Each week we comb all the best deals on water villas and overwater bungalows around the world to present the most interesting one for our readers. This week we came upon a treasure trove of amazing discounts on Maldives water bungalows for the summer months.
Even though the Maldives weather is nearly the same all year round, with just a few more quick rain storms during the summer than the winter, the months of June through August are the off season for the resorts with the lowest prices of the year.
What's interesting is that just in the past week or so many of the better resorts have started discounting their previous off-season rates down to almost unheard-of levels. Below is a list of some of the best Maldives resorts that have cut their best rates by 15% to 30%. Obviously it's all based on availability and some resorts will show higher prices for some weeks, but if you are flexible it seems certain that you can find an amazing deal soon for the summer months.
Hello! I am looking for an all inclusive for my honeymoon that features more than one buffet dinner option. Most of the hotels we have looked at (Lily Beach, Centara, & Aadaran Prestige Vadoo), only seem to offer basically one buffet dinner option but for 11 nights, we think eating dinner at the same place each night might get a bit boring. Any suggestions? Thanks!!
Liz,
Hmmm…this is challenging. I know exactly what you mean about those buffets getting a bit tiresome after the first 4 or 5 days, but I’m not aware of any Maldives resort that offers more than one discreet buffet. For example, Meeru Island, which is one of the larger Maldives all-inclusives, and where I was only a couple months ago, has two buffet restaurants, but they serve the same food as each other at every meal.
On the other hand, I’d still recommend Meeru Island or one of the other larger ones for you. The thing is, most of their all-inclusive guests stay for a week, and quite a few stay even longer. As a result they change the menu every day to some degree. There are always salads and bread and other veggies and so forth, but the main courses are different every day. It might be a pasta bar one day and more of a meat & potatoes thing the next day. I’d say there were maybe 5 or 6 different main courses at each meal (lunch and dinner), in addition to several Indian and Asian main courses every day. And again, they changed at each meal, at least some of them did.
So on one hand, I agree that buffets in general can get tiring after a few days, even the huge ones on the cruise ships. But on the other hand, the food at Meeru Island and most of its main competitors is really good and they offer quite a bit of variety exactly because so many people stay a week or more.
Also, Meeru is one of many that has quite a few a la carte restaurants, which not only offer totally different food, but also different scenery and ambience. Mixing one or two of those into your 11-night stay would really help.
Lastly, I think it’s more that you want a larger resort rather than multiple buffets. A resort with, say, 50 rooms and 100 total guests can only provide so many options regardless of how many buffets it offers. On the other hand, a larger resort like Meeru with 300 rooms will have armies of excellent food staff making a great variety of excellent food. By the way, I highly recommend Meeru in general for an all-inclusive resort because it consistently offers the best value in that category in the Maldives. Have a great trip. -Roger
I am looking for a trip to an over-the-water bungalow that is all-inclusive at a reasonable rate. I would like to have a place that offers scuba diving and complimentary or inexpensive transportation from the airport to the island.
Any suggestions? Maldives or any other place that offers what I am thinking about.
Elaine,
In the Maldives, there is nothing complimentary or inexpensive when it comes to transportation. If you are on a tight budget and are looking for an all-inclusive with scuba diving then your best bet will be one of the resorts in the Caribbean. There are several on there that are reasonably priced and do include transportation for stays of longer than a few days. Best of luck with this. -Roger
I noticed that several of these hotels mention cigarettes, does that mean that smoking is allowed all over the resort? I’m thinking that that might be a great reason not to book at these resorts.. I don’t want the smell of cigarettes bothering us while we’re on our honeymoon.
