Hotel Review: Le Meridien Maldives Resort and Spa

The Le Meridien Maldives was one of 2021’s most anticipated new resort openings. It’s the newest addition to the Marriott Bonvoy family of properties in the Maldives and is currently ranked as a Category Five for travelers concerned about elite points earning and redemptions.

Situated in the Lhaviyani Atoll, the Le Meridien Maldives is approximately 45 minutes north of Male, the capital, via a scenic ride in a seaplane. We booked two separate categories of rooms at the resort because we traveled with my parents and wanted to have two different experiences. Sadly, we felt that our time at the Le Meridien Maldives Resort and Spa didn't live up to our expectations and we hope that the resort makes improvements for future guests.

Location and Transfer

After arriving at the international airport in Male, you will be greeted by the Le Meridien airport staff and escorted to the shared lounge at the seaplane terminal, where you will wait for your seaplane departure. In the shared lounge, there is a variety of buffet-style snacks and drinks.

Both of the seaplane transfers for my parents and us were poorly coordinated, which caused significant delays and discomfort to our arrival and departure. At other Maldives resorts we’ve stayed at, this step is typically seamless and it’s something I hope that the Le Meridien Maldives figures out in order to enhance this for future guests.

Upon arrival to the resort, a representative greets you at the seaplane jetty to assist with all luggage and to bring you to the reception area for check-in.

The Resort

The Le Meridien Maldives Resort and Spa has 144 villas, an overwater spa, six restaurants, and a resort shop. Many of the villas at the Le Meridien Maldives offer private plunge pools, but if you didn’t book a villa with a pool, there’s also a main pool at the main beach and restaurant area of the resort.

We chose to experience both a beach villa and an overwater villa in order to get a good feel of this newer resort.

Due to the size of the resort, we would have loved to have a bicycle to get around the island because walks to the main area and restaurants were quite long, especially from the overwater villas in the 200 block. Additionally, the Le Meridien Maldives doesn’t offer butler services – which was something we truly missed. The personalized butler service we received at the St. Regis and InterContinental really added to our experiences and it’s something we look forward to when visiting the Maldives.

The Food and Drink

There are six restaurants at the Le Meridien Maldives Resort and Spa. My husband and I were surprised about the high price points for food and beverages in combination with the small selection of menu items. The prices at the Le Meridien were comparable to prices at more luxurious resorts, such as the InterContinental or the St. Regis. We felt that the food and beverage prices should have been more aligned with similar resorts, such as Velassaru.

Turquoise

This buffet and a la carte restaurant is located in the resort’s main area, set back from the beach with availability for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

We were positively pleased with the breakfast offering, which included an egg and pancake station, and a fresh fruit bar. The staff was always extremely kind and there was never anything left unstocked.

Velaa Bar and Grill

The resort’s other large restaurant, Velaa Bar and Grill, is opened daily for lunch and a la carte dinner.

Riviera Bar

During our stay at the Le Meridien Maldives, we visited Riviera Bar every single day. This establishment offers incredible cocktails, delicious bites of seafood, and the best sunset atmosphere possible – plus, it’s the only adults-only area on the island.

Overwater Restaurant Tabemasu

Located over water, you’re able to watch the sea life swimming around you while dining at the resort’s Japanese restaurant. The cuisine is a fusion of Japanese delights with Maldivian influences. Be sure to make reservations because the restaurant has limited seating.

The Accommodations

The Le Meridien Maldives Resort and Spa offers multiple different room categories. There are beach villas with or without a private plunge pool as well as overwater villas with or without a private plunge pool.

Room 1: Beach Villa

We stayed in a wonderful Beach Villa with direct ocean access and a private beach area. All of the beach villas at the Le Meridien Maldives are surrounded greenery; however, they do sit close to each other and we could hear our neighbors speaking.

The villa’s outdoor area consists of a small roofed terrace, a table and lounge, two sun beds, and an umbrella. Inside the Beach Villa was one large bedroom with a huge bed, a colorful seating area, and mini bar. Right behind it was the closet space and outdoor bathroom. One thing we felt was a fail with the Beach Villa’s room design was that it is lacking a counter behind the bed headboard.

At the base of the bed is a small chaise lounge that looks out towards the beach. Beside the bed, two nightstands are arranged with each having universal power plugs for charging. There is an electronic safe in the room, life vests, umbrellas, and (beware!) a for-purchase beach bag.

