Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa (Full Review 2025)
- Henna Shah
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
A trip to the Maldives in the middle of the hockney blue waters of the Indian Ocean is on the bucket list of many couples. While there are ways to do a budget trip to the Maldives, if you want to experience this tropical paradise in one of its remote island resorts, then it is definitely worth saving up for a luxury trip.
We spent 6 days in the Maldives, travelling from Mumbai (India) to Male (Maldives) and then onto the Thilamaafushi Island in the Lhaviyani atoll through a seaplane transfer where spent the next few days at the Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa. Read on for a detailed Le Meridien Maldives review.
We have covered our trip to the Maldives in 4 Chapters from the lens of travelling from India, experiences to include in your itinerary, adventure activities to include in your travel plan, availability of vegetarian food in the Maldives and a complete tropical holiday packing list for the Indian traveller.
You are reading Chapter 1.
Chapter 3: Vegetarian food in the Maldives
Table of contents
Direct flight connectivity to the Maldives from India
Maldives is only a 2-3 hour flight away from most major airports in India. Air India and IndiGo offers direct flights and most of these flights are in the range of INR 15,000 to INR 25,000 for Economy Class and upwards for Premium Economy and Business Class.
While the flights from India maybe reasonable, if you are to go to your resort via seaplane then the seaplane transfer charges are higher than your flight costs from India. We have covered our seaplane transfer experience including the seaplane costs for your benefit in another blog.
A seaplane is a good one-time experience for couples or if you are travelling with kids above 3 years of age who may also enjoy this one of a kind ride. However, its best to opt for a ferry transfer if you are travelling with elderly parents, someone suffering from claustrophobia or acrophobia or is overweight. You will have to pick a resort that is closer to Male and easily accessible by ferry.
We booked our seaplane transfer with Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa and the carrier was operated by Trans Maldivian Airways. This resort was a 30 minute seaplane ride away from the Velana International Airport in Male.
Benefits of being a Marriott Bonvoy member
We were in the Maldives for our anniversary and since my husband is a Marriott Bonvoy member, we booked our stay at the Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa redeeming his Marriott points. We redeemed our points to book a 4-night stay and at any Marriott property in the world, you get a 5th night free if you are staying for 4 consecutive nights in the same property.
Again, since my husband had the status of a Titanium Elite member of Marriott Bonvoy during our stay in the Maldives, we were entitled to free breakfast. So, yes we travel-hacked our stay in a luxury resort in the Maldives and we discovered that a lot of guests travelling from the US also did the same at this particular property.
Overwater villa experience
This was our first time staying in an overwater villa and it was one of the best experiences of our life. We got a sunset villa on the east side of the resort. While we prioritised watching the sunset from our villa, sipping on some wine our lounging on the hammock on our deck atop the ocean water, there is also an advantage of the sunrise overwater villa (even if you are not a morning person). You can spend time on the deck (during the dry season) even in the afternoon as the sun wouldn’t be in your face in a sunrise overwater villa.
Also, if you are into snorkelling, then request the resort for an overwater villa on the west side of the resort as it is closer to the house reef with easy accessibility to marine life. The deck is well equipped with a jet spray to wash off after a snorkel session, a coffee table and sun loungers that also serve as stargazing chairs in the night to spot shooting stars in the clear Maldivian skies.
The room is plush, spacious and comfortable with a king size bed overlooking the ocean, coffee bar, dedicated dressing area, a storage space, an arm chair and additional seating. There is a separate toilet area and a huge bathroom with a glass covered shower area and bath tub overlooking the ocean and with the best sunset views. There are blinds for additional privacy and easy access to the deck from the bathroom.
The best part of an overwater villa is not having to deal with lizards since you are in the middle of the ocean. Beach villas or lagoon villas on the same property did have a few lizards especially in their open bathrooms as can be expected of any tropical destination.
We spotted some of the best marine life (including a stingray!) by waking up early in the morning right from our deck.
Maldives food cost and meal plans at Le Meridien Maldives
Most guests at the Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa were from the US. Almost all of them opted for a meal plan - they had a full board meal plan that included breakfast, lunch and dinner and a half board meal plan that included breakfast and dinner.
