Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort and Spa review

Hilton opened its fourth resort in the Maldives — the Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa — in July 2022. This new resort joined Hilton’s other resorts — Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island and SAii Lagoon Maldives — in a tropical island destination particularly popular with couples and, thanks to the expense of getting and staying there, award travelers.

It’s relatively easy to find standard award availability at the Hilton Maldives costing 110,000 Hilton Honors points per night. My husband and I had two Hilton free night certificates expiring soon, so we redeemed 220,000 Hilton points and these certificates for a four-night stay this June. Here’s what it’s like to stay at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri and how to make the most of a visit.

Related: The best ways to get to the Maldives on points and miles

Massive, well-designed villas with private pools

Each of the 109 villas at Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa has a private pool. We booked and stayed in the only villa type we could reserve with points and free night certificates as a standard award: the 1,485-square-foot one-bedroom beach pool villa.

Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter

Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts.

The main entry door of our beach pool villa opened into a large bedroom area. Behind the bed were the desk and minibar, which offered paid items and complimentary coffee, tea and still water. You can ask for more complimentary tea, coffee and still water for your room at any time.

1 of 7

Desk in the beach villa. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

In front of the bed was a table and bench (which was great for gazing out at the views while still enjoying the air conditioning). There was a 54-inch TV to the left of the couch and a chair with a side table to the right. The bedroom had large windows on three sides, but sheer shades and heavy curtains did a good job of blocking out sunlight and providing privacy when needed.

1 of 2

Hilton Maldives Amingiri beach villa. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

We found the bed comfortable and loved looking out at the ocean each morning after opening the curtains. The fan over the bed was also useful for generating extra airflow, especially if you don’t enjoy air conditioning.

1 of 2

Bed in the beach villa. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

Behind the desk were two large wooden doors leading to the closet area with two closets and a suitcase bench in between each. We wished there were shelves or more drawers for clothing storage, though. And it was awkward that you couldn’t open the doors to one closet when you had the doors between the bedroom and closet area open.

1 of 7

Beach villa closet. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

Unfortunately, the doors between the bedroom and closet area were noisy when opened or closed, so you’ll likely wake up others in your villa if you go to the restroom (which is just past the closet area) at night. And you’ll want to close the doors while sleeping since the glass door between the closet area and the garden doesn’t have blinds or curtains.

1 of 2

Doors open. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

The bathroom held a shower room on the left and a toilet room on the right when entering from the bedroom. The indoor shower room had a glass door leading to the garden and its outdoor shower. I loved using the outdoor shower, and we found the drying rack in the outdoor garden useful for our swimwear.

1 of 5

Beach villa bathroom. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

The bathroom also had bench on the left and an oval-shaped soaking tub on the right. The tub had a built-in neck support that was meant to be ergonomic but might not be comfortable based on your height. The vanity area had two sinks set into a limestone counter, lighted mirrors and a comfortable floor mat. Be aware that anyone on the beach will see clearly into this area during the day or night if you don’t have the curtain lowered.

1 of 7

Tub with a view in the beach villa. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

The inside of the villa was impressive. But the highlight of the beach villa was its outdoor area. The plunge pool — which was L-shaped and ran from the bathroom area to the front of the villa — was strongly chlorinated but otherwise great to relax in, thanks to its comfortable temperature and sublime ocean views.

1 of 3

Beach villa. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

I loved sitting on the two-person swing in the evenings. And the two-seat table was the perfect spot to enjoy a room service meal. If you wanted to relax closer to the beach, the two lounge chairs in the sand were adjustable and usually shaded by a large umbrella.

1 of 5

Beach villa patio. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

The Wi-Fi in both our villa and around the resort was good enough for social media and even some video calls I made for work. I didn’t have any issues with the Wi-Fi disconnecting or requiring reauthentication throughout my stay, even as I walked around the island.

The one-bedroom beach villa was excellent, especially considering it’s the room type you can book at standard award night rates. But, if you’d prefer an overwater villa, on many dates you can book an overwater villa at a lower paid rate than a beach villa. So, if snagging an overwater villa for your trip is important to you, consider booking a paid rate or adding on a few paid nights in an overwater villa at the start or end of your award stay to try out both villa types.

