The Maldives is often synonymous with very expensive, if not unattainable, luxury travel, but fortunately, loyalty programs can go a long way in helping us afford experiences like this. Marriott now has over 7 hotels in the Maldives that can be booked with Marriott Bonvoy points.

Here are our reviews on these properties:

The St Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort is a category 8 hotel, so it will cost you between 70,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night in low season and 100,000 points per night in high season. We booked 5 nights for a total of 340,000 points taking advantage of the Marriott Bonvoy benefit of booking 5 nights for the price of 4 when using points.

At the time we made this reservation, the cost was around $20,000 USD.

However, even if you have booked with points, you will have to pay for the seaplane to get to Vommuli Island. It costs $745 USD per person. The seaplane booking is charged directly by the hotel who will make the reservation for you according to your arrival time at Male Airport (MLE). Please note that the seaplane can be taken between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. (check-in closes at 3:30 p.m.).

The best way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points to stay for free at over 7,000 hotels worldwide is to be a Marriott Bonvoy American Express (and/or Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express^MD Card) cardholder.

In addition to the great welcome bonus on both cards, you’ll earn 2 points per dollar on all purchases and 5 points per dollar at Marriott locations.

And each year, you’ll earn a free hotel night certificate (35,000 point value) as well as 15 Elite nights towards your Marriott Bonvoy status.

Alternatively, you can earn Marriott Bonvoy points with American Express Membership Rewards credit cards. You can transfer Membership Rewards points to Marriott Bonvoy points at a rate of 5:6 (50,000 Membership Rewards points = 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points).

For example, with the American Express Cobalt^MD Card, you earn 6 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar of purchases at grocery stores, restaurants, bars, convenience stores and home delivery. It is one of the best credit cards in Canada for travellers. Find out why here.

Check out this page for all the welcome offers on cards that earn Marriott Bonvoy points.

The Maldives is made up of 26 atolls, comprising almost 1,200 coral islands, located in the Indian Ocean, about 700 km off the coast of Sri Lanka. Here is a satellite photo of the islands, placed horizontally on the cartographic site:

The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort is located on Vommuli Island, part of the Dhaalu Atoll.

As soon as we stepped out of the airport, we were greeted by the St Regis Maldives team to take us to the hotel’s private lounge which is a 5 minute drive away to await our seaplane flight. The lounge offers an à la carte service for drinks and snacks.

On the way to the lounge, we had a video presentation of our butler welcoming us.

We got an upgrade to a villa on stilts with a view of the sunset.

Each room has bicycles for getting around the island. You can also call your butler to come and pick you up by cart.

The 182m² bedroom has a lounge area and a large dressing room adjoining the bathroom.

The room is remotely controlled from a tablet from which you can adjust the air conditioning and lighting, and access restaurant menus or activity rates. A wine cellar and a mini bar are available in the room.

The bathroom, all in marble, is equipped with a shower and a bathtub. It’s impossible not to take a bath with this breathtaking view!

Located on the balcony, the pool is very nice and very large, but with direct access to the turquoise ocean, we did not really enjoy it. Net hammocks also line the end of the balcony, allowing you to rest above the water.

The hotel has six restaurants and bars, the first two of which we will comment on:

• The Alba.
• The Oriental.
• The Cargo, offering Indian cuisine.
• The Decanter, offering continental cuisine.
• The Whale, a tapas bar and the best place to watch the sunset. A champagne sabering ceremony takes place every evening at the Whale Bar.
• Crust and Craft, offering international cuisine (pizzas).

The Alba is the hotel’s main restaurant, where breakfast is served. As a Titanium elite member, we chose the free breakfast as a welcome gift (also offered with the Platinum status). Otherwise, breakfast costs $60 USD plus tax (12%) and service charge (10%) per person.

This is offered in the form of a buffet and à la carte. The buffet offers a selection of pastries and doughnuts, but also local specialities.

On the à la carte menu, you can choose between Alaskan crab omelettes and lobster with caviar, duck confit waffle and many other tasty dishes. Vegetarian options, salads and sushi are also available. There is also a special selection for children.

For other meals, the Alba offers international cuisine. We had dinner there when we arrived and the food was good and hearty. Note, however, that bottled water is exorbitantly expensive ($10 USD), and you’d better get some drinks to make your meal worthwhile.

This restaurant offers Asian cuisine. We mainly dined in this restaurant during our stay, as the setting is very relaxing, offering a direct view of the Indian Ocean.

It is highly recommended to book restaurants in advance with your butler to ensure availability. Please note that some restaurants are not open every day.

The hotel provides free masks, snorkels and fins for snorkeling. We were able to see some manta rays and baby sharks, but also some construction leftovers on the ocean floor, which was quite disappointing.

Other water activities are also available: Jet-skiing, scuba diving, parachuting, windsurfing, kayaking, etc.

Very nice gym, well equipped. The hotel also has a yoga room.

Different sports activities are organized every day. A program of activities was given to us on arrival.

The Iridium SPA is an oasis of relaxation with a sauna, steam rooms and a hydrotherapy pool. Many Thai and Balinese massages are also offered.

The Socialite is the space reserved for those 16 years and older. Here you can find many games, video game consoles, ping pong tables and pool tables.

The children’s club welcomes children from 4 to 12 years old. Many activities are organized by a team of professional nursery workers: yoga and meditation classes adapted for children, puzzles, origami, video games, etc.

The St Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort offers great facilities and attentive service. The island is not very big but you never feel that it’s too crowded; it is very relaxing.

We enjoyed our stay very much, it was close to perfection. Although we only stayed for 5 days, it was more than enough for us.

If you are traveling on points, you should still budget extra for meals and activities, which can be very expensive.