments) when using its award miles to book flights to the Maldives on partner airlines.

How to Earn Enough AA Miles to Fly to the Maldives

There are so many ways to earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles. Some of our favorite methods to earn lots of AAdvantage miles are the many credit cards that earn with (or can transfer to) American Airlines.

Both Citi and Barclays offer quite a few different flavors of American Airlines AAdvantage credit cards for both personal and business use. Each comes with unique benefits that will help you earn lots of AAdvantage miles and other great perks when you fly American Airlines.

Marriott Bonvoy has also enhanced its airline transfer program and added even more partner airlines you can transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points to, including American. Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to American at a 3:1 rate with a transfer time of 2 days.

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is a unique award program since it doesn’t belong to any airline alliance. Instead, Alaska Airlines has direct partnerships with several global airlines to expand its reach.

Each partner airline has a special award chart with Alaska Airlines, and the Maldives falls into the India and South Asia region category for its awards.

Here are the one-way rates for award travel on its partners that fly to the Maldives — and don’t forget to check out the best ways to earn lots of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles.

Cathay Pacific

Coach: 50,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles
Business: 62,500 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles
First: 70,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles

Emirates

Coach: 42,500 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles
Business: 82,500 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles
First: 150,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles

Korean Air

Coach: 100,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles
Business: 140,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles

We’ve already discussed flying Cathay Pacific with American Airlines miles. Even though Alaska Airlines has better rates, it seems it has even more limited award access compared to American Airlines AAdvantage.

Here, we’re going to focus primarily on Emirates award flights using Alaska Airlines miles.

Emirates

Emirates offers multiple flights via Dubai International (DXB) on its exclusive A380 and Boeing 777 fleet, with both first class and business class options all the way to Malé.

Making an award booking on Emirates using Alaska Airlines miles is easy. Both award availability and booking can quickly be done online using an Alaska Airlines award search.

Want to add a couple of days in Dubai on your way to the Maldives? Alaska Airlines awards are perfect since they allow a free stopover, even on one-way flights!

Emirates has an incredible first and business class product on its fleet — including the showers on its A380 — and award availability is usually easy to find using Alaska Airlines miles. You can get an in-depth look at flying first class on the Emirates A380 with our detailed review.

Emirates also offers the most flights to the Maldives via Dubai, with several nonstop options and even more with short stops in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Emirates First Class - A380 — Fly in style in your private cabin with Emirates first class — and don’t forget to take a shower on its A380. Image Credit: Alex Miller

Emirates flies to Dubai from the following U.S. cities:

Boston Logan International (BOS)
Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
Dallas-Ft. Worth International (DFW)
Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL)
George Bush Intercontinental-Houston (IAH)
Los Angeles International (LAX)
New York-John F. Kennedy International (JFK)
Orlando International (MCO)
San Francisco International (SFO)
Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA)
Washington Dulles International (IAD)

Want more options to get to the Maldives with Emirates? We have a step-by-step guide with the best ways to book business class flights and first class flights on Emirates.

Bottom Line: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan offers incredible rates to the Maldives, but they’re different for each partner. The best part about booking Alaska Airline award flights is when you have the opportunity to utilize a free stopover in the airline’s “hub” city.

How to Earn Alaska Airlines Miles to Fly to the Maldives

Alaska Airlines has co-branded credit cards with Bank of America that can help you earn some extra Mileage Plan miles. Alaska Airlines also is a partner airline for Marriott Bonvoy, giving you even more flexibility when looking to book Alaska Airline partner awards.

We’ve covered some of the great benefits of transferring Marriott Bonvoy with partner airlines above, but you can see our guide on how to earn lots of Marriott Bonvoy points if you need more inspiration.

Korean Air SKYPASS

Korean Air offers flights to the Maldives via Seoul Incheon airport (ICN), but it’s important to note that the flight from Seoul to Malé makes a quick stop in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Your best use of Korean Air SKYPASS miles will be directly on Korean Air award flights.

Hot Tip: With the loss of Korean Air as a transfer partner for Chase Ultimate Rewards, you might think it’s difficult to get more Korean Air SKYPASS miles — check out our favorite ways to earn lots of Korean Air SKYPASS miles.