Related: Best Hilton hotels and resorts on the beach, from the US to the Maldives

The primary reason I chose to stay at Hilton Maldives Amingiri instead of another resort for the last four nights of my Maldives trip was the ability to use two soon-to-expire Hilton free night certificates. Plus, since the $383-per-adult round-trip speedboat fee is a bit much for a two-night stay, I appreciated being able to redeem 110,000 Hilton points per night to extend our stay two more nights.

Most nights at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri can be booked as standard room award nights for 110,000 points per night, so award availability isn’t an issue if you hope to redeem Hilton points or free night certificates. And since Hilton Maldives Amingiri is a resort, you can use the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card‘s Hilton resort credit at this property.

The information for the Hilton Aspire card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to Hilton Honors at a 1:2 ratio if you need more Hilton points for an upcoming stay. Or, you can sign up for a new Hilton Honors card and earn more points as you use your card. I have the Hilton Aspire Card, but you could also consider the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card or the no-annual-fee Hilton Honors American Express Card (see rates and fees).

You’ll also earn Hilton Honors points on your stay as a Hilton member. I earned 20 points per dollar as a Hilton Diamond member and 14 points per dollar with my Hilton Aspire Card when paying for my stay’s incidental expenses.

Related: Which credit card should you use for Hilton stays?

You shouldn’t expect an upgrade when staying at most Hilton resorts in the Maldives, even as a Diamond elite member. Realizing many Gold and Diamond members may be disappointed by the lack of an upgrade, Hilton’s website displays a list of alternate benefits at Maldives resorts. For Gold and Diamond members staying at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri (and up to one guest staying in the same villa), these benefits include:

• Daily breakfast at Habitat.
• In-villa welcome bottle of wine and fruit basket.
• With select 60-minute massages, get an additional 30 minutes at Amingiri Spa (only for Diamond members).
• Complimentary daily afternoon indulgence with a selection of beverages from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Sip Tea Lounge.

As expected, we didn’t get an upgrade to an overwater villa or suite as Diamond members. But a bottle of wine and a fruit platter awaited us in our beach villa as promised.

The breakfast buffet at Habitat was plentiful each morning, offering a wide variety of Asian, Western and Indian cuisine. You could even make mimosas or enjoy a smoothie at the juice bar. And you could order various specialty items from chefs at the buffet, including dosas, soups and egg dishes.

We were given tables with ocean views most mornings after providing our villa number to a staff member at the entrance to the restaurant, presumably due to our Diamond status.

We also enjoyed the “daily afternoon indulgence” at Sip Tea Lounge each afternoon. There were always a few other Gold and Diamond members at Sip during this time, but we never struggled to find a place to sit. The featured cocktail and mocktail were different each day, but the menu also listed a variety of other drinks (both nonalcoholic and alcoholic) that you could order.

Based on our experience (and what we observed of the other guests around us), you could enjoy multiple drinks from the special menu for free from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. each day during this service rather than just getting a single drink.

Related: The 19 best Hilton hotels in the world

Private retreat vibes

Most guests seem to come to Hilton Maldives Amingiri for privacy and relaxation. You won’t see many guests walking about the resort, as most opt for buggy pickups or ride the provided bikes. And although we did notice one group being towed behind a speedboat in an inflatable raft and saw a young family biking around the resort a few times, most guests seemed to spend most of their time in their villas. Though there is a public pool near Aura with a swim-up bar, we rarely saw any other guests using it.

1 of 2

Bikes parked at Habitat. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

The villas are close together. But although we could hear our neighbors from our outdoor area — and see them as they went out to the beach several times — we never heard them while inside our villa. The resort has installed fencing and planted dense greenery (that mostly hides the fencing) between the beach villas, so our beach villa felt sufficiently private despite its proximity to other accommodations.

1 of 3

Beach villa at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

Some beach villas are closer to the island’s main pathways than others. Ours was offset from the path, so I didn’t hear much traffic even while using the outdoor shower. Plus, the garden walls are tall enough (and guests aren’t allowed to use drones on the island) that privacy while showering in the garden isn’t a concern, even for villas close to the pathway.

Related: Best Hilton all-inclusive resorts for everyone from honeymooners to families

• Habitat: All-day dining restaurant offering buffet breakfast and dining from a menu for dinner (menu).
• Aura: Poolside bar and restaurant open for lunch (menu).
• Origin: Seafood restaurant offering a set menu and a la carte options for dinner (menu).
• Beach Shack: Beachside restaurant open for lunch and dinner (menu).
• Eden: Champagne and gin bar (menu).
• Sip Tea Lounge: Light bites and drinks, focusing on tea (menu).
• Skye: Nonalcoholic drinks (menu).

