11 Most Expensive Hotels in Maldives

If there’s any place on the planet that deserves to be called postcard-perfect, it has to be the Maldives. Picture this: islets and atolls of white sand sprinkled with tropical vegetation, turquoise waters, sandbars, coral islands, and amazing marine life. Better yet, imagine them as the setting for some of the world’s most luxurious resorts. The most expensive hotels in Maldives boast one of the highest concentrations of luxury brands on the planet. Naturally, they occupy a priority place on most bucket lists, making the Maldives the ultimate destination for discerning travelers in search of a beach paradise. What’s more, these resorts have everything that Maldives luxury resorts are known for, overwater villas with slides leading right into the sea, underwater restaurants and spas, and then some.

It’s not surprising then that the Maldives is one of the world’s most luxurious honeymoon destinations, is it? Add to the fact that there are so many amazing top things to do in the Maldives, and you’ll understand why travelers are ready to drop thousands of dollars to spend a memorable vacation here. Here’s a guide to the priciest digs in this South Asian archipelago, ranging from A-list celeb favorites to ones offering the complete Robinson Crusoe experience!

The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands

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The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, which sits on a North Malé Atoll, is an exclusive gem. The five-star resort is part of an ambitious “integrated development” project and houses three luxury resorts just a 10-minute seaplane ride or a 50-minute boat ride from the capital Malé. It’s the first Maldivian property from the brand and one of the most striking private islands in the country.

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This resort was the last design of the highly acclaimed late Australian architect Kerry Hill. The buildings, including the rooms and villas, are an ode to the traditional round Maldivian drums, symbolizing the circle of island life. The simple wood pre-fab exteriors topped by hidden solar panels house minimalist but luxurious interiors. The amenities are excellent, with the activity roster ranging from on-land drone flying to underwater excursions with dive teams, taking you close to marine life. There’s even an impressive kids’ club here, but the choices come in the form of seven restaurants, which include a lovely beach shack right on the sands. Did we mention the Bamford spa? Yep. There’s also an hourly shuttle to Fari Island for when you want to get around.

You have many choices when it comes to rooms, which range from beach to overwater villas, and even have lagoon/ocean view choices. On the inside, they’re all the same: oversized Frette linen beds, indoor and outdoor showers, large bathtubs in the rooms, and teardrop-shaped pools. Entry-level ocean pool villas cost USD 1,600/night and go up to USD 2,000/night for 1-bedroom options. Meanwhile, the priciest is the sunset beach pool 2-bedroom villa, which costs USD 7,000/night.

Soneva Fushi

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Soneva Fushi is one of the first luxe-but-laidback hotels to open in the Indian Ocean, and it retains its cool and fresh charisma. It’s the pioneer of Maldives now-staple barefoot luxury vibe, and it’s still one of the places that does it the best. This pioneering eco-luxury retreat sits on Baa Atoll, a 30-minute spellbinding shared seaplane/private charter ride from Malé. What’s interesting is that the natural atoll is a Unesco Biosphere Reserve that supports some of the country’s largest networks of coral reefs and houses the biggest annual congregation of manta rays in the world!

There are so many amenities here that you’d probably need to stay a month to take complete advantage of them all! Besides daily activities like observatory visits, cocktail nights, and eco-tours, the non-motorized watersports (catamarans, kayaking, paddle boarding) are also complimentary. For a fee, you can also indulge in ziplining through the jungle to eat food prepared by a Michelin-star chef or go on private island picnics. Plus, there are the usual diving, snorkeling, manta ray swimming, and dolphin cruising activities. Nine restaurants and a lovely spa make up the rest of the amenities. That’s why it’s one of the best hotels in the Maldives.

Soneva’s villas offer high levels of privacy and fantastic freeform saltwater swimming pools, which get bigger with higher room categories. Indoor-outdoor bathrooms with sunken tubs, a back-to-nature feel, and swish mod-cons make everything perfect, especially since a majority of the villas are on the beach and surrounded by the jungle. While the 1-bedroom water reserve villas with slides cost USD 1,500-4,000/night, the sensational 7-bedroom residence costs a whopping USD 16,000/night! 