The Maldives falls into the Southwest Asia region on the Korean Air award chart; here are the award redemption rates for one-way flights:

Off-Peak

Economy: 42,500 Korean Air SKYPASS miles
Business: 85,000 Korean Air SKYPASS miles
First: 105,000 Korean Air SKYPASS miles

Peak

Economy: 70,000 Korean Air SKYPASS miles
Business: 127,500 Korean Air SKYPASS miles
First: 157,500 Korean Air SKYPASS miles

Hot Tip: Check out our in-depth guide to booking first class on Korean Air since you can only experience Korean Air’s first class is by using its own SKYPASS miles. Partner airlines do not have access to Korean Air’s exclusive first class seats.

Korean Air offers an incredible first and business class product on flights to the U.S., which provides easy connections to the Maldives. The flight from Seoul to the Maldives also offers first class, but it’s basically the same seat as business class with an enhanced menu.

It’s easy to search and book award flights using Korean Air SKYPASS miles directly on its website. Just watch out for those taxes and fees, since they’re on the higher side compared to other programs.

The good news is that award availability is usually pretty easy to find on Korean Air, and most of it will fall in the off-peak rates.

Korean Air Kosmo Suite 2.0 First Class — Enjoy the caviar in your private suite on Korean Air first class. Image Credit: Korean Air

Korean Air flies to Seoul from the following U.S. cities:

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
Dallas-Ft. Worth International (DFW)
Honolulu International (HNL)
Harry Reid International (LAS)
Los Angeles International (LAX)
New York-John F. Kennedy International (JFK)
San Francisco International (SFO)
Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA)
Washington Dulles International (IAD)

Even though Korean Air makes its first class redemptions exclusive to its own SKYPASS mileage program, there are other ways to book business class. Take a look at the best ways to book Korean Air business class flights for other redemption options with other travel programs.

How to Earn Korean Miles to Fly to the Maldives

Korean Air does have co-branded credit cards with U.S. Bank. It also used to be one of our favorite transfer partners with Chase Ultimate Rewards, but unfortunately, that partnership has ended.

Hot Tip: The best way to earn lots of Korean Air SKYPASS miles is by transferring from Marriott Bonvoy. Here is our guide on how to earn lots of Marriott Bovnoy points so you can transfer them to Korean Air.

United Airlines MileagePlus

United Airlines is a member of Star Alliance, which allows quite a few different options when looking for award flights to the Maldives using the United MileagePlus program.

United MileagePlus uses a variable award pricing system, but you can expect this approximate mileage price on flights from the U.S. to the Maldives.

Economy: 44,000 United MileagePlus miles
Business: 99,000 United MileagePlus miles
First: 154,000 United MileagePlus miles

Star Alliance carriers that offer regular service to the Maldives are Air India, Singapore Airlines, and Turkish Airlines. Other carriers sometimes operate seasonal service to the Maldives.

When using MileagePlus, you could easily be flying with multiple carriers on a wide range of routes throughout the U.S. and beyond.

The best part of the program is that there are so many ways to earn lots of United MileagePlus miles!

Hot Tip: Don’t forget to check out our review of United Airlines in its own dedicated piece!

How to Earn United Miles to Fly to the Maldives

We’ve covered many ways of earning United MileagePlus miles, but if you’re in a rush for a one-way business class ticket to the Maldives, check out our guide on how to earn 100,000 United MileagePlus miles in 90 days!

Chase Bank does have United Airlines co-branded credit cards, but our favorite way to earn MileagePlus miles is by transferring from Chase Ultimate Rewards — it has lots of great airline transfer partners that transfer 1:1.

Marriott Bonvoy is another flexible option when looking to transfer points into United MileagePlus.

Here are our favorite Chase Ultimate Reward credits cards that will help you earn points to transfer directly to United Airlines:

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

If you’re a business owner, see our list of the best Chase business credit cards.

Best Programs to Book Hotels in the Maldives

The Maldives is a very popular bucket-list destination, but you have to book right to make it live up to the hype. Staying at the right hotel in the Maldives will definitely help this dream destination live up to your expectations.

Luckily, there are plenty of options to find your perfect stay in the Maldives using points. Here, we’ll cover the top hotels in the Maldives to stay at using points.