Hannah,
That’s interesting because I don’t recall seeing resorts mention cigarettes, and we certainly don’t on our site. That said, it’s not uncommon for smoking to be allowed in some outdoor bars in Asia. Fortunately, there is usually a pleasant breeze in the Maldives, and the rooms are spread out far enough that you wouldn’t smell it even if the people in the next water villa were smoking. I was just in the Maldives and even as a non-smoker myself, I don’t recall every smelling smoke, much less being bothered by it. So I doubt it will be a problem and I’m sure you’ll love the Maldives. -Roger
Hi Roger, First thank you for such an awesome site. I have been all over it since I start planning my family vacation. I am looking for a resort with water bungalow where you can go straight into the lagoon from it (like the water is not deep), (infinity pool and glass floor, thou not a must!), all inclusive, good food and variety, amazing view/water, good snorkeling, diving, sealife, coral reef, some special feature (like underwater spa or restaurant, not a must thou), price range wise up to 1100 per night, and we are flexible with the dates ( i notice price begin to shoot up starting august? I read your time post about time to visit but november still seem expensive) . I feel that the bungalow are pretty big and would fit my family of 4 (2 parents and 2 adult children aged 19 and above and we children can dont mind sleeping on the couch/floor/extra bed) but for some reason they only designate them for 2. Sorry for the long explanation, could you recommend your top 3 for these criteria?
Winnie,
I’m sure you’ll be able to find a wonderful resort, but it’s important to mention that your biggest challenge will be finding a resort that allows 4 adults in one water villa. We get this question so often that we researched it and created a special list of Maldives water villas that allow 4 guests. It’s a shorter list than you might expect, and you won’t get your whole wish list, even with your considerable budget.
To be honest, I’m not sure why most resorts only allow 3 people in a villa, because most of them are very large. My guess is that they allow 3 because most of them have one small fold-out sofa in them, and they’d require extra portable beds for the fourth person. They really don’t like to move furniture in and out of the bungalows because they are on long piers and it can be disruptive for the other guests.
The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Resort has almost everything, but it’s not all-inclusive, though it does have an underwater restaurant.
June and July are the cheapest months, and by September the rates are moving up to normal again. If you can go in June you’ll get the lowest rate for sure. Otherwise, just look for promotional deals on the places that allow 4 guests. If you check Agoda.com on a regular basis you should see some rates fall now and again. Best of luck with this. -Roger
Hi Roger,
Great site, thanks!
Looking for over water for honeymoon in first week of June.
There are so many, but its hard to find the details for them all.
Some basic criteria i’m looking for:
Glass floor
Ability to walk out of room and swim/snorkle right there
I like to drink, so alcohol included is probably a good idea, even if its just beer and wine.
Food included is not a requirement as long as it wouldnt kill a budget.
I realize Maldives seems to be the only all-inclusive over water, but I thought I’ve heard of other places that offer beer/wine deals.
Do you have any recommendations that could satisfy those options?
thank you -t
T,
Glass floors aren’t as common as you might think, unfortunately. Here is our list of the better resorts with glass floors.
If you click on the Caribbean tab at the top of every page, you’ll see a list of resorts in that area, several of which do offer all-inclusive packages. The problem is that these are mainly diving resorts so the accommodation are essentially cabins over the water with few amenities, and quite different from the honeymoon style places in the Maldives and Bora Bora.
Aside from those places, the only overwater resorts that offer all-inclusive deals are in the Maldives. In Bora Bora and Moorea you might get dinners included in your room rate if you go through a travel agent, but none of them are set up for all-inclusive alcohol. The Maldives is amazing though, and you get better value in general there, especially if you are in the mood to drink. I just visited Meeru Islands in the Maldives on the all-inclusive package and it was awesome in every way. And you can swim beneath the water villas there, although most resorts there don’t have glass floors. Good luck on this and congratulations. Let me know if you have other questions. -Roger
Hi Roger,
I am looking for an adult-only, all-inclusive overwater bungalow in Maldives for my honeymoon. Do you have any good recommendation? Thanks.
CC,
There are a couple on this list of water villa resorts with no children. All of those resorts are pretty much adults-only, and also many of the larger resorts have areas that are adults-only. Many have special areas where the water villas are located where no guests under 18 are allowed into the rooms or the nearby common areas. I think Meeru Island has that, and they are the best-value of the all-inclusive resorts. Good luck and congratulations. -Roger
Hi Roger,
Good day. I’m planning to stay at Kuredu Island Resort. Any Pros & Cons abt that resort . . Or can you recommend some water villas around 400 – 500 USD/Day with All Inclusive ???
