JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa

JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa Reviews

JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa

Island, Atoll, Van'gaaru, Shaviyani Atoll, 02031, MaldivesSee Hotel Details
JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa
JW Marriott Maldives Resort & SpaJW Marriott Maldives Resort & SpaJW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa
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1 night

Guest Reviews

9.2/10
Great
50 review
Verified reviews
Location9.2
Amenities9.2
Service9.2
Cleanliness9.2
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Positive reviews(42)
Reviews with photos/video(13)
Negative reviews(4)
浚龙
Overwater Pool Villa, 1 Bedroom Villa, 1 King, Sunset view
Stayed in Sep 2024
Couple
2 review
10/10
Outstanding
Posted on Oct 7, 2024
The experience at JW Marriott was great and we were impressed with both the service and the facilities. Our housekeeper Shamil's meticulous care made our trip happier. Will choose here again next time!
DCSC
Overwater Pool Villa, 1 Bedroom Villa, 1 King, Sunrise view, Ocean view
Stayed in May 2024
Couple
10 review
10/10
Outstanding
Posted on Sep 28, 2024
Nice hotel and service are good
Natalia
Beach Pool Villa, 1 Bedroom Villa, 1 King, Sunrise view
Stayed in Feb 2025
Couple
1 review
10/10
Outstanding
Posted on May 4, 2025
Love it!
Guest User
Duplex Overwater Pool, 1 Bedroom Villa, 1 King
Stayed in Nov 2023
Family
4 review
6.5/10
Posted on Dec 28, 2023
The environment of the Maldives hotels is beautiful and the service is also very good! But there are some details that I’m not happy to share: 1. Indians like to go to this island very much, so the overall flavor of the food on the island can be imagined! 2. The wind and waves around the island are very strong, the water is very desolate and there are no corals and fish, so it is not suitable for snorkeling. 3. The charges are very expensive, a bottle of mini Coke costs US$8, and a ton of rice is basically around US$500! 4. The service of the aquatic center is very poor. The spare snorkeling cylinder that comes with it cannot be inflated, but it has been filled before in other islands in Madai!
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Guest User
Beach Pool Villa, 1 Bedroom Villa, 1 King, Sunrise view
Stayed in Aug 2023
Family
2 review
8.0/10
Very Good
Posted on Oct 19, 2023
This is the cost of the hotel only. Flying by sea or land requires additional payment. Need to pay attention to Another point to note is that two meals are included in the day, but they are breakfast and lunch. This is not clearly stated. It should be said to be breakfast and lunch directly, not to mention two meals. Those who include meals should also pay attention Meal packages can be ordered to be delivered to the room for a similar meal delivery fee of only $29. But the funny thing is that children need to pay for meals to be delivered to the room... The entire resort is not very big and can be used purely for leisure.
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Guest User
Overwater Pool Villa, 1 Bedroom Villa, 1 King, Sunset view
Stayed in May 2025
Couple
18 review
10/10
Outstanding
Posted on Jun 9, 2025
非常好,房間非常好
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Vince P
Stayed in Apr 2025
Solo traveler
10/10
Outstanding
Posted on May 26, 2025
Great well established, maintained and run resort with a beautiful house reef, magnificent white sand beaches and crystal clear waters in all shades of blues. While the villas, views and activities where top tier, the service was definitely the highlight.