Unfortunately, my husband and I were sick with food poisoning from a previous resort for much of our stay, so I didn’t eat anything our first night and ordered vegetable fried rice through in-villa dining our second night. Although I normally wouldn’t order fried rice at a resort in the Maldives, it smelled great and — most importantly — didn’t further upset my stomach.

Despite still feeling unwell, I got an 8:30 p.m. reservation at Origin on our third night. The passionfruit iced tea was flavorful and refreshing, while the fettuccine alfredo included freshly made noodles and was surprisingly good for a seafood restaurant. I also tried the pan-seared coral grouper, which tasted bland despite its beet sauce and passionfruit topping.

We finally felt mostly better on our last full day, so we headed to Aura for an afternoon DJ set. We played table tennis and foosball while listening to the Dubai-based DJ before sitting down to order pina coladas. We found Aura to be a great place to relax on a warm day.

We also made an 8 p.m. reservation at Beach Shack for our final night at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri. The beef tartare was fresh and flavorful, while the chicken was tender and served with creamy mashed potatoes. We didn’t feel like dessert, but the server delivered a complimentary baked Alaska from the chef so we gave it a try. It was a fun presentation — so if you’re considering dessert at Beach Shack, I highly recommend it.

Related: 8 ways to maximize Hilton Honors redemptions

Inconsistent service

In general, most staff members we interacted with were friendly and informal. We loved how the staff at Sip remembered our elite hour order from our first day on each subsequent day.

We also enjoyed talking to the friendly, down-to-earth staff at the water sports hut. They have a pet bird named Simba, who is friendly and adored by most of the water sports staff, but you have to ask for them to bring him out for a visit.

1 of 4

Bird at the water sports hut. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

We also liked having a single point of contact, our GEM (Guest Experience Maker). She greeted us by name when we arrived on the island, showed us around the island via a cart ride and created a Whatsapp group with my husband and me to share information throughout our stay. She was generally responsive to our requests in under an hour, made dinner reservations when asked and secured late checkout on our departure day.

However, the GEMs seemed to be juggling a lot of guests. Plus, since they are also tasked with providing cart service to their guests, guests needing more assistance can easily monopolize a GEM’s time. We’re not sure what happened with our GEM, but she didn’t send us daily digests without our prompting during our stay (despite telling us she would do so at check-in). And the logistics around our checkout were poorly communicated, leading to unnecessary confusion.

Service at some meals was also awkward. For example, we seemed to have two staff members serving our table when we ate dinner at Beach Shack, but they didn’t communicate well with each other so our order had a few kinks. A staff member followed my husband around the breakfast buffet one morning offering to serve him dishes, which also felt unnecessary. Meanwhile, another server insisted on giving me fresh-cut watermelon at breakfast even after I said I didn’t want any.

I also found it frustrating that some resort staff members only addressed my husband. At a resort that caters to many cultures and nationalities, I found it disappointing to be completely ignored by some staff members.

Related: The award travelers guide to Hilton Honors

This wasn’t my first trip to the Maldives. I first visited in 2021, staying at five different resorts: Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort, Six Senses Laamu and Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives. One aspect that sets Hilton Maldives Amingiri apart from most other Maldives resorts I’ve stayed at is its greenery.

For example, I loved the flowers present throughout the resort, from those I could see from our villa’s pool and porch to the flowering shrubbery decorating the outside of the overwater villas and suites. I also appreciated the bamboo on the desk in our villa and the plants on the tables at most of the resort’s restaurants.

Seeing wild chicks by the kids club on multiple occasions and dolphins swimming along the coast in front of our villa one morning was awesome (and extremely uncommon, according to our GEM).

But I particularly enjoyed seeing black-tipped reef sharks. My husband noticed a black-tipped reef shark in the boat harbor when we arrived, so we returned the next day and learned that many of them are often in the harbor.

But we also noticed these young sharks just off the beach by our villa and swimming near the overwater walkway to the overwater villas. So, keep an eye out for them if you visit — they’re fun to watch.

Related: What is Hilton Honors elite status worth?

There are many excellent resorts in the Maldives. So, it can be daunting to pick the best resort for you. Here are some aspects to consider before booking a stay at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri.

