Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa

Everything was more than great, it was such an amazing experience. Ms. Abby and Mr. Mauch who we met at the Turquoise, were so kind and nice to us. We loved going to breakfast everyday, 70% was because of them. (Seriously, because we had never eaten beakfast when we go on a trip.) Ms. Kyra at Riviera and La Vie also treated us like a family. Also, all the people at Tabemasu were wonderful. The Teppanyakki chef Mr. Izam provided us a great experience and it was more than worth the money. He was very entertaining. It's so sad we can't remember the staff's names that were so kind at Tabemasu. Everyone was just absolutely wonderful. During Funtube experience, Mr. Yante did a great job, so as the dolphin cruise crew, Mr. Chris, Mr. Lalu, and Captain Rizu were so fun to hang out with. Last but not least, we met this amazing person. Ali. At first, we didn't know what to do and how to do things around here, so we had a lot of questions. Ali listened to every word we said, and he took care of everything. We were able to book fun tube, spa, dolphin cruise, and petit plating all at once, thanks to Ali. And since we can't drink much alcohol, we asked some picky favors of him, but he gladly managed to arrange everything we asked for. So we would like to send a great appreciation to Ali for everything he has done for us. We knew that people use Whatsapp here, so we tried to use it, but somehow the app didn't work. And Ali asked us if we can use Kakaotalk (which is a Korean app) to communicate with us. Addition to that, his responses were super fast. We loved it! We will definitely recommend, and even threaten people to come to Le Meridien, especially if Ali still works here. I don't know when we will come back, but hope Ali is still here when we do. Thank all of you for the unforgettable honeymoon. :) Read less

I booked this resort a full year in advance and got a great redemption: 288,000 Marriott points for 5 nights (5th night free). At the time, this was the least expensive Marriott option in the Maldives. We are also Hilton Diamond, but this was the better value, and I’m loyal to Marriott. After extensive research, I emailed the resort several times in advance as a Titanium Elite, requesting no upgrade, but a Sunrise Overwater Villa on the West Jetty between villas 225–241. I chose this area for three reasons: 1. proximity to the snorkeling reef, 2. views of island activity (seaplanes, boats, jet skis, kayaks), and 3. afternoon shade. At check-in, we were assigned Villa 239, which was perfect and among the most private on sunrise side of the jetty. The villa was spectacular—modern, clean, great bed, and strong A/C (important in the heat). Having owned a bayfront 2nd home in Key Largo for 50 years, we’re very familiar with marine environments and all watersports. For several days, I waded about 20 minutes from our villa to the reef in front of the watersports area, as recommended by the dive center. The reef there was large and healthy, with mostly living brown and green coral (unlike bleached coral we’ve seen at the Great Barrier Reef, Hawaii, and Florida Keys) and abundant fish, some quite large. My wife even saw a large turtle just off our villa. Later, I discovered snorkeling is much easier off the end of the West Jetty, where the reef begins about 50 feet from shore. Shortly after entering the water, a 6-foot blacktip reef shark swam calmly beside me—memorable, but not threatening. The resort later offered us an upgrade to a Sunrise Pool Villa on the East Jetty, which we declined. We have a 50-ft pool at home that we never use, and we preferred the West Jetty location and views. As Titanium Elites, we received complimentary breakfast (normally ~$45), and it was among the best breakfast buffets we’ve had in Asia. After breakfast, we skipped lunch and opted for à la carte dinners. Dining highlights: • Seafood platter at Turquoise: excellent value at $120 for two (plus tax and service, totaling $154); we ordered it twice. • Japanese restaurant: very large sushi rolls ($30 each); three rolls were plenty. • Spanish restaurant: excellent shrimp paella ($55) and reef fish ($40). • Dinner buffet at Turquoise: I tried at $99, but we preferred à la carte. Service throughout the stay was outstanding. Abby at Turquoise was great. WhatsApp communication was always immediate, and buggies consistently arrived within 10–15 minutes. Titanium members receive complimentary bicycles (otherwise $10/day), and the island can be circled in just a few minutes. We also enjoyed the complimentary photo shoot—bookable two days in advance—and purchased two additional photos for $30 each. There was a Friday evening Elite cocktail reception; we enjoyed a couple non-alcoholic drinks and a few hors d’oeuvres. After check-out, our seaplane was delayed an hour, so we did have to wait two hours at the Hub, which did get a bit noisy and crowded. Overall, an excellent stay, especially for those who research villa placement carefully and value snorkeling and location over unnecessary upgrades. Read less

