When the Hollywood A-list head for the Maldives, they’re flocking to one particular sun-drenched, palm-treed, blue-skied goddess of an island; the Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi, which opened to much fanfare in 2019. Beyonce, Paris Hilton, Shakira and Serena Williams have all been attracted by the island’s six star reputation.
The island is one of the largest in the Maldives, with 119 rooms stretching across 3.5km, with 55 water villas, 37 beach villas, 24 reef villas which sit half on land, half over the sea and two, one-bedroom villas, only accessible by boat. Guests either bike ride or are driven around the island. Quite something. Not to mention the addition of a separate, private island that hosts up to 24 people over nine, two and three-bedroom villas, accessible by speed boat. The private island has its own tennis courts, breakfast dining, pool, kids club, playground and personal chefs, private spa, private gym and more. And of course, fifty staff allocated to focus on your every need.
Meanwhile, for those of us wanting to experience the idyllic main island and hotel, an oasis of glamour and luxury, offering some of the biggest double-storey villas in the Maldives as standard, each with its own large swimming pool, many with ocean views and wild dolphin sunrise-spectacles. There are also eleven restaurants, including international names like Zuma and an incredible house reef, teaming with black tip sharks, eagle and stingrays and turtles.
What are the best activities available at the Waldorf Astoria, Maldives?
The Maldives is known historically as a fly’n’flop destination, famous for its crystal blue waters, long stretches of sparkling white sands and a barefoot luxury like no other. The Waldorf Astoria offers all of this in abundance and more. And if all you want to do is relax, sunbathe, eat, read, swim, watch glorious sunsets, repeat, either in privacy in proximity with other chi-chi guests, then you can.
However, if you’re in search of new experiences to remember for a lifetime, then this is really where this hotel excels. Every small detail is thought of from Maldivian Leaf Origami, island souvenir painting, sunset painting, capoeira on the beach, to a full 60-minute hydrotherapy ritual, art classes, cooking classes, learning how to sew in traditional Maldivian-style, hanging yoga and traditional water sports: we could have filled every minute of every day with an activity.
Is the Waldorf Astoria good for couples or families ?
The Maldives is undoubtedly one of the world’s most romantic destinations - and I can vouch for this as someone who personally honeymooned at the Conrad Maldives Rangali. But it’s also a brilliant family-friendly holiday destination, and I was excited to visit with three young children. The resort is large enough that whatever type of holiday you’re looking for, you can find it without being disturbed by other guests. You could easily spend a week in your villa - they’re huge and the pool and view is magnificent. But if you have children and want to ensure they’re entertained, then the kids’ club and teen club have it all from volleyball, pool and watersports. The team members play with all the children, they even have a Cirque Du Soleil entertainer to teach them how to juggle! They also offer 24-hour babysitting and you can hire full-time private nannies and childcare.
What are the hotel's sustainability credentials?
Apart from the luxury, the food, the entertainment, what we also loved about this hotel was its sustainability credentials. It’s front of house is 80 percent plastic-free and they have partnered with a company who collect single-use plastics, load them on a boat, compress them and use them for recycling. Guests can join in their environmental work on one of their ‘Environmental days’ by collecting coral fragments. Last year they put the corals on metal frames to create the first underwater Christmas coral tree - which they light on Christmas day.
What about wellness?
They have many visiting wellness practitioners from traditional Chinese medicine and offer ‘self love’ retreats in partnership with a wellness centre in Dubai, which offers a five-day wellness plan, including yoga, sound healing, nutrition and psychology sessions so guests can take part in talking therapy. It’s also the only property in the Maldives to offer an outdoor hydrotherapy pool, an unforgettable way to spend the afternoon and the perfect way to overcome your jetlag!
The house reef is one of the best in the Maldives
I’ve stayed in ten Maldivian hotels over the past fifteen years and the Waldorf Astoria house reef is among the most spectacular I’ve experienced. We took a guided snorkelling tour with an instructor who took us to see the incredible Christmas tree coral. We swam up close and personal with turtles (apparently they always come out at 10am), a nurse shark, huge unicorn fish, gigantic purple spotted clams and lobster. The knowledgeable guide gave added security for younger families who may not feel confident snorkelling a bit further out on their own.
What restaurants does the Waldorf Astoria Maldives have?
If you’re a foodie, you won’t be disappointed. The hotel offers a varied and interesting culinary journey with eleven restaurants and bars from the internationally renowned Japanese restaurant, Zuma to a treetop restaurant, fine dining and Mediterranean. And if that doesn’t suffice, you can personalize all the food for no extra charge. We loved The Ledge restaurant, located next to the kids’ pool, so it’s very family-friendly, offering grilled meats and fish and chips, steak and chips, grissini Ikura - a dough roll with taramasalata and chives on top. We will forever remember the smoked cheesecake which was to die for - all brought to you by a Michelin-starred chef, who uses wood on his grill imported from Australia to give the food a unique, smoky taste.
Waldorf Astoria Maldives spa has to be seen to be believed
We spent a day at the incredible 10,111 square meter spa, with its traditional Maldivian-inspired architecture and lush, botanical gardens surrounded by turquoise waters. It has ten treatment rooms, eight double rooms, four overwater with a glass floor so you can watch fish as you have your massage and four double villas in the garden. Its signature treatment is a four-hands ayurvedic massage and there are also Bali and Thai-influenced massages on offer. There’s also a VIP room with a separate swimming pool. There’s a yoga pavilion, where wellness instructors can focus on yoga, Pilates, meditation and boxing.
Peacock Alley
Every Waldorf Astoria hotel around the world has a Peacock Alley - legend has it that the original Waldorf and Astoria were warring cousins who bought hotels opposite each other in NYC - once reconciled, they united the hotels with a walkway that became known as ‘Peacock Alley’ as it was where the great and good of NYC would dress up in their finery to meet and socialize. In the Maldives ,Peacock Alley offers pre and post-dinner live music, handcrafted beers and an incredible view of the lagoon, not to mention the glorious sunsets. It’s a fun place to chill and hang out.
How long does it take to get to the Maldives from the U.K.?
To fly from the U.K. to the Maldivian capital, Male, is an approximately 10-hour flight and you take either a boat or seaplane ride transfer to your resort. The Waldorf Astoria is a 45-minute boat ride away. I say boat, but in reality, this is a private yacht: luxury at the Waldorf Astoria starts the minute you set your toes on it at the airport: it’s the only boat to have a license to serve champagne - they intend you to start as you mean to go on. Enjoy!
Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi
Rates from: $1,920 per night.
