When you think of the Maldives, you probably think “luxury” first and “expensive” a close second… But it might well be worth it, especially if you are points and miles rich and want to celebrate a special occasion.

If you collect Marriott points and/or have some free night certificates, you might want to jump on this opportunity. The Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa is opening in August 2021. The new resort is located on the Lhaviyani Atoll nestled on Thilamaafushi Island. As with most Maldives resorts, you will have to pay a hefty price for a seaplane transfer.

I can only assume that this is a placeholder mistake that will soon be rectified – if not soon… certainly when the pandemic abates – but this hotel has been placed in award category 5.  As such, it will cost you 30,000 to 40,000 points per night.

Even more surprisingly, you wouldn’t be booking the room next to the garbage cans; you can book an overwater villa!

And just in case you think that cash rates are low in order to build up a clientele, they aren’t really all that low…

Stay for Five, Pay for Four

As with all Marriott rewards, you can also receive the fifth night free when booking award stays (essentially the cheapest of your five nights is free). You might not be able to find 10 consecutive nights at 30,000 points per night, but you could potentially pay as little as 240,000 Marriott points for a 10-night stay.

And if you have one or more free night awards (from the credit cards or the Titanium benefit), you could use these at this hotel on off-peak and standard dates…

The Bottom Line

I don’t really think that Marriott intends to keep this hotel in award category 5 long term. So, if you are thinking about a special post-COVID getaway, now might be the time to consider the Maldives.

It is worth noting, however, that hotel openings do have a tendency to slip. And Marriott isn’t particularly helpful with relocating points-spending members to nearby hotels.  So if you book a trip for early September and the hotel doesn’t open on time, you might be left with nowhere to stay…