It’s important to consider the additional costs of staying at a popular but remote tourist destination.

For example, traveling from the international airport in Malé to some of these resorts can cost $500+ per person to transfer by seaplane or speedboat!

Hilton Honors

The Hilton Honors loyalty program is a great way to have a luxurious stay in the Maldives. It can be incredibly easy to earn lots of Hilton Honors points and make sure you have an extended stay in paradise.

There are currently 3 Hilton resorts in the Maldives: the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, and the SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton.

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

Conrad Maldives Overwater Bungalow — Redeem Hilton Honors points for an overwater bungalow at the Conrad Maldives! Image Credit: Conrad Maldives

The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is one of the best options to book using points in the Maldives because it’s the only one that offers an overwater bungalow for the standard award price.

That’s right: you can stay in an overwater villa in the Maldives on points! The Conrad Maldives is one of Hilton’s highest-tiered properties, costing 95,000 points per night for the standard award rate.

But you don’t have to stay in an overwater villa for 95,000 points per night if you don’t want to — the resort offers some fabulous beach bungalows in the same award category. Beach bungalows are generally around double the size of overwater villas and have easy beach access. Beach villas tend to be popular for smaller families, while overwater villas tend to be popular with the younger crowd.

Having elite status with Hilton Honors will give you even more value for your points for longer stays. Starting at Silver status, Hilton Honors members get the fifth night free on a standard room award booking.

That means you can stay in an overwater bungalow for 5 nights for just 380,000 points. That might sound like a lot of points, but there are plenty of American Express Hilton Honors credit cards to consider signing up for that can help you get there and even enhance your stay!

Some of these Hilton Honors credit cards give you Gold or Diamond status, which will provide tremendous value when staying at this resort. For example, Gold status gives you free breakfast during your entire stay, which includes 2 different restaurants (one on each island) at this resort.

The Conrad Maldives also goes above and beyond to provide a complimentary afternoon tea and happy hour for elite guests. You can get afternoon tea each day from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. with small sweets and light snacks. Immediately afterward, Gold members also are invited to a free happy hour with beer, wine, and mixed drinks at the Rangali bar from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.!

Bottom Line: For an average of just 76,000 Hilton Honors points per night, you can stay in an incredible overwater bungalow using the fifth-night free benefit and get free breakfast, tea, and happy hour with Hilton Honors Gold status — which is instantly earned just by having a Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.

How to Earn Points to Stay at Hilton Hotels in the Maldives

American Express has quite a few co-branded Hilton Honors credit cards that can easily get you enough Hilton Honors points for your stay in the Maldives.

Another huge perk is that some of these credit cards can instantly get you elite status with Hilton Honors. As mentioned above, that benefit alone can save you hundreds of dollars with free breakfast and other perks during your stay at Hilton properties in the Maldives.

Hilton Honors is also an Amex transfer partner — it often has a transfer bonus, but the standard transfer rate is 1:2.

Don’t forget to bring your Hilton credit card with you to the Maldives and use it for any extra charges during your stay — you could be earning up to 14 Hilton Honors points per dollar on eligible purchases at Hilton properties.

Recommended American Express Cards (Personal)

Business owner? Several American Express business cards earn points that can be transferred to Hilton.

Recommended Hilton Cards

World of Hyatt

The World of Hyatt loyalty program is another fantastic option to consider for staying at an incredible remote resort in the Maldives.

There are plenty of opportunities to earn lots of World of Hyatt points to help you get there. You will have only one Hyatt property to choose from, but the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa is definitely worth a visit.

Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa

The Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa is an incredible resort with a 360-degree house reef just steps away from each villa. The standard award room is a Park Villa, and direct beach access makes it easy for you to snorkel just by walking out the door.

Your standard award room rate will be 30,000 World of Hyatt points per night. While you can’t get an overwater bungalow just on points, hotels will often offer you paid upgrades, which could be worth it in this case. Those rates can depend on status but mainly depend on availability.

To get any exclusive benefits from elite status, you’ll have to go big — only Globalist elite members receive extra benefits.

If you are a World of Hyatt Globalist elite member, you’ll get free breakfast for up to 2 guests, plus complimentary cocktails and canapés from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. There’s also a chance you could get a complimentary Pool Villa upgrade.