This was our fourth annual visit to Le Meridien Maldives, and the resort and staff continue to meet and exceed our high expectations. From small touches like personalised artwork on our tables to a surprise chef’s tasting dinner on the beach at Riviera (thank you, Chef Arvind and manager Rishab for arranging!), we were thoroughly spoiled during our 11-night stay. We love reconnecting with our many friends on the staff and meeting new friends. The food in each of the restaurants is always excellent and varied. Our days typically start with cappuccino, a beetroot smoothie and a healthy bite to eat at Waves Cafe (poached egg on sourdough avocado toast, fresh fruit with yoghurt and mueslix or an indulgent crab and lobster eggs Benedict one morning). These morning treats are served with a smile by Ari, Neng, Madhi or Kyra. We generally have lunch (and several dinners) at Riviera so we can enjoy Chef Arvind and team’s Mediterranean-influenced creations such as Pil Pil Gambas, Grilled Pulpo (octopus), flatbreads with delicious toppings, croquetas, Manti (Turkish beef ravioli), sea bass, black cod, lamb chops and the freshest salads, all served in a beautiful beachside location. We can while away several hours there, enjoying the food and chatting with Rishab and his friendly, efficient team (Evi, Ari, Xavi, Uuchu, Madhi, Neng, Bertha, Ali Baba and Kyra). We also enjoyed the lively twice-weekly pool party barbecue lunches, hosted by Rupesh and DJ Baby Santika, and several dinners at Velaa, which does wonderful pizzas at lunchtime, Caesar salad, perfectly cooked steaks, rack of lamb and hearty grilled fare expertly crafted by Chef Pradeep. We are always warmly welcomed by Srijana, Lita and Yashoda. At Turquoise, we satisfied our craving for Indian food during their Indian night and also enjoyed the Maldivian night, trying some zingy local specialties. Turquoise Manager Aapaa always looks after us so well and is a devoted Arsenal fan, happy to chat about the latest in English and European football. Tabemasu (managed by Puspa and her amazing team) is an elegant setting for a banquet of sushi, sashimi, beautiful rolls and other Japanese specialties — the crab salad is a must-have. The Teppanyaki dinner, which we have at least once per visit, is dramatic and entertaining, a feast both eyes and mouth. The bar staff also kept us well hydrated (!) and managed to convert my husband to enjoy Aperol Spritz and several variations, which he previously never liked. (Thanks, Uuchu from La Vie bar!) I’ve mentioned the delectable salads served at all of the restaurants, and it’s worth noting that these super-fresh lettuce leaves are sustainably grown right on the island, thanks to Le Meridien’s own pesticide-free hydroponic farm and growing system, one of the largest in the Maldives. I recommend taking one of the scheduled tours of The Greenhouse, which produces salad crops and herbs that are far superior to the salads served on other islands (and we’ve sampled a few). There’s no comparison, and I wonder why more islands don’t adopt this system too because salad crops and herbs don’t tend to travel well in a tropical climate. To work off all these indulgences, we were put through our paces by the ever-energetic Hari in the gym and also played Padel tennis for the first time. The gym is very well equipped for a resort gym and overlooks the reef and Indian Ocean, so you can watch the reef sharks splashing around to catch breakfast or a pod of dolphins frolicking beyond the reef. We treated ourselves to a very spoiling couples massage with Asi and Rinchen at sunset, which was divine, organised by Raj. Our overwater pool villa is our home from home: clean, comfortable and mid-century stylish rather than palatial. Our various bookings and requests were efficiently handled by Ali from the front-office team. Above all, what sets Le Meridien Maldives apart is its staff (“associates”), most of whom have been there for several years or since opening in 2021. They are so generous, kind-hearted and genuinely willing to create memorable experiences. Please maintain the fun, friendly spirit of the resort and the excellence! We hope to return next year. Read less

We had a fantastic stay at this holiday resort and can"t praise it highly enough. This resort is beautiful , well organised and incredibly relaxing but what truly made our holiday was the amazing staff Right from senior management Abhisek to the rest of the team. A huge thank you to kitchen staff Suraj,the waitresses Arena, Puri and Upsy who went above and beyond every day.The food was excellent and they were happy to accommodate any special requests with a smile. They made dining a highlight of our stay. We would also like to give special recognition to the gym staff ,particularly Hari and Aayushi . They were welcoming, professional and very encouraging in this modern well equipped gym. Overall the level of service across the resort was outstanding . The only criticism(though nothing to do with the hotel) was presence of sand flies and hence would recommend plenty of insect repellant. Read less