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W Maldives is part of the Marriott brand, Park Hyatt is a Hyatt, and Conrad Maldives is part of the Hilton brand. Thus, you can earn and burn Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, and Hilton Honors points at each respective resort. We look at which is the best hotel below.
If you are choosing between the best hotels in the Maldives, we have also compared the St. Regis Vs. Ritz-Carlton Maldives, which are similarly good and are worth considering.
1. Location: Waldorf Or Conrad Maldives
W Maldives is located on North Ari Atoll, a shorter seaplane ride from Mahe airport. The flight takes just 25 minutes. A cheaper arrival option is a domestic flight to Maamigili Airport, which takes about 20 minutes, followed by a speedboat transfer, which takes about 45 minutes. The transfer price is similar.
The Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa is one of the most secluded resorts in the Maldives. To get to the Park Hyatt, you take a commercial plane and then a speedboat.
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island has a private seaplane lounge at Malé International Airport where you can relax before hopping on the seaplane. Hosts at Counter B6 will assist with check-in and transfer to the lounge, and the lounge offers a comfy place to sit, complimentary Wi-Fi and cable TV, complimentary breakfast and lunch refreshments, shower facilities, and a baby-changing station.
The hotel is a spectacular 30-minute flight from Velana International Airport on a seaplane operated by Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA). Seaplanes operate daily from 6:00 am – 3:30 pm. The return transfer per adult costs $675 USD net at the time of writing and all three resorts are similarly expensive to get to.
2. Style & Character
W Maldives is currently undergoing major renovations and is expected to reopen in the fourth quarter of 2024. It should be beautifully finished in 2025 and well worth visiting. The resort is known for its warm and friendly atmosphere. Upon arrival, guests are welcomed with a delightful cocktail to kick off their stay. Fun and an excellent reef are the primary attractions of this resort. We have actually compared W Maldives to the JW Marriott in case you’re having problems choosing between these two Marriott Bonvoy hotels.
Located on the private island of Hadahaa, the Park Hyatt features minimalist architecture with clean lines, using local materials that reflect Maldivian culture. Villas, some of which are perched over the turquoise waters, offer stunning views and private pools, ensuring an intimate and serene experience. The resort’s interiors are sleek and modern, yet warm, with rich wooden accents and soft furnishings that create a sense of sophisticated comfort.
The Conrad is spread across two private islands. When you arrive at the lobby, you will notice that the floor is covered in sand. This is perfect for barefoot luxury, but not so great if you’re wearing heels. The Conrad is set up with a family island and an adults’ island, which is a good idea. They’ve also divided their pools in the same way.
3. Beach & Pools
The beaches at all three hotels are spectacular, with powdery white sand and crystal-clear waters that are quintessentially Maldivian. But for snorkeling and diving alone, W Maldives or Park Hyatt are the ones to pick
The main pool at W Maldives is lively but not busy. It has music playing and jacuzzis on one side. Weekly pool parties offer a great way to make new friends if you are looking for this. The W is a friendly, fun resort.
The W is definitely the most adult of these resorts and the least suited to families. While kids are welcome, there is no babysitting or kids’ club. Kids are not particularly well catered for. That said, the adults are very well catered for, and there is a neverending calendar of activities to do, so it’s hard to get bored.
The W Maldives is known for having one of the best reefs in the Maldives. Expect to see sharks, eagle rays, and a brilliant array of fish.
The Park Hyatt’s pool area is particularly delightful, offering sweeping views and beautiful cabanas. The overwater villas are the top choice here, providing unobstructed sunset views and direct access to snorkeling from your villa. For snorkeling enthusiasts, the Park Hyatt is an excellent option. The snorkeling experience is exceptional, some of the best in the Maldives, with abundant black-tip and white-tip reef sharks, turtles, giant moray eels, and eagle rays.
The Conrads pools are split into a quiet adults pool and a family pool on the family island. Both have bars next to them.
Snorkeling at the Conrad Maldives is also good and the house reef is easily accessible and teeming with marine life, including colorful corals, tropical fish, reef sharks, and rays.
5. Rooms
Beach villas are usually larger than overwater villas in the Maldives. They also have no reef noise, which can be problematic in an overwater villa if you’re a light sleeper.
The W Maldives rooms are a mix of beach and overwater villas, all with thatched roofs. The overwater villas are their base rooms, and the beach villas are a step up. They are more expensive, larger, and semi-detached, so they are attached to the next-door villa.
The beds in the beach villas are comfy but quite low to get in and out of, and there are steps from the bed to the living area of the room that would be a nightmare with small kids. The bathrooms are a highlight in the beach villas at W Maldives as they are partially open-air with greenery hanging down from the ceiling in. They are really nice and unusual.
Park Hyatt has both beach and overwater villas but not all the rooms and villas at the Park Hyatt have private pools.
Not all the rooms at the Conrad in the Maldives have private pools. The ones which do are very clearly labeled as “with pool”. Beach villas with pool have a nice sized private pool that leads out onto the beach from which you can head into the water and immediately paddle. The Conrad wins on toiletries as they have Molton Brown which I love.
Food & Drink
Among W Maldives, Park Hyatt Maldives, and Conrad Maldives, Conrad Maldives often stands out for its diverse and immersive culinary experiences, including the iconic Ithaa Undersea Restaurant, which offers a unique dining experience with panoramic underwater views. Dining here is like eating in an aquarium. The room itself is quite small and has a curved glass roof. It’s definitely an experience worth trying, but it is expensive and feels a bit gimmicky. There’s only so long you can stare at fish swimming past.
W Maldives offers trendy, vibrant dining with innovative cuisine, and Park Hyatt focuses on gourmet, refined dishes in a serene setting, but Conrad’s distinctive dining options (including underwater dining) make it a top choice for food enthusiasts for its uniqueness.
If you want great food, for the food itself, St. Regis has one of the Maldives’ best reputations. We have compared the St. Regis Maldives to the Waldorf and Ritz-Carlton above.
6. Price
When comparing the costs of staying at W Maldives, Park Hyatt Maldives, and Conrad Maldives, Park Hyatt Maldives generally tends to offer the most competitive rates, making it often the most affordable option among the three. While all three resorts provide luxurious accommodations and top-tier amenities, W Maldives and Conrad Maldives frequently have higher price points due to their brand prestige and unique offerings, such as Conrad’s underwater villa. However, rates can fluctuate based on the season, availability.
If you’re paying for your stay at any luxury hotel in the Maldives, you get a much better deal if you book via our luxury travel concierge. Our perks include a resort credit, a prioritized room upgrade (subject to availability), Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt or double Hilton Honors points, and breakfast for two.
7. Conclusion
The W Maldives has a vibrant but relaxing vibe, a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere and one of the best snorkeling reefs in the Maldives, but no kids club or kids pool.
Pick the Park Hyatt for its brilliant snorkeling on their house reef and minimalist decor. The deck and pool at their beach villas are a great place to enjoy an evening meal. The snorkeling, diving, and watersports are some of the best in the Maldives.
The Conrad’s rooms are gorgeous and this is a great hotel but it doesn’t stand out over the other resorts featured in this article. To be honest, if you’re a Hilton fan, the Waldorf is the one to pick rather than the Conrad if money is not a problem.
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