The hotel also provides snorkel gear for all guests that you can borrow from its dive shop for your entire stay, and free yoga classes and kayaking to keep you active!

You can also stay active by participating in some of the paid activities to really enhance your experience in the Maldives. This could include a private island picnic, visiting a local island, or snorkeling with whale sharks and manta rays!

Hot Tip: There’s nothing worse than forgetting to pack essentials. To ensure you’re beach ready, explore our Ultimate Beach Vacation Packing List to make sure you have everything you need.

How to Earn Points to Stay at Hyatt Properties in the Maldives

Chase offers a co-branded Hyatt rewards credit card, but another way to rack up even more World of Hyatt points is by transferring from Chase Ultimate Rewards. World of Hyatt is a transfer partner with Chase Ultimate Rewards at a rate of 1:1.

Hot Tip: Check out our guide on the best ways to redeem your World of Hyatt points, which includes the easiest way to earn points transferring from Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Marriott Bonvoy

You have lots of options to use the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program for your stay in the Maldives. Bringing together 2 major hotel brands also offers many great opportunities to earn lots of Marriott Bonvoy points.

Marriott currently operates 6 resort properties in the Maldives, including the Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa, Lhaviyani Atoll.

Don’t forget that all Marriott Bonvoy members get a fifth night free on award bookings, which can add significant value to your reward stay in the Maldives.

St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort

St. Regis Maldives Beach Villa — Image Credit: Marriott

The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort can go for thousands of dollars a night, but luckily this property is now much easier to get on points. That’s if you can find availability, which is rare. Award rates start around 70,000 points but get progressively more expensive during times of demand.

Hot Tip: Award availability is hard to find for the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort. Be sure to check the Marriott Bonvoy mobile app when looking for your reward stays because sometimes it shows more availability than what’s on the website. The search is definitely worth it, because this property is one of the best St. Regis hotel point redemptions out there!

It’s important to account for the cost of transportation to these remote resorts in the Maldives. This property probably has one of the most expensive seaplane transfer costs, running at $665 per person!

But with high costs come high rewards, and the St. Regis Maldives won’t disappoint on service. It provides a butler to help plan your stay with dinners and activities, offers free bike rentals to ride around the island, and also provides free yoga and other group exercise activities daily.

You can even rent your own 68-foot private yacht named Norma to go island-hopping (or escape the island for an overnight getaway)!

The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort will definitely make your dream of the Maldives a reality and provide the most value for your points, especially if you take advantage of the fifth-night free!

W Maldives

The W Maldives is an incredible private island resort and makes for a great redemption using your Marriott Bonvoy points.

This could cost you as few as 70,000 points per night but the price will increase during times of higher demand. It’s also possible to book an overwater bungalow on points. This will be at a higher rate than the standard room and starts at 135,000 points per night.

The W Maldives offers both seaplane and speedboat transfers — the seaplane costs around $500 and the speedboat costs $350.

The W Maldives does have a house reef, so you can just snorkel right out from your room. It also has plenty of additional activities you can book, like swimming with whale sharks and manta rays, or sunset sail cruises.

JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa

JW Marriott opened in 2019, and it’s shaken up the competition in the Maldives.

It’s is situated on Vagaru Island on the Shaviyana Atoll, meaning you’ll have to pony up $600 per person for a round-trip seaplane transfer to access this resort.

Perhaps the coolest part about this resort is that the “base” level rooms are overwater villas, which means you can book these for as few as 70,000 points per night during periods of low demand.

There are 5 restaurants and 3 bars, in addition to 2 outdoor pools, a kids’ pool, game room, gym, spa, and even a salon. If you’re looking for activities during your stay, you can go boating, kayaking, snorkeling, jet skiing, sailing, scuba diving, water skiing, and even play table tennis or volleyball!

Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort

The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort is a Marriott property focusing on sustainable luxury. Standard rooms at this property start at around 50,000 points per night during periods of low demand.

This is one of the newer Marriott options, which makes it an appealing property for honeymooners and other demographics.

You’ll also have to take a 35-minute seaplane flight to get to this resort costing $550 per person round-trip, but once you’re there, you can explore all the resort has to offer.

