Maldives Day 1

07/12/2021 Monday

First time staying at Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi (07/12/2021 to 7/19/2021)

Itinerary:

• Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi

This is our first time at Maldives and also our first time staying at Waldorf Astoria hotel. The hotel we picked is pretty new as it opened in July 2019 and that's one of the reason why I picked the hotel as I would like to stay at a newer hotel.

Once we reached Maldives, we took the bus from the plane to the customs. After answering some questions and also presenting the negative PCR results, we were given a 30 day visa on arrival. Next, we picked our luggage right next to customs and once we are out of the gates, we saw the hotel employees holding Waldorf Astoria Maldives sign.

The hotel staff quickly helped us with our luggage and took us across the street to where the yacht is. 

There were 2 other families who were aboard with us to the same hotel. The hotel was on an island called Ithaafushi which is made up of 3 small islands (including a private island) that stretches about 3.4 km or so.

                                                    WA Maldives Yacht in the background

The yacht ride was about 45 to 50 minutes from the airport and on the way there, there was a stretch of ~10 minutes where the waves were rough and I got a little seasick. The hotel staff onboard quickly gave me a seaband to put on. 

Soon, we arrive at the hotel and several staff were at the pier welcoming us. 

We were given some welcome drinks and our butler was there to meet us. He took us to our room in his buggy and also showed us the different restaurants and facilities along the way. 

We finished our check in at our room and our butler gave us a small Nokia analog phone which has his number so that we can reach him anytime. We also have very good Wi-Fi in the island.

The reef villa room that we had was amazing and had a great outdoor space with its own infinity pool, hammocks, and swings. Half of the villa is on the beach and the other half is on the water. We spent many days just lying on the sofa swing and also in the pool. Part of our room was in the middle of the Indian ocean and we were able to just go into the ocean and snorkel. We saw many fishes and sea turtles there and every evening, we would also have guests snorkeling in front of our villa. We talked to the staff and it looks like our villa is one of the better snorkeling sites in the island.

Housekeeping was twice a day and in the evening, the housekeeper will replenish our fruits and water. He would also remake the beds, change the towels and put a small dessert for us. 

The hotel also provided bikes for us which we made good use while we travel around the island. The only time we didn't bike is at night where it's hard to see, so we called the buggy. 

There are over 400 staff working at the island while there are only 119 villas. At all times, we saw many staff cleaning up the island and working hard. Really grateful to them for making the island such a pleasant stay for us.

When we left, they had a special concierge who took us along the express lane inside the airport and helped us check in. It was a special service that the hotel provided.