The Ultimate Review And Guide For The Ritz-Carlton Maldives | Johnny Africa

Choosing your villa at the Ritz Carlton Maldives

Finally, on to the important stuff, how to choose your villa for your stay at the Ritz? This is a question I spent endless hours scouring the internet for. I read so many blogs, forums, YouTube videos, and everything in between but I was still unsure of what to do at the end of the day.

If you’re spending so much money booking your stay, you want to make sure you have the best experience possible.

Do we choose a overwater villa or a beach villa?

Lagoon side or Ocean Side?

Which villa numbers are better than others?

If these are also questions you’re asking yourself, rest assured, you are in good hands and I will tell you everything you could possibly want to know. Choosing your villa at the Ritz Maldives could probably warrant its own blog post but I will summarize to the best of my capabilities in this section. Get ready for a lot of information.

Overview of the villas at the Ritz Carlton Maldives

For starters, let’s break down exactly what type of rooms are available for offer at the Ritz. In total, there are 100 villas at the RC Maldives and they are broken down as such:

1-bedroom villas: 852-bedroom villas: 143-Bedroom villa: 139 beach villas | 61 overwater villasOverwater villas: 19 lagoon facing villas | 42 sunrise facing villas

Here are the most important maps of your villa deciding journey which is also from the official website.

For starters, the compass on this map is actually wrong. The north symbol is in the wrong position and should be rotated about 90 degrees. This caused me so much confusion during my decision process which translated into me picking a villa I didn’t like.

Therefore, I’ve made my own map of the villas with the correct compass reading and an overview of which side is which.

Overwater Villa or a Beach villa?

Staying over the water or staying with a beach in front of your villa will be the main decision you’ll have to make while staying at the Ritz. For starters, the bedroom beach villas and the 1 bedroom overwater villas have the exact same size, design, and layout. The only difference is that the beach villas have a private beach in front of the villa while the overwater villas are on stilts over the water.

Beach Villas

vs.

Ocean Villa

This really comes down to preference. Some people like having the beach in front of their room while others prefer the traditional Maldivian experience staying over the water. Beach access villas have more privacy as other villas can’t see into yours. The beach is shared with other beach villas but at the Ritz Maldives, only people staying in the beach villas can use the private beach area.

I chose an overwater villa because I wanted the traditional Maldivian experience of staying over the water. It’s what they’re famous for after all! Having stayed before in the Park Hyatt Maldives in both a beach villa and overwater villa, I absolutely preferred my stay in the latter! In addition, the public beach at the Ritz that everyone can use is already so expansive and stunning.

Ocean View or Lagoon View overwater villa?

After deciding which type of villa you want to stay in, it’s time to decide whether you want the ocean view or lagoon view villa.

Ocean view faces east to northeast and have sunrise views. Lagoon villas have west views which will mean more sunlight and a view of the sunset. Naturally, the lagoon view villas come at a premium. However, the one downside to the lagoon view villas (and a big one at that) is boat traffic. The ferry between the Ritz and the Fari Island Village (and the Patina Resort) runs from 11am twice every hour.

This means there is no privacy as people on the boat can see directly into your villa. I took the ferry multiple times to have dinner at the Fari Island Village and could always see people moving about in their villas. If privacy is of concern to you, I would avoid the lagoon view villas altogether.

The Ocean View villas were my favorite and what I ended up staying in. Not only do they not have boat traffic throughout the day, they face the open ocean which means a more “end of the world” feeling. You will always hear the sound of the waves from your room as the open ocean meets the reef. You get the same incredible water colors and views from your ocean view villa as the lagoon villa and perhaps even more.

The only downside to the ocean villas are the lack of light throughout the day. The ocean view villas face east to northeast so it is not good for sun. Some of the ocean view villas don’t have sun at any point of the day so you need to know which ones to choose from.

How to choose your overwater villa at the Ritz?

As I opted for the overwater villas, I have lots of experience with choosing the overwater villa of your dream. First thing is first, do you want to stay on an overwater villa from land or on the Ritz’s iconic “ring”. The ring layout of the villas over the water is the Maldives claim to fame which in my opinion the Ritz does an exceptional job designing.

From land, these overwater villas are a part of the two major islands within the resort and are located next to the beach villas (without access to the private beach). For the overwater villas from land, they are all ocean side as you can see from the map. They have the exact same design as the overwater villas located on the ring. As they are located on land, they are surrounded by trees and vegetation which gives it a unique look from afar.

