櫻桃與魚 Maldives 希爾頓 HILTON 飯店開箱

Taking 5 years to build from the ground up and opening its doors just in July 2022, the Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort features an elegantly stylish villa design that doesn't lose that much-needed tropical vacation vibe. The surrounding layers of crystal-blue water are breathtakingly beautiful! What impressed us most, however, was their dedicated personal butler service and the resort's strong emphasis on being "family-friendly." If you're planning a family trip to the Maldives, the Hilton Amingiri Resort is truly a fantastic choice!

🌴 Table of Contents

🌴 Transport & Location

Located in the North Malé Atoll, Hilton Amingiri Resort is just a short 20 to 30-minute speedboat ride from Malé Airport. The round-trip transfer costs $300 USD for adults and $150 USD for children.

For resorts closer to Malé Airport, there are other highly-rated options (Google ratings as of Feb 2023):

Among these, we've stayed at the Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort, which offers complimentary round-trip airport transfers. If you're interested, check out our review: 👉🏻[Maldives · Sheraton Full Moon Resort] Overwater Villa Review | Super Close to Malé + Free Transfer Affordable Resort

Before your trip, you'll need to inform the resort of your flight's arrival time. A dedicated staff member holding a sign will greet you right at the arrivals hall. Stepping into the airport lobby, you're immediately greeted by an impressive array of resort booths!

We were told Hilton Amingiri Resort is at booth number 60. Seeing this massive lineup of booths made the resort setups at Tahiti's Bora Bora Airport seem like child's play! 😅

The airport representative then escorted us to the pier. The boat in the picture above is Hilton Amingiri's very own speedboat~

Having taken transfer boats at other resorts, stepping into this cabin genuinely felt like a massive upgrade! The Hilton Amingiri speedboat's cabin is fully enclosed by large windows with tinted heat-rejection film. Inside, there are four comfortable sofas complete with plush throw pillows! Super cozy~

There's a door at the back leading outside if you prefer to sit out in the open on a sunny day.

Right after taking our seats, the staff let us know we could connect to the resort's Wi-Fi directly on the boat.

The team attentively asked if we wanted water and cookies—the service was phenomenal! At the time, they even served premium Evian mineral water, though friends who visited later mentioned it's no longer Evian~ The sea was extremely rough when we arrived, but they drove the boat slowly and carefully, being very considerate of how the passengers felt!

Compared to the transfer experiences at the Sheraton Full Moon Resort and Reethi Faru Resort (the other two properties we stayed at on this Maldives trip), Hilton Amingiri's hardware and software are truly top-notch~

When the sea is calm, guests disembark at this jetty~

We heard there's usually a traditional drumming ceremony upon arrival. But since we ran into heavy rain and huge waves, we were docked at another pier on the opposite side of the island for safety reasons~

Despite missing the drumming ceremony due to the weather, a whole line of staff was still waiting to warmly welcome us. What touched us most was that a staff member from the kids' club specifically brought an adorable octopus plushie as a welcome gift for our baby boy, with his name carefully written on it. An octopus is just the perfect shape for the Maldives!

➡️ Book on Official Site (Enjoy Hilton Honors Member Perks)

➡️ Check Current Rates

🌴 The Lobby

With its high wooden ceiling, the lobby is stunning. We were told that on clear, calm days, the surrounding blinds are rolled up. Once they are, with the ocean view shining through, it must look even more spectacular! But probably due to the strong winds of the rainy season, the blinds stayed down for our entire 8-day, 7-night stay. 😅

Right in the center of the lobby, there's a stylish rattan chair identical to the one we saw at the Renaissance Downtown Hotel, Dubai. It seems great designers think alike!

A sweet and sour welcome drink~ Imagine sipping this in the lobby with an unobstructed ocean view—how amazing would that be! But since the storm outside was too wild, we actually enjoyed our drinks inside a rain-covered golf buggy.

We didn't do our check-in at the lobby. Instead, right after getting off the boat, our GEM (Guest Experience Maker / butler) whisked us away straight to our Villa for an in-room check-in. Our GEM also asked us in advance if we preferred to do check-out in the lobby or our Villa. It was our first time staying at a resort with a dedicated butler, and they truly handled everything flawlessly—from scheduling our departure boat to arranging our PCR tests. Since we were interacting with the same person throughout the stay, it felt so much more comfortable and familiar! (Info as of Aug 2022)

➡️ Official Site Rates (Enjoy Hilton Honors Member Perks): Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort

➡️ Check Current Rates: Agoda

🌴 Overwater Suite Villa Review

This time, we used a mix of points and free night certificates to redeem a total of 7 nights in an overwater villa. Speaking of points, this traces back to early 2020 when the pandemic first hit. We had originally booked a 6-night stay at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi (WA for short) and even bought Hilton points just for it, but we were forced to cancel due to the pandemic. Unexpectedly, two years later, the points required for WA skyrocketed, and reward rooms were rarely released 😱. The same amount of points was only enough for the Hilton Amingiri this time. However, getting to stay at the brand new Hilton Amingiri Resort was an entirely different and wonderful experience.

