The Ritz Carlton Maldives is an incredibly luxurious resort that is great for adults and perfectly designed with kids in mind.

From the personalized service provided by all staff to the gorgeous kids club and the affordable kids meals, I could not have been happier bringing my children on the long journey from California.

View other posts in this series:

• The Best Business Class Experience: Qatar Airways A350-900 Qsuites
• Wonderful Dining on a Layover: The Al Mourjan Business Lounge
• Paradise on Earth: The Remarkable Ritz Carlton Maldives (this post)
• Superior Facilities at the Ritz Carlton Maldives
• Expensive and Luscious: The Ritz Carlton Maldives Restaurants
• The Best Kids Club Ever at the Ritz Carlton Maldives
• A Pleasant Way to Fly: Singapore Airlines 737-8 Business Class
• Bonus: Video Review of Ritz Carlton Maldives

Booking

Standard rooms at the Ritz Carlton can be booked using Marriott Bonvoy points (currently up to 130,000 points/night) or cash. Rates tend to be lower during monsoon season (June – September) and while you do risk having more rain interrupt your stay, we’ve found the weather on our trip to be plesant with a few quick spurts of rain.

If you want to stay here with two children, the Marriott’s booking engine suggests you will need a two-bedroom villa, costing much more than double the price of the standard room. However, the description of the standard room does say two adults and two children (under 12). To get around this, I would just book your desired itinerary with one child and then contact the hotel to add the second child.

Our booking for this trip was a bit out of the ordinary.  I was originally booked at the St. Regis in a two-bedroom overwater villa prior to the recent Marriott Bonvoy points devaluation.  For this reservation, I had the option of paying 540,000 Marriott points for five nights, or $1,000 plus 340,000 Marriott points.  Since I value Marriott points at more than 0.5 cents each, it made sense for me to book the latter.

I booked the hotel in July 2021 and in 2022, I started hearing rumors that the St. Regis would be closed for renovations. The hotel never reached out to me proactively.  I sent an email to the St. Regis asking about the status of the hotel and they confirmed they will be closed for the period of my stay.  I asked if I could be moved to the Ritz Carlton, but they countered with a room at the W Maldives. 

I responded that the W Maldives was not an acceptable alternative as the W has no kids club, which was the driving reason why I had selected the St. Regis in the first place.  They acknowledged the concern and agreed to move me to the Ritz Carlton in a comparable two-bedroom overwater villa.  Additionally, the staff at the St. Regis confirmed they would cover the cost of breakfast (a benefit that normally applies at most Marriott hotels with Platinum elite status or higher but not at the Ritz Carlton).

The transition from working with the St. Regis team to the Ritz Carlton team was mostly smooth, with one brief hiccup where the number of points used jumped up in price due to the recent points devaluation. However, this was rectified by the St. Regis team. The Ritz Carlton team was in frequent contact to confirm any details or preferences prior to arrival and confirmed Char’s speedboat transfer to the resort is free since she was two years old for this trip. Adults are $678 each plus tax and children aged 3 to 11 are $339 plus tax for the transfer to the resort. In total, it cost $2,184.80 for the transfers.

Earning Marriott Bonvoy points

If you’re looking to earn Marriott points quickly, you could look into picking up a Marriott credit card. Both Chase and American Express offer Marriott credit cards.

Full disclosure: in this section are refer-a-friend links where I may earn some points for referring. There is no requirement to use the below referral links to apply but note your offer may differ when going directly to the card issuer.

Chase offers the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful credit card that gives a sign up bonus of 85,000 Marriott points for spending $4,000 in the first three months for a $250 annual fee.

Or you can turn your eyes to American Express:

• The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy (not an affiliate link) offers 85,000 Marriott points for $5,000 spend in the first six months for a $250 annual fee.
• The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (not an affiliate link) offers 100,000 Marriott points for $6,000 spend in the first six months. It also comes with instant Platinum status but with a higher annual fee ($650).

Since Amex credit cards are generally one-in-a-lifetime, it might be worth waiting for a better deal to come by.

Arrival to Resort

The airport staff instantly recognized and addressed us by name.  Traveling with two young children to the resort was likely a substantial hint to the Ritz Carlton representative.  He took our bags and escorted us on a short walk to the ship terminal where we waited briefly for the boat to arrive.

