Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa

We travelled all the way from Canada and can confirm, it's worth the long trip! The Maldives is a pretty special place. The weather and temperature is just perfect. There's no bugs. The water is so nice and warm. Arriving by seaplane is always super fun too! We've been to a lot of tropical destinations, but always in vacation homes or from one boutique hotel to another, never at the same place the whole time, so this was our first time experiencing what's it's like to be at the mercy of what the resort has to offer. Le Méridien Maldives Resort & Spa did not disappoint! Our priority was snorkelling so having a house reef to explore was the best! Also staying in an overwater villa was the perfect accomodation for us to get into the water from our own deck! The house reef is a bit of a swim out to the drop off (where the water turns darker blue) with strong currents at times but it's not nearly as intimidating as it sounds and absolutely worth it. Even my partner who isn't the most comfortable swimmer ended up not feeling scared or anything. The underwater world is so distracting anyway, it just puts you at peace! The drop off is gradual, not steep and scary, and full of life. The current takes you towards the main Au Soleil beach and pool so you literally just float above the reef and watch the incredible show below you! Halfway through is a deeper section of seagrass and that's where you'll see turtles! Even if you don't go out to the reef though, there is lots of life in the shallow waters and pockets of coral. We stayed on the west jetty but the east jetty has a stunning display of lettuce leaf coral that surrounds you and looks like a big flower garden with lots of colorful fish. Because the shallow waters are only 3-6 feet deep, you get an up close experience with the marine life essentially right in your face. We saw everything throughout the week including octopus, a wide variety of stingrays, black reef tip sharks, lobster, large schools of fish and lots of giant turtles (8 in just one snorkel!). If you don't get into the water, you are seriously missing out! Especially since snorkeling gear is included from the dive shop. They also offer fun excursions and we got to see Spinner Dolphins play around the waves of the boat on the Dolphin Sunset Cruise. As for the island and the resort, it's beautiful, super fun to bike around and take long walks on the beach at sunrise and sunset. The resort wasn't busy in Sept, friends commented that we looked like we had the whole place to ourselves in all our pictures. The staff said it was at half capacity as well, but things are spread out nicely so I would imagine it still doesn't feel too busy when it's full. The food is absolutely incredible! With 6 different restaurants, you won't eat the same thing twice! There's plenty of daily activities to stay busy if that's what you like, or there's spots to lounge at the two pools and beaches, or even in little even quieter spots spread out around the island. The staff is also so friendly and thoughtful, they really try to pay attention to little details and cater to your individual needs. They treat you really well and have a way of making you feel special. We found out there dozens of ethnicities among the staff, so even though you're stuck on the island the whole time, you still get a bit of cultural experience. Maldivian night at Turquoise restaurant was really fun and especially great for seeing more about the local culture! We did a bit of research and came to the conclusion that Le Méridien Maldives Resort and Spa falls in the mid-luxury category. There's pretty high luxury options in the Maldives and it was good to know that this resort sits in the mid range and not low range. It fit our style and expectations, we were really happy with everything and especially as a first resort experience! We loved our stay and it was incredible value for Marriott point redemption. Highly recommend! Read less

What a wonderful experience it has been at the LMM. Exceptional staff and hospitality. They made our stay memorable by ensuring our dietary needs and activity schedules were tailored to preferences. Can’t wait to be back. Special shoutout to select few that went the extra mile At restaurants - Erma, Puri, Chefs Suraj, Muthu, Rohan, Abhishek Other staff - Imko, Maaga, Sharon Read less

The sunset cruise at Le Méridien Maldives was one of the highlights of our stay! We saw pod after pod of dolphins, and just when we thought we’d seen them all, another group would appear. Seeing so many dolphins in the open ocean was incredibly exciting, and being out on the water at sunset made it even more special. We couldn’t stop smiling and felt so lucky to experience it. Such a wonderful evening and a memory we’ll treasure long after this trip! Read less