Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi
Ultra-luxury villas across three islands, with 11 restaurants including a treetop dining room
About this stay
Ithaafushi is unusual even by Maldivian standards: Waldorf Astoria built the resort across three islands wrapped around a single lagoon, so villas sit low and wide rather than stacked, each one reading like a private compound rather than a hotel room. Every villa keeps its own plunge pool, an outdoor gazebo suited to a private dinner, and a daybed swing angled toward the water. Meals are spread across eleven restaurants, from Chinese and Middle Eastern kitchens to a treetop dining room built up in the canopy, so a week here rarely repeats a menu. The house reef sits close enough for guests to snorkel or arrange a dive without a long boat ride, and the spa and wellness centre anchors the quieter half of the day. South Male Atoll keeps transfers from Velana International Airport short, which matters on a resort spread across three separate islands.
- Three-island luxury resort in South Male Atoll
- Villas with private plunge pools
- Eleven restaurants including a treetop dining room
- House reef, diving and a full spa
Our take
This is the pick for families or groups who want real distance between villas rather than a shared pool deck: three islands and eleven restaurants give everyone room to spread out, and the treetop restaurant alone is worth a night. The trade-off is scale, since getting between islands and restaurants takes longer than at a single-island resort, and rates sit well above the South Male Atoll average. Couples chasing a small, intimate property should look elsewhere in the atoll; this one rewards travellers who want space and variety over a compact island.
- ✓Reserve the treetop restaurant on your first full day, it's the most talked-about of the eleven dining rooms and fills up fast.
- ✓Pick a villa with the outdoor gazebo if a private dinner or small celebration is part of the trip.
- ✓Snorkel the house reef in the morning before the wind picks up, then decide if a dive is worth booking through the resort's dive centre.
Why we love it
- Villas spread across three islands instead of stacked along one beach
- Eleven restaurants, including a treetop dining room
- Private plunge pool and outdoor gazebo in every villa
- House reef and dive access without a long boat transfer
Why guests love itIthaafushi is the only resort we've stayed at that's spread across three islands, and it changes how a family holiday feels: our two boys took the buggy between the pool island and the restaurant island like it was a theme park, and among the eleven restaurants the one built up in the trees was the one they still talk about. Our villa's private pool overlooked the lagoon rather than a wall, and there was enough space that nobody felt like they were sharing a hallway with strangers all week.
Guest reviews
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