JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa

2nd time back in Maldives because we had such a magical trip the 1st time in Sept 24. My partner decided to choose another resort within Marriot Bonvoy Group so that we could capture new experiences. From the moment we arrived at the resort, about a 50-min sea plane ride from Male, it was clear that we were going to have a great time. We were greeted warmly with Maldivian drums and staff by the jetty. Our Butler - Hassan was assigned to take care of us for the week at the resort. The service provided by him was not only seamless but attentive without being intrusive. He was always just a message away, arranging our floating breakfast, photoshoot, spa, beach dinners, even personally delivering sweet treats to us on some days after his work shift. Honestly, we were so blown away by his dedication after our disastrous encounter with our previous butler from our 1st trip. We bumped into 1 of the staff member - Sovia (Aailaa restaurant) who was working at the previous resort we were at. That was a nice surprise seeing a familiar face! After which,we also found out another staff member - Uzam had transferred over. We had such a wonderful time catching up (truly happy and proud that their career progression is going well), exchanging contacts to keep in touch this time around since fate works in mysterious ways of allowing us to cross paths again. Every staff member, to name a few (Bhgyashree, Rameez) that we have encountered, from our villa attendent (Nabeeh), restaurants hosts (Sovia, Tia, Zahuvan, Reni, Zahir, Aalif and many more - I tried my very best to remember their names) and chefs (Dinesh, Upali, Kenika) were genuinely invested in making our stay perfect. We met Chef Dinesh and Chef Upali, Sovia, Tia every day when we were at Aalia Restaurant to have our breakfast.  Seeing them was our way of knowing that we were going to have a great day, every day. I was utterly spoilt by them like royalty, my expanding waistline and weight gain can attest to it. We also met Chef Kenika who handles the Thai restaurant - Kaashi on the island. We had our 1st dinner - Treetop Thai Night (only on Mon). The menu was curated well that we went back for more thai food over the next few days. It was like having a piece of thailand in Maldives - what a perfect combination. Chef Kenika cooks from her heart and you can tell that from the flavours of the food. Zahuvan , who was stationed at Kaashi (lunch), Hashi & Shiro (dinner) was so attentive in his service and we always look forward to seeing him. We also had a great pleasure to meet and connect with GM Mohit Dembla during our stay. We were very surprised when we were invited to have drinks with him which followed up by dinner. It was such a warm and personal setting of conversations and personal outlooks in life. The dinner at Hashi & Shiro was perfect. Unfortunately, I was too engrossed in the dinner conversations that I forgot to take pictures of the food. In a destination as beautiful as the Maldives, it is relatively easy to be impressed - clear turquoise water, postcard perfect sunsets etc. But it was clear to us that it was the people of the resort that matters the most to us - genuine human connection, thoughtful gestures that made us feel seen and deeply valued - not just as guests but as cherished individuals. We had a great time strolling around the whole resort, clocked our 10k steps easily - probably known as the crazy couple who rejects buggy services (except on the day it rained). As what Richard Branson says 'If you look after your staff, they will look after your customers', and it is evident that the staff are flourishing under GM Mohit Dembla. If I had to choose 1 thing that could be improved - it would be hoping that there would be a slight variance in the menu offering for lunch and dinner at Aalia. At the end of the trip, we once again left with unforgettable memories, full hearts, a nice tan & a longing to return. Saying farewell is always tough but as the saying goes, it's not a goodbye but a See You Soon. Thank you my JW Marriot Maldives family.