Response from Property: Dear Vince P, Thank you for your kind feedback and for sharing your wonderful experience with us! We are delighted that you enjoyed the breathtaking natural beauty of the island, as well as the high standards of our villas, views, and activities. It is especially rewarding to hear that our service stood out as the highlight of your stay. Our team strives to make every moment special for our guests, and we are grateful for your recognition. We look forward to welcoming you back for another unforgettable experience at JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa! Warm regards, Mohit Dembla
alainpintoo
Stayed in Apr 2025
Family
10/10
Outstanding
Posted on May 5, 2025
As a Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite, I travel weekly and stay in Marriott hotels around the world—but the JW exceeded all expectations! Two close friends had highly recommended the resort, and we were absolutely not disappointed. The service here is world-class. Only a handful of hotels globally manage to offer this level of warmth, professionalism, and genuine hospitality. Every staff member made us feel truly welcome, and saying goodbye was hard—I felt like I was leaving family behind. At this resort, the philosophy of “the guest is king” is truly lived, and especially children are treated like royalty. The Island: Perfect for families, but also ideal for couples. There’s plenty of privacy and space to relax throughout the island. The Villas: We stayed in both the Beach Villa and the Overwater Villa—both were spotless, modern, spacious, and beautifully designed. We loved them! The Food: As a professional chef, I was blown away. From the authentic Thai restaurant to the ultimate steakhouse, there was something for every taste—absolutely sensational! The Staff: The team treats you like family—attentive, warm, and truly professional. Every wish is anticipated. A heartfelt thank you to: Gasim, our butler, who made our stay truly special. We had such a wonderful time with him thank you for everything! And thanks to mmm Lahiru, Ita, Cindy, Samira, Reny, Syaag, Manish, Asrafrul, Mala (Sorry if I forgot any names—the chefs were also fantastic and so attentive!) Words can’t fully capture the experience—you simply have to live it for yourself. Thank you for everything. We truly hope to see you again very soon! Warmest regards and keep up the amazing work!
Response from Property: Dear alainpintoo, Thank you for your incredibly thoughtful and heartfelt review. As a Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite member who travels the world frequently, your praise means the world to us. We are truly honored to have exceeded your expectations and to know that your time at JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa felt like a home away from home. It’s especially rewarding to hear that you experienced the warmth, sincerity, and attention to detail that define our service philosophy. We are delighted that both villa experiences, the diverse culinary offerings, and the serene setting of our island left a lasting impression on you and your family. Your special recognition of our team members is deeply appreciated. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with everyone mentioned. We thank you once again for choosing us, and we very much look forward to welcoming you back for another unforgettable stay in paradise. Warm regards, Mohit Dembla
francescobE8627SB
Stayed in Mar 2025
Couple
10/10
Outstanding
Posted on Apr 11, 2025
Great stay.. the staff of this resort is exceptional and they make you feel at home immediately.. they take care of you and your needs with warmth and smile. Malla, our villa butler, was amazing in his service and assistance! The resort need a bit of freshening up especially on the wooden deck side and overall food and beverages / activities prices are a bit on the high side (but you are in the Maldives and that should be expected anyhow). Overall it was a very relaxing and joyful holiday thanks to the warmth of the staff.. indeed a 5 star rating!
6/8
danielel994
Stayed in Feb 2025
Couple
8.0/10
Very Good
Posted on Mar 12, 2025
We had the pleasure of spending our Honeymoon on this island and although the vacation was extremely expensive it was one of the best experiences our life and worth it for our special occasion. We ended up spending 15.000 USD for 5 nights which is an average of 3k per night. We opted for all included in food but still it was a price extremely high for our expectation. The staff has made the experience special, from our personal assistant Naawish to the chef who made specially handmade gluten free food for me, his name is Rohit. He made me experience for the first time in my life Prata and other Indian food thanks to his skill in making everything gluten free for me. There are 5 or 6 restaurants in the island so there are plenty of option for you to eat every day in a different place. They also surprised us during the stay with small surprises for our honeymoon like giving us special seating on the dock during our last night and few other small gestures that were highly appreciated. The island is gorgeous and I think it's quite private so you have so many time in which you have the