One of the best redemptions for the Hilton Weekend Night Reward certificate from the American Express Aspire and Surpass cards is the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi.

Important Notes & Costs

A few important notes to consider before jumping to book the property:

• The $700/person (round trip) yacht transfer to get to the resort, which is subject to 23.2% tax and service charge per adult, is NOT included. You can choose to charter a third party boat, but the cost will still be hefty.  There’s not a way to avoid a transfer fee.
• The cost of food is 2-4x what you would expect to pay in the U.S. since everything is imported onto the island. As a point of reference, a personal pizza costs $40+, not including the 23% tax and service charge.
• If you plan to dine at any of the fine dining restaurants, be prepared to spend $200+ per person.

Even if your room rate is covered, a stay at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives is expensive. Now that the sticker shock warning is out of the way, let’s dive into how we booked the room.

Using Weekend Night Rewards and Points

The retail rate for an overwater villa is ~$3,000/night. We booked our four-night stay using three free weekend night certificates, and 120,000 Hilton Honors points for the fourth night.

For each Weekend Night Reward, you’ll need to create a separate reservation. The hotel can combine them afterward. We created four consecutive day bookings.

We didn’t end up booking a fifth night since the booking doesn’t qualify for the 5th night free promotion. To qualify for 5th night free, you must book your entire stay using points. Weekend Night Rewards do not qualify.

Beach Villa vs. Overwater Villa

If you want to increase your chances of getting an overwater villa, I recommend visiting during off-season or shoulder season.

We booked the standard base beach room villa and received a complimentary upgrade due to having Diamond status. Upgrades are NOT guaranteed.

If you want to guarantee an overwater villa, I suggest booking one directly or inquiring to pay out of pocket for the upgrade.

It’s worth mentioning that the beach villas are also huge (2,500 square feet) with the same standard room layouts.

Hilton Honors Gold or Diamond Status

Before your stay at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives, I highly recommend having Hilton Honors Gold or Diamond status to get complimentary access to the breakfast buffet. Without Gold or Diamond status, you’ll end up paying a hefty price tag for the a la carte menu. To put things in perspective, a basic plate of eggs costs $30 + tax and tip.  

The easiest way to earn automatic Hilton Honors elite status is via credit cards.

Hilton Gold

Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

• Earn 12x on Hilton purchases
• 6x at U.S. restaurants
• 6x at U.S. supermarkets
• 6x at  U.S. gas stations
• 3x on everything else
• Earn a free weekend night after spending $15,000 in a calendar year
• Complimentary Hilton Gold status
• Priority Pass: 10 free visits
• No foreign transaction fees
• Rates and fees

61f666d7227edc5a4d0eccce

The Platinum Card® from American Express

• Point Multipliers:
• Earn 5X points points per $1 spent on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
• Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com
• Earn 1X points on all other purchases
• Complimentary Hilton Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold status
• Credits:
• $200 annual airline fee credit per calendar year to use for incidental fees like baggage fees
• Up to $200 Uber credit, distributed $15/month and $35 in December
• Up to $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit, issued in $50 increments every 6 months per calendar year
• $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® credit once every 4 years
• Annual fee: $695
• Rates and fees
• Terms apply and enrollment required for select American Express benefits and offers.

61dd5e1110473a94e55f70e1

Hilton Diamond

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

• Annual fee: $450
• Point Multipliers:
• Earn 14x on Hilton purchases
• 7x on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com
• 7x on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies
• 7x at U.S. restaurants
• 3x on all other purchases
• One weekend night reward and every year after renewal
• Complimentary Hilton Diamond  status
• up to $250 Hilton resort statement credit
• Priority Pass Select membership

All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by AskSebby.com. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is no longer available through AskSebby.com.

‍

YouTube Video