Le Méridien Maldives Resort and Spa [In-Depth Review]

The Maldives is a bucket list dream destination for many travelers. I’ve wanted to visit for years and finally did in early 2024 once I convinced my husband that it would be worth all the travel it takes to get there.

When I started researching where to stay in the Maldives, I knew I wanted an overwater villa, and I knew I wanted to use points. Those parameters led me to Le Méridien Maldives Resort and Spa.

This resort, located on Thilamaafushi Island in the Lhaviyani Atoll, fit the bill perfectly. Not only was the cost in points incredibly reasonable, but I could book directly into an overwater villa without having to worry about whether I’d get upgraded.

In this review, I’ll show you how I booked Le Méridien Maldives with points, and I’ll take you on a tour of this luxury resort so you can decide if it will work for your Maldives vacation.

Let’s dive in!

How To Book Le Méridien Maldives Using Points

First things first, let’s talk about how to book Le Méridien Maldives using points. This is how I paid for my trip, and it’s a fantastic way to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points.

I paid 335,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for 6 nights, which worked out to 55,833 points per night. The cash cost was $682 per night, giving me ~1.2 cents per point in value. We value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents each, so this was a fantastic deal.

I’ve seen rates as low as 42,000 points per night during the summer and early fall, while rates during the peak November to April Maldives travel season are widely available for under 70,000 per night. Keep in mind that you’ll get the fifth night free on bookings using Marriott Bonvoy points, so a stay of 5 nights or more will be a better value.

Sunrise Overwater Villa vs. Sunset Overwater Villa

The Sunrise Overwater Villa is the base-level villa at Le Méridien Maldives Resort and Spa. You can pay extra to upgrade to the Sunset Overwater Villa, but I wouldn’t recommend it. These 2 room types are exactly the same, with the only difference being a sunrise view or a sunset view.

I loved that the Sunrise Overwater Villas had beautiful morning views and plenty of afternoon shade. Meanwhile, Sunset Overwater Villas can be fully exposed to the sun, which can make the deck unbearably hot in the afternoon.

If you value a shady deck, stick with the Sunrise Overwater Villa. You won’t be disappointed.

How To Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points

The quickest way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points is through credit cards, which is how I earned the bulk of my points. In addition to spending on Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, you can earn some fantastic welcome offers to earn points quickly.

You can transfer points to Marriott Bonvoy from American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, and Chase Ultimate Rewards. This is a great way to top off your account if you need a few extra points, but I wouldn’t recommend transferring all of your points to Marriott Bonvoy from these programs. You can get more cents-per-point value using them in other ways.

However, if you definitely want to stay at Le Méridien Maldives and you need to transfer points from Chase or Amex to get there, go for it. I always say if your points can get you somewhere you couldn’t have otherwise gone, then it’s a good redemption, despite what experts recommend or what the cents-per-point value is.

Bottom Line:

If you’re looking for a reasonably priced way to book an overwater villa in the Maldives on points, you’ll definitely want to consider Le Méridien Maldives. This resort has good award availability, with prices ranging from about 40,000 to 70,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.

How To Get to Le Méridien Maldives

Getting to the Maldives is a long journey. This is one of those times when you’ll want to have a nice stash of miles to book business class flights. I flew in Qatar Airways Qsuite from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Hamed International Airport (DOH) in Doha. Then, I flew on to Velana International Airport (MLE) in Malé in regular business class.

Booking Qsuite with points is a fantastic deal — I paid just 70,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles plus $41.80 for my flight from JFK all the way to MLE. For my return flight, I spent 85,000 British Airways Executive Club Avios plus $334.65. It was a bit more expensive than booking through American Airlines, but I didn’t have enough AA miles then, so using Avios was a great alternative.

Hot Tip:

Head to Instagram for a video from my Qsuite flight to the Maldives.

Seaplane Transfer

The journey isn’t over once you get to Malé. To get to Le Méridien Maldives Resort and Spa, you’ll need to take a seaplane transfer from the airport. The hotel arranged everything for me about 1 month before I arrived. The cost was $515 per person, and you can’t use points for this charge.

After landing at Malé airport, a representative from the hotel met us and took us to the lounge, which was a shared lounge for a couple of Marriott resorts. We waited for somewhere between 1 to 2 hours. I fell asleep as soon as we got there, so it’s all a bit of a blur, but the wait can be shorter or longer, depending on flight schedules. The lounge had beverages and a few snacks, but none of them looked good.

Hot Tip:

You can check out a video of my seaplane journey on Instagram.

Arrival and Check-In

As soon as we arrived at the resort, we were greeted by waving staff members, drums, and cold towels. Then, we were escorted to the lobby area to check in.

Our luggage was taken to our villa while we got a quick tour of the resort by golf cart.