Your choice of meal plan should depend on your dietary preference and if you consume alcohol or not. For example, since we were vegetarians, most items on the dinner buffets would be off limits for us. Also, while we consume alcohol, we would not have more than 1-2 drinks per day so paying extra for unlimited alcohol on a full board plan did not make sense to us.
All our meals were Ala Carte (except for the breakfast which was free for us) and on an average our meals cost us USD 120 for 2 persons per meal. We had one drink each followed by either a starter and a main or two mains with a dessert in the end.
I have covered the restaurants at Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa and the availability of vegetarian food, Indian food in Maldives and Jain food in the Maldives in greater detail in another blog.
Complementary activities - glass bottom canoe, kayaking, snorkelling, yoga
You are entitled to a few complementary activities by the resort at the beach like kayaking and glass bottom canoeing. You can opt for a single person kayak or a two persons kayak, however, for glass-bottom canoes you had to do it solo.
The resort also offers complementary snorkelling gear and there are multiple points on the deck on both the east and west side overwater villas where you can get into the ocean. There are beach slippers and a beach bag kept in your room along with basic snorkelling instructions.
There are also other communal activities like a sunrise and sunset yoga class by the beach that the resort conducts along with a few fun activities - some tailored for kids and some for all age groups.
The resort also has a professional photographer whose slot you have to book in advance (as they do get filled quite fast). In a span of 30 minutes, the photographer takes you to a few different spots in the resort and clicks beautiful pictures of you. One picture is complementary however, the others are chargeable (trust me, you will end up paying for it). We paid USD 150 for 10 photos.
Paid activities - scuba diving, sunset dolphin cruise, jet ski and fun tube
If you want to go scuba diving, then you have to book your dives in advance at the resort’s dive shops. The resort dive shop is run by Suboceanic and has an SSI certification. You can earn your Open Water Diver certification or if you are already certified then go for your fun dives along with other enhancements like a Nitrox Specialty programme.
You can even opt for a package that clubs a few dives along with other experiences like the Sunset Dolphin Cruise, sandbank picnic, jet ski ride and fun tube rides.
The Sunset Dolphin Cruise is unmissable as they take you closer to the Baa atoll which is about an hour away from the resort. They serve you alcohol and soft beverages on board which are complementary. You end up spotting pods of spinner dolphins that range from a few twenties to about a hundred of them. It is a mesmerising sight with the backdrop of the sun setting into the Indian Ocean.
Explore Spa by Le Meridien
This was one of the most relaxing and luxurious spa experiences of my life. It was definitely worth the premium we paid for it, plus we had the benefit of an additional 15 minutes of massage time owing to our Titanium Elite status.
We booked our 90 minute couple spa appointment a day prior. When we arrived, we were welcomed with turmeric and coconut milk shots. We were then escorted to lavish changing rooms (separate for men and women) and then taken into our spa room which was on top of a part of the house reef. Our massage beds had windows to the coral reef and the marine life below us, which was a meditative experience to watch as had our backs kneaded. The masseuse were highly skilled and used great quality products. My husband and I both almost dozed off during the massage.
Post the massage, we were taken into a relaxation room overlooking the ocean to sip on some peppermint tea before we changed and headed back to our room.
Getting around the resort
While the resort is easily accessible by foot and the entire length of the resort can be covered in about 30 minutes, they have a buggy service that is quite prompt and efficient that can take you around.
You can even rent a bike for USD 10 per person per day and go around the resort. The main road of the resort is landscaped well, almost like a grove that has shade and protects you from direct sunlight.
Last word: Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa review
We had an amazing time at the Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa. The resort staff is warm, hospitable and there is exquisite attention to detail from the server in the restaurant not forgetting to refill your glass of water (actually helped me stay hydrated) to them asking you if you’d like them to call the buggy as you asked to sign the bill to the housekeeper efficiently restocking all the supplies in the room without having to ask for it. The housekeeper even offered to clean our room twice a day!
A lot of the restaurant staff was Indian and went above and beyond to help you with a variety of dishes if you were vegetarian. Overall, if I get a chance, I would love to unwind again at Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa and rate my experience as exceptional.
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