For these villas, I would absolutely avoid #100 – #103 as well as #212 – #217. This is because these villas are totally exposed and visible from the rest of the resort. Villas #212 – #217 are completely visible from the ring which means that everybody staying in the overwater villas on the ring will see into your pool and bedroom as they head into the resort. There is little privacy to be had.

The same goes for Villa #100 to #103 as they are totally visible from La Locanda restaurant which means everyone eating breakfast will see directly into your villa. This is especially the case with #100. People won’t be stalking you at the Ritz (they have better things to do), but you might not be keen to walk around naked in these villas. If you prefer the island overwater villas, I would opt for #223 – #228 or #110 to #125.

The majority of the overwater villas are on the ring at the northern tip of the resort which is where I opted to stay. I think the ring is absolutely gorgeous and the aesthetics are among the most stunning I’ve seen.

For the ocean view villas, you need to decide if sun is important to you. The first ocean villa on the ring receives the most sun and as you go further down the ring, there is less sun. Some people actually prefer to not have sun in their villas but I much preferred the sunlight hitting and lighting up my pool. This is how I break down the ocean view overwater villas on the ring:

#321 to #327: Not much sun if any. Sunrise can be seen from the edge of the villas but you’ll have to really make an effort. Expect little to no sun throughout the day. #321 to #323 will see the boat traffic from the Fari Island ferry#328-337: These villas receive more sunlight especially the higher then number. #336 has a dark patch of corals in front of the villa that might reduce the picturesque turquoise views but this might not bother most people.#338-#352: These are my favorite villas because they have the most amount of sun. #352 has the most sun of the water villas on the ring but as it is the first villa, the overwater villas from land can see directly into your room (#221 – #227) and vice versa.

For the Lagoon side villas, here is my take on them:

These villas face west to southwest and all receive ample sunlight from about 10am onwards. Villa #350 at the beginning of the ring sees the most sunlight but there really isn’t a bad villaBoat traffic is visible from every single room multiple times a day

We stayed in #326 as my overwater villa because we figured the closest villas to the lagoon side would be better. However, we quickly realized this received no sunlight so it was not ideal for us. We requested to switch villas to include more sun and our Aris Meeha without hesitation offered to switch us to #339.

#339 was much more our style as it received sun into the pool/deck until almost noon. Our Aris Meeha also offered us a free complimentary upgrade to a sunset beach villa (Which is more expensive) but we wanted to stay overwater. The flexibility that the Ritz offered here was impeccable.

Ritz Carlton Maldives – Resort Overview

There are no shortage of things to do at the resort. This section will go over what is available at the resort in the public spaces.

Bicycles to get around the Ritz

One of my favorite things about the Ritz Maldives is the use of bicycles. Each villa comes with two complimentary Dutch style bikes for you to use. These bikes come equipped with a rattan basket which came in very handy. The entire resort from the tip of the ring to the dive center at the southern tip is just under 2km which makes biking the perfect way to get around.

I absolutely loved biking through the resort. You’re able to not only get a bit of exercise in, but you can control your own schedule and go where and when you please.

If you don’t fancy biking around the resort, you can always call your Aris Meeha and they will pick you up with the buggy. We ended up never calling our butler once for a ride as we elected to use our bikes 100% of the time. We are very active people however, and we even bike full time in places like Singapore.

I love the size of the Ritz Maldives

I was worried that the Ritz Carlton Maldives would be too big of a resort for my liking. I read how it had over a dozen restaurants split between two different islands and thought I might not like the huge size of the place. I was quickly mistaken. The resort is absolutely perfect in size.

From the tip of the ring with all of the overwater villa to the southern tip of the resort is just under 2km. This is a 30 minute walk or a quick 5 minute bike ride.

I came to really appreciate the size of the resort as it made me quickly forget I was at a “resort”. Sure, this is a hotel at the end of the day but it didn’t give off that feel if you catch my drift. With its numerous small sized restaurants, our bikes at our disposal, and the jungle within the island, it felt like we were in a little village that was left for us to explore.

As an example, we would get ready for dinner, go for sunset at the Eau Bar, take the ferry to Fari Island Village while looking at the sunset and stars, and have dinner at a restaurant like Arabesque. On our ferry ride back to the Ritz, we would star gaze some more, before getting on our bikes to have a night cap at the Eau Bar. Finally, we would bike home to our overwater villa on the ring to finish out the night. This gave us the feeling like we were “coming home” after a night out. I much prefer this to other resorts where you might just walk 50 meters to the main dining restaurant just to walk back when you’re finished.

