DansDeals will receive compensation if you are approved for a credit card via a link in this post. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers, visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
I’ve been to the Maldives twice and it’s truly Heaven on Earth. The overwater villas there are the stuff that dreams are made of. You can jump right out of your villa and into the bathtub warm ocean while swimming with incredible sealife.
Historically it’s always been very expensive whether paying with points or cash, but that has changed thanks to new points hotels opening there.
The Conrad has overwater pool villas for 76K-95K Hilton points per night. The Waldorf Astoria has villas from 96K-120K Hilton points per night, though overwater villas are extra. The Park Hyatt has villas for 30K Hyatt points per night, though pool and overwater villas are extra.
The new JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa is now accepting reservations starting on September 15th.
It’s the 5th Marriott property in the Maldives and like the Westin, S. Regis, and the W Maldives, it will be a top-tier category 8 property. Currently that means it will cost 85K points per night or 68K points per night on a 5 night stay. In the future category 8 hotels will cost 56K-70K points off-peak, 68K-85K standard, and 80K-100K on peak dates.
Similar to the Conrad, the JW Marriott has both Overwater Villas and Beach Villas available as the base rooms. That’s important as you can only redeem the regular amount of points for a room categorized as a base room.
That means a 5 night stay in either room will be 340K Marriott points, or 68K points per night:
I was wondering if this is a mistake like the S. Regis Maldives deal back in 2016, when I stayed in an overwater pool villa for just 26K Starpoints per night.
However the JW Marriott is actually charging more for their beach villas than the overwater villas:
Obviously going with a beach villa or an overwater villa is a matter of personal preference, but I love the overwater villa experience, so that’s a no-brainer for me.
The value for your points is excellent. A 5 night stay would cost 340K Marriott points instead of $9,504 (after backing out the $600 seaplane transfer fee). That’s a value of 2.8 cents per Marriott points. I typically value Marriott points at about 0.7 cents, so this is 4 times better than their typical value!
Overwater villa rates at other Marriott hotels vary by season.
For example in off-peak summer, a S. Regis overwater villa would run 540K points for 5 nights or 108K points/night:
But in peak winter season, a S. Regis overwater villa would run 890K points for 5 nights or 178K points/night:
I’ve stayed in an overwater pool villa at the W Maldives in 2013 and in an overwater pool villa at the S. Regis Maldives in 2017 and can’t wait to stay in another one in the future.
Here are Mavic Pro pictures that I took of the S. Regis Maldives in 2017. Pretty much as close to paradise as you’ll find on this planet:
The W is the more laid back property and offers better snorkeling.
The S. Regis is more luxurious and is newer, though I wasn’t a big fan of the constant butler golf cart traffic on the island.
With the JW Marriott and the Conrad offering overwater villas as base rooms I’ll just have to make it back there as well!
You can earn Marriott points with the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bold Consumer Card, Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Consumer Card, Marriott Bonvoy Business AMEX, and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Consumer AMEX. You can view a chart comparing these 4 cards here.
Note that it can take 24 hours to fly from the USA until you reach a resort in Maldives as you need to connect somewhere to reach Male (MLE) and then you’ll need to wait for a seaplane to bring you from the Male airport to your resort. That seaplane will also set you back some $600 per person to the JW Marriott. It’s an exhausting and expensive trip, but the water is truly stunning there and the isolation and relaxation is impossible to describe.
Airlines serving Male include Air France (3 days/week seasonally from from CDG), Aeroflot (3 days/week from SVO), Air Italy (3 days/week seasonally from Milan), Alitalia (2 days/week seasonally from Milan), Austrian (2 days/week seasonally from VIE), British Airways (3 days/week seasonably from LGW), Cathay Pacific (4 days/week from HKG), Emirates (daily from DXB), Etihad (daily from AUH), Lufthansa (2 days/week seasonally from FRA), Qatar (daily from DOH), Singapore (daily from SIN), and Turkish (daily from Istanbul).
Note that flights that arrive into MLE after about 3pm require that you overnight in Male before taking the seaplane to your hotel, which is far from ideal.
Read more on DDF on the Maldives Master Thread.
Have you been to or do you plan on visiting the Maldives?
Leave a Reply
53 Comments On "JW Marriott Maldives Offering Overwater Pool Villas For Just 68K-85K Points Per Night!"
All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.
Gotta go to BOB first before you can start designating heaven on earth 🙂
I’m sure heaven has a plethora of top-notch first class cabins to get there that can be booked with a variety of miles.
And of course heaven will have overwater villas that are readily bookable for any dates as base point rooms.
And obviously heaven will have an airport code that are my wife’s initials 😉
For those keeping score at home, that’s:
MLE: 3
BOB: 0
You lost me once you started using … YOUR WIFE’S INITIALS … as a point of leverage. For that reason, I’m out.
#GoBOB
Clearly my heaven isn’t your heaven 😉
Enjoy your 2-2-2 seating, forced overnight in PPT, and your moldy SR BOB room.
#GoMLE
Sigh.
Neither TN nor AF are 2-2-2. Nor are you forced to overnight in PPT or stay at the SR. Conrad and IHG are beautiful.
