Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi

The scenery of Waldorf Island is very beautiful. The original intention of choosing this island is that there are many restaurants. As a cook, this island is the first choice! There are 11 restaurants on the island, satisfying all tastes. Our housekeeper's name is hajar Anz. She is very warm-hearted and attentive. If we are not good at English, she will send us WeChat messages thoughtfully and translate directly. If you want to go to this island, you can find her!

It has been a few months since our stay (Feb 28 – Mar 7, 2025), but as I write this review, I can still vividly recall every detail as if it were yesterday. That’s how unforgettable the Waldorf Astoria Maldives was for our family. From the moment we landed at Malé Airport, everything was seamless. We were warmly greeted by the staff and escorted onto the resort’s luxury yacht. With chilled drinks and snacks in hand, the 30–40 minute cruise felt effortless and set the perfect tone for our week in paradise. Upon arrival, our personal butler Saddam welcomed us, gave us a brief island tour, and led us to our villa. And what a villa it was! High ceilings, an airy layout with a massive living room, bedroom, dressing room, and bathroom all in a straight line. The private pool was enormous—large enough to feel like a resort pool of its own—and the entire space was impeccably maintained. Housekeeping came twice a day, always discreet and thoughtful. Although the island is man-made, the underwater life was far from disappointing. Snorkeling right off our villa, we saw reef sharks, turtles, and countless colorful fish. It felt like having our own private aquarium. Dining was a true highlight. With 11 restaurants to choose from, we never felt bored. Zuma and Nava quickly became our family favorites—we enjoyed them several times, and each visit was as satisfying as the last. To end the evenings, we loved heading to Peacock Alley’s happy hour (9–10 pm) with complimentary drinks and live music. It became our nightly ritual and the perfect way to wind down. What really made the stay extraordinary, though, was the service. Every staff member we met was warm, kind, and genuinely attentive. Our butler Saddam deserves special recognition—he cared for us like family, even arranging a doctor when I fell ill at the beginning of the trip, and making sure we had everything we needed throughout our stay. On top of all this, the resort offers a wide range of marine excursions and activities, meaning you can relax or adventure as much as you like. In short, our family had the time of our lives here. The Waldorf Astoria Maldives is where luxury feels natural, service feels heartfelt, and every day feels like a dream you don’t want to wake up from. Would we return? Absolutely—without a moment’s hesitation. In fact, we’re already missing it.

Just want to shout out for Shane, our personal concierge for our honeymoon stay. She was so accommodating and so helpful that she has all our restaurants reservations ready the day we arrived. So we can spend our time enjoying the property instead of planning for dinner. She also spent so much time helping us with our diving plans so that we can get certified as Advanced Open Water divers and she even prepared a little cake to celebrate our achievement! I would highly recommend her as a great personal concierge, especially for people who are more comfortable reading and talking in Chinese. She even made dish recommendations and helped us translate the restaurant menu every night that we dined! She also helped us numerous times to schedule and reschedule activities due to rain and bad weather.

This is out third time to this resort, and it never disappoints. We always feel that when we're here; that are vacation is longer than it is because it's so relaxing here. David Higa, who was our personal conseierge this trip, was very attentive to any needs we had. He referred us to the Ledge Burger at Nava (the pool side bar); which was one of the best burgers we've ever had. He also assisted with us getting into our room early; as we arrived at the resort at 10 AM. Furthermore, he made sure we had a room beyond our check out time since we had a late flight (11:30 PM); so we almost got an extra full day at the resort. Wiemy Abaza, who was our seating host at Breakfast; provided us exceptional customer care. Her attentiveness and infectious joy was seen not just by us; but by the many guests she served. She recommended us to eat at Yasmeen (Mediterranean cuisine) and had the best food options we've ever eaten on the resort. Naw, who was our server at Peacock Alley every night was extremely friendly and attentive during happy hour; which for Diamond members, included selected free drinks included from 9-10 PM with live music. The only things you need to know that may be a shock are the food prices a d the yacht cost. Anticipate $50-$100/person per meal. If you can get away with sharing meals or eating a very late lunch at Nava; that can help ease the food-cost burden. But, if you're a Diamond member with Hilton; their buffet Breakfast is the best buffet of any Hilton hotel you'll ever go to (and it will save you $100/person per day). They will make many items to order for you and even accommodate some things that are not on the menu. Their Maldivian Benedict was my favorite for Breakfast. Since we used points and free night rewards; we feel this is the greatest value of any Hilton property in the world. Lord willing, we will be able to come back again, as the customer service provided here is the best you will receive of any Hilton property in the world.

Dear Waldorf Astoria Maldives Team, I would like to sincerely thank[wiem] for her outstanding hospitality and professionalism. She represents the hotel in the best possible way and made our stay even more special. Kind regards, Fahad Almansoury إدارة فندق والدورف المالديف المحترمين، أتوجه بالشكر الجزيل لموظفتكم الكريمة [وئام] على مهنيتها العالية وتعاملها الراقي، والذي يعكس صورة مشرّفة للفندق ويزيد من تميّزه. تحياتي، فهد المنصوري