Subramanian,
I’ve never stayed at Kuredu Island, but it seems to get among the best reviews of any Maldives resort. So if you can afford it, I’d book it for sure. Otherwise, the best value for an all-inclusive water villa in the Maldives is almost always https://www.overwaterbungalows.net/meeru-island-resort-maldives. During the slower months you can get a rate of around US$500 with all-inclusive, although in other months it’s more like US$600 or US$700. Good luck. -Roger
Hi Roger,
I am looking for a overwater bungalow for my honeymoon in late August. should I buy a package with flights and hotel all inclusive? if yes, then where can i find it? otherwise if I buy airfare, then how can i get from the airport to the hotel? also which hotel are you recommended for 2 people with a decent price? thank you!
Toby,
You’ll find most of the best deals for the Maldives online, although if you have a trusted travel agent you might ask for their price as well. The good news is that it’s very easy to book one of these holidays online and still get full service. Here’s how it works. You look for the resort that suits you best, and hopefully one that is offering a promotional rate for your dates. Agoda.com dominates the online market and offers the best rates (it’s part of the Priceline Group and I use them all the time). So find your resort on Agoda, and when you are ready to book it will tell you the full room rate including taxes and fees AND it will give you the price for transportation from the Male Airport to the resort.
Resorts on islands that are close to the airport use speedboats, with return rates of between US$100 and US$220 per person. Resorts that are farther away will insist that you book a sea plane flight for a return fare of between US$350 and US$600 per person. A few resorts offer both options, and it’s worth mentioning that the sea plane flight itself is a MAJOR highlight of your trip so most people are happy to choose it. After booking the resort will also ask you for your flight information into Male Airport. Needless to say, you’ll want to make sure you can get a good flight and fare before you lock in any non-refundable dates for the hotel.
Then when your plane lands in Male you’ll either be met by a representative of the resort or you’ll go to their desk in the airport that is easily located. Then, someone from the resort will greet you and help put you on the speedboat or sea plane, along with your luggage, and next thing you know you’ll be at the resort itself. Pretty much everyone coming to the Maldives books this way and it’s very well organized and stress free.
If your flight arrives after 5pm or so, you will probably want to stay that night at a hotel near the airport and then take the speedboat or sea plane early the next morning. The sea planes don’t fly at night, although most speedboats do go until 10pm or so.
So shop around online and it’s almost certain that your best deal will be by booking your own flights and booking the resort on Agoda. Have a great trip and congratulations. -Roger
Mark,
I haven’t been to all of those so it’s hard for me to judge. What I can tell you about swimming and snorkeling is that you can swim in the main lagoons of all Maldives resorts, but for the best snorkeling you usually have to take a (free) boat ride out to a better reef. Most resorts have these trips twice a day or so. Your best bet is to read through the TripAdvisor reviews of the places you are considering and see what guests are saying about the snorkeling and so forth. Meeru Island gets great reviews for an affordable all-inclusive, and I’m actually headed there myself in early March. Best of luck with this. -Roger
HI there would like to enquire if there is any all inclusive resort with jacuzzi in the room? or if you could point me in the right direction . Thank you
Can you recommend an all-inclusive, adults only, over the water bungalow resort, that is open to a gay couple as guests ? We don’t want to end up in a country that persecutes. We are looking for a vacation in late March, hopefully not in a place with the rainy season then. We mostly are looking to relax, a lot of activities or tours are not required. A place with a great variety of food, and very informal for dinner (shorts, t-shirts, etc.) is preferable as well. Thank you !
WT,
This is an interesting question and I can’t help much, unfortunately. My best guess is that most or all of the Maldives resorts will look the other way about a same sex couple sharing a room, and I’ve never heard of any problems with that. For example, as a Muslim country, the Maldives is VERY strict about alcohol for its citizens and Muslim workers, but every private-island resort serves alcohol to non-Muslim guests with no issues. So they seem to be quite tolerant with their guests, and tourism dominates the economy. But again, I haven’t heard specific cases about this, so I’m just guessing that as long as guests are modest in public, that no one will know or care.