Our beach villa (number 115) was located near the resort’s spa, which made getting to treatments easy.

Beach Villa Bathroom

A door leads to the outdoor bathroom, which featured a double vanity, garden shower and a glass-sided shower (note: no air conditioning in the bathroom). There is no bathtub in this room category.

Room 2: Sunrise Overwater Villa

We also booked a Sunrise Overwater Villa with direct ocean access from the villa’s private deck. It’s immediately noticeable that the Sunrise Overwater Villa is sizably larger than the Beach Villa. The villa’s outdoor area has a dining area for two, two sunbeds, netting over the crystal-clear Indian Ocean, and a ladder for ocean access.

Inside, the villa boasts a large king-size bed, a vanity, a large closet area that is closed off by saloon doors, and a stunning glass bathroom. The bed looks out at the Indian Ocean so you wake up to the most beautiful views. However, the saloon doors to the closet area became more of an annoyance rather than a fun room feature.

Behind the bed is a counter and at the base of the bed is a small chaise lounge that looks out towards the beach. Beside the bed, two nightstands are arranged with each having universal power plugs for charging. There is an electronic safe in the room, life vests, umbrellas, and again, a for-purchase beach bag.

Our overwater villa, number 233, was situated near the middle of one of the resort’s jetties and offered more privacy than other villas due to its location next door to a service room on one side.

Sunrise Overwater Villa Bathroom

The villas indoor bathroom features a rainfall shower and a large bathtub with a view. The villa’s glass is tinted in a manner that nearby snorkelers won’t see you if you’re relaxing in the bathtub during the day.

Activities

All non-motorized water sport equipment, such as snorkels, fins, kayaks, or paddle boards, are available for use free of charge during your stay. You can also rent a jet ski or join one of their many tours for a fee.

For the best snorkeling, we recommend the gorgeous reef drop by the 200 block of overwater villas. It’s worth noting that assigning snorkeling equipment was a lengthy process and our equipment was broken.

The Spa

The resort’s Explore Spa is located near the middle of the island and offers a variety of treatments. Treatment rooms are overwater and have a glass bottom feature for spa visitors to enjoy the sea life.

I booked multiple treatments including a massage, wrap, and facial. The treatments were extremely professional and relaxing, but I disliked how the treatment rooms didn’t have a private bathroom with a shower. Instead of being able to unwind in privacy after my treatment, I was directed to a shared locker room to shower – which completely lacked a feeling of luxury for the price of the treatments.

Overall

The Le Meridien Maldives is located on a gorgeous remote island with white sand beaches. Villas are vibrantly colored, feature unique bathrooms, and offer a varierty of different categories to choose from.

Sadly, we experienced multiple issues during our stay and feel that the situations should have been handled in a timelier manner, especially when our overwater villa’s lock function failed and we were unable to get into our room for over five hours. We were also quite surprised at the amount of trash already situated in the resort's foliage, considering how new the resort is.

What We Loved

• The beaches aren’t disrupted by a lot of erosion, so they’re absolutely stunning.
• The overwater treatment rooms at the Explore Spa have glass bottoms, which makes the experience twice as nice.
• The resort’s restaurant service is friendly and quick. We enjoyed chatting with the staff and the food at all of the resort’s dining establishments was delicious.

What You Should Know

• The resort does not have its own private lounge at the seaplane terminal in Male. You will be waiting for your seaplane departure in a large, shared lounge.
• We received a fee from the resort for “overweight” luggage because all luggage over 50lbs (25kg) is subject to a fee on seaplane transfers. At higher-end resorts, such as the St. Regis and the InterContinental, the fee is waived for customers.
• There is no butler service offered at the Le Meridien Maldives.
• The resort does not provide bicycles for guests and getting from one area of the island to the other can be a long journey, with buggies substituting for taxis whizzing by you on the paths.
• Villas at the resort are situated very close together and offer minimal privacy.
  • Our Beach Villa had limited privacy, and there were often groups of people walking on the beach in the front and we could hear our neighbors conversing.
  • Our Sunrise Overwater Villa was situated on a bend of the jetty and was next to a service station, so it offered more privacy than others. However, snorkelers swam by at all hours during the day.
• The sunbeds don’t lay flat.
• At the time of our visit, there were a lot of families with children – which made breakfast and dinner quite noisy experiences versus relaxing meals.

Book your stay at the Le Meridien Maldives on Booking.com, Hotels.com, and Expedia.

Check out my other hotel reviews here.