Jw Marriott Maldives Resort and Spa

We stayed in August with my wife and our daughter, and it was one of those rare holidays where nothing needed fixing.

The villa was genuinely lovely and the private pool was a real highlight. One caveat is that you can see the pools of neighbouring villas from your own, so if you're picturing total seclusion at the pool, adjust expectations slightly. That said, the villas are properly spaced out here, nothing like the jammed-together layouts you get at some other resorts. Ours was a long way down the jetty, which some might grumble about, but we loved the walk and the quiet.

What we didn't expect was how much marine life we'd see straight off the deck. Reef sharks and turtles from our own steps, more than once. If you're willing to snorkel out past the barrier rocks, and it does take a bit of nerve the first time, the fish life is genuinely worth it.

Our daughter adored the kids' club and asked to go back again and again, which tells you everything. Giordana and Chloe were brilliant with her.

Food was excellent across the board and breakfast in particular was a highlight every single morning, the sort of spread you actually get up early for.

The beach deserves its own mention because it was lovely and remarkably quiet, and you can snorkel straight off it with plenty of fish to see without going far: especially good for less confident or first-time snorkelers.

The gym is small but perfectly functional, and the view is the point. Running on the treadmill looking straight out at the ocean was one of the better parts of the trip.

The service is what will bring us back. A special mention to Nahaaj, our butler, who was endlessly responsive whether we needed a buggy, ice for the room, or something we hadn't thought of yet. The wait staff across the restaurants were such a pleasure, and Tia, Adam, Shanaz, Zahuvaan and Raoof all went above and beyond. The chefs were unusually personable too, and Sameera went out of his way to cut fresh fruit for my wife more than once. The biggest thank you goes to Mohamed, our housekeeper, who took the time to actually get to know us, passed on the best snorkelling tips we got all week, and left towel art that our daughter looked forward to every day.

One practical note on transfers, since it's seaplane only and the logistics are a bit of a slog. If you're going for a short stay, factor that in. For a longer trip it's a non-issue, and watching the seaplanes come and go three or four times a day became a small ritual for us.

August was kind to us in terms of weather. It rained three or four times but never for more than an hour, so we lost no days at all.

As a Marriott Titanium Elite member,if you are planning a summer off-season getaway to Marriott-operated resorts across the Maldives, I’ll recommend strongly JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa which stands out as the absolute best property for Marriott Bonvoy point redemptions, without a single rival.

We were successfully upgraded to a duplex two-storey overwater villa covering over 170 square metres from standard overwater villa by using Marriott suite upgrade voucher.The spacious accommodation is perfect suitable and ideal for our family of four.

As every staff and crew of the resort works wholeheartedly and enthusiastically,treating guests like their own families,ensuring us constantly surrounded by warmth, attentive care and genuine respect, made our what once seemed like a lengthy getaway of 6-day, 5-night stay flew by in the blink of an eye, leaving us incredibly reluctant to leave when our trip came to an end.

First of all, we want to express our heartfelt thanks to our butlers Malla and Gappe. They arranged all transfers for us, shuttling our family between our villa, activity zones and restaurants. Whenever we needed to book activities and excursions,dining reservations they responded instantly and sorted everything out perfectly.

Malla who has been working here since opening, poured endless thought and effort into catering to our every need, handling every single detail flawlessly. On our penultimate night, he prepared an unforgettable surprise for our son’s 18th birthday. During dinner, the restaurant team brought out a delicate birthday cake, and live singers performed the birthday song exclusively for him. When we returned to the villa, we were amazed by the elaborate birthday decorations and exquisite dessert platter waiting for us. Beyond that,he even spent his spare time holding a local handicraft workshop for us, preparing us coconut leaves and teaching us how to weave various traditional Maldivian crafts extremely carefully and patiently. We appreciated endlessly for everything he did for us.

Just as other guests commented, this island is a paradise for food lovers. The breakfast spread at Aailaa was absolutely phenomenal, especially the desserts. Our children loved every single option. In terms of appearance, flavor and freshness, the pastries are easily the best among all resorts of the same tier. We tried every restaurant on the island, including the main dining room, Thai restaurant, steakhouse and Japanese eatery. Aside from the prices, the food quality at all outlets is absolutely top-tier.

Beyond the delicious food, what left the deepest impression on us was the thoughtful service we received everywhere we went. All the kitchen chefs and staffs working across all resort restaurants are warm and devoted, everyone deserves high praise: Nice Sham and Raoof who ordered menu patiently and kindly for us, Tajikistani hostess Mizhgona always greeted us and leading us to the the table every morning, lovely girls Yoon and Myint (attended in Thai and Japanese restaurants)who speak fluent Chinese always welcomed and chatted with us wearing their bright and sweet smiles which kept us in high spirits all day long.Chef Jame with his colleagues I didn’t know their names offered us extremely hospitality every morning.The smile on the dynamic female chef who always busied at the noodle station during breakfast and shifted at the Thai restaurant in the afternoons was so healing and heartwarming .Chef Jayson who worked at Japanese restaurant even taught us patiently the recipe and the ingredients when he found our kids loved his fried rice a lot. Even Mr.executive chef himself who I failed to remember his name,incredibly thoughtful for preparing us a special handmade dessert on our final breakfast for our son as an apology for the birthday celebration the night before was cut short by sudden rain, and the kitchen team wanted to make the moment complete for him.

We were also blown away by the two live singers performing at the main restaurant every evening, especially the female vocalist who sang Taylor Swift’s Love Story on our first dinner here, whose performance was absolutely stunning. Both singers are extremely friendly,who would wave warmly to us whenever we passed by.What’s more, they sang a special birthday song for our son on our last night of stay.

The housekeeping team’s work was also incredible excellent.Ours was a tall slim housekeeper with glasses who I couldn’t tell his name with his unseen colleagues cleaned our villa thoroughly twice a day. They would neatly fold all our scattered clothes on balconies, sofas and beds voluntarily.They prepared lovely and exquisite bed decorations for our 20th wedding anniversary and our son’s 18th birthday.

The attendants at the Kids’ Club were talented and friendly.Though we didn’t learn their names,our kids adored all of them. They were kind, patient and meticulous, guiding kids through all games and activities, and thoughtfully arranging every meal for the little ones. Btw, the kids under 12 under enjoy complimentary lunch and dinner at all restaurants across the island, including in the kids’ club, which was extremely family-friendly policy for guests travelling with kids offered by the resort.

The team at the Dive Centre was also incredibly amazing .Throughout the snorkeling trip, they prioritized their safety in every detail, chatted with us like old friends and enthusiastically offered to take amazing photos for us.

Despite we visited during the rainy season, we enjoyed bright sunshine every single day without a drop of rain in day time which was incredibly fortunate for us! Aside from the choppy sea outside our water villa,there could not be a single flaw here!

Admittedly, compared with other Maldivian resorts, this island’s natural scenery and landscape are not the most spectacular. However, every staff’s heartfelt enthusiasm and sincere dedication to every guest here would be the only reason for us to come back again!