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The Maldives’ Overwater Villas: How Much Does It Actually Cost?
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When you said “eye on the prize”. Text exactly what I did with my Bonvoy account the last 3 1/2 years. I am amassed 500k points and I just recently booked the brand new (2022) Ritz Carlton fair Islands.
I booked before Bonvoy adjusted their reward rate and got five nights for only 400,000 points receiving one night free. Taxes fees and transfers was around $1800 US. We are flying from Chicago to Dubai by means of emirates. And staying four nights in Dubai with my Hilton points for free. The remaining five days will be taking another Emirates flight to MLE.
With airfare and cash incidentals we are budgeting 8 to $10,000.
Keep in mind the cash rate for the Ritz Carlton Maldives in February came to over $17,000 US.
I can’t wait to see the beautiful city of Dubai and experience the Maldives and the way you put it, it’s a destinations that separates bucket list dreamers and doers.
Cheers
👏 That’s what we like to hear!
Thanks for breaking this down! Super helpful 🙂 Hopefully I’ll get to the Maldives one day
Brianna
Thx for the info Ricky!! Hopefully in 3 yrs we can do this trip.
A lot will change in 3 years. Expect increased rates by that time.
Cinammon Maldives – short boat ride – all inclusive amazing food and drink, beautiful overwater bungalow, less than CAD4000 for a week. Almost never ran into other guests.
Next trip stayed at the Sheraton – horrible place.
Say no to western chains!
I am looking to get into US credit cards but unfortunately having trouble with obtaining a EIN or ITIN. Any suggestions on what avenues to get those?
Thanks for writing this up, Ricky! I was hopeful about staying in an overwater villa in the Maldives, but seeing these numbers makes me realize that it may not be the best option for me.
And that’s totally fair. Anyone who might harbour aspirations of taking a trip to the Maldives should have a clear idea of what costs to expect. However, don’t forget that there are also plenty of cheap guesthouses on some of the islands closer to Malé that still provide a spectacular setting.
as a traveler for many years I now avoid areas like Maldives. too many forced choices prior. once booked, you are trapped.
not worth the effort- so easy to find ‘perfect’ view, ocean, privacy etc an hour from any major terminal.
maybe, as I am in my 50’s(yeh, kids), I’ve done the far far away and am over the days of travel to get there for the one second of , ‘oh, nice view’, now what.
I take the kids to a city, where they remember the people, the smell, the humanity, not the staff.
Totally see your viewpoint, Jeff, as another city lover myself. In fact, most of my trips involve spending time in cities, but sometimes I’m tempted enough by an exclusive resort to post up for a couple of days. 🙂
I’d love to know more about the places you’ve gone, Jeff. Interesting to take a different point of view for travel.
I believe the Sheraton does not charge for the transportation anymore. It is a good place for an overnight stay if you get to mle late in the day.
If you stay at the SAii Lagoon you can go to the mall or restaurants on the island and eat there. Coupled with the lower cost transfer it’s probably the most frugal option.
We’ve been to the Maldives 2x as a family of 4, and the kids are still longing to go back. Our strategy is a little different: Use points for flights on business class and book directly with resorts using cash. In this way, you are not “stuck” with the mega hotel chains. We’ve tried out COMO and Anantara, and they usually offer 1/2 or full board packages (maybe even kids eat free or 1/2 off speedboat transfers). The Discovery Loyalty (Anantara) offered some interesting perks where we got free massages or local excursions.
Thanks for the suggestions, Mer, gives me a lot more options to consider for next time.
Nice to see someone else takes the kids too! We stayed at the Conrad as a family of 4 on points but that seaplane from Male is a killer for a family. Transmaldivian needs to join Star Alliance!
Wouldn’t that be nice!
Thanks for doing this article. I’m considering spending on a “Fly & Dine” package. Seems reasonably priced (for Maldives) at $6500 for 5 days at the W which includes 3 meals daily and the flight transfer fees for 2 people. I bet most likely, the resort will find ways to entice me to open up the wallet (drinks not being included) so i figure I can expect to tack on another $1000. Now, I figure if I went the credit card route and hit the MSR needed to get the points, I’d probably need to spend a similar amount (either alone or in 2 player mode) so I figure I’d go the Fly & Dine route and earn the points (almost half way to a future 5 night stay!) So many variables and calculations to consider! But I think either way, it’s a worthwhile trip.
They are most certainly very adept at enticing guests to open up the wallets. 🙂
Finding a lucrative cash deal is the other angle that i haven’t explored in this post, although for some folks it’ll make sense.
I think a trip to the St. Regis Bora Bora is in order for you as a point of comparison. 😉
My parents paid $2.6k USD for 6 nights above the points cost, including the resort transfer (but not the inter island flight), confirmed upgrade for 4 nights and then food and non-alcoholic beverages. Definitly wasn’t a “deal” but having VAT and gratuity included in the prices with only a small additional gratuity if desired makes prices more reasonable at first glance.
And to think, that WA MLE yacht transfer price is the lowered rate, used to be $861. Price you pay for exclusivity 😉