Located on Baa Atoll, this property features 3 eateries, a luxe bar, barbecues, and even tennis courts. Notably, this resort is within a biosphere reserve, and you’re close to snorkeling with sharks and manta rays.

Of course, water sports are available, such as kayaking, jet-skiing, and more. To pamper yourself, you can check out the spa with a classic glass floor looking into the depths of the sea.

Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa

Sheraton Maldives Aerial — Image Credit: Marriott

The Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa would probably be our last choice when looking to redeem points for an award stay in the Maldives.

It is not far from the international airport (only 15 minutes by speedboat), making it a less remote destination compared to other resorts. Also, the shared speedboat transfers are complimentary to all guests at this resort. That does help save a bundle on costs, especially compared to the $500-$800 per person you’ll pay at other properties.

The Sheraton Maldives starts at 40,000 points per night during periods of low demand.

While redeeming points at this property will still provide tremendous value, it is usually the least expensive when booking regular rates with cash.

How to Earn Points to Stay at Marriott Properties in the Maldives

We’ve already covered multiple ways to earn lots of Marriott Bonvoy points from our favorite Marriott Bonvoy credit cards.

If you’re not transferring your Marriott Bonvoy points to its many airline partners to get you to the Maldives, using your points to cover your stay is another great option!

With tons of fantastic properties available, you have plenty of options to use your Marriott Bonvoy points for your stay in the Maldives.

Final Thoughts

We hope that this guide will help you make the trip to the Maldives — one of the most sought-after dream vacation destinations — for a fraction of the cost by utilizing your points and miles.

While the Maldives is a luxury destination, we don’t want you to pay luxury prices! Taking a special trip to the Maldives is the perfect time to start using your hard-earned points and miles to upgrade your travel style.

Our recommendation for the best airline reward program for your luxury business or first class flight is either:

American Airlines AAdvantage for Qatar Airways QSuites — 70,000 one-way in business class
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan for Cathay Pacific — 70,000 one-way in first class

For the best hotel loyalty reward program to use for your exotic private island resort in the Maldives, we recommend:

Conrad Maldives for 78,000 points per night using the fifth-night free benefit
W Maldives for 68,000 points per night using the fifth-night free benefit during the standard season

We know availability can be tough to find, but it’s worth spending some time looking into all your options! Persistence is key — sometimes hotels and airlines release reward space sporadically, so it’s always best to keep checking and using different avenues to search for award space.

The information regarding the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, Chase Freedom Unlimited®, and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of the Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, click here.

Featured Image Credit: Jailam Rashad via Unsplash

Frequently asked questions

What are the best ways to fly to the Maldives?

We recommend using American Airlines miles to fly with Etihad, Qatar, or Cathay Pacific. Another great option is to use Alaska Airline miles to fly Emirates, Korean Air, or Cathay Pacific.

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About Brandon Brunner

Brandon was born and raised in California and really didn’t travel much growing up, even outside of his own state. While attending college, he was constantly looking to find the cheapest fares to any destination abroad, and quickly learned about the motto- “Chase the fare, not the destination”. Luckily, his first international flight was to Costa Rica (under $300 roundtrip) where that “Pura Vida” lifestyle (and Imperials) hit him hard, and he knew he had to see more.

Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.