Seems like you need to do a little less traveling and a bit more working! 🙂
I’ll wave from the shower suite and the overwater Villa with pool.
And I’ll take “solace” in the fact that I’ll still have direct-aisle access from a lie flat bed during a trip that is easily 1/3rd less of a shlep, and that requires a cheaper intra-connection ($2-300 vs ~$1000!), all while content in the knowledge that — critically — the beauty of MLE is outclassed by BOB.
Hey, no harm enjoying a location that is second best, I suppose.
Please show me a PPT-BOB RT ticket for $200-$300.
The JW is $600 RT from MLE, not $1,000.
How can you available avoid the overnight in PPT
https://www.google.com/flights
Epic
Do you have to fly to BOB or can you take a ferry
Why doesn’t Hilton seem to work for me? Any variation of hotel and dates I search don’t seem to be available with points. Nothing!!!
Which ihg have you been to
Seems to me both tn and af are also 2-2-2
oy vey both of you you became so megusham oriented since the begining of the internet age that you completely lost track of what is really heaven, including myself . heaven my friend does not equal to a private airbus 360 available within the hour, the 90 mill penthouse at 157 , a summer home in the english countryside and a 30 billion valuation. heaven equals all of oilam hazeh that ever was and will be and one second of heaven doesnt equal that. hard to believe but if you would stop being so sarcastic and bitter(ahem ajk) and learn something once in awhile no major commitements start small
This is all in good fun 😀
340k for 5 nights peak season seems to be a bargain as opposed to 890k (or even 540k for of-season) but how would you compare the JW vs St Regis?
What about JW vs Conrad?
JW hasn’t opened yet, so it will be hard to compare to anything 😀
But yes, it does seem like a bargain!
What’s ridiculous is that JW Marriott, as well as the Park Hyatt Maldives, can’t accommodate a family of 2 adults and 2 children although their villa ranges in size from 1,800 sq ft to 2,500 sq ft. My 1,000 sq ft condo can sleep 4.
I’d try contacting the hotel to see what they can do for you.
Note that those villa sizes include outdoor space.
Is there an easy way to check the dates available specifically to book the Overwater Pool Villa?
No, but every date I tried had it.
I’m trying now and can’t find Dan… even Feb 9 to 14 isn’t showing up – help please – did they “fix” it?
How is it compare to park Hyatt ?
Park Hyatt base room doesn’t have a private pool and isn’t overwater.
Is there a way to spend a minimum of 3-4 days in the Maldives but still spend the Shabbos before and after someplace with minyanim & kosher food? Sample flights? Bonus points if it’s with an airline that has decent award space, even if it’s in economy 🙂
Of course. I wrote a TR about what I did.
Tons of options.
Do you mind sharing the links to that? Or did I miss it in this post? Thanks.
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/trip-notes/dans-trip-notes/
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/trip-notes/trip-notes-maldives-the-longest-flight-in-the-world-and-2-nights-in-paradise/
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/trip-notes/trip-notes-2-nights-in-singapore-and-back-home-on-a-korean-a380/
Thanks so much! Do you also have one for when you stayed at the St Regis?
Has anyone done a Maldives trip with a 6 mo
What’s considered standard season vs peak?
TBD
We need a post discussing different ways to use mileage in getting to MLE and BOB.
Final call for my trip in a few weeks: Angsana Velvaru (In Ocean Sanctuary 2flr) or STR (regular OVW)???
Ocean sanctuary!!!
Thanks Dan for the share.
The taxes and fees kill it though. 5 night stay includes over $3,500 in taxes and fees… Gulp!
There are no taxes and fees on point stays.
Dan, Am I missing something?
http://tinypic.com/r/s1uam9/9
Not sure what an extra person fee is. Try booking for 2 people?
Don’t forget the $1200 for 2P transfer
Sure, but that’s not $3,500.
We went on points to W Maldives in December and it was really Super relaxing. I did a phone detox as well as it was at the end of December and I didn’t need it for work! We flew via Vienna and took/got a beach villa which was great with the kids. Can only recommend. They even had a small kosher kitchen and the chef told me that it‘s not enough if I switch on the fire, inalso need to put it in the pan (sefardi minhag) and on Friday said we have to be done by 5.49, which indeed was candlelighting time I had figured out.
Nice!
I’m assuming the Taxes/Fees are refundable as long as it’s cancelled prior to the cancellation deadline right?
There are no taxes on a points stay.
Hey, I know I’m late here but trying to book for my honeymoon in November. I booked 5 nights for 340k points but I am seeing Taxes & Fees for 2 people $1,260. I thought it was also for the sea plane by getting to the hotel but it seems its resort fees. Is this true?
If its for the sea plane, how do I decline the option and potentially find another way to get there? 600 per person seems hefty.
E-certs not getting attached automatically. #Bonvoyed
Is there zika there?
Holiday Week 12/24 – 31 doesn’t seem to be offering points stays
How About Kosher food? what do you eat there?
Thanks for the tip, Dan! I booked an overwater villa on Wednesday with points. Went to book a second room today and it only allowed me to book the beach villa with points (overwater was available when paying with dollars). Is everyone else seeing the same thing? Thanks again!