Cheval Blanc Randheli

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Cheval Blanc Randheli from the able stable of luxury conglomerate LVMH (owners of Dior, Louis Vuitton, etc.) sets the luxury bar high in a country where luxury is a way of life! It sits on the turquoise waters and white sands of the unspoiled northwest Noonu Atoll, a 40-minute seaplane ride from Malé airport. This resort is the epitome of sensory hedonism, with Jean-Michel Gathy having designed the hotel in a detail-driven and sumptuous way.

All guests are assigned a dedicated majordomo (a.k.a. butler), who will do everything from booking diving expeditions and restaurant reservations to unpacking your luggage to drawing you a frangipani bath. Every villa also has bicycles, but the communal facilities are equally top-notch. They include exercise classes and BootCamp workouts on another island, meditation and yoga with a master, watersports, and even a golf simulator. Water babies will love the dive center that runs dolphin cruises and diving and snorkeling expeditions. Besides the kids club, a concept store with designer brands, five restaurants, and three bars, the resort is home to the only Guerlain Spa in the Maldives, the Cheval Blanc Spa. It sits on its island across the water; sigh.

You have the choice is 45 beach gardens, islands, and overwater villas, all of which have huge daybeds, loungers, hammocks, and sleek swimming pools. Alfresco rain showers, huge oval bathtubs, and Leonor Greyl bath products are standard. The entry-level 1-bedroom water villas cost USD 2,500/night, while the highest category for 2 people, the 1-bedroom island villa costs USD 3,400/night. The highest is the 2-bedroom island villa, which costs USD 6,000/night.

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru

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The Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru has the utmost respect for its stunning natural surroundings. For one, the thatched bungalows and villas are ingeniously integrated into the sand, the gardens, and the lush jungles. However, the piece de resistance is the two long stretches of untouched beaches nestled within a 1.5-mile-long lagoon. It sits on Baa Atoll, where guests arrive in private 10-seater seaplanes in a scenic 30-minute flight from Malé.

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The lagoon here is a treasure trove of marine life ranging from parrotfish, clownfish, reef sharks, stingrays, and eagle rays. Since it’s part of the Baa Atoll Unesco Biosphere Reserve, staying here also gives you access to Hanifaru Bay and its manta rays, as well as sea turtles and huge pods of dolphins. This is one of the few resorts without on-call butlers, and it made no difference to the superior levels of service we found here. The amenities are aplenty: a watersports center with complimentary non-motorized activities and fun tubes, jet skis, X-jet blades, and seabobs for hire. Besides the group boat trips every day, there are also three swimming pools, a daily roster of complimentary activities, and even a wonderful Marine Discovery Center. Four amazing restaurants and the Ayurma Spa, one of the best in the country, complete the amenities.

103 supersized villas in 18 categories start from the one-bedroom overwater villas with pools, which cost USD 2,000/night. The beach villas with pools are a step higher and cost USD 2,500/night. What’s more, they’re all contemporarily furnished and feature huge private pools, indoor/outdoor rain showers, and huge egg-shaped bathtubs for two. The massive 4-bedroom Landaa Estate costs a cool USD 15,000/night.

Kudadoo Maldives Private Island, Luxury All-inclusive

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Imagine staying on a luxurious but secluded Indian Ocean party pad that is almost entirely solar-powered and takes all-inclusive to the next level. That’s the Kudadoo Maldives Private Island, Luxury All-inclusive, for you! The intimate 15-villa retreat sits on Lhaviyani Atoll and is a 40-minute seaplane ride from Malé. The highlight here is easy-access snorkeling over the house reef, which boasts an eye-popping kaleidoscope of marine life.