beach all for yourself. We stayed in both Overwater Villa and Beach Villa and I recommend doing the same so you can experience both during the stay. There are few reason that made me give though 4 stars and not 5 and here are some of the consideration if you plan to stay here: - Missing points as Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Member: For some reason the points received after the stay as Platinum member are less than what I was expecting. I reached out to them and they called me and sent me various emails acknowledging that I have not received what I and they were expecting. Up to this day (3 weeks from my stay) I still haven't received the missing points. Unfortunately they after stay support hasn't not been great and this has affected the overall experience. (Hopefully somebody from their staff will read this and follow up from my emails) - this brings to the second point. All activities, photo shooting, Taxes, GST, seaplane are not eligible for Points. For us was 33% of our overall spending (only 9.8k out of 15k spent were eligible for points). That's a lot of points and honestly I wasn't expecting to miss so many points from the stay. - This island is extremely expensive. We have traveled a lot around the world and this has been the most expensive place we have been. be ready to spend way more than you plan. Between villa, food and other activities we had planned 2k USD a day but we ended up spending 3k a day. Anything you do is expensive, even something simple like Shisha that anywhere else would cost you 30$ here will cost you more than 100$ . We had some photos taken by the photographer and it cost 450 USD to have a digital copy of them. I was honestly expecting to have it included in the package since we spent over 15.000 $
ThePlayerbookazine
Stayed in Dec 2024
Family
10/10
Outstanding
Posted on Jan 8, 2025
The Maldives is a nation of over 1,000 islands and atolls spread out across 90,000 square kilometres in the Indian Ocean. Visiting any of its resorts requires flying into Malé, the Maldavian capital island and then taking separate transportation, usually via seaplane or speedboat, to the resort itself. For most of the Maldives resorts, once you’ve made a reservation, the resort takes care of all the pre-arrival logistics so that you don’t have to worry about anything. The JW Marriott Maldives was no exception, confirming our seaplane bookings on our behalf and having staff members at the International Airport to take care of arriving and departing guests. Upon arrival into Male, our JW Marriott hosts took our passports and completed check-in with Trans Maldivian Airways on our behalf. After check-in was complete and we had our boarding passes in hand, we boarded the JW Marriott private transport and driven across the airport towards the dedicated lounge facilities for guests who are awaiting their seaplane journey. Along the way, the driver let us know there was complimentary wifi onboard, the first of countless acts of going the extra mile service that we experienced on this trip. We were invited to make ourselves comfortable for the 30-minute wait before it would be time to board the seaplane. The JW Marriott Maldives, which completely encompasses Vagaru island in the remote Shaviyani Atoll, is a spectacular 50 minute seaplane ride and has to be one of the highlights of your holiday. It has to be said, that hotels here are very few and far between, so there’s pretty much uninterrupted views without another island in sight. This island won’t disappoint, with its amazing pure white sandy beaches and electric blue waters, plus, seclusion and serenity are the signature offering here! Vagaru island was a former resort adopted by JW Marriott with the designers having to work around many of the existing buildings. The result is a quirky take on a contemporary style with natural elements. All 60 villas have been designed from the outside to mimic the lines of a traditional Maldivian Dhoni boat. Each has a decent sized outdoor deck as well as a private pool. We booked the duplex villa option which gets a separate second en-suite room. This worked particularly well as we were travelling with two kids and gave us all our own space. Villas are categorised by their sunrise or sunset views and you can choose between overwater or beach, although do note, the overwater villas are set along quite a lengthy jetty. These villas also have bathrooms that overlook the walkway, so you will need to drop the blinds for privacy. For those staying in overwater villas which do not have the direct beach access, there are a plenty of designated sun lounger spots. The JW caters very well for both families and couples alike. There’s a large T-shaped family pool and then a separate pool called Pool 18, designed for adults-only. Pool 18 reaches out over the sea with am
6/17
