In this hotel, we were spoiled for choice with a slew of some of the finest meals in the Maldives—including one we caught ourselves. JW Marriott Maldives is a castaway check-in for foodies.
FISHING WASN’T HIGH ON my list for my stay at the JW Marriott Maldives, located a 55-minute seaplane flight north of Male’s international airport. Snorkeling and diving, lazy breakfasts and chilled sundowners, an indulgent massage, or just staring at the Indian Ocean, yes. Getting smelly bait on my hands, not so much. In the name of research, however, I signed up for a sunset fishing trip.
We set off in a traditional wooden dhoni in the late afternoon, dropping anchor a half-hour away from the resort. Our small group are given hand-held lines with bait attached, a brief explanation of what to do, then cast away.
Between a pushy family hogging the best spots, and false alarms as my hook gets caught on coral, it’s not a promising start. Desperate, I seek advice from the crew and soon, the bites start coming. Within minutes, I’ve landed a couple of red snappers, and it turns into a bumper session, with every guest onboard catching fish.
Better yet, the next day, I take part in a private Maldivian cooking class, and the red snappers have been cleaned and gutted, ready to prep. The chef, Amy, introduces the basics of Maldivian cuisine, which is “so much more than tuna curry,” she says—then concedes amiably that it’s eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
She shows me how to whip up her take on a ceviche, and grill a whole fish wrapped in banana leaf over a coal fire. There’s curry, too, heady with fragrant curry leaves and spices. Everything tastes extra delicious knowing that I am eating my catch.
Dining and drinking are a draw at the resort, with nine venues to choose from. Highlights include signature restaurants Hashi and Shio, two sides of the same coin serving slightly different cuisines. Both are in the same building, with a partition dividing the two kitchens.
My first meal is at Hashi, at an overwater table with the sea lapping below. It’s a feast of sushi and sashimi with local and imported seafood and a teppanyaki platter that includes prawns and lobster accompanied by sake.
On my last night, it’s a counter seat at Shio, the resort’s grill restaurant. Kenyan head chef Naomi presides over a carnivore’s haven of premium Australian wagyu, Angus and Black Angus beef. My butcher’s block of striploin, ribeye and tenderloin is charred on the outside, pink inside and smoky on the palate. Plenty of raw and cooked seafood is available, as well, including caviar for the splurge.
In between, there is a Thai meal among the treetops at Kaashi, where favorites such as pad Thai and green chicken curry come with stunning servings of white beach and blue sea. Also here is Rum Baan, a tiki bar with an extensive selection of rums from Martinique to Madagascar. Its frothy concoctions are made to be sipped on your sunlounger, with the bar only open during the day.
Breakfast is at the cathedral-like Aailaa, with its requisite spread of international standards alongside Chinese, Maldivian and Indian classics. The restaurant is great for a salad or curry at lunch or dinner, too, though—and, yes, I’m surprised to be writing this about a hotel’s all-day diner—book or get there early for a table by the lagoon.
On top of all the restaurants, the resort offers several destination dining options, including photogenic floating breakfasts in-villa, wine and food pairings in the dramatic wine room, caviar and Dom Perignon under the stars, or a candlelit traditional Maldivian feast on the sands.
Children are in for a treat at the JW Marriott, which claims to have one of the largest kids’ clubs in the Maldives. Inspired by a pirate’s shipwreck, the Little Griffin Kids’ Club sports bright and funky sea-meets-jungle beach huts, a 13-meter timber ship, children’s pool, and attentive staff. From art classes to kite-flying and mini beach Olympics, some 100 activities are offered. The club is open until 9 p.m., so parents can drop off their precious ones and head for a date night. (T+L Tip: Whether you choose to dine with your offspring or not, guests under 12 years old eat for free.)
Accommodations are substantial and strung out on the crescent-shaped island’s foreshore or along a lengthy boardwalk. All sport the same dhow-inspired design, with their ship-shaped thatched roofs, neutral interiors with occasional pops of color, and plenty of space indoors and out. The smallest, a one-bedroom overwater pool villa, clocks in at 234 square meters. More suitable for parents with little ones are the duplex beach pool villas, which measure 285 square meters. In addition to two bedrooms downstairs, there is a self-contained lounge upstairs, and a total of three ensuite bathrooms.
Sunset beach villas get straight-on sunset views, while sunrise ones have easy access to the house reef. Couples, of which I encountered many on my visit, should plump for a duplex overwater pool villa, with timber decks that lead straight into the lagoon. Beware though: people can see into the bathrooms from the boardwalk.
While the surrounding coral and house reef can’t match that at its cousin the W, there is enough marine life to keep snorkelers happy. Service too is more formal compared to the W, which seems to suit the guests here just fine.
Thinking about why people should take the long seaplane flight from Male to the resort, there are many. The archipelago’s trademark blue waters, the space and luxury at a competitive price, the multiple dining outlets, heaps of water activities, a lovely spa, and the family friendliness of it all.
But the most appealing reasons can be unexpected. On one of my morning swims, I spy a pod of dolphins, their bodies glistening in the sunlight. Hours later, while working by my villa’s private pool, I see a beautiful manta ray glide by below me. My heart skips a beat, and I’m reminded that magic is basically guaranteed all over the Maldives, including at the JW Marriott.
www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/mlejs-jw-marriott-maldives-resort-and-spa; villas from US$980, including breakfast, excluding taxes and seaplane transfers.
All Images Credit: Courtesy of JW Marriott Maldives Resort and Spa.
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