The best things to do at Waldorf Astoria Maldives

We’ve rounded up our favourite things to do at this resort, so you can start planning your itinerary.

This atoll is made up of 30 islands, 10 of which are completely empty. Travel by luxury private boat to take a picnic on a stretch of purest white sand, curved like a smile across the azure waters with nothing and nobody anywhere near. Just you, the ocean, and the sky. It’s all bookable via the resort.  

Book Waldorf Astoria Maldives and you can also maintain your fitness regime if you wish. Customised exercises and holistic wellness programmes make the resort’s excellent fitness centre a popular choice. Great hair stylists and a team of experienced aesthetic experts are also on hand to complete the experience – now that’s what we call pampering.

Don’t forget the Wellness Visiting Practitioner programme. It involves inviting world-class specialists to provide guests with treatments from around the globe, on a group or personal basis. Acupuncture, pilates, personal healing, herbal medicine and more are on the menu, all in the resort’s signature sophisticated luxury.

The Waldorf Astoria Maldives restaurants are exceptional. Choose from eleven different venues to eat out at, each offering something unique in terms of the cuisine, the setting, and the vibe. Sunsets and sunrises, beach and water views, each destination is as dreamy as the next. A couple of the venues don’t offer a children’s menu, meaning you can enjoy sophisticated dining in adult surroundings. But there are also plenty of child-friendly eating out options too, with child-sized treats designed with little people in mind. 

Waldorf Astoria Maldives puts on a daily schedule of activities to tap into, for all the family. There’s everything from cool crafts like Maldivian leaf origami and coconut painting to intense activities like beach volleyball and fantastic silent discos. There’s also tennis and Padel tennis to play, and even a regular table tennis challenge – great fun for competitive guests!

Wellness comes top of the list in this spectacular setting. The Lifestyle Spa offers 10 beautiful treatment villas where countless spa treatments await you. This part is unique – the resort’s experienced Wellness Concierge, the first of its kind in the Maldives, provides a personalised approach via a consultation process designed to create the perfect treatments for you as an individual. The spa categorises the treatments according to the elements earth, water, fire and metal. And the finest spa products come as standard too, a range of top class brands whose products deliver the ultimate feel-good factor.

The atoll is remote, which means its pulled out all the stops to provide every imaginable ocean-based thrill. The dive centre and water sports centre are both excellent. The underwater scooter, the Seabob, is quite something too – definitely not an experience you’ll forget in a hurry. There’s also parasailing, windsurfing, catamaran sailing and kitesurfing, plus stand-up paddleboarding, paddleboats to enjoy, and transparent kayaking with stunning views of the exotic marine life below.

There’s wakeskating, wakeboarding, and kneeboarding plus thrills on board a Jet ski or X-Jet Jetblade. Electric Life Foiling, surfing, and bubblemaker sessions. You can take PADI diving qualifications and even go wreck diving. On a gentler note, you can adopt a coral frame to help create a new reef.

A huge variety of diving and snorkelling experiences are available, including snorkelling with dolphins, sharks, and whale sharks. You can hire a beautiful boat to go fishing or exploring in serious luxury. There are lots of gorgeous desert islands where you can picnic and sunbathe in total seclusion and privacy. You can even try your hand at the area’s world-class Big Game fishing and sport fishing. As you can see, Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi offers masses of wonderful activities.

The Waldorf Astoria Maldives Little Stars Club is great for younger children, offering a packed and varied programme of fun and activities. There’s even a toddler’s group. The splash pad and waterpark are popular with little ones, and the adventure playground is a delight. The arts and crafts area is an excellent creative play zone where their imaginations are constantly stimulated.

There’s a teens club for older kids, who’ll really enjoy meeting new friends and taking part in activities. It’s called Club Nova Teens Club. 

The Aqua Wellness Centre is a prime destination for relaxation and stimulation rolled into one. It’s magic. The long pool is cleverly broken up into sections, each offering a different experience for your body. The jet bath, the powerful air jets, the invigorating shower jets, and the massage lounge all come with their own level of intensity. The water temperature varies, too. The experience will leave you with relaxed muscles, a stronger immune system, great blood circulation and faster metabolism. You’ll even sleep better than ever afterwards.

The resort’s tennis court is your destination to learn the game, or practise your moves if you’re experienced. You’ll get a free 30-minute session with the resort’s tennis pro. Padel tennis is also on the menu, a fast and furious game blending tennis and squash to thrilling effect, perfect for anyone aged six or above.  

Selfies and snaps are great, full of fabulous memories. But you can also let the professionals take over. One of the resort’s photographers will capture your precious holiday memories, creating stunning images to treasure for life. All you need is 24 hours’ notice to arrange it via the resort.

The Edition by TLE Boutiques Main Boutique is a treasure trove, with everything from floaty resort wear to smart men’s fashion, beautiful women’s clothing, fun and funky children’s wear, plus gorgeous jewellery, and accessories. It’s a top destination for retail therapy seekers who want to look the breezy part in this gorgeous setting.  

As we mentioned, this is a remote atoll, perfect for on-resort peace and seclusion. There’s masses to do at the resort itself, but you can also adventure farther afield thanks to a plethora of Waldorf Astoria Maldives yacht and boat hire opportunities.

Waldorf Astoria Maldives activities include the chance for expert surfers to motor off in search of a top break an hour’s speedboat ride away, accompanied by a surf guide. Great surf spots like Chickens, Cokes, Sultans, Honkys, and Jailbreaks are on the menu. Other excursions include sunset cruises, sandbank escapades, private cruises, glass bottom boat trips and private boat rentals of various kinds, all conducted in sophisticated craft offering every mod con and comfort.

The resort lies approximately 40-minutes away by yacht from Malé International Airport.

It depends whether you want to overlook the beach or be over the water itself, whether you’d love a sunset or sunrise view, and the style and size of villa you’re dreaming about. There’s something for every taste, to fulfill every desire.

The Waldorf Astoria Collection is a luxury hotel and resort sub-brand of Hilton Worldwide.