Response from Property: Dear The Playerbookazine, Thank you for sharing such a thorough and heartfelt review of your stay at JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa. We are delighted to learn that our seamless arrival arrangements, well-designed villas, diverse dining options, and thoughtfully curated activities all contributed to making your experience truly remarkable. It is especially gratifying to hear that our friendly and attentive team members exceeded your expectations, including accommodating special dietary needs. Your kind words about our island’s natural beauty, from the pristine white sandy beaches to the vibrant blue waters, remind us of the privilege we have in showcasing this unique destination. We sincerely appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you and your family back soon for another memorable getaway. Warm regards, Mohit Dembla
Guest User
Stayed in Jun 2025
Other
10/10
Outstanding
Posted on Jul 16, 2025
2nd time back in Maldives because we had such a magical trip the 1st time in Sept 24. My partner decided to choose another resort within Marriot Bonvoy Group so that we could capture new experiences. From the moment we arrived at the resort, about a 50-min sea plane ride from Male, it was clear that we were going to have a great time. We were greeted warmly with Maldivian drums and staff by the jetty. Our Butler - Hassan was assigned to take care of us for the week at the resort. The service provided by him was not only seamless but attentive without being intrusive. He was always just a message away, arranging our floating breakfast, photoshoot, spa, beach dinners, even personally delivering sweet treats to us on some days after his work shift. Honestly, we were so blown away by his dedication after our disastrous encounter with our previous butler from our 1st trip. We bumped into 1 of the staff member - Sovia (Aailaa restaurant) who was working at the previous resort we were at. That was a nice surprise seeing a familiar face! After which,we also found out another staff member - Uzam had transferred over. We had such a wonderful time catching up (truly happy and proud that their career progression is going well), exchanging contacts to keep in touch this time around since fate works in mysterious ways of allowing us to cross paths again. Every staff member, to name a few (Bhgyashree, Rameez) that we have encountered, from our villa attendent (Nabeeh), restaurants hosts (Sovia, Tia, Zahuvan, Reni, Zahir, Aalif and many more - I tried my very best to remember their names) and chefs (Dinesh, Upali, Kenika) were genuinely invested in making our stay perfect. We met Chef Dinesh and Chef Upali, Sovia, Tia every day when we were at Aalia Restaurant to have our breakfast.  Seeing them was our way of knowing that we were going to have a great day, every day. I was utterly spoilt by them like royalty, my expanding waistline and weight gain can attest to it. We also met Chef Kenika who handles the Thai restaurant - Kaashi on the island. We had our 1st dinner - Treetop Thai Night (only on Mon). The menu was curated well that we went back for more thai food over the next few days. It was like having a piece of thailand in Maldives - what a perfect combination. Chef Kenika cooks from her heart and you can tell that from the flavours of the food. Zahuvan , who was stationed at Kaashi (lunch), Hashi & Shiro (dinner) was so attentive in his service and we always look forward to seeing him. We also had a great pleasure to meet and connect with GM Mohit Dembla during our stay. We were very surprised when we were invited to have drinks with him which followed up by dinner. It was such a warm and personal setting of conversations and personal outlooks in life. The dinner at Hashi & Shiro was perfect. Unfortunately, I was too engrossed in the dinner conversations that I forgot to take pictures of the food. In a destination as beautiful as the Maldives, it
Guest User
Stayed in Jun 2025
Traveling with friends
2.0/10
Posted on Jul 14, 2025
was worst stay ever i went 3 nights only first day i took my villa 4:30 pm when i woke up morning my back all stain from the bugs. second day i went for breakfast for half an hour then i saw the cleaning guy in my villa cleaning without informing me i told them to come later . he came the second shift and he didnt clean this well , i kept quite . third day i ask to clean my villa 8:00 am i came to my villa 11:00 am wasn’t cleaning at all. when i asked my they told me coz new arrival 😌. i got made really and spoke to the manager which try her best to make me happy. 4th day i woke up 3:00 am the same day there is now electricity in my villa coz the storm only my villa was off. i should leave the island my friends family should leave 3:00 pm but for the weather conditions they left 2:00 pm i told them to put us since we are going to same international flight they didn’t . the manager know about the weather and she told us .i was outside the villa since 2:30 pm till 3:30 i keep contacting them about the seaplane they told us they have 2 options . we might be in the seaplane which will reach the resort if not they have to keep us in the beach villa for one day . then they contact me and told me the weather not good and no seaplane can come to island and 50% off the food so i had to change my international flight since it was less than 3 hours i had to pay for it . the. they book for us seaplane 8:30 am i told them i have health conditions i should sleep more my international flight was 19:45 pm they didn’t even care . i left the island 9:00 am . i would never go back to this resort again .