16 comments

Dan B October 6, 2018
Is there a preferred or bad time of the year to go to the Maldives?
Reply
- Stephen Au October 6, 2018
  Hey Dan, the monsoon season generally lasts from May to October and is the worst around June. We generally avoid going at these times. But at the same time, prices will be way cheaper during these months. November to April is high-season.
  Reply
Tigris23 October 7, 2018
Thanks for the great extensive & informative piece. I have a question going the other way though: Maldives to JKF (one way) since we’ll be booking a one way from JFK to Southeast Asia to visit family (& will likely pay for a flight from there to Maldives as cash fares are t too bad). Do these flights you mentioned from US to Maldives also operate one way from Maldives to US? We would love to either fly QSuitea or Ethihad from Maldives to JFK. Thanks!
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- Stephen Au October 8, 2018
  Hi Tigris23,
  Etihad does have a nonstop from Male to Abu Dhabi and then a nonstop from Abu Dhabi to JFK. Unfortunately, only the Abu Dhabi – JFK route is in their most famous A380. Qsuites does not operate to/from the Maldives as of right now.
  You can look at Cathay Pacific for flights via Hong Kong too.
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Tigris23 October 8, 2018
Stephan, thanks for that note! Ah that’s a bummer—no QSuites from Maldives to JFK via Doha (but if I still book Qatar from Male to JFK, will they Doha to JFK connection be at least QSuites?). Cathay Pacific may not work as we’ll be visiting Malaysia and not sure how we’ll fit KL-HKG-MLE-JFK into a pts redemption. Thanks for your insight!
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- Stephen Au October 10, 2018
  Hey Tigris23,
  Your DOH-JFK flight will be in QSuites. Just be sure that it’s on flight 701 or 702. There’s 2 daily flights and only one of the has QSuites!
  If you’re visiting Malaysia and want to fly Qatar Airways QSuites, consider using Cathay Pacific Asia Miles to construct a oneworld multi-carrier flight. This will allow you to try flights on Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Qatar Airways! The redemption prices are very reasonable too considering the amount of value you’re getting.
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Tigris23 October 8, 2018
Stephen, so if I want to do a one way Etihad in business class from MLE–AUH–JFK, do I search for it segment by segment or can I search it MLE–AUH–JFK on Etihad’s website? Also, is the 70k AA miles for this whole route? Thanks!
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- Stephen Au October 10, 2018
  Hey Tigris,
  You can search the whole route together.
  It’s 40k AA each way in economy and 70k each way in business. Hope this helps!
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Tigris23 October 17, 2018
Thanks for the clarification Stephen!
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- Stephen Au October 18, 2018
  No problem, Tigris!
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Angie October 27, 2018
Thank you for this helpful post. I see a mixed cabin award from JFK to Dubai to Maldives. JFK to Dubai is in j, but Dubai to Male is in coach. Do you know if j seats open for the Dubai to Male segment, if I can call Alaska to change my seats? Will I need to pay anything to do this? Where do you suggest I search? I’ve been looking on Emirates, Qantas and Alaska. Do you also know if I end up keeping the coach seats, if I will be able to use the business class lounge in Dubai since I already paid for it? Or I probably won’t since my boarding pass will show I am in coach. Thank you!
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- Stephen Au October 29, 2018
  Hey Angie, please see this link for Alaska award change fees: https://www.alaskaair.com/content/travel-info/optional-services-fees/fee-changes
  It is difficult to predict when award availability will be released. You won’t be able to use the business class lounge unless it is just a layover. You can use Alaska to check award availability. What we generally suggest is performing the same search once a day and then if/when award availability pops up for the DXB-MLE leg, immediately call Alaska.
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Tina December 3, 2018
I have a question about booking the W Maldives with points. The article mentioned an overwater villa is 85k a night, where did you find that information? I looked on the W Maldives page and the only room that can be booked with points is the beachfront villa. I even called the Marriott customer service number and they can’t see any award availability for the overwater villa. Can you tell me a way to book that with points? Thanks!
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- Stephen Au December 4, 2018
  Hey Tina,
  Overwater villas in places like the Maldives and Bora Bora are wishy-washy. It’s very rare that you can find overwater villas at the same price as regular rooms, but one example is the Conrad Maldives, which for specific dates, can actually be found for the same 95,000 Hilton points as the “regular” villas. The availability is very sporadic and may not always exist. Promotions can randomly pop up that enable these rooms to be booked.
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Averie December 14, 2019
Which airlines do you recommend to use for flying out from MLE – NRT – LAX? I’m considering Singapore Airlines, but does it look like American Airlines work as well? I have chase points and would be transferring to book business class. Thanks!
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- Andrew Kunesh December 17, 2019
  Hey Averie, I’d highly recommend flying Singapore Airlines on this route. Singapore has a much nicer seat and generally better service than American, and it’s easier to book the itinerary with Chase points as Singapore Airlines is a transfer partner.
  While you’ll need to stop in SIN on your way from Male (MLE) to Tokyo (NRT), but there is a nonstop flight from NRT to Los Angeles (LAX) on Singapore Airlines. If you’d like a stopover in Singapore or Tokyo on your ticket you can call to book and add one for a $100 fee. I recommend checking for saver award space on the Singapore Airlines website before calling in.
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