The Main pool

If the stunning infinity pool at your villa wasn’t enough, the main public pool will surely wow you. The main pool is one of the most stunning and unique parts of the Ritz Maldives. This completely circular pool is almost 40 meters in diameter and is an absolute beauty to look at.

It’s surrounded by the beautiful ocean and beach giving you some of the best photo opportunities in the resort. The main pool is at the Eau Bar equipped with a full bar menu, food, and shisha.

Forgot your toiletries at home? Don’t worry. All of the Ritz facilities come equipped with sunscreen, tanning oil, towels, showers, etc.

Fitness Center

Staying 5 nights at the Ritz meant I wanted to get some sort of work out in so I didn’t feel so bad eating so much food. Thankfully, the gym at the Ritz Carlton Maldives offers everything I need to get a good pump in. The gym is located near the grand sunset beach and has a spacious interior overlooking the ocean. The fitness center is stocked with equipment including free weights, smith machines, leg press, cables, and even a deadlift bar for the hardcore! There is also a yoga studio with more machines, mats, and the like.

Next door to the fitness center is a full sized tennis court where you can play tennis whenever you want or have private lessons with the experienced professionals that come to the resort. The instructor that was there when I visited used to work at Novak Djokovic’s camps in Serbia. I heard they would bring in a Wimbledon winner a few months later.

Grand Beach – Main Public Beach of the Ritz Carlton Maldives

The main public beach of the Ritz is located at the southern part of the resort. The “Grand Beach” as it is named, is located in front of the Beach Shack restaurant and fitness center. If you are not staying in a beach villa, this will be the main beach you use.

The beach is beautiful with stunning water colors and perfectly manicured beach. I found the beach at the Park Hyatt to be even more stunning but there’s nothing to complain about here. There are plenty of sunbeds, beach chairs, beach volleyball, badminton courts, and more. You can also rent kayaks and standup paddleboards free of charge.

We also played beach volleyball every day before sunset organized by the resort. I loved getting the exercise in as well as meeting other guests staying at the resort.

Fari Island Village

Fari Island Village is located on the island directly north of the Ritz which is also home to the Patina Resort. The Patina, Ritz, and Capella (completed in 2026) all belong to the same Singaporean family and are connected so that guests can experience each place.

The Fari Island Village is home to numerous restaurants, boutique stores, art exhibits, pools, beaches, and more. Top notch restaurants like Arabesque, Brasa, and Koen are part of the Fari island village. We came here on numerous occasions for lunch and dinner. This concept of having a “village” nearby to the resort is something I loved as I felt like I was “going out”.

The ferry from the Ritz runs once per hour and more often during the busy dinner hours. The ferry is free of charge and I absolutely loved sitting on the upper deck looking at the stars as it sailed from island to island. It is just a short 10 minute ferry ride.

Restaurants At The Ritz Carlton Maldives

As you’d expect with an ultra high end hotel, the Ritz Carlton makes no compromises on its restaurant and food quality. They’ve really elevated the dining scene on a private island by offering over a dozen restaurants to its guests. I tried most of the restaurants at the Ritz and they are without a doubt some of the best hotel food you can ask for, especially being on an island in the middle of nowhere. The Ritz brings in top level chefs and the service is impeccable.

There are 5 restaurants at the Ritz and 12 restaurants (although some are not really restaurants) at the Fari Island Village which is the island that the Patina hotel is on. As the Patina and Ritz (and soon to be the Capella) are owned by the same family, guests from the Ritz can have dinner at all the restaurants.

I particularly liked this as you had so many options to choose from that you would never get bored of the same places. Each restaurant at the Ritz are smaller and more intimate which let you feel like you were going for a night instead of feeling like you’re just at a resort flocking to the same huge restaurants as everyone else.

The restaurants that are part of the Ritz are as follows:

La Laconda: Italian fusion restaurant that is also the main restaurant for breakfast.Summer Pavilion: Elevated Chinese foodEau Bar: Laid back lounge style restaurant that overlooks the main pool and perfect for sunset viewsIWAU: Japanese Omakase style experience overlooking the ocean and starsBeach Shack: The main restaurant on the main public beach of the resort. Amazing food to be had here.Arabesque: Middle Eastern and Indian fusion restaurant at the Fari Island villageTum Tum: Food truck on Fari Island village serving delicious Asian inspired snacks like Bao Buns.

