New hotels in the Maldives opening in 2021 - which one to choose?

New hotels in the Maldives, although limited in their appearance by the number of islands, still steadily appear on the map and in search engine databases. And this is an interesting topic: what else will surprise you? Or maybe they finally built hotels with a budget of up to a hundred thousand, but with all the bounty and service to boot? Or maybe you can get big discounts?

While I was collecting this fresh selection of new products, I really wanted to visit the Maldives … I hope you have the same aftertaste, and your dream hotel is on the list!

Why should you go to a new hotel?

New hotels in the Maldives open every year. I noticed that two or three years ago the resorts grew by leaps and bounds. In 2020-2021, this diversity is no longer there. But still, there are determined hoteliers, and therefore it is interesting to study their contribution to the happiness of tourists!

The advantages of new resorts are obvious:

New means modern, or at least taking into account trends in the hotel industry. Especially in the Maldives – in a country where you need to be able to impress a guest against the backdrop of hundreds of already built resorts. Look at the photos of the first two hotels on the list – there are no such design projects even in the palaces of Stavropol.
But if the hotel is a “pass-through” hotel, it is still fresh, shiny and polished. Nothing is (yet) broken, there is (still) a kettle in the room.
The price may well be moderate in order to gain a base of reviews and guests in the first year. And on the second day, she is already allowed to float freely at 100,000 rubles a day and more 🙂 Depends on the hotel segment.

But the new hotel may also turn out to be an insidious “fake” of a dream. Annoy vacationers with the sound of a drill and a team of workers on the terrace of a seemingly private villa; not debug all stages of communication “guest-staff”; do not build a clear transfer on schedule (especially by plane); do not have time to sufficiently green up the jungle and acquire powdery sand (yes, some islands in the Maldives appear from nothing specially for hotels!). In other words, there are risks. Therefore, you can wait 1-3 months after opening and monitor reviews.

I tried to take into account a few points in the description of new hotels:

– the quality of the services provided (I understand that this item can constantly change)
– the distance from the airport and the cost of the transfer to the island
– the number of villas (if there are too many, privacy is most likely not to be found)
– prices and guest reviews.

Where can I find a profitable tour?

Yes, more often they fly to the Maldives on their own, because tour operators do not work with all resorts. But it ALWAYS makes sense to compare the cost of the trip “I am all by myself” and “tour”.

Personally, I counted at least three hotels mentioned in this text that they come out much cheaper with a ticket than if you fly there on your own. In the case of Booking or any other accommodation search engine, two footnotes spoil the first impression: 1) tax (from 5,000 rubles to the cost of a night and up to 150,000) and 2) transfer from the airport to the island (plus $ 200 – $ 1000 per person). Tour operators, buying out entire hotels and organizing a group transfer, reduce such surcharges to zero.

Check if this is your case on any of the tour aggregators. They show all offers from leading tour operators:

Travelata
Level.Travel
Onlinetours

But, Of course, it is far from always profitable for tour operators to make the Maldives accessible. And often the hotel may simply not be listed in the database – such is it, the luxury of the islands.

Briefly about the entry rules – 2021.
All tourists, regardless of vaccine status, need to have a PCR test with them, made no earlier than 96 hours before departure. Only children under 1 year of age are exempt from the requirement. One day before departure, you must fill out a Health Declaration on the website imuga.immigration.gov.mv.

What new hotels have opened in the Maldives in 2021?

This year, in the Maldives, not only new hotels were opened for tourists, but also a new one, built up with varying degrees of luxury with villas in the archipelago – the Fari Islands. It includes four islands: three for resort hotels and one for employees, on which everything rests. These hotels will open our list of novelties in the Maldives 2021.

P.S. Personally, I LOVED hotels #1 and #6 (and this one is all inclusive ;)).

5* Patina Maldives

Let's start with a heavy suite. This new hotel in the Maldives began to receive tourists from May 18, 2021.

And this is a fairy tale in a six- or even seven-figure sum. Everything that you can imagine with the word “Maldives” is here. From water villas and your assigned Essentialist (your personal assistant) to beach clubs and 12 restaurants, including full vegan. The patina perfectly shows why the new hotel is cool: it has a modern design, where stone, wood and metal set the tone. It stands out from the background of the usual Maldivian hotels, at least look at the photos of those on our list after the Ritz. Along with the design, three other strengths of the hotel are noted in the reviews: food, cocktails and wine.