• No house reef: You can borrow complimentary snorkeling equipment from the dive shop and get a briefing on the best places to snorkel around the resort from the friendly staff. However, although you can see some fish and scattered coral, there isn’t a house reef (one located just offshore) like you’ll find at some Maldives resorts (including Six Senses Laamu and InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort). If you’re a strong swimmer, I recommend snorkeling off the 500s villas (there’s a ladder all guests can use partway down the walkway to these villas). My husband and I left our shoes at the water sports hut, got a cart to the ladder on the 500s pier and then snorkeled with the current for about an hour from these villas to the water sports beach.

• Reservations are often needed: I prefer to eat when I’m hungry rather than having to plan every meal in advance. Especially while traveling, I would prefer to make a last-minute reservation or show up and be seated. At Origin and Beach Shack, you must make a reservation, though — and if you want to dine at your desired time, you’ll need to make your reservation several days in advance. Our GEM said you can cancel until the last minute, so you may want to make reservations when you arrive and then cancel later if needed.
• Complimentary upgrades are unlikely: Hilton resorts in the Maldives offer alternative benefits for Gold and Diamond members since they don’t usually offer room upgrades as an elite perk. So, if you’re hoping to get a complimentary upgrade, you may want to stay with a different hotel loyalty program. If you want to stay with Hilton, consider booking the room you want or being proactive about asking for a paid upgrade before your stay.
• Well-equipped kids club: I don’t have any children, but the kids club at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri looks great. With friendly staff, indoor and outdoor play areas, a small children’s pool and even sleeping rooms, this is easily one of the nicest kids clubs I’ve seen while reviewing resorts.

• It’s not remote: As you might expect from a resort that’s just a short speedboat ride from the country’s main international airport, the Hilton Maldives Amingiri isn’t remote. You’ll see other islands and resorts from various angles on the island. And you can see the lights of Male at night and its skyline on clear days.
• Guests keep to themselves: If you’re looking for a resort where you’ll make friends at the bar or pool, Hilton Maldives Amingiri isn’t the place for you since most guests keep to themselves. There aren’t many resort activities to bring guests together besides twice-a-day yoga classes, once-a-week beach football, a once-a-week marine talk and a modest schedule of paid activities.

• Account for food, beverages, activities and transfers: If you have a tight vacation budget or are sensitive to costs while traveling, a trip to the Maldives can still cost you a good bit of cash even if you use points and miles for your flights and hotels. Take a look at the menus above to get a feel for food and activity pricing at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri, which can start to add up over a few days.
• Modern gym with a view: If you want to get a workout in while on vacation, the gym at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri is a comfortable place to do so. Most of the cardio equipment has ocean views, as does the outdoor yoga platform. You can also take a shower and enjoy the steam room and sauna in the gym. And if you get hungry while working out, you can snack on the provided apples and nuts.

• The overwater spa is beautiful: If it fits your budget (and remember, Diamond members receive additional time with certain massages) then it’s worth a visit to the resort’s overwater spa, which offers treatments like a hammam, facials and specialty baths among the usual suspects.

Finally, a note about accessibility: Hilton’s website says the Hilton Maldives Amingiri has at least one room with no steps that is accessible to wheelchair users. But, the same webpage states that the resort doesn’t offer an accessible public entrance. And indeed, travelers with limited mobility may struggle to get on and off the boat required to reach the resort from the airport.

Related: Best all-inclusive resorts in the world, according to frequent travelers

We got excellent value using two Hilton free night certificates and 220,000 Hilton points for our stay. I appreciated the daily Diamond and Gold elite hour at Sip Tea Lounge and the use of flowers in the resort’s landscaping. And although the villas are located close together, and you can see other islands and resorts from some areas, I didn’t find either particularly problematic during my stay.

I enjoyed my stay at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri, but I’m not actively planning a return trip as I’d rather try a different Hilton property or return to one of my favorite resorts from my previous trip. However, I recommend the resort, especially to travelers for whom it would be a good fit. After all, the Hilton Maldives Amingiri has perhaps the best-equipped kids club I’ve seen in the Maldives, nice opportunities for shopping (including a jewelry boutique), a great pool area at Aura and wonderful villas perfect for privacy and relaxation. And it consistently offers standard reward availability, making it a compelling choice for Hilton loyalists.

For rates and fees of the Hilton Amex Card, click here.

Related reading: