My stay at The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort began with an unexpected change of flights and a night near the airport. What initially felt like an inconvenience ultimately gave me a much more leisurely start to the island experience.
In the Maldives, choosing your resort shapes almost the entire trip. With each resort occupying its own island, the hotel becomes much more than somewhere to sleep – it is where you dine, unwind, and spend most of your time.
For me, that makes an all-inclusive package an essential part of planning. Transfers deserve just as much consideration: depending on the island, you may need a speedboat or a seaplane to reach your resort.
A seaplane is not a requirement for every Maldives holiday, but choosing a more remote island often means allowing for the additional expense. Many of the resorts that appealed to me were some distance from Malé.
Once I experienced the flight, however, I understood the appeal. Looking down over those extraordinary shades of blue, with islands scattered across the ocean, I felt the scenery alone went a long way toward justifying the cost.
Getting There – The Seaplane and Private Lounge
I had originally planned to fly from Delhi with Air India, but a sudden cancellation meant I arrived with SriLankan Airlines instead.
We landed at Velana International Airport in Malé at 2:30 p.m. Allowing more than an hour to collect our luggage and complete the arrival formalities, there was no realistic way to catch the last seaplane transfer available to us, which we had been told departed at 3 p.m.
We therefore spent the first night near the airport and continued to the resort the following morning.
Our overnight hotel coordinated with the resort to confirm the transfer arrangements. I was told that seaplane schedules are usually released at around 7 p.m. the evening before departure, so the precise flight time was not available far in advance.
After an early start the next morning, we returned to the airport, where a staff member was waiting near Exit 4. Together with the other arriving guests, we were driven to the seaplane terminal and taken to the private lounge.
There was a generous selection of pastries and coffee, making it a convenient place for a light breakfast before the flight. Our departure was already approaching, though, so we had only a short time to enjoy it.
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A Noon Check-In and a Longer First Day
At first, staying overnight near the airport seemed like an awkward extra step. In hindsight, I was very glad we did.
The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort operates one hour ahead of Malé, a small detail that makes a noticeable difference to your arrival day.
Using our journey as a rough guide, a seaplane departing Malé at 2 p.m., followed by approximately an hour of travel and the change to island time, would put your arrival at around 4 p.m. or later. By then, much of the afternoon has already passed.
We took an 8 a.m. flight and arrived at around 9 a.m. Malé time -just after 10 a.m. by the resort’s clock. That left time to explore the island and take photographs while our villa was being prepared.
Early check-in depends on availability, but on this occasion, we were able to enter our room at noon.
Having the whole afternoon ahead of us made the first day feel wonderfully unhurried. Rather than arriving and immediately thinking about dinner, we had time to settle in and enjoy the island. It felt as though we had gained an extra half-day.
The Sunrise Overwater Villa – A World of Its Own
For me, an overwater villa is the defining Maldives experience.
The price difference between a beach villa and an overwater villa can be substantial. Having stayed in both, though, I found the atmosphere remarkably different.
There is something about being suspended above the sea, with water all around you, that is difficult to convey until you have experienced it yourself. Surrounded by clear turquoise water and enjoying such a strong sense of privacy, I felt completely removed from everyday life.
ne of the things that particularly impressed me about The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort was the size of the overwater villa.
My next stay was at the Ritz-Carlton, and the villa I stayed in here was considerably larger than the one I had there. The sense of space made an already beautiful setting feel even more indulgent.
A glass panel in the floor offered a view directly into the water below. Fish – and occasionally sharks – passed beneath us, and I found myself standing there far longer than intended, simply watching.
Those three nights and four days felt like a little glimpse of paradise.
If you are considering booking a beach villa with Marriott Bonvoy points and hoping to move into an overwater villa using a Suite Night Award, I would keep expectations measured. I was told that there were 29 overwater villas, and that their popularity and frequent full occupancy made these upgrades difficult to secure.
For a stay where the overwater experience is especially important, I would not plan around an upgrade coming through.
Floating Breakfast, the Infinity Pool, and Snorkeling from the Villa
We arranged our floating breakfast at check-in, and it arrived promptly at the agreed time.
The selection is made in advance, so it is worth choosing a generous variety of the items you would actually like to eat if you want a beautifully filled breakfast tray. I was pleased to be staying in a sunrise-facing villa, as the morning light made the setting especially lovely for photographs.
There seemed to be a beautiful angle everywhere I looked.
After taking photographs in the villa’s infinity pool, we could head straight down into the sea for a swim or a snorkeling session. That effortless access to the water was one of my favorite parts of the stay.
There is also a snorkeling spot in front of the dive center, but being able to enter the water directly from our own villa was exceptionally convenient.
The underwater scenery was wonderful, with plenty of fish to watch. The dive center provided complimentary masks and fins, so we could borrow the equipment and enjoy the water without bringing everything ourselves.
Visiting During the Rainy Season
If you are concerned about booking the Maldives during the rainy season, I visited during that period too.
Across our three-night, four-day stay, the rain came and went rather than continuing throughout the day. There were showers, but also breaks that allowed us to enjoy the pool, take photographs, and spend time in the sea.
That was simply our experience, rather than a guarantee of what the weather will be like, but the rain did not prevent us from enjoying the stay.
I would also give some thought to your international arrival time. If you land too late for a comfortable same-day transfer, a night near the airport followed by an early seaplane can work surprisingly well. In our case, it gave us more usable time at the resort on check-in day and a much more relaxed start.
Would I Return?
Within Marriott’s portfolio, Westin is a brand I associate with a more refined stay, and this visit reinforced that impression. It is one I tend to book with confidence, even before working my way through every review.
What stayed with me most about The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort was the combination of a remarkably spacious overwater villa, the privacy of being surrounded by the sea, and the freedom to step directly from our accommodation into the water.
Watching fish beneath the glass floor, enjoying breakfast in the morning sunlight, and snorkeling just outside our villa made those few days feel especially memorable.
In a separate post, I will share more about the all-inclusive experience, dolphin cruise, and spa, each of which deserves a closer look.
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