In a word, Patina is at the level of all the famous resorts in the Maldives. Someone even claims that this is the best hotel at the moment… We will believe them and go look at the pictures, visualize and save money.

Concept: breakfast, half and full board
Transfer: 45 minutes by speedboat, $900 per person
Price per night: from 230,000 rubles in season, from 175,000 rubles in off-season
Hotel page and reviews →< /p>

5* The Ritz-Carlton Maldives

The first Ritz-Carlton hotel in the Maldives opened in June 2021. Located on the island next to Patina Maldives – and let's find out how they differ.

The Ritz is noticeably more expensive, not so much because of the brand, but because of the big names involved in the design and construction of the hotel. For example, the design of the villas was developed by the architectural bureau Kerry Hill, and just look at what happened. Minimalistic, but incredibly stylish houses of an unusual round shape with premium filling – from materials to bed linen.

As in Patina, everything is perfect here, but with more attention to children. With the Ritz Kids concept, no child will be bored. What else will motivate a tourist to choose the Ritz? Status and points from Marriott. With them, your stay on the island will sparkle with richer colors for less money:)

Concept: breakfast, half and full board
Transfer: 45 minutes by speedboat, $700 per person, or 10 minutes by seaplane for $1600
Price per night: from 285,000 rubles in season, from 155,000 rubles in off-season< br> Hotel page and reviews →

The third resort hotel on the Fari Islands – Capella Maldives – will open its doors only in 2023. Let's wait and be sure to add it to the future list🙂

5* Le Méridien Maldives Resort & Spa

He appeared to the world on September 1, 2021 and set a price tag THREE times cheaper than previous hotels. So, new 5-star hotels in the Maldives can be both impossibly expensive and quite adequate. Exploring what to expect inside.

At least the food Le Meridien is not worse. Yes, the variety is not impressive even without mangoes for breakfast, but many people note the quality and taste in 6 local restaurants. The cabins are nice and spacious, but note that the overwater villas are limited to 2 people (what about families?) and the standard villas, at the base rate, don't have a pool. This is a frequent minus from reviews, as is the colorful but distant house reef. The island itself is large, green and shady – there are 141 villas on it. There is a nice kids club with a Russian-speaking nanny.

Concept: breakfast, half and full board, all inclusive
Transfer: 45 minutes per seaplane for $420 per person
Price per night: from 70,000 rubles in season, from 45,000 rubles in off-season
Hotel page and reviews →

5* Kuda Villingili Maldives Resort

This new hotel in the Maldives, opened in May, has already received reviews. Mostly they are good – still, there are royal by the standards of the Maldives rooms from 120 sq. meters, extremely aesthetically pleasing and expensive, convenient transfer on a yacht, excellent work of the chef and all this is not for a million a day. In addition, the island is located at a good surf spot in the Chickens ocean! Equipment will be provided and even taught to stand on the board if necessary.

Only 2 categories of villas out of 7 have a private pool, but this is compensated by a huge pool in the center of the island. There are no complaints about the service (although at the beginning there was an unpleasant situation with the cancellation of the reservation due to erroneous rates on the site).

What else is bad to say about? Unfortunately, about the beach. There is no that snow-white flour on the shore, because the island is artificial, and the sand is imported. There is no house reef either. Plus imperfections: somewhere a little construction, something does not work. The hotel is not for a relaxing holiday: some kind of entertainment rumbles here all the time and is generally noisy.

Concept: breakfasts, half and full board
Transfer: 30 minutes on a yacht for $250 per person, children under 12 free of charge
Price per night: from 95,000 rubles in season, from 70,000 rubles in off-season
Hotel page and reviews →

5* Siyam World

Siyam World is a new all-inclusive hotel in the Maldives, opened at the end of October 2021. Owned by the Sun Siyam Resorts chain, which already has four hotels on the islands with excellent reviews.

Firstly, the island itself is huge, and the hotel is the largest one opened this year. All categories of rooms are wider in area than the average Russian apartment, and come with a pool (hooray!): From standard water villas of 90 sq.m. for 2 adults and a child to the succinctly named Palace (palace) of 3000 sq.m. for 16 adults. Some villas even have their own personal water slide – for adult children 🙂 Plus, there is a whole water park for everyone.

Secondly, all inclusive at an attractive price. All previous hotels for this amount offer a maximum of breakfasts – and here is a 24-hour buffet. all includes almost all of the island's 10 restaurants: Thai, Spanish, Indian, Maldivian and more, and more. Both alcohol and food get good reviews.