Marriott Bonvoy Elite Benefits

My husband and I both have Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status (from The Platinum Card^® from American Express, enrollment required). Marriott Bonvoy’s Gold Elite status isn’t that exciting, so I wasn’t expecting much in the way of elite benefits. The only real perk I saw was an invitation to a Marriott Bonvoy Elite members cocktail party.

I usually don’t attend events like this, but the thought of free drinks and food was too tempting to resist. The food was really expensive, so I wasn’t going to pass up on an opportunity to grab a free snack!

It was a nice little gathering on the beach with passed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.

Because the food is so expensive (more on this below), this is one of those locations where high levels of Marriott Bonvoy Elite status come in handy. If you have Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status or higher, you’ll get free breakfast, which can be a huge money-saver at this resort.

To earn Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, you need to stay 50 nights in a year, or you can get it just by having the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card.

If you’re wondering why I didn’t get this card to get Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status (and therefore free breakfast), it’s because I couldn’t. The reservation was in my husband’s name, and when he applied for the card, he got the dreaded pop-up saying he wasn’t eligible for the welcome bonus. I couldn’t bring myself to get this card without a bonus, so we opted to just go with our Gold Elite status.

Amenities and Activities

House Reef

One of the best activities offered at Le Méridien Maldives was snorkeling on the house reef. You can swim out to the reef from villas on the west jetty and also from the main pool and beach areas.

It took us about 20 minutes of swimming to reach the house reef from our villa. However, the water was only about 3 to 4 feet deep (depending on the tide) the whole way, so it was walkable, too. There were small areas of rocks or coral along the way, so we could still find some interesting things to look at without going all the way out to the reef.

The snorkeling at Le Méridien Maldives was excellent, but it was also challenging for me. I spent half of the time amazed at the beautiful fish and corals and the other half slightly panicked. Strangely, I feel much more comfortable scuba diving.

When we were there, the waves were bigger than I would have liked, and the visibility wasn’t great at times. I’m referring to the visibility far away — the water was very clear looking at the reef up close.

Despite my anxiety, my husband and I agreed that this was the best snorkeling we had ever done. I saw just as much as I would during a dive, which is pretty fantastic considering we were just floating on the surface of the water.

Plus, the fact that we could access the reef directly from our deck was amazing.

Hot Tip:

If you plan to snorkel at Le Méridien Maldives, bring a rashguard for sun protection and water socks to protect your feet. Water shoes may not fit in flippers.

Waves Fitness Centre

The Waves Fitness Centre was open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It offered cardio equipment, weight machines, and free weights. Floor-to-ceiling windows provided great views.

Personal training and private yoga sessions were available for an extra charge. However, there were plenty of complimentary classes.

Each day, 3 to 4 fitness classes or activities were offered free of charge:

I took 2 sunset yoga classes. The first one wasn’t great. I couldn’t hear the instructor, who refused to turn down the music when asked. He seemed to not really know anything about yoga. Not only was he instructing people to hold their breath (!), but he was doing moves that I’ve never seen in almost 15 years of practicing yoga. I left early, and so did 2 other people.

A few nights later, I happened to be walking by when a sunset yoga class was starting with a different instructor, so I joined in. The class was led by Tia (I remember her name because it’s my nickname), and it was fantastic.

Pools

The pools at Le Méridien Maldives were nice but small. The main pool was right in front of Velaa Bar + Grill, overlooking the beach.

Next to the main pool was another very small pool, which was undergoing maintenance during my visit.

These 2 pools were open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The third pool at Le Méridien Maldives was in a separate area, and it was for adults only. This pool was open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Beach

Le Méridien Maldives is located on a small island that has beaches along most of the perimeter.

It’s definitely worth taking a walk around the whole island.

Spa

We decided to book massages for our last day at the resort, and I’m so glad we did. The spa is located in its own overwater building with 4 separate treatment rooms.

We weren’t originally going to book massages, but we decided to go for it when we saw how reasonable the prices were. We paid $382 for 2 75-minute massages. That was the cost for 2 60-minute massages, but Marriott Bonvoy members get an extra 15 minutes added on for free.

The treatment rooms were all in overwater villas, and they even had cut-outs on the floor so we could watch the reef during our massages.

Kids’ Hub

There was a kids’ club at the resort called Le Méridien Family Kids’ Hub. It offered both indoor and outdoor play areas as well as a curated program of activities.

The kid’s club was in the middle of the island, and the outdoor play area looked like it would get overly hot without any breeze.

Hot Tip:

There were quite a few kids at the resort during my visit, which really surprised me. As much as I love traveling with my daughter, this is not a resort I would bring kids to.

Dive Center and Water Activities

One of the things I was looking forward to the most for my Maldives trip was scuba diving, and there’s a dive center located at the resort. In addition to diving, you can book a wide range of activities through the dive center:

All of these activities cost extra, and they don’t come cheap.