Arriving at the entrance of our Overwater Villa, we were greeted by a tall, massive, and incredibly heavy wooden door. Just looking at the door gave off total luxury mansion vibes~

Stepping into the villa, the private pool and beautiful ocean view immediately catch your eye~ The side privacy walls are built very high, ensuring excellent seclusion. Even the outdoor walkway features a wooden ceiling—they definitely didn't skip the small details just because it's outdoors.

Spanning roughly 181 square meters (about 1,950 sq ft), the Overwater Suite Villa boasts an incredibly open-concept interior design. Although the space is massive, you can take in the entire panoramic view almost at a glance—a separate cozy living room, bedroom, and bathroom. With natural light pouring in from three sides, the best part is that no matter where you are in the villa, you just need to turn your head to see the mesmerizing blue ocean of the Maldives.

The standard Overwater Villa we initially booked with points didn't have this small living room, so we were genuinely so grateful to be upgraded to a Suite. Later on, we moved our son's crib into this living room. Close the sliding doors, and he could sleep peacefully while we binge-watched our shows~ For new parents, this is absolute paradise!

The coffee table in the living room was filled with welcome gifts, including a bottle of wine exclusive to Diamond members, a fruit basket, some heart-shaped chocolates, and three jars of candy that we guessed were specially prepared for our little boy!

There's a glass floor panel in the living room where you can look straight down into the ocean below. The entire living room is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, offering spectacular views!

The sofa was quite comfortable and very deep. We basically treated it as a bed; it was super practical for coaxing the baby to sleep, and there was still plenty of room even with my son and me lying on it. On our last night, we moved to a Beach Villa just to experience a different room type, and honestly, what we missed the most was this living room and this very sofa set!

Both the bedroom and the small living room feature high, vaulted ceilings.

There's also a glass panel on the floor right in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows to watch the fish swimming below~

To be honest, we didn't spot many fish during the daytime, but our little guy still had a blast looking through it!

The double bed's headboard, the bench at the foot of the bed, and the wardrobe behind it are all made of black-trimmed rattan furniture with lighter accents. Surprisingly, this retro rattan pattern—which reminds us of Cherry's grandmother's house—didn't look tacky at all. Instead, it gave off a chic vacation vibe! The rattan rug on the floor matched the same color scheme, cleverly creating the feel of a separate, independent space for the bed.

The floral arrangement on the bed was incredibly elegant. There's a small seating area by the floor-to-ceiling window paired with a rattan coffee table featuring stylish black lines—another brilliant design choice that brought the entire room's aesthetic together perfectly. The curtains behind the bed also sported a unique pattern, which is rare for hotels, and their blackout effect was exceptional~

Being a newly opened resort, the design of the Overwater Villa really won my heart. Looking outside, the scenery is so gorgeous that it's hard to tell whether the villa or the ocean is more beautiful.

The TV in the villa is very convenient for binge-watching. By simply following the instructions, we easily cast videos from our phones to the screen.

Behind the bed is the mini-bar and a small desk. Sliding the door on the left perfectly separates the small living room from the bedroom.

Hilton Amingiri Resort certainly lives up to its "family-friendly" claim. All the furniture in the room with potentially dangerous edges for kids features rounded corners! As soon as we entered, our son excitedly ran around inspecting everything, and then—bam!—he bumped right into the desk. Given his one-year-old toddler height, he hit the bottom edge of the desk. To our surprise, even the underside edges were curved! He bumped it pretty hard but didn't cry at all. That's when Cherry noticed this incredibly thoughtful little detail~

On the bedside table, there's a phone, a notepad, and a non-smartphone provided by the resort for emergencies. We initially thought we wouldn't use it, but we experienced a brief internet outage during our stay which also cut the room phone lines, so this mobile phone came in very handy!

On the other bedside table, there's a clock that does much more than just tell time! Not only can you charge your phone simply by placing it on top, but it also functions as a Bluetooth speaker. A fantastic 3-in-1 multifunctional device!

The bed and pillows were incredibly comfortable.

But if the pillows aren't quite to your liking, there's a Pillow Menu on the bedside table with various options to choose from~ This might be the first time we've stayed at a hotel providing such a detailed pillow menu. It felt very novel!

The luggage storage area in the Overwater Villa is huge, featuring both upper and lower levels. We rarely encounter a hotel luggage rack large enough to open all our suitcases simultaneously with room to spare. The wardrobes on both sides also provided ample storage space.

Inside one of the wardrobes, you'll find bathrobes, an ironing board, an iron, and life jackets. These life jackets are for emergencies; if you need life jackets for snorkeling, you can ask your butler to help borrow some. The other wardrobe houses a safe, a mosquito zapper (so thoughtful!), and a woven rattan bag for use around the resort. If you want to take it home, it's $60 USD.

The wardrobe drawers contain two pairs of indoor slippers and two pairs of outdoor flip-flops. The rattan-soled outdoor flip-flops were surprisingly comfortable to wear. We ended up wearing them everywhere around the resort!

The Mini Bar is equipped with a kettle, a Nespresso coffee machine, bottled water, coffee cups, and glasses. Opening the drawer reveals four different kinds of Nespresso coffee capsules to choose from: Ispirazione Firenze Arpeggio, Ispirazione Genova Livanto, Ispirazione Napoli, and a Decaffeinato option.

For tea, they provide Dilmah pyramid tea bags in four different flavors, as shown in the picture above.

A variety of snacks, drinks, and alcohol in the Mini Bar.

The corresponding menu prices are listed right here.

There's also a sliding door between the bedroom and the bathroom, allowing you to partition the space as needed.

The bathroom space is so massive that even the double vanity looks unusually small in it.

What's especially worth mentioning is that the vanity design is not only gorgeous but also highly practical. The structure holding the mirror has a built-in ledge where you can place various bottles and skincare products. So, even though the actual sink counter space isn't huge, we never felt like we were running out of room.

The amenities provided at the Hilton Amingiri Resort are of high quality and very memorable. Even the handles of the toothbrushes, combs, and razors match the wooden aesthetic. Their dedication to small details is truly impressive.

Though the bathroom ceiling doesn't have the high-vaulted design of the living room and bedroom, it shares the same wooden finish as the outdoor walkways, complete with soft, indirect lighting around the edges.

Next to the vanity, there's a full-length mirror. If you look closely, the frame matches the vanity mirrors perfectly—so cute! The frosted glass doors on either side of the full-length mirror lead to the toilet and the shower room.

The toilet in the bathroom—it's not a bidet toilet 😂

All the hardware in the shower, including the showerhead, features a sleek matte black finish.

Turn-down service is provided every evening between 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM. If you're dining in your villa, the butler will specifically ask if you'd like turn-down service. In the Overwater Villa, aside from replenishing water, they also leave a small bedtime treat each day. We still had turn-down service when we later moved to the Beach Villa, but we didn't get the little treats anymore.

Cherry, who always forgets to take pictures of room keys, actually remembered this time! The room keys at Hilton Amingiri Resort are definitely worth snapping a photo of. We were thrilled when we received them—they are made of wood, extremely lightweight, and feel incredibly premium!

Overwater villas on tropical islands rely heavily on the weather. When it's sunny, the views outside are absolutely unbeatable.

This was our first time staying in an overwater villa with a private pool. It's worth noting that every single villa at the Hilton Amingiri Resort—whether overwater or beachfront—comes with its own private pool. The room we booked with points was a slightly smaller overwater villa, but it still featured a pool. If you want to check "staying in a private pool villa" off your bucket list, the Hilton Amingiri Resort is an excellent choice!

The pool looks just as beautiful after dark. We happened to visit during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and lounging outside our overwater villa while admiring the full moon was pure luxury.

The outdoor shower. After a dip in the ocean, you can rinse off right outside, and yes, it has both hot and cold water!

🏖️ Maldives vs. Tahiti Resorts Comparison

Finally, if we had to compare this Overwater Villa with the Overwater Villas at Conrad Bora Bora Nui in Tahiti, Hilton Amingiri Resort wins in terms of room size and interior design (which makes sense, given it's brand new).

However, if there's one shortcoming, it's the sound system. The Conrad Bora Bora has surround sound, while the Hilton Amingiri only has the speaker by the bedside.

Another crucial point is that because it's a new resort, there aren't many visible corals around the overwater villas. You don't see too many fish during the day, though the lights at night do attract some. Compared to the underwater world in Bora Bora, it still falls a bit short~ But we heard if you're lucky, you might spot an Eagle Ray swimming nearby.

This photo was taken by our butler, Ijoo. An Eagle Ray showed up near Overwater Villa 107 just two weeks before our stay.

🔖 Recommended Snorkeling Spots

Perhaps because it's facing the open ocean or because of the rainy season, the waves around the overwater villas were pretty strong. Our butler constantly reminded us to always wear a life jacket if we went into the water (the resort provides free snorkeling gear). The purple circled areas in the map above are the recommended snorkeling spots, and the red line marks the edge of the resort's house reef, beyond which the water depth drops sharply—ideal for diving.