Thirdly, the hotel captivates with a free transfer if booked for 5 or more nights. And then there is a fat minus: for 5 nights, a flight by domestic airlines is available, and their schedule does not always fit well with international flights. But for stays of 7 nights or more, they already provide a seaplane, and flights are flexible here.

Another disadvantage is often the lack of a reef (they say it was donated in the name of building a hotel) and flaws in the service (not all processes are debugged, the hotel was opened in a hurry). Well, the design of the villas certainly doesn't compare to the resorts above.

Concept: all inclusive
Transfer: 45 minutes by seaplane for $400 per person, free for stays of 7 nights or more
Price per night: from 80,000 rubles in season, from 50,000 rubles in off-season
Hotel page and reviews →
Check tour prices →

5* Cora Cora Maldives

The newest hotel in the Maldives, welcoming guests since the end of October. In a month or two, when all traces of construction and the recent opening are gone, it looks like a very pleasant hotel. Even with the mark “almost perfect”.

Despite the more modest size of the standard villas (70 sq.m for 3 adults + 1 child), they are all with access to the beach and ocean views right from the bed. Inside, without “granite-beige-minimalism”, but fresh and pretty. The island is small and very green, calm, but privacy suffers a little. The staff are dope! In addition, two main elements of the Maldives have successfully developed here: a lagoon with soft white sand and a house reef where you will be taken to snorkel. But colorful fish swim near the shore.

Oh yes, Cora Cora is all inclusive, and even with a cool alcohol card! Only with the unusual difference that the breakfast buffet, and lunches and dinners – a la carte menu in any of the 5 restaurants. And it works: all guests celebrate the chic cuisine (and prosecco for breakfast :)).

Concept: all inclusive
Transfer: 45 minutes by seaplane for $399 per person or domestic airlines + boat for $360
Price per night: from 110,000 rubles in season, from 95,000 rubles in off-season
Hotel page and reviews →
Find out prices for the tour →

4* Cocogiri Island Resort

A good 4-star hotel for a reasonable price – when you want to relax in the Maldives and not overpay for a butler, a brand and ten restaurants. Cocorigi is very basic and no frills, but the views are beautiful, the ocean is blue and the sand is white.

A small and quiet island with 40 villas of three types: a small beach villa of 49 sq.m, a water villa of 52 sq.m and a water villa with a jacuzzi. Accommodates up to 3 people. There are 2 restaurants on site – and there is an all-inclusive option. You can keep yourself busy at the diving center (the house reef is decent) or at the spa. On one side of the island the beach is sandy, on the other side there are corals. Currently only available for booking as part of a tour.

Concept: breakfast, half and full board, all inclusive
Transfer: 60 minutes by speedboat for $220 per person or 18 minutes by seaplane
Check tour prices →

New hotels in the Maldives opened in 2020

For obvious reasons, not so many new hotels were opened in the Maldives in 2020. Someone postponed the opening dates to 2021, someone for some reason completely died down in social networks and on the website. I found literally three hotels, I will briefly describe them.

5* Radisson Blu Resort Maldives

This new hotel in the Maldives from a well-known chain has been welcoming guests since summer 2020. A night in the season costs 65-70,000 rubles, which is a lot, but not so expensive compared to other similar hotels. The minimum price includes a royal villa (on the beach or on the water) of 220 sq.m with a swimming pool and breakfast. Seaplane transfers require a supplement of $510 per person. Among the shortcomings, guests note the slow and clumsy service. It is also not advised to take villas 101-110 (they look at the island), but others are excellent, there are a lot of fish swimming nearby.

5* Brennia Kottefaru Maldives

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The villas are simpler than in the previous hotel, but the price is also lower – about 38,000 rubles per night + $375 for the transfer. On one side of the island there is a beach where you can swim, on the other there is a reef where you can snorkel and watch the fish. They note that for guests all snorkeling equipment is free of charge, there are also excursions. There are three restaurants on site. There is an all-inclusive option (from 75,000 rubles per day). The hotel had staffing issues when it opened, but the reviews seem to be better now.

5* Kagi Maldives Spa Island

A small idyllic island, as if from the best photos of the Maldives on Pinterest. Perfect for a honeymoon or just a vacation in complete silence with beautiful scenery. The villas are spacious – from 105 sq.m – and can accommodate only two. Prices correspond to the heavenly level – from 100,000 rubles per night. Tourists who managed to visit the hotel for a year left entirely good reviews. Choose from breakfast only, breakfast+dinner and all inclusive.