We did a 2-tank scuba dive, and while I really enjoyed it, the cost was astronomical. We paid a total of $638 for 2 people, which is about twice what we usually pay at a resort. The snorkeling was so good, not to mention free, that we canceled the rest of our scheduled dives and focused on snorkeling.

There were also water activities available right on the beach.

Some of these activities, including paddleboards and kayaks, were free, while others cost extra.

Hot Tip:

Snorkeling equipment is offered to guests free of charge at the dive center.

Sunrise Overwater Villa on the West Jetty

I stayed in room 229, a Sunrise Overwater Villa on the west jetty. The west jetty opened with the resort in September 2021, while the east jetty opened later. If you can request a room on the west jetty, I would definitely recommend it. The resort’s sunset yoga classes and Japanese restaurant were located on this jetty, but more importantly, it offered easy access to the house reef for fantastic snorkeling.

Room

My room at Le Méridien Maldives was quite large at just over 1,000 square feet. A king-sized bed was in the center of the room making the most out of the fantastic views. I had told the resort ahead of time that this was an anniversary trip, so our bed was decorated, and there was a small cake and bottle of sparkling wine waiting for us when we arrived.

Next to the front door was a minibar with snacks and beverages. Everything except still water cost extra.

There was an illy espresso maker, an electric kettle to heat water, and illy espresso pods and tea.

There was a desk set up to be a vanity, but it was in a corner that was a bit dark, so I never used it. It was next to the toilet, which had its own door.

The closet had the most fantastic flamingo wallpaper. It featured a safe, a few drawers, robes, slippers, and flip-flops.

I didn’t like these annoying saloon-type doors in the closet. At first glance they looked like a nice way to give the closet some separation from the rest of the room. But I quickly realized that every time we went in or out, they would swing back and forth and back and forth, which was quite irritating.

Bathroom

My bathroom at Le Méridien Maldives was fantastic, and it easily had one of my top 3 favorite hotel showers of all time. The others are at La Casa de la Playa and Andaz Costa Rica, in case you were wondering.

Just look at the size of this shower!

Not only was the shower enormous, but it was essentially a shower room with a tub that overlooked the water.

If that wasn’t enough, the shower room had a door that opened up onto the deck, giving it an indoor/outdoor vibe. Plus, it was super convenient after coming back from snorkeling.

The rest of the bathroom was spacious and beautiful, too. Moroccan-inspired tile covered the wall behind the double sinks.

Hand lotion, hand soap, tissues, shave kits, toothbrush kits, and vanity kits were available on the countertop.

Extra drinking water that’s bottled at the resort was available by each sink. During a back-of-the-house tour, we learned that the water isn’t unsafe to drink; it just doesn’t taste great.

Deck

When vacationing in the Maldives, it’s really all about the deck and water access, right? It definitely was for me, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Our large deck had a covered section with a small table and chairs plus a netted area that could be used for lounging (but it also made a great snorkeling gear drying rack).

There were also 2 lounge chairs, which was my favorite spot to watch the sunrise. These loungers weren’t the most comfortable on their own, so I used some extra beach towels to pad them a bit. Each villa had a wall on one side of the deck for privacy.

Bottom Line:

The star of the Sunset Overwater Villa at Le Méridien Maldives is the enormous shower that opens to the private deck, which has direct water access.

Dining: Meal Plans and All-Inclusive Pricing

Dining at Le Méridien Maldives isn’t cheap. You can order à la carte, or you can purchase a meal plan or all-inclusive plan. If you’re ordering à la carte (which is what I did), the high prices you’ll see on the menus don’t include the 10% service charge and 16% goods and services tax. However, these extra charges are included in meal plan and all-inclusive plan prices.

If you’re paying cash for your stay, breakfast is often included in your room rate.

Le Méridien Maldives Meal Plans

Le Méridien Maldives offers meal plans that you can book before or after arriving at the resort. The nice thing about these is that the prices include the 10% service charge and 16% goods and services tax.

Here’s what you can expect to pay for meal plans at Le Méridien Maldives. These prices are per person per day:

Bed and Breakfast: Includes breakfast buffet at Turquoise.

Half Board: Includes breakfast buffet at Turquoise and dinner. Dinner is a 3-course set menu at Turquoise, Velaa Bar + Grill, or Riviera Tapas. Beverages outside of what’s included at the buffet aren’t part of this package.

Full Board: Includes breakfast buffet at Turquoise, lunch, dinner, and non-alcoholic beverages. Lunch and dinner include the buffet at Turquoise or a 3-course set menu at Velaa Bar + Grill or Riviera Tapas. Non-alcoholic beverages are included at mealtime only. Non-alcoholic minibar drinks and snacks are also part of the full board plan.

