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Guides
34 Maldives resorts you can book with points and miles
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
November 11, 2024 • 10 min read
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Quick summary
The Maldives offers a wide range of resorts bookable with major hotel loyalty programs, each with distinct atmospheres and amenities.
Award pricing varies by program, with some using dynamic rates tied to demand and others following a fixed chart.
Many programs feature perks like free nights on longer stays or the ability to transfer points from flexible rewards currencies.
Selecting the right resort depends on personal preferences, such as snorkeling, luxury, family-friendliness or ease of access.
What to consider
Award availability and rates can fluctuate significantly based on season, demand and resort policies.
Some resorts impose mandatory resort fees or have limited award room inventory, so planning ahead is crucial.
Transferring points from flexible programs or purchasing points may be necessary to secure an award stay at your desired property.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed comparison of specific Maldives resorts, loyalty program nuances and strategies for maximizing points redemptions at each property.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
I've stayed at nine different Maldives resorts over the last four years. During these stays, I discovered that — more so than in any other destination I've visited — each resort has its own vibe and activities. I like to say that each Maldives resort is likely the best for someone. As such, it's incredibly important to research when planning a Maldives trip to ensure you pick the best resort for you.
I have a few favorite Maldives resorts, including Six Senses Laamu for its vibe, snorkeling options and rustic villas; Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa for its easy-to-access 360-degree house reef; and Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives for its affordability and easy access from Velana International Airport (MLE). But these resorts may not be best for you, as you may have different preferences and priorities.
To help narrow your search, here are your best options for using points and miles to stay at a Maldives resort.
You can book nine Maldives resorts through the Marriott Bonvoy program. However, the soon-to-open JW Marriott Maldives Kaafu Atoll Island Resort isn't offering award bookings yet.
Marriott Bonvoy prices its properties dynamically, so the award rate for any night will vary depending on when you stay and book.
Here's a list of the Maldives resorts you can book with points through the Marriott Bonvoy program:
Some of these resorts feature award rates that are low enough on select dates to be a good use of a free-night-award certificate (certain hotels have mandatory resort fees). For example, earlier this year, I redeemed an up-to-40,000-point free night award and 152,000 points for a six-night stay at the Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa.
Beach pool villa at the Alila Kothaifaru Maldives. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Award pricing for Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa and Alila Kothaifaru Maldives follow the standard Hyatt award chart. Both resorts are Category 7 properties, so you can redeem Hyatt points for a standard room — a beach villa at the Park Hyatt and a beach pool villa at the Alila — at a rate of 25,000 points per night on off-peak dates, 30,000 points per night on standard dates and 35,000 points per night on peak dates.
You have many options for earning Hyatt points, including the World of Hyatt Credit Card (see rates and fees) and World of Hyatt Business Credit Card (see rates and fees). But, if you need to quickly earn Hyatt points for a redemption, you'll usually want to buy Hyatt points, transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points (1:1 ratio) or transfer Bilt Rewards Points (1:1 ratio).
Hilton Honors uses dynamic award pricing, so the award rates for each resort will vary depending on when you book and the dates you want to stay. However, award rates for standard rooms top out at 150,000 points per night.
Beach villa at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Here's a list of the Maldives resorts you can book with Hilton points:
Five Maldives resorts participate in the IHG One Rewards program, although the Vignette Collection Noku Maldives isn't set to open until Dec. 15 and wasn't taking award bookings at the time of publishing.
InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort in the Maldives. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
IHG uses dynamic award pricing, so award rates depend on when you book and want to stay. Here's a list of the Maldives resorts you can book with IHG points:
Cardholders of the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (see rates and fees), IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card (see rates and fees) and IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (see rates and fees) get a fourth night free when redeeming IHG points for stays of four nights or longer.
Getting a fourth-night reward at the Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives. IHG.COM
This program ties its award rates directly to cash rates, so 1,000 points are worth 20 euros (about $21 at the time of publication) toward your stay. As such, the award price of your Accor Live Limitless stay will vary depending on the paid rates when you book.
SO/ MALDIVES
Here's a list of the Maldives resorts you can book through Accor Live Limitless:
During the off-peak summer season, you can often book the Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort for around $351 per night. At current conversion rates, you could redeem about 16,000 Accor points per night on these off-peak dates.
The Leading Hotels of the World program has five Maldives resorts, although two (Constance Halaveli Maldives and Sirru Fen Fushi Private Lagoon) weren't bookable with points on any of the dates I searched.
EMERALD MALDIVES RESORT/FACEBOOK
The Leading Hotels of the World program ties its award rates to paid rates, but you'll usually get about 8 cents per point. Here's a list of the Maldives resorts you can usually book with points through the Leading Hotels of the World program:
During the off-peak summer season, I found nights at the Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa bookable for $652 or 9,016 points. You can transfer Citi ThankYou points to the Leading Hotels of the World program at a 5:1 ratio, so you'd need to transfer about 45,000 Citi points per night for this off-peak stay.
A stay in the Maldives doesn't come cheap, regardless of whether you're paying cash or redeeming points. However, redeeming points can help you bring your out-of-pocket cost down in a destination known for high prices.
I didn't discuss Maldives resorts you can book through Radisson Rewards, as there's no way to earn Radisson points by transferring rewards earned on U.S. credit cards. Likewise, although you can book just about any Maldives resort with points if you book through a credit card travel portal, you'll almost always get better value when you transfer points to a hotel loyalty program and then book your award stay.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