The restaurants belonging to the Patina but also accessible by Ritz Guests are the following:

Roots: Vegan tasting menu restaurant set in a beautiful garden.Brasa: Argentinian style steakhouseFari Beach Club: Similar style of food as the Eau barKoen: Japanese/Nordic fusionWok Society: Elevated Chinese food with a trendy setting as well as craft beers.Helios: A Greek style restaurantFarine: European style bistro serving baked artisan breads, charcuterie, and wineGo go burger: Food truck selling burgers

Cost of food at the Ritz Maldives

As with everything at high end Maldivian resorts, expect to pay top dollar for food and alcohol. Food at the Ritz is among the highest you’ll find in the Maldives. Here is an example of costs at the Ritz Maldives:

Breakfast buffet: $65 per personGrilled prawns at the Beach Shack: $65Roasted lamb shank at Arabesque: $75Pasta alla vongole at La Locanda: $55Omakase dinner at IWAU excluding wine pairing: $300 per personShisha at Eau Bar: $75 per shishaGlass of wine at Eau bar: $18-22Glass of Beer: $13-15Cocktails: $18-$23

You also need to add GST and Service to all the prices above which will be another 27% or so. The dinner at IWA is therefore almost $400 per person excluding food.

In general, I spent about $250-$350 for a dinner for two without alcohol. This included 1-2 starters, 2 mains, and maybe 1 dessert. Lunches would be about $100-$150 with just two mains and no alcohol.

Breakfast at the Ritz Carlton Maldives

Breakfast time at the Ritz was one of my favorite times of the day. The breakfast is served exclusively at the La Laconda restaurant from 7am – 11am. The restaurant is located on the water with great sunrise views over the ocean.

As you can expect, the breakfast buffet is amazing and comes with everything you can possibly think of when it comes to breakfast items. You’ll find a huge spread of things like pastries, omelettes, pancakes, french toast, waffles, and avocado toast. There is insane amount of freshly made breads and pastries that smelled amazing. The granola section takes up a whole section of the restaurant and I didn’t even know so many different types existed. In addition to the standard items, there is also a Chinese dim sum station and a dosa station with an attendant making you fresh food.

My only complaint of the breakfast was the lackluster fruit selection. They had all fruits under the sun but generally any berries in the tropics is going oo be mediocre as it’s imported. I would have liked to see more tropical options like papaya or mango which is grown nearby and much tastier.

The cost of the breakfast buffet is $65 per person which might actually be the cheapest value for money at the resort. You can absolutely stuff yourself with lunch and then skip lunch altogether.

I hate overeating for breakfast which is exactly what I would have done had I paid for it which is why the Ritz also has a la carte breakfast options. This menu has many of the buffet items but you can order it piecemeal to control your appetite. The portions are still plenty big so you likely won’t need more than 1 item.

We ended up order specific Maldivian breakfast items which aren’t even on the a la carte menu. Local Maldivian breakfast consists of masuni, rihakuru, and kulimas. Masuni is particular is a must try as it is one of the best breakfast items you can have (tuna, coconut flakes, shallots, and chilis served with tiin chapati bread). The local waitstaff were so impressed and loved that we wanted to eat their food that we kept getting little freebies. The cost for this breakfast was 1/3 of the breakfast buffet and we felt great afterwards as the portions were perfect for us!

La Locanda Dinner

We came back to La Locanda for dinner as well. Their Italian menu is quite good especially as they are so far away from Italy. Getting the fresh ingredients for Italian food must be difficult for a place like the Maldives. The focaccia bread as a starter is absolutely perfect and I couldn’t stop eating it.

Beach Shack

The Beach shack was one of my favorite restaurants at the Ritz. The beach shack is located directly in front of the Grand beach which is the public beach. The restaurant has a island rustic Bali style vibe that reminds me a lot of the cafes in Bali.

The Beach Shack was perfect after a morning of lazy lounging on the beach in one of their numerous sunbeds. Food at the beach shack is a mix of various snacks and grilled seafood dishes. I absolutely loved the grilled garlic tiger prawns and octopus.

The staff were on top of everything like always making us feel like royalty. Even the chef came out on numerous occasions to garner feedback from us but I had nothing but good things to say.

Summer Pavilion

Summer Pavilion is the Ritz’s elevated Chinese fusion restaurant. The menu consists of Cantonese items including dim sum, Szechuan dishes, and various regional dishes like Peking duck.

The interior is beautiful with modern sharp edges and overlooks the ocean. The Chinese chef at this restaurant prepares amazing food and our dishes did not disappoint. We got the salt and pepper tiger prawns, eggplant, and Szechuan style cumin beef.

Arabesque

Arabesque is one of the best restaurants if not the best restaurant in the Ritz. Located at the Fari Village a 10 minute boat ride away. Arabesque specializes in Middle Eastern and Indian food. The restaurant is small and cozy with a sunken dining hall reminicent of a Bedouin camp like the ones you’d find in Egypt or Jordan.

The food was as delicious as promised. We ordered a meze platter to share where we chose from a variety of options which included truffle hummus, moutabal, garlic prawns, lamb sausages and more. For the main, we shared a braised lamb shank which had incredible flavors.

Make sure to book at least one night at Arabesque for your stay at the Ritz. They are also open for lunch but I found the night time vibe with its unique decorations to be the winner.

IWAU

IWAU is the japanese omakase style tasting restaurant of the Ritz Maldives. It’s located right next to Eau Bar adjacent to the main pool. I never dined here but from talking to others, everyone really enjoyed the experience.

You are sat at a counter where the chef preps all the courses for you like in a traditional Japanese omakase. The backdrop is also beautiful as you face the ocean and the open stars above you.

Tum Tum

Tum tum is located at the Fari Island village and is their “street food” food truck of the resort. It’s located in an airstream like the ones you can find in Joshua Tree (how in the world did they get that to the Maldives?) and the food here is Asian casual snacks like Bao Buns.

We had their peking duck and beef rendang bao buns which were sensational. The chef even came out and offered us his version of fried rice where he wanted our opinion on the dish. Overall, a delicious casual meal for lunch.

Next to Tum Tum is another food truck serving burgers that looked good as well as a Gelato shop.

Eau Bar sundowners

The Eau Bar is the spot to be for a sundowner. It faces due west and the sun sets directly over the beautiful circular infinity pool. Every day around 18:45, there is a short ceremony where staff perform a traditional dance. This is free of charge to attend.

The Eau bar also serves small snacks as well as proper food but we never ended up eating here as there was just too many other options.

We did smoke shisha twice during our stay and it was a proper experience at that with the waiters very attentive.

Brasa

Brasa is located on Fari Village and is an Argentine steakhouse. We came here on our last night to mix up the seafood we had been eating throughout the week. Brasa has a collection of steaks, lamb chops, pork loin, and other grilled specialties. They have a large wood fired grills perfect for generating the heat required to cook the steaks asado style.

We had wagyu and angus steaks and they were cooked to perfection. The steaks were juicy and tender, but also packed with that beefy flavor. The sides including the mashed potatoes and yuca fries went perfectly with the steaks.

Special Occasion Dinners

In addition to the numerous restaurants offered at the Ritz and the Fari Island Village, the Ritz will often times have special themed dinners. During our stay, they had a Diwali night dinner which featured a set menu from Arabesque and was phenomenal.

On another night, they had a Maldivian themed BBQ on the beach featuring local food. There was even a complimentary cocktail hour on the beach before the BBQ.

These types of dinners will always be a fixed price; Diwali night was $190++ and the Maldivian BBQ was $220++. I really enjoyed these themed dinners and would definitely recommend going to one if it coincides with your dates.

Activities at the Ritz Carlton Maldives

You might wonder if you’ll get bored staying on a private island for so many days but I can assure you the days will not be boring. There is no shortage of things to do and I often found myself wondering how the day passed by so quickly.

In your room will be a schedule of various events happening throughout the week. Some of these events are paid while others are free. Things like snorkeling, a sandbank visit, couples massage lessons, cooking classes, beach yoga, and more are always on the offerings. Of course, if you want a private tour or to go scuba diving, that’s available as well.

Dive Center

As an avid diver, I had to check out the dive center. Located at the southern tip of the resort, the dive center is outsourced to the Dive Butler company that operates in one of the nicest dive offices I’ve seen. Having just been on a Maldives dive liveaboard, I wasn’t so keen to dive any more from a resort. The people working here were very professional and told me that I probably wouldn’t be impressed with what the dives they had if I already went on a week long dive trip beforehand.

The price of the diving is as expensive as you would expect from a high end resort like this. A 1-tank dive at the Ritz-Carlton Maldives is $190++ with discounts available from 6 tanks onwards. This is almost double the price of the diving at the Park Hyatt Hadahaa which I already thought had crazy prices!

Sandbank Visit

There’s nothing more beautiful than a sandbank in the middle of the ocean in my opinion. From the Ritz, there is a sandbank you can visit that is about 30 minutes away by boat. The resort will organize weekly trips to visit the Sandbanks and I think this is actually one of the best deals in the entire resort.