And you’ll also be happy to know that pretty much all of these resorts are extremely casual with dress codes. In fact, some of the most expensive of them are among those that promote a "no shoes, no news" policy. These resorts are all very casual, and many people go barefoot all day. Best of luck with this. -Roger
Hi, We are travelling with two teenagers (16 and 14) and looking for the overwater bungalows in Maldives. Can you advise which would be suitable for that age group with activities and all inclusive. I have looked at Club Med Kani but it looks a bit dated and the overwater suites are for older people I think. Thanks
suzette,
Unfortunately, most Maldives resorts won’t allow two adults and two teenagers in the same water villa. For that reason we researched it and made a list of Maldives resorts for 4 people in one water villa.
Aside from that list I’ll highly recommend Meeru Island Resort because they are one of the larger islands and they are known to be flexible. Also, they offer among the best deals in the Maldives and get consistently great reviews from families. Best of luck with this. -Roger
So I see that the diamonds thudufushi isn’t on the list does anyone know if that hotel is a good one or not?
Hi quick question which of the all inclusive resorts is rated for having the best food?
Thanks in advance
can you possibly recommend a place myself and my daughter? my daughter is grown so this would be a vacation for us.
Ms. Gee,
I could try to recommend a resort but it’s challenging without knowing more about what you are looking for. These "Editor’s Choice" articles already highlight the ones that we think are the best in their categories. If you are looking for something specific, let me know and I’ll try to help. -Roger
Hi There,
Would you please inform me that In Maldives are there any Resorts as belong name "king hong Resorts Privet Limited"? Please let me know urgently.I would be so grateful.
Thanks
Al Amin
Al Amin,
I’ve never heard of such a resort. Sorry about that. -Roger
Hi, I was wondering is there a discount for the honeymoon couples? I am planning to come on january for my honeymoon but havent decided which hotel. In adittion, what is the weather like in january? Is it rainny or hot for enjoyment?
Thanks in advance
Burak,
It feels like almost half of the people visiting the Maldives are on their honeymoon, so unfortunately the resorts are unable to offer discounts. However, the resorts definitely appreciate honeymoon business and if you let them know the occasion before you arrive you might find a bottle of champagne or some other such bonus in your room. You might even get lucky and get a room upgrade.
Here is some information on Maldives weather by month. It’s always warm in the Maldives and the “rainy season” is May through December, but they are typical tropical rainstorms in that they are usually overnight or for about 30 minutes in the afternoon. January is one of the dry months, though you still might see a quick shower or two, usually followed by a gorgeous sunset. -Roger
Hi, I am looking for an overwater bungalow resort that would be able to accomodate 2 adults and also a 14 and 12 year old in the same bungalow. Do these exist? We would like to travel in February but also don’t need a super luxury resort and would like to stay under $800 a night if possible. Thanks for any suggestions as I don’t know where to begin.
Darice,
This is a tricky question that I get a lot. Most Maldives resorts have a sofabed in them so sleeping 3 people is easy, but most of them also at least publicly limit a water villa to 3 people. In other words, if the kids can share a sofabed, there should be room for them, so it’s just a matter of finding a resort that actually allows 4 people in one villa. Unfortunately, the resorts that have 2-bedroom water villas charge a fortune for those. They start at probably US$1,200 per night or even more, so two water villas would actually be cheaper.
When you are checking the resorts on Agoda.com (which is the cheapest and best place to book Maldives resorts), there is a place where you can enter the number of adults and children in the room. When you choose 2 and 2, it will warn you that it will reduce the number of possible resorts available, but if you keep checking resorts you’ll eventually find the some of them do allow it.
So I’d recommend checking resorts that you might like on this page and then trying for 4 guests: https://www.overwaterbungalows.net/overwater-bungalows-in-maldives
Eventually you’ll find one that will work. Best of luck, and sorry I couldn’t be of more help. -Roger
Highly recommend the intercontinental bora bora. We stayed their with our children for about 800. Extremely nice ow bungalow with a great view. Buy an ambassador membership online… The perks are worth it, but resort food prices are high.
HI there would like to enquire if there is any all inclusive resort with jacuzzi comes with glass floor in the room? Please advise. Thank you.
Would like to know which resort the first and main photo was taken at? This is a "Make a wish" vacation that I am trying to plan and that room almost perfectly describes her dream room.
Stephanie,
The top photo is from the Lily Beach Resort and Spa, which is at the top of this list. -Roger