When you think of true paradise, there are a few places in the world that come to mind more beautiful than The St Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort. The Maldives easily competes with the most spectacular islands in Bora Bora and Fiji. It certainly was on our bucket list, and we often imagined how we could make this dream a reality. 

The Points

With the merger of SPG and Marriott, there was a period of time when certain properties were a great value for points redemption. In the case of The St Regis Maldives, we booked in November 2018, before the end of year deadline when property tiers could change. These rates were valid for the entire 2019 year if booked in 2018.

We used 240,000 points for 5 nights, with 5th night free. We considered the time of year which we were traveling, as November is considered shoulder season and could be rainy in the Maldives. Flying through Dubai with Emirates is one of the most convenient routes to arrive in the Maldives. 

The St Regis Experience

Once you arrive at Malé airport, there’s a St Regis Maldives lounge reserved for guests that’s a short drive away from the main terminal. There you wait for your seaplane to take you to the resort. The lounge is full service, offering coffee, juices and water, plus snacks including pastries and sandwiches. Perfect to recuperate after a long flight.

The seaplane is an experience in and of itself. It operates through Transmaldivian Air, and the hotel schedules it for you based on when you’re arriving into Malé. You should plan to email the hotel in advance to let them know about your flight times. They will then group you with those that have similar flight paths, so it’s likely your flight will have to make a few stops before it reaches the St Regis Maldives. It’s just under $1400 roundtrip and will be charged to your room.

The Arrival to the Maldives

While you’re circling the St Regis by seaplane about to land, it’s your first great photo opportunity. You can see the entire resort down below and it’s a beautiful view.

Once you arrive, you’re greeted by a large group of the staff welcoming you to the St Regis. Your butler (shout out to Amity!) will come by to say hello with fresh coconut water from a local coconut while you take in the peaceful water view. You’ll wait here while they bring your luggage to your room.

The Room

Originally we were booked for a garden villa with a pool – there are only 4 of them on the property. Due to our platinum status, we were upgraded to a sunset overwater villa. Note that while not everyone may receive an upgrade, we were fortunate enough to and we thoroughly enjoyed it!

We were brought to our villa in a golf cart by our butler. She explained to us everything about the property, our room and the services that would be offered throughout our stay. Upon arrival, there were chocolates and fresh fruit in our room, along with chocolate covered strawberries with a special message. Written on the plate: “Thank you for your loyalty as platinum elite” and a bottle of champagne waiting for us. 

The room was stunning. We could barely speak for several minutes after we arrived because it was mind blowing. That may sound dramatic but really, we’ve stayed at many beautiful properties, but this one is unique.

The pool gets plenty of sunlight throughout the day so it’s always kept warm. The separate sitting area and desk plus huge walk-in closet were a nice extra. The bed was quite comfortable and the privacy blinds and automatic lights were a good touch. We loved the spacious bathroom with a huge shower and large standalone tub. 

We planned our trip near our 5 year wedding anniversary. In celebration, our butler filled our tub with rose petals spelling out “5 Love Live Forever” and “Happy 5th Anniversary” in bamboo leaves on our bed. We were also left a delicious cake and a personalized note from our butler. 

The St Regis Food

Now onto breakfast… We chose the free breakfast as our platinum amenity. Highly recommend this if it’s an option for you! This is arguably the best breakfast we’ve ever had anywhere. Every morning, we had an amazing breakfast at Alba set-up buffet style, but also had the ability to order dishes off the menu. We did a combination of both…sushi, fresh mango juice (and they would cut fresh mango and bring it to you), complimentary sparkling wine (yes, it still existed). Lobster and caviar omelettes, duck confit and waffles, crab benedict with soft shell crab. We still think about those delicious breakfasts and our morning ritual of a bike ride to arrive.

Orientale was our favorite restaurant, offering seasonal Asian, Indian, Japanese – we ate there twice. If we had to choose a least favorite spot, it would be the cookout the first night with fresh fish cooked to order. Not to say we don’t recommend it, only that we rank it lower than the others, but that could be in part due to the changed experience. It was supposed to be a bonfire on the beach but because of the weather, it was rained out and was in the Alba restaurant location. We ate at the Whale Bar one stormy night for a more casual meal, and also the Middle Eastern restaurant, Cargo, which was outside in what felt like a jungle. We didn’t make it to Decanter, the fine dining, multiple course restaurant. No meals at Crust Pizza either.

Most nights around sunset, you can go to a champagne sabering at the Whale Bar, where you’ll receive a small complimentary glass of sparkling wine. You can also order a cocktail if you’d like, and the included snacks of olives and nuts are a nice addition. 

The St Regis Costs

Restaurant costs are not low but also not completely outlandish considering that basically everything needs to be imported except for coconuts. For dinner with 1 appetizer, 2 entrees, shared dessert, and 2 glasses of wine (or maybe a bottle), you’re still looking at $200 or more per night. At a minimum, you should expect that you’re spending between $200-$300 nightly for 2. If you order more courses or a few bottles of wine, of course you’re looking at more. But, with the extensive breakfast options, we genuinely weren’t hungry for lunch. Plus, our butler came by daily for tea time (or you can ask for iced coffee!) with a snack. The only meal we paid for each day was dinner, so for being in the middle of the Indian ocean, the price really wasn’t bad.

The Maldives Weather

Overall the weather was beautiful, but we did get rained out a few times. Rain and wind in the Maldives can get pretty aggressive, but then it passes. It certainly did not rain every day but most days got a bit of a storm. The staff are prepared for this. One particular night at the Whale Bar after the champagne sabering, a particularly crazy (to us) storm came through. The staff were quickly prepared with towels and sat us in a covered area, quickly dragging in all the outside furniture. I think because we went in shoulder season, it may have made it somewhat easier to secure a room upgrade, since we weren’t competing with quite as many guests. It was warm every day, and the storms did make for beautiful sunsets. We took full advantage in our overwater sunset villa!

The Spa

As part of being a platinum guest, we were given access to the spa facilities including 30 minutes at the blue hole. Highly recommend it if it’s offered to you – beautiful view and very peaceful. Our massages were amazing. We had received a note in our room with our check-in materials offering us a better rate on massages if booked within the first few days of arriving. They were definitely worth it and a highlight of our experience at the St Regis Maldives. 

The Checkout

Late checkout is dependent on your flight time out of Malé. In the morning of departure, our butler came by with the bill for us to review and let us know what time we would be leaving the resort. Scheduled time was about 3 hours before our Malé flight, with a flight time from the resort to Malé of around 45 minutes. We arrived at the Malé airport about 2 hours before our flight.  

The Maldives Wrap Up

If you’re considering planning a trip to the Maldives, we recommend without hesitation the St Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort. It’s really a special place, set in the middle of the Indian ocean. You feel all of the benefits of being in a remote destination, without sacrificing the luxuries either. Wifi, good food and wine and beautiful views abound. If you’re looking for a relaxing vacation or to celebrate a special occasion, we’re certain you’ll never want to leave.