Hot Tip:

Anyone with Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status or higher, who automatically gets free breakfast, can buy a half board or full board meal plan with a $40 per person per day discount.

Le Méridien Maldives All-Inclusive Options

All-Inclusive :

• Breakfast: Buffet at Turquoise
• Lunch: Turquoise, Waves Cafe, Velaa Bar + Grill, or Riviera Tapas & Bar
• Dinner: Turquoise buffet, 3-course set menu at Turquoise (when available), 3-course set menu at Velaa Bar + Grill, 3-course set menu at Riviera Tapas, or 3-course set menu at Tabemasu (available every 4 days)
• Non-alcoholic beverages, cocktails, select beers, select spirits, select wines by the glass, minibar beverages (except Champagne)
• Minibar snacks

Premium All-Inclusive:

• Breakfast: Buffet at Turquoise
• Lunch: Turquoise, Waves Cafe, Velaa Bar + Grill, or Riviera Tapas & Bar
• Dinner: Turquoise buffet, 3-course set menu at Turquoise (when available), 3-course set menu at Velaa Bar + Grill, 3-course set menu at Riviera Tapas, 3-course set menu at Tabemasu, or teppanyaki dinner at Tabemasu (reservations required; available every 4 days)
• Non-alcoholic beverages, cocktails, premium beers, premium spirits, premium wines by the glass, Champagne by the glass, minibar beverages (except Champagne)
• Minibar snacks
• Afternoon tea (with advance reservations)

Hot Tip:

Destination dining and in-room dining are not included in any meal plan or all-inclusive package.

Dining: Restaurants

Turquoise

Turquoise is the resort’s buffet restaurant. If you purchase any type of meal plan or all-inclusive package, this is where you’ll eat breakfast each day. If you’re paying à la carte, the breakfast buffet costs about $45 per person, including tax and service.

It was an inviting open-air restaurant with beach and water views. If you know me, you know I really don’t like buffets, but this one was pretty good.

Let’s start with the egg and omelet station. After ordering our eggs or an omelet, they would bring it to our table when it was ready. No waiting around while the food was cooked.

There was also a crepe station. You could find me here every morning.

In addition to typical American breakfast foods, there were lots of Asian and Indian options.

There was always fresh fruit and lots of different pastries available.

Beverages were included in the breakfast buffet. Various types of juices and smoothies were available each day, as well as specialty coffee.

Velaa Bar + Grill

Velaa Bar + Grill was the resort’s poolside grill, which served lunch, dinner, and drinks from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

We ate lunch here twice, and I really enjoyed it both times. I recommend sitting on the lower level — it gets a much better breeze than the main seating area.)

Riviera Tapas

Riviera Tapas is the Spanish-inspired seafood restaurant at Le Méridien Maldives. Neither my husband nor I eat any fish or seafood, so our choices were limited. We ended up splitting the ensalada de hidroponica, patatas bravas, and pollito. It was all delicious but didn’t seem worth the $127 price tag.

Tabemasu

Tabemasu is a Japanese-style restaurant at Le Méridien Maldives. It’s not included in the half board or full board meal plans. Anyone with the all-inclusive meal plan can eat there once every 4 days, while guests with the premium all-inclusive plan can eat there anytime, with teppanyaki available every 4 days.

We enjoyed eating there and went twice during our 6-night stay. It’s located at the beginning of the west jetty, where our room was located, so it was very convenient and had excellent sunset views.

There was a nice bar, plenty of seating, and a teppanyaki station inside the restaurant, but I recommend getting a seat out on the deck to watch the sunset. Tabemasu was open from 6 to 10 p.m. most nights.

Waves Cafe

Waves Cafe was open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. This small spot served all-day breakfast, pastries, desserts, light bites, coffee, and specialty juices.

Room Service

I was happy to see that the prices on the room service menu were surprisingly reasonable compared to the resort’s restaurants.

We enjoyed eating breakfast out on the deck overlooking the water.

Bottom Line:

There are multiple options for dining at Le Méridien Maldives. You can dine à la carte or book a meal plan (breakfast only, half board, or full board) or an all-inclusive plan (standard or premium).

Service

Overall we had great service at Le Méridien Maldives. Staff members were friendly and helpful. The resort has a WhatsApp number that guests can use to make any requests, ask questions, or order room service. I found this to be very handy, especially because our phone wasn’t working very well.

Final Thoughts

I loved my stay at Le Méridien Maldives. I booked an overwater villa for 6 nights for 335,000 Marriott points — a surprisingly affordable way to enjoy this bucket list destination. I loved that the house reef was just a short swim from my room and offered the best snorkeling I’ve ever done.

The Maldives is a destination that takes some effort to get to. Thankfully, using points and miles can help make it a much more comfortable journey. I absolutely think it was worth the amount of travel, and I was really happy that I chose to stay at Le Méridien Maldives.