Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi

A yacht from Velana International Airport carries guests to Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, in South Malé Atoll, in around 40 minutes. The resort opened in 2019 as the brand's first in the Maldives, and its scale sets it apart from most islands nearby: more than a hundred pool villas on the beach and over the lagoon, a separate private island with its own staff and a long roster of restaurants and bars.

History

The Waldorf name goes back to the hotel that opened on Fifth Avenue in New York in the 1890s and moved to its Park Avenue tower in 1931. Conrad Hilton gained control of that hotel in 1949, and the name later became the top brand of the Hilton group. Ithaafushi took it to the Indian Ocean when it welcomed its first guests in July 2019. It belongs to a wave of large new resorts in the atolls near Malé, built for travellers who want space, choice and a quick transfer from the airport without a seaplane.

Architecture and design

The villas are spread across the main island and its lagoon, with timber decks, deep roofs and private pools, and the overwater villas reach out along long boardwalks. Ithaafushi Private Island, reached by its own boat, is a self-contained estate with several bedrooms, its own beach and pools, and a dedicated team, built for families and groups who want an island to themselves while keeping the main resort's restaurants and spa within reach. Interiors keep to pale woods, neutral fabrics and wide openings to the sea, so the colour comes from the water outside.

Rooms and suites

Every villa has a private pool. Beach villas open directly onto the sand, overwater villas have steps down into the lagoon, and multi-bedroom residences serve families travelling together. The private island sits at the top of the range. Each villa is looked after by a personal concierge, a Waldorf Astoria tradition, who arranges dining, excursions and transfers.

Dining

Food is a large part of the offer. Terra is the venue guests ask about first: individual dining pods made of bamboo, raised among the treetops and reached by walkways, each with its own service. Chinese cooking carries the name of the chef Jereme Leung, a Japanese restaurant and beach and pool venues add variety, and the wine cellar hosts tastings. Several bars complete the programme, and breakfast can be taken on a villa deck.

Wellness

The Waldorf Astoria Spa occupies its own area of the resort, with treatment rooms set over the water, and fitness sessions include yoga and personal training. Children have a dedicated club, and the dive centre runs trips to the reefs and channels of South Malé Atoll, where turtles, reef sharks and eagle rays are regular sights.

Weddings and events

Weddings take the form of blessing ceremonies rather than legal ones, held on the beach, on a sandbank or on the private island. The size of the resort means it can host larger groups than most islands in the atoll, and the private island suits a small wedding party that wants an estate to itself.

Location

South Malé Atoll begins just south of the capital, so transfers stay short and boat-based, without the weather dependence or extra cost of a seaplane. That makes Ithaafushi practical for shorter stays as well as long ones, and for guests connecting with late international flights. Malé itself, with its fish market and the coral-stone Old Friday Mosque, built in the seventeenth century, makes a half-day trip. Among the choices for a luxury resort in South Malé Atoll, Ithaafushi is the one built around sheer range: more villa types, more restaurants and a private island under the same management.