A 1-hour speedboat transferred us from Male to the Ritz Carlton.  Staff onboard the ship are aware that the journey can be rocky and offered bracelets to help fight motion sickness.  One major shortcoming of the speedboat was the smell of exhaust that filled the cabin, especially near the back. There isn’t much to do onboard but Wi-Fi is available to entertain yourself on your own devices.

The arrival jetty, where the speedboat disembarks, is located near in the center of the resort. When we arrived, we were greeted by staff who presented each of the kids a small backpack filled with goodies and encouraged us to visit the Kids Club. We were whisked away on a buggy for a tour around the island.

The Ritz Carlton is located in the Fari Islands.  It’s a man-made island that was thoughtfully designed.  Culinary dining is located in the center island, while activities (beach and kids club) and the overwater villas (and spa) are on separate islands at opposing ends. The three islands are connected by short bridgeways.

Our Aris Meeha (butler) Shaghaf had some other responsibilities initially but was able to join us mid-tour.  She drove us to our villa (#312), showed us the features of the room, and completed the check in procedures.

The Two Bedroom Water Pool Villa

I’m sure Shaghaf could see the look of astonishment when we first entered. The room is beautifully designed.  The entrance opens into a large living room with a stocked bar along the left and comfortable seating on the right.  A dining table that seats six people was useful for in-room dining and snacking.

All snacks and non-alcoholic beverages were complimentary and restocked daily. Not only do they restock the supply, but housekeeping made note of what was selected for consumption and doubled the amount of those items. Char’s favorite was the parmesan-flavored chips, and two bags were provided each day as soon as they realized they were a hot seller in our villa.

On the dining table, an assortment of goodies welcomed us to the resort. We had trouble finishing everything during our time here, but everything we tried was delicious. I believe the bottle of champagne is a welcome amenity for my Titanium Marriott status.

The best part of the villa are the floor-to-ceiling windows across the entire wall in all rooms of the villa.  The windows could be fully pushed into the wall to fully integrate the indoor and outdoor experience in the Maldives.

The hotel proactively provided the kids with a play tent with accompanying blanket and pillows, which offered additional in-room entertainment.

The master bedroom was similarly gorgeous.  A comfortable king bed is located perfectly for viewing the water.  Each side of the bed had a small night stand with multiple universal outlets and controls for the window shades.  There was also a large in-room bathtub with bath salts provided for a nice night in.

Located behind the master bedroom was a large walk-in closet with generous of storage for luggage, clothes, shoes, and accessories. A woven beach bag and set of his-and-hers hats were gifts from the resort. 

Along the opposite wall is the vanity, complete with two sinks and plenty of amenities to make our stay more comfortable. The full-sized Bamford products were gifts to take home with us.

There was a spacious indoor shower that could easily fit the whole family. There was an outdoor shower that we used to rinse off after swimming in the pool or ocean.

The kids bedroom had two beds with the same spectacular view.  These beds were advertised as a twin bed, but it felt wider than the twin beds but was not quite the size of a full bed

The kids bedroom had the same walk-in closet as the master bedroom.  This definitely takes the cake for most closet space I’ve ever had in a hotel room. Plus, they had cute kid-sized robes available. In addition to the jack-and-jill vanity in the kids bedroom, there was also a half bathroom with just a toilet and sink.

The outdoor deck was stunning.  A large pool ran the center of the deck.  The pool is unheated, which can make for a chilly dip when the sun is not warming it up.  There were large steps and seating along the entire 1-meter deep pool that allowed Char to stand and move around without needing to know how to swim.

On one side of the pool were two daybeds perfect for soaking in the sun.  On the other side, an outdoor table with bench, great for in-room dining.

A ladder off the deck leads down into the water, convenient for going into the water. However, note the current during our trip was a bit strong. Despite some swimming lessons, Alex wasn’t yet able to swim well here due to the current.

Based on reviews I’ve seen online, some guests may experience water creeping into the room during a downpour. Thankfully we did not experience that on our trip, despite some moments of heavy rain. I do recall seeing some overwater villas along the sunrise side with towels piled up by the entrance to the villa. So it’s possible there could be flooding by the villa entrance, depending on where the rain is coming from.

The villa was everything we hoped for, and then some. The architecture of the villa was aesthetically pleasing and the layout was perfectly designed for a family or group of friends. The kids loved they had their own bedroom (and the parents did too). I think it’s fair to say we couldn’t have been much happier with the design and functionality of the villa. Much of this is mirrored in the layout of the island itself, which I’ll get into next time.