The Ritz Carlton Maldives is an incredibly luxurious resort great for adults and perfectly designed with kids in mind.  This part focuses on the kids club.

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
• 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 (this post)
• A Pleasant Way to Fly: Singapore Airlines 737-8 Business Class
• Bonus: Video Review of Ritz Carlton Maldives

Ritz Kids

The Ritz Kids club is located right in the middle of where most activities are located on the resort. When you take a buggy to the beach, the Beach Shack restaurant, gym, recreation center, or dive center, you will pass the Ritz Kids club along the way. The outside of the kids club looks fairly humble, but here it feels like the true beauty resides on the inside.

Ritz Kids – Interior

When you step inside the kids club, your eyes are immediately drawn to the large decorative wall immediately across the entrance. There is a small reception desk immediately on your left where you can check in your child. The hotel website states the kids club is intended for children aged 4 to 12 — and that is true if you intend to drop off your child while you go enjoy the other facilities at the resort.

However, do note that children under age 4 are certainly welcomed here and there is plenty for the young ones to do, but you will not be able leave your underaged child unattended. Jenn and I have been to resorts where there is nothing to do if you’re under a certain age, but here children under age 4 can join in for all planned activities. I’ll talk more about the activities later.

Along your right-side after entering is a very large indoor custom-made space where kids can let loose. This is perhaps the only place indoors where it can be a struggle with kids under 4 as it can be a little cramped trying to rescue your little one if they get stuck going up on their way to the rope bridge and fireman’s pole. Alex had lots of fun crawling around here. Char attempted multiple times to make it up to the pole, but grew fearful the ropes would not support her and needed to backtrack. However, there is a slide that is easily accessible on the other side that Char loved.

Next to the indoor play structure is a large TV with plenty of seating. Most of the time, the TV played images or videos of fish and underwater life. There were times when the kids decided to plop down and watch some Minecraft on YouTube. The staff working here will allow occasional TV usage, but will also make sure kids don’t spend too much time watching TV by gently encouraging them into other activities. As a parent dropping off a kid, I am happy that all time isn’t spent in front of the TV and the staff takes active involvement with making sure children are entertained. They do have a Nintendo Switch here but I didn’t see anyone use it.

As I mentioned about kids younger than 4 being welcomed here, there is a high chair if you need it. And the restroom, located just to the left of the TV area, also has toilets designed for little ones–a very nice added touch for those kids who are intimidated by larger toilets–as well as training toilets, if your child prefers that.

Scattered throughout the indoor space are little nooks filled with different types of toys. Building blocks, a play kitchen, scooters, hammocks, and other goodies are awaiting the little ones. Alex and Char spent hours here and never got bored. And if you’re concerned about safety, they do have helmets available if you need them.

Along the decorative wall are a number of windows that double as padded sitting areas. It is nice just taking a break here and staring at the outdoor area.

Ritz Kids – Exterior

Speaking of the outdoor area, if you pass through the door along the decorative wall, you’ll end up in a special area of the kids club. You’ll spy the giant play structure right in front of you where kids will have fun climbing up to the top or using it as an entrance to the suspension bridge. There is a taller fireman’s pole and a slide for extra fun getting down.

The suspension bridge leads to a water slide. Note this isn’t a fast-moving water slide. Both Alex and Char had fun going down the water slide on their own, and did so by scooting themselves down. Smaller kids will appreciate the slide isn’t crazy, but bigger kids likely will be disappointed at the speed.

The water slide leads to a large pool, which is only 0.5 meters deep. While not zero-entry, the pool is shallow enough for the smallest tots and has various levels of depth, including ankle-deep water. The pool didn’t feel heated, but since the weather here is so hot and you would only be here during daylight hours, that was no problem for us. There is a large covering directly over the pool, reducing the sun’s impact while enjoying the pool.

We’ve found that it’s very easy to get sunburnt in the Maldives, so having extra protection for kids is relieving as a parent. Attached to the pool is a splash pad that Alex enjoyed running through. And there are plenty of water toys for added enjoyment.

If your kids get tired of the pool, there is a small rock climbing wall outdoors as well. Alex played with this briefly, but didn’t spend long here since there were so many other things to play with.

The staff working here saw we were outdoors for a bit and stopped by to provide some water bottles to make sure we were hydrated.

If you want to take the fun over to the beach, you can also get some sand toys from the kids club to enjoy during your stay at no charge.

Activities

The resort has plenty of planned activities for the kids. Some activities are offered through the dive center, but most of these are offered directly in the kids club. Most activities are complimentary but there are a few that have a nominal fee attached. However, the only one we attended that had a fee attached (Pictures in the Sky) ended up being free to us. It sounded like we were one of the first to attend the class and since they’re still figuring out the programming, they waived the charge, which was a nice touch.

For activities involving artwork, they have a very cute smock that fits the kids. Char enjoyed “dress up” time.

For the Pictures in the Sky event, the activity started in the evening at the beach right around sunset and continued into the early evening when stars were first coming out. The kids club staff showed us the positions of some constellations in the sky and also gave some fun facts about the galaxy. And they brought out a telescope to help spot some stars or ships in the distance.

The Treasure Hunt activity ended up being a big scavenger hunt around the beach area. Staff hid a few notes in the plants that held clues on where to find the next note. Halfway through the hunt, there was a short dance party in the recreation center. And the hunt ended at the Beach Shack restaurant. One thing I neglected to mention much up until now is the free ice cream for the kids. That can be found along the side of the Beach Shack, at a dedicated window for ice cream. All kids at the hunt lined up to get their ice cream (and we stopped by the window daily to get a fun afternoon treat for the kids).

Perhaps the most impressive activity we attended was the Pirate Safari. I thought it was just going to be a small make-believe journey around the interior of the kids club. We were pleasantly surprised to see one staff member showed up in a pirate costume, directing everyone over to a boat. Everyone then boarded and went on a small cruise around the island. Given the price of just about everything in the Maldives, it was fantastic to see this boat ride ended up completely free. On the small cruise, staff even handed out snacks and water.

The kids club here ended up being the best one we’ve ever been to at any hotel. Some hotels seem to just add in a kids club to check the box to attract family-oriented guests. But in a way it feels like kids were a main focus here. The indoor and outdoor areas of the kids club were equally impressive. We never felt like we were nickel-and-dimed for the kids activities (or for the kids meals, as referenced in the previous post). And the staff here provided a lot of care and attention to all kids at the resort. If you’re thinking of traveling with kids to the Maldives, I would highly recommend giving the Ritz Carlton Maldives serious consideration.

Have you been to any other incredible kids clubs before that you would recommend?