Maldives New Hotels 2019

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In calm times on the islands, hotels grew at an accelerated pace. In 2019 alone, more new resorts opened in the Maldives than in 2020 and 2021. I won’t describe everything, there are too many of them (and I still have to make a selection of the best for the next section :)). I will indicate the rating gained over 2 years and the cost per night in the season.

5* Intercontinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort – ⬆️ 9.4 out of 10; 💸 RUB 135,000 per night
5* JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa — ⬆️ 9.1 out of 10; 💸 220,000 rubles per day
5* The Nautilus Maldives — ⬆️ 10 out of 10; 💸 RUB 350,000 per day
5* Jumeirah Maldives — ⬆️ 9.3 out of 10; 💸 190,000 rubles per day
5* The Standard, Huruvalhi Maldives – ⬆️ 8.8 out of 10; 💸 70,000 rubles per day
5* Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives — ⬆️ 9.0 out of 10; 💸 60,000 rubles per night
Maldives South Palm Resort — ⬆️ 8.4 out of 10; 💸 35,000 rubles per day
5* Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi — ⬆️ 9.8 out of 10; 💸 RUB 370,000 per day
5* VARU by Atmosphere — ⬆️ 9.3 out of 10; 💸 90,000 rubles per day for all inclusive
5* Heritance Aarah — ⬆️ 9.3 out of 10; 💸 120,000 rubles per day for all inclusive
5* The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort – ⬆️ 8.7 out of 10; 💸 130,000 rubles per day
5* Movenpick Resort & Spa Kuredhivaru Maldives – ⬆️ 9.0 out of 10; 💸 95,000 rubles per day
5* Kudadoo Maldives Private Island — ⬆️ 9.8 out of 10; 💸 450,000 rubles per night for all inclusive

Good hotels in the Maldives that we recommend

These will be proven and high-quality hotels with one main caveat – a budget of UP TO 100,000 rubles per day per season. I think you have already learned how to lower the bar of 100 to 50 and below (to go in the off-season!).

The list of the best is not limited to these five resorts. Rather, it is such a guiding recommendation – what to focus on in order to have a great vacation in the Maldives, without any “buts” in the impressions.

5* Angsana Ihuru is a reliable hotel that benefits from the beauty of the Maldives (beach and reef), privacy (there are only 45 villas in the hotel), a short and inexpensive transfer of 15 minutes by speedboat and complete peace of mind. From entertainment – the ocean, snorkeling, spa and excellent “all inclusive” with alcohol. There are no water villas here, and the design of the rooms is a little dated, but the views from the windows are still beautiful.
⬆️ 9.3 out of 10; 💸 75,000 rubles per night for all inclusive

5* Cocoon Maldives is a good hotel for a first trip to the Maldives. Fresh, nice villas (there are those on the water, if you really want to try it), all inclusive, where you don’t have to pay extra for food and drinks wild amounts, and the whole bounty of island life. Plus, entertainment and animation.
⬆️ 8.9 out of 10; 💸 65,000 rubles per day for “breakfast, lunch, dinner”
5* LUX* South Ari Atoll is a hotel where bloggers of the Russian-language Instagram like to drop by. And it is clear why: a large living island, extremely aesthetic both in the design of the villas and in the landscapes around. Beach villas with direct access to the ocean, and water villas with the most Instagrammable bathroom in the world with views of the endless turquoise expanses.
⬆️ 9.1 out of 10; 💸 58,000 rubles per day for breakfast
4* OBLU NATURE Helengeli is a good hotel, the price of which already includes a speedboat transfer and does not have to pay extra $200-$300 per person, automatically turns into a great one! By the way, the hotel is located next to the first resort from the list of new ones (and there they ask $900 for a boat). 4 stars, “only” 3 restaurants serving all inclusive, and nice reviews – super! The island itself is large and green, with a sea of living creatures under water, because there is a house reef nearby.
⬆️ 9.1 out of 10; 💸 75,000 rubles per night for all inclusive
4* Kuredu Island Resort&Spa is a great value for money find on a picturesque jungle island.
⬆️ 9.0 out of 10; 💸 30,000 rubles per day for “breakfast, lunch, dinner”

Well, of course, I will once again remember about the new hotels in the Maldives from 2021 – Patina, how incredibly beautiful and modern hotel (it will definitely become one of the best!), and Cora Cora, as a pleasant, but reasonably priced all-inclusive resort.

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New hotels in the Maldives opening in 2021 – which one to choose?