We went via jet-ski to the sandbank because I didn’t know that they were offering boat trips. If you like jet skis, I can highly recommend a visit to the sandbank but be prepared to pay an insane amount of money. We paid roughly $700 for one jet skito the sandbank and back (with a guide of course).

We didn’t know beforehand that the trip was only 1.5 hours which was way too short for such an excursion. It took 20-25 minutes to get to the sandbank which meant we only had about 30-40 minutes on the sandbank. After taking a few videos and photos, we had to leave again. For $700, this was a big waste of money and definitely one of the few gripes I had with the Ritz.

Our Aris Meeha apologized for the confusion and made it up to us later. The confusion was that this tour was more of a “jetski tour” as opposed to a sandbank tour (which we care more for).

Snorkeling activities

There are numerous snorkeling trips you can take from the Ritz Maldives. Snorkeling trips are available to see the turtles, nurse sharks, and reefs nearby to the resort. These trips are sometimes run as a group trip once a week or a private boat with your own guide. We didn’t end up doing any of these activities since we had just finished a Maldives dive liveaboard the week prior.

Kids Club

If you’re bringing the whole family, rest assured that your kid will be well taken care of if you want some private time.

The kids center at the Ritz is insane. Designed for those ages 4 to 12, the program uses its four pillars—land, water, environmental responsibility and culture—to create a schedule of daily activities including sports, arts and crafts, cooking classes and more. The experience is based out of the Ritz Kids Club, futuristic indoor-outdoor space with playgrounds, napping pods, an area for video games and movies, and a pool with slides and jets. Babysitting service is available at a charge, upon request.

Spa Center at the Ritz Maldives

The spa of the Ritz Carlton Maldives is located in the center of the overwater ring. This huge donut like structure is beautiful outside and inside with a round hole in the middle that allows rainwater to flow through the center of the building, like the Jewel in Changi Airport.

While I never got a massage treatment, other guests I talked to raved about it. 1/3 of the masseuses are from Bali so I have no doubt they will be amazing. They did offer a free couples massage lesson on one of the days which was very fun as we got to learn the proper techniques to massage each other.

Pro Tips for staying at the Ritz Carlton Maldives

Arrive early to the Ritz Carlton Maldives

This is my absolute #1 must-do tip for visiting the Ritz Maldives and essentially any other resort in the country. If your flight arrives in Male International Airport in the afternoon or in the evening, absolutely stay in Male for the night. If you’re already paying many thousands of dollars a night to stay in the villa of your dreams, why would you waste all of that money by arriving in the evening when things are already dark and the day is over?

Stay in a hotel near Male International Airport in the town of Hulhemale just north of the airport. There are a hundred different options with perfectly acceptable accommodations for under $100 a night. Your hotel will be no more than a 15 minute drive and most of the hotels offer complimentary shuttle service and breakfast.

The following morning, you are already refreshed and ready to enjoy the resort. The Ritz’s boat runs all throughout the day and you can get a slot on the first boat ride to the resort around 9am. If you’re lucky, your room will be ready upon arrival. Otherwise, your luggage will already be stored and you can enjoy the full suite of facilities at the resort!

Get the local breakfast

As I’ve already talked about in previous sections, getting a local breakfast is the way to go. Not only is the local Maldivian food delicious, but you get a healthier breakfast for much less money without overeating to start your day. It’s a win-win situation.

Pre-book all your dinners

While lunch is never busy, dinners can sometimes be booked out. The Ritz and Fari islands in general revolves around small and intimate restaurants, as opposed to huge resort dining halls so make sure to book things ahead of time. Popular restaurants like Arabesque will see a lot of demand from guests, especially during high season months.

How much did we spend at the Ritz?

In total, we spent about $4,000 USD at the Ritz for our 5 night stay. This does not include the round-trip speedboat transfers but is entirely for the food, activities, and alcohol.

We drank very little (maybe 2-3 glasses of wine the entire stay) so this bill could have been much higher if we elected for the $300 bottles of champagne. Everything can be paid for by credit card at the resort.

Final Thoughts

The Ritz is one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed in. From the aesthetics, design, natural beauty, and customer service, everything was top notch. The staff went out of their way to make us feel like family and elevated the already incredible experience. It felt like anything we wanted was possible (even though we are very low maintenance people).

You know you really love a hotel when you are already dreading checking out on day 2 of a 5 day stay. It almost felt like I left a piece of myself at the Ritz. Not a bad thing as I am already planning a trip back!

FAQ for the Ritz Carlton Maldives

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