Since there are just 15 overwater villas on a 200 x 200 m island, staying at Kudadoo was as exclusive and intimate as it could get. We loved the distinct Japanese aesthetic, but it was the fully inclusive experience that was the real game-changer. Anything and everything was available anywhere and at any time, which was what made staying here so amazing. Besides the intuitive and discreet private butler service, you’ll also be treated to watersports, private yoga sessions, gourmet food at the flagship restaurant, and even an astounding cheese cellar. The bar is all about champagne, spirits, and fine wine on tap, and the spa offers an unlimited range of wonderful, locally inspired spa treatments, impressing the most discerning of travelers.

“All-inclusive luxury doesn’t get better than at Kudadoo, especially since it has its own eye-popping house reef!”

WOW Travel

The elegant and understated villas channel ryokan vibes with open-plan living/bedrooms with four-poster beds, indoor-outdoor bathrooms with greenery and freestanding tubs, grass ceilings, and sprawling decks, some of the country’s biggest. Moreover, all have private dining spaces, sofa swings, pools, and easy lagoon access for epic snorkeling. That’s why they all cost between USD 3,000 and USD 5,100/night.

Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi

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Mega-luxury is the name of the game at the classy Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi. This resort boasts a unique combination of impressive amenities (11 restaurants!) and a classy Waldorf pedigree. That, combined with its Insta-perfect South Male location, a calm lagoon setting, and private yacht transfers propel it to the top of this list. The island sits on Ithaafushi island on South Male toll, a 45-minute luxury yacht ride from the airport. Did we mention that the resort has its fleet of luxury yachts? Yep.

As soon as you check in, you’re assigned a personal butler, so you can slip straightaway into chilled mode. There are activities aplenty, ranging from paddleboarding and jet-skiing to an endless number of ocean excursions. You name it, you can snorkel with it here, from coral reef marine life to sharks and turtles. With 11 dining and drinking options, the choices are exceptional, with the food being consistently fabulous. The standout was the Rock, which sits inside a natural limestone cave and has 2,400 wine bottles on display! Finally, there’s the spa, which is a verdant paradise with a botanical garden and a yoga pavilion, radiating a Zen vibe. The glass-floored treatment rooms hover over the ocean. Oof.

Room choices range from beach to overwater villas, with reef villas offering a blend of them both. Nevertheless, they all have outdoor showers, baths with vistas, and private pools, with overwater villas even featuring glass floors. We loved the terraces with loungers sitting at the shallow end of the pool and low-slung net hammocks hovering over the ocean. The King Beach/King Grand Beach pool villas cost from USD 2,800-4,600/night, while the 3-bedroom Grand Beach pool villa costs a whopping USD 29,500/night.

One&Only Reethi Rah

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One&Only Reethi Rah raises the bar for luxury island Maldivian resorts and sits like a sparkling jewel in the Indian Ocean. It’s an instant favorite with celeb couples and honeymooners, and it’s easy to see why. Firstly, it’s a brisk 15-minute seaplane or a 50-minute yacht ride to Reethi Rah on a North Malé Atoll. Secondly, it’s fringed by some of the most picturesque powdery beaches in the country.

What’s more, the setting is flawless, and the amenities even more so. The sea and the beach in all their unfiltered splendor are never more than a few steps away. You can indulge in everything from paddleboard yoga and spinning classes with ocean views to sunrise beach meditation. The greenery is everywhere, right from the restaurant’s plant-based menu to the spa’s thatched grass roofs. Six restaurants on the property and the obliging attention of 24/7 dedicated butlers, one for every room, will leave you feeling more than satisfied.

Choose from 122 villas, some of which are nestled in the lush foliage even as others sit right over the Indian Ocean. Moreover, they’re all escapist fantasies with huge outdoor decks, daybeds, pools, or direct ocean access. While the Beach King and Water King Pool villas cost USD 2,100/night and USD 3,700/night respectively, the most expensive is the Grand Sunset Residence, which costs USD 32,000/night! 

The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort

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The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort is a glamorous private Maldivian island stay with a Big Apple sensibility. It’s sandwiched between two of Dhaalu Atoll’s house reefs, making it a mere 35-minute seaplane ride from Malé. What’s more, the jewel-blue waters have as many as 26 explorable sites that teem marine life like Napoleon wrasse, oriental sweetlips, and Moorish idols.

The vibe here is more Chanel heels on the beach and barefoot luxury, but it feels extremely exclusive and discerning. It has all the brand’s hospitality trademarks, like champagne sabrage sunset ceremonies and bespoke Bloody Marys in the form of the ‘Island Mary’, which comes in a seashell! Hop onboard Norma, the resort’s luxury four-cabin Azimut Flybridge 66 yacht, which you can charter to explore the surrounding waters. Your experience begins with a video message from your butler, who will tend to your every whim. Kick back with a sublime body treatment at the overwater Iridium Spa or even book a couple’s treatment at the Blue Hole, an overwater jetted whirlpool. A small gym, a fitness studio, a kids’ playroom, a lengthy pool, six restaurants, and a host of water activities at the dive center round up the amenities.

77 villas, of which 33 are on-land and 44 overwater, are all fashioned after traditional Maldivian boathouses, but with top-notch and swish mod-cons. What’s more, they all have private decks with mesmerizing views, open-air showers, and iPads for temperature and lighting control. While the sunset overwater villa to the overwater St. Regis suites, all accommodating 2 people, cost USD 1,800-2,000/night, the pinnacle is the John Jacob Astor Estate, a 3-bedroom villa. It costs the most in all of Maldives, a whopping USD 35,000/night.

Soneva Secret

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Soneva Secret is a rare Maldivian island retreat and certainly has the last word in barefoot, eco-friendly chic. With a focus on wellness, sustainability, and the raw environs of the Makunudhoo Atoll, Soneva Secret might just be the best we’ve seen in barefoot luxury yet. Even your arrival here is chic, in a 75-minute seaplane flight from Malé. The sense here is unassuming and chic, as this is not your usual Maldivian sprawling resort. Instead, it’s all about privacy, hushed yet efficient service, and a tourist roster with people from all over the world.

Amenities

The resort is especially a hit with families thanks to the kids club and the water sports, but it’s the Chocolate Room that takes the cake. It boasts pretty much every kind of chocolate under the sun! Service is intuitive, personal, and intimate, and why not? After all, all villas have their chefs, barefoot guardians, and barefoot assistants! They send out forms to their guests before their arrival, so everything is hyper-personalized, right down to the fragrance in the bathrooms! The spa and the wellness center aside, there are two main places to eat, the fine-dining shoreline restaurant and the casual one, which serves every cuisine imaginable. However, the standout is that every villa has its chef, so you can choose whatever cuisine you want to eat and the chef will prepare in your villa. 

Rooms

Choose from just 14 villas, either beachfront or overwater, all of which have open plans with plush beds, reading alcoves, sunken sitting areas, and private infinity pools with ladders leading to the ocean. There’s also a first-of-its-kind ‘floating’ villa on stilts in the ocean that will open for booking soon. Moreover, all villas have upstairs rooms for private spa treatments. Soneva Secret has the highest-priced entry-level rooms in all of Maldives, with all their overwater hideaways costing USD 3,200-4,000/night. Finally, the Crusoe Reserve, the costliest of them all, costs USD 7,700/night.

Soneva Jani

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Soneva Jani is an unreal world of lush gardens spilling onto white-sand beaches, with the unspoiled turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean right out front. The pioneering eco-resort sits on an S-shaped island on the southwestern fringes of the Noonu Atoll and is a 35-minute flight from Malé. Guests have multiple options for reaching the resort, one of which is via Coneva’s private seaplane charters. Another option is to take a shared Manta Air seaplane, while the third option, especially for late-in-the-day arrivals, is taking a domestic flight to the nearby Maafaru Island Airport and then transferring via a 15-minute speedboat ride. 

Amenities

The playful universe of Soneva Jani seems like a movie set, with barefoot guardians (butlers) shuttling guests everywhere. spa, tennis courts, numerous beaches, the overwater cinema, and the Gathering, a multi-level structure housing restaurants, a bar, and a gift shop, stilted over the water. Jani’s extraordinary aesthetic has made it popular with a younger clientele, who like to photograph and be photographed everywhere.       

There are so many offbeat and unique things to do, like exploring the night sky via one of the country’s most powerful telescopes, picnicking on private islands, watching baby sea turtles hatching in the moonlight, and even training with a professional tennis coach. When it comes to the water, you can indulge in a bevy of non-motorized sports from windsurfing to paddleboarding, spot dolphins on sunset tours, and whatnot. The spa, Soneva Soul, boasts an extensive menu that even includes stem cell treatments. And with more than eight restaurants and bars to choose from, including a chocolate room and a complimentary ice cream parlor, you’ll have a lot of problems choosing where to eat!

Rooms

The staff will address you by name, which is one of the hallmarks of the hospitality here. Moreover, every villa has a barefoot guardian who takes care of anything and everything you want. The whitewashed villas range from the entry-level 1-bedroom beach villas that cost USD 3,400-3,900/night to the 2-bedroom water reserves with slides that cost USD 13,000/night! They all have substantial swimming pools, though, sunken outdoor bathtubs, waterslides dipping into the ocean, and fabulous open-water views. That’s why it’s one of the world’s most expensive hotels.

Velaa Private Island Resort

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Sitting at the top of the list is Velaa Private Island Resort. It sits on the turtle-shaped Velaa Private Island, which is a speck in the Noonu Atoll. This tiny, private Maldivian island not only fits in 45 villas but also has a nine-hole golf course and one of the largest champagne and wine collections in the country. What’s more, it also hosts the first Troon golf course and snow room in the Maldives!

Since it sits in the northerly Noonu Atoll, getting to this resort is half the thrill. While most take the scenic 45-minute flight from Malé, others also take a domestic flight to the nearby Maafaru International Airport, followed by a 35-minute speedboat transfer.  

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Amenities

‘Polite luxury’ is the style of this turtle-shaped private island, which has sandy paths and perfectly groomed beaches. Every villa has top-tier butlers who serve as trusty island concierges who are just a WhatsApp message away and cater to every whim and fancy. It’s also a miracle how Velaa crams so many amenities onto one tiny island. Besides the Velaa Golf Academy, there are air-conditioned tennis and squash courts, an expansive kids club, a rock-climbing wall, and even a gorgeous overwater spa with a super-sized outdoor whirlpool tub.

Going further, the amenities also include the hyper-wellness concept, Velaa Wellbeing Village, and an entire roster of water activities, one of the most extensive and exciting in the Maldives. Three restaurants, including Aragu, the first Maldives restaurant to be included in the ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list, wrap up the amenities.

Rooms

You have the choice of 47 enormous villas, which range from 1-bedroom sanctuaries to huge designer beach mansions. The sunrise water pool villa costs USD 3,200/night, while the deluxe beach pool villa costs USD 4,000/night. The Velaa Private Residence costs the most, a whopping USD 27,200/night! Moreover, all villas have traditional Maldivian elements, indoor/outdoor showers, and deep-soaking bathtubs. Rounding things up are the expansive overwater villa decks and beach villa terraces.

Which is the most expensive room in all of Maldives?

That’s the 3-bedroom John Jacob Astor Estate Villa at the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort, which costs USD 35,000/night.

How long is best to stay in Maldives?

Five days is the ideal amount of time to spend in the Maldives, especially if you don’t have a lot of time.

Where do celebrities stay in the Maldives?

That would be the Waldorf Astoria Maldives, which sits on the private island of Ithaafushi in the South Male atoll.