What might be the new best value points hotel in the Maldives has just opened…
Radisson Blu Maldives now open
The Radisson Blu Maldives opened at the beginning of August, making it Radisson’s first property in the Maldives. Radisson Blu is Radisson’s most luxurious hotel brand. The hotel is located on Huruelhi Island, in the Alifu Dhaalu Atoll, which is about 105 kilometers from Male Velana International Airport.
Radisson Blu Maldives overhead
The Radisson Blu Maldives has 128 villas, each of which is either beachfront or overwater. The villas range in size from 215 to 790 square meters (~2,300 to ~8,500 square feet), though I would assume that includes outdoor space. Each villa features a private pool and ocean views.
Radisson Blu Maldives lobby
The Radisson Blu Maldives has an astonishing number of food & beverage outlets, including:
- Raha, an all-day dining restaurant
- Alifaan, a Mediterranean and seafood grill
- Eats & Beats, a poolside bar
- Crusoe’s, a restaurant exclusively for adults
- Kabuki, a restaurant with Nikkei cuisine
- Mahurah, an overwater wine and cigar bar
- The Lab, a restaurant with twice weekly wine-and-cocktail paired dinners
Radisson Blu Maldives beach
Getting to the Radisson Blu Maldives
The logistics of getting to hotels in the Maldives can be complicated. After landing at Male Airport, there are two ways to get to the hotel:
- You can take a 30-minute seaplane flight directly to the hotel
- You can take a 20-minute domestic flight to Maamigili Airport, followed by a 15-minute speedboat ride
Seaplanes are generally going to be easier, and they can be arranged to the resort before 3:30PM, and from the resort after 9AM. This transfer costs $450 per adult or $225 per child (up to 11 years old).
Redeeming points at the Radisson Blu Maldives
The Radisson Blu Maldives is an incredible value when redeeming points, and I’d argue it’s actually the best points value in all of the Maldives. Radisson in general lacks aspirational properties, though there’s lots to love about redeeming points here.
The Radisson Blu Maldives charges 70,000 points per night:
- Breakfast is included on points stays
- The base rooms here are overwater villas with pools
As a point of comparison, paid stays can cost nearly $1,000 including taxes and fees.
What makes this such an incredible value is that on a per point basis I value Radisson Rewards points pretty low. Personally I think they’re worth ~0.3 cents each, so to me 70,000 points are worth ~$210. That’s a phenomenal deal for an overwater villa in the Maldives.
Radisson Blu Maldives overwater villa
Radisson Blu Maldives overwater villa
While this is an incredible use of points, don’t expect this will be a budget holiday. In addition to the cost of the seaplane transfer, you can also expect food and drinks on the island to be quite expensive. Then again, with breakfast included, you don’t have to spend that much on food, necessarily.
Bottom line
While the Maldives has plenty of great hotels, it’s nice to see yet another major international hotel chain with a robust loyalty program open a property. I have hundreds of thousands of Radisson Rewards points and haven’t found many great uses for them, though this is an option that temps me.
70,000 Radisson Rewards points for an overwater villa including breakfast is a phenomenal deal, especially given that Radisson Rewards points are one of the weaker hotel currencies.
Technically Americans are allowed to travel to the Maldives right now, though as is the case with all travel regulations, that remains subject to change.
Anyone plan on checking out the Radisson Blu Maldives?
(Tip of the hat to Ariana Arghandewal)
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.