Guest User
Stayed in Jun 2025
Couple
10/10
Outstanding
Posted on Jul 12, 2025
My wife and I visited the JW Marriott resort for the first time but certainly not the last. The whole experience from arrival to departure was an absolute pleasure. Greeted by the team and then taken to our villa by our butler Hassan. Hassan was on call all week for anything required and he did the job admirably. The food was excellent and a special shout out to the sommelier and bar manager Lahiru. Attentive to our every need he went above and beyond anything one would expect. Incredible location and incredible hosts. A travellers dream. Thank you all.
ElevenMadison
Stayed in Dec 2024
Family
6.0/10
Posted on Jan 8, 2025
For anyone who hasn’t been to the Maldives before then (aside from the gratingly outrageous cost of food and drink) you may well think that this hotel is fabulous. For anyone that has been to the Maldives before you will be bitterly disappointed and wish you had booked somewhere else. Lets start with the good things. We stayed in the two bedroom pool villa. Yes, as some people have mentioned it is a little dated but the villa itself is very spacious and gave us a very comfortable stay. The main bedroom is large with a huge en suite with deep soaking tub and plenty of piping hot water (big tick!) The kids bedroom, directly off the master bedroom is small but has a full bathroom with shower and a tub. Upstairs, there is a further room currently set up as a lounge with day bed, mini bar, TV and a further shower room making it perfect for a family with lots of children. Outside the villa had a good-sized pool and spacious garden and seating area. The beach villas are nicely spaced out so that you rarely see anyone else. We were assigned a butler who works very much like a Six Senses butler works. This whole system works very well. Unfortunately our main luggage was not offloaded from the seaplane which wasn’t a good start, especially as we had had to wait over three hours for the plane on arrival to Male. Thankfully, our butler Hassan tracked it down and had it back at the hotel four hours later. Unfortunately this meant that along with the seaplane wait we wasted a whole day of our holiday. Back to the plus points - The staff, they are a huge credit to the hotel. Everyone we met was so kind and friendly. They literally fall over themselves to help. They are quick to learn your likes and dislikes and people call you by your name. My son had an accident when playing football. The medic was called, he was treated, I was contacted by WhatsApp. My son said everyone was very caring. They proceeded to check up on him for the next two days. The quality of treatments in the spa are super. Joyce gave the best massages. I am very wary of taking a massage as the last time I was in the Maldives a therapist caused a lot of damage to a shoulder which resulted in steroid injections , physio and a lot of pain for almost a year, so poor Joyce was given a lot of instructions of what not to do or touch. She was incredible. The only downside was the cost of a massage, by the time you add the ++ you are looking at $200 for 50 mins. Quality of food in general very good but the cost is outrageous. They are more than double what we have paid in other Maldives hotels - including The Four Seasons . Meal packages are also very expensive. Every price is ++ so thats an extra 22% on top of the price you see. If you want to upgrade to the all inclusive package thats $450 ++ for anyone 12 years and older - so essentially $550USD and tips are expected on top! Children 12 and over are expected to pay adult price for meal packages! Alternatively you can opt to eat in Aliaa
Response from Property: Dear ElevenMadison , Thank you for choosing JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa for your stay in the Maldives. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences with us. Your feedback helps us understand and improve upon the areas of concern you mentioned. I apologize for the challenges you faced, particularly upon arrival, and we have addressed your concerns with the seaplane company. Unfortunately, bad weather affected the Maldives during your visit, resulting in rough conditions at our overwater jetty. I would like to share that our menu pricing is competitive with other luxury properties, and we offer various meal packages to cater to our guests needs. At the same time, I would like to thank you for recognizing the service culture, Villa layout , spa services and the team , especially, Joyce and Hassan . I have shared your feedback with them and they are delighted to know that they could contribute in making your stay a memorable one. Thank you once again for the opportunity to serve you. Warmest Regards Mohit