After a multi-million dollar renovation, W Maldives offers youthful energy in a sophisticated package
Editor’s note: See other Escape Plan stories here.
No one likes to be called a prude. But as I watch couple after couple making kissy faces to one another at the airport, I begin to wonder if I had suddenly become one during the four-hour flight to Malé.
In some ways, their enthusiastic public ardour makes sense. Maldives is a country of excess, boasting absurdly aquamarine oceans, impossibly white sandy beaches, and sunsets drenched in cinematic gold. Why wouldn’t emotions run high here too?
It’s apt then that my first stop is W Maldives. If you’re unfamiliar with the W brand from Marriott’s portfolio of luxury hospitality brands, you’ll need to know that its reputation precedes itself. Ever effusive, expressive, and extroverted, the W brand—with its penchant for neon lights, loud music, and high-octane lifestyle events—has never been afraid to flaunt its youthful energy.
And boosted by this seemingly intoxicating Maldivian air, the nearly 20-year-old resort—recently reopened after a multi-million dollar renovation in 2024—is sure to be electrifying.
A Maturing Sensibility
Pleasantly, it only takes 25 minutes to arrive at the resort via seaplane. Even more pleasant, the resort exudes a sobering stillness. Rather than the sensory overload I’d braced myself for, I find a soothing air of tranquillity, accentuated, of course, by the surreal aquamarine waters that surround it.
Located in the picturesque North Ari Atoll (you get an incredible view of colourful corals when approaching the resort from above), the resort consists of a green and vibrant central area that houses the main facilities. Extending from this central hub is a line of private overwater villas, providing the resort with an almost branching silhouette.
The structure of the resort may not have changed much from before its renovation, but it’s the updated design language—rendered through its revamped rooms and facilities—that expresses its maturing sensibility.
Instead of the bright and eye-catching colours that bedizened the villas of yesteryear, each of the newly designed 77 villas—whether beach or overwater—sports calm and soothing colour palettes that exude sophistication. Rooted in a design philosophy that draws from Maldives’ above-and-below-water ecosystems, the new aesthetic replaces the former larger-than-life styling with nuanced immersion.
The expansive 146 sqm Premier Overwater Villas, for instance, channel the world below. Here, organic forms inspired by whale sharks and coral reefs lend the interiors a soft, otherworldly quality. Add a glass floor panel that offers a porthole-like view of the waters below and you have a villa that feels more like a floating observatory than a hotel room.
On land, the 188 sqm Escape Beach Villas, which offer direct access to the beach, take a different cue. Here, the world above comes to life through warm, earthen textures and design cues lifted from the local mangrove ecosystem. Root-like shadows dance across walls, cast from a laser-cut headboard, while the bar area sports a curved, mangrove-leaf-like aesthetic.
This newfound design language, rich in refinement and subtlety, seems to be antithetical to the brand’s signature styling. More importantly, it appears this maturation isn’t exclusive to W Maldives; fans of the W brand have grown up—and so too, it seems, has the brand.
Beneath the Surface
My arm is tired. Okay, I’m exaggerating. But as I walk from my overwater villa to the resort’s centre (you can call for a buggy, but with a stunning ocean view to savour, why would you?), I find myself waving and smiling to almost everyone who passes by. It’s far from my introverted instincts to do so, but W Maldives’ friendly, energetic staff seems to have bypassed my circuitry.
I’d spent the previous evening luxuriating on the deck of my overwater villa, soaking in the brilliant hues of a warm, golden sunset. Today, armed with snorkelling gear I’d loaned from the dive centre, I seek to experience its house reef.
While you’re more than free to snorkel on your own, it’s best to request a guide who will show you the reef’s most vivid corners. The marine ecosystem here is thriving, boasting a dense population of reef fish and healthy and vibrant coral structures that are illuminated with startling clarity. You can even get up close to the occasional passing turtle or ray.
It seems the house reef hasn’t received the memo. While the resort above edges into a quieter, more refined sensibility, the reef remains wild, electric, and full of colour. And just like its house reef, it is only through immersing in the resort’s underlying depth that its pulsating energy can be felt.
Its Wet Deck, for example, is the social hub and poolside bar, offering an unpretentious and elegant open-air lounging space. Prominently displayed in the pool, however, is a newly installed chrome slide—a gleaming stainless-steel curve by SplinterWorks—that catches the light and adds vibrancy and play to the space.
Similarly, Sip—the overwater cocktail bar—offers the perfect space to revel in the resort’s more expressive instincts. The bar serves bold and theatrical cocktails but what is most impressive is how this creative flair is balanced by a growing and sensible commitment to sustainability, with many of its ingredients sourced from the resort’s garden.
The resort offers three dining venues: Kitchen for casual, all-day fare; Fire for beachfront grilling; and Fish for elevated seafood dining. It is at Fish where I find myself most immersed in the electric Maldivian air. Prompted by a fellow diner, a musician, stationed near the deck of the restaurant, begins playing a local tune. Almost imperceptibly, the bubbling energy that had seemingly been suppressed within the resort unspools into the room—creating a spirited atmosphere that has everyone, diners and staff included, singing and dancing in unison. I even get the urge to dance.
Although W Maldives is growing up, it’s doing so without losing any of its youthful spark. If anything, it feels more confident—more ready than ever to draw even the most reserved guest into the rhythm and romance of the Maldives.
This story first appeared in the August 2025 issue. Purchase it as a print or digital copy, or consider subscribing to us here