Although you can still see plenty of fish and marine life while snorkeling at Hilton Amingiri, when it comes to underwater scenery, we have to admit that Conrad Bora Bora Nui wins hands down. There, you can clearly see corals and fish straight from your villa deck, and even during the rainy season, the sea is as calm as a mirror (as seen in the photo above).

📌 Recommended Reading: [Tahiti · Bora Bora] Conrad Bora Bora Nui Review

For snorkeling beginners, this Overwater Villa isn't the type where you can jump in and instantly be surrounded by corals and fish; you need to swim a bit to reach the reef. If you're not a strong swimmer, you must be careful, as swimming against the waves takes a lot of energy. If you go during the rainy season, it's even more crucial to stay alert—if things don't look right (like spotting dark clouds in the distance or feeling the waves getting larger), head back to shore immediately. Cherry had a terrifying experience at the Reethi Faru Resort on this trip, where just five seconds after getting out of the water, she turned back to see massive, violent waves crashing in!

If you're an avid snorkeler who heavily values underwater scenery, we recommend visiting the Reethi Faru Resort in the Maldives. While their Overwater Villas aren't as luxurious as Hilton Amingiri's, the house reef and fish schools right off their beach are easily in the top two most beautiful reefs Cherry has ever seen. If you're lucky, you can snorkel with sea turtles and sharks right at the resort. Cherry honestly didn't specifically want to bump into sharks while snorkeling alone, but she ran into them every single time!

If you're specifically looking to book a Hilton-branded resort, our butler (who worked at Conrad for many years) mentioned that among the three currently open Hilton properties in the Maldives, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island still boasts the most beautiful underwater scenery.

➡️ Book on Official Site (Enjoy Hilton Honors Member Perks)

➡️ Check Current Rates

🌴 Happy Hour – Sip Tea Lounge

Every day from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM, Diamond members can enjoy Happy Hour at the Sip Tea Lounge next to the lobby. This is definitely one of the major perks of having Diamond status!

During our stay, Happy Hour was always quite busy. If you want front-row ocean view seats, you might want to get there early.

The daily Happy Hour features unlimited servings of one specialty cocktail and one mocktail of the day, accompanied by some bar snacks~

After drinking there for a few days, Cherry felt the specialty drinks provided were all genuinely delicious. Since it's a Tea Lounge, they frequently serve cocktails infused with tea, which is super unique! The snacks mostly consisted of spicy mixed nuts and Maldivian fried fish crackers, occasionally mixed with other small bites like olives.

For days, Cherry ate these snacks thinking they were spicy tortilla chips. It was only later that she found out they were kulhi kaaja (Maldivian spicy fried fish snacks). They are so tasty and pair perfectly with drinks!

When we stayed, there were only about three or four kids in the entire resort. Our son truly thrived in the Maldives, a destination dominated by couples and honeymooners~ The cookie in the photo above was a gift to him from the staff. It's true what they say: rarity makes you popular!

Compared to Happy Hours at some city hotels that offer hot meals, Hilton Amingiri Resort doesn't serve food. However, the beverages they bring out are crafted with absolute sincerity. You can tell they put a lot of thought into mixing up the flavors, making Happy Hour a delightful afternoon tea time we looked forward to every day.

➡️ Book on Official Site (Enjoy Hilton Honors Member Perks)

➡️ Check Current Rates

🌴 Habitat Buffet Breakfast

Breakfast is served daily from 7:00 AM to 10:30 AM at Habitat, the resort's all-day dining restaurant.

The view from Habitat is stunning. On sunny days, the ocean colors are rich and vibrant—Cherry personally thinks the water views here are her favorite across the entire Hilton Amingiri Resort!

The restaurant features sky-high ceilings, with an open kitchen right in the center.

Some dishes are buffet-style, like cold cuts (smoked salmon), cheeses, breads, salads, fruits, cereals, etc. The daily selection is fairly consistent. Other main hot dishes are mostly ordered à la carte.

The drink selection is quite unique. Every day they offer a pitcher of a health-focused beverage—like the immunity-boosting drink on the left in the photo above. Beyond that, there's iced tea and even wine. It's quite rare to see alcoholic beverages included in a hotel or resort breakfast. Starting the day with a drink! 🤣

The à la carte breakfast menu is generally divided into Western, Maldivian, Asian, Arabic, and Indian categories.

The Western dishes were all delicious, and Cherry's absolute favorite was the Eggs Benedict.

The Maldivian-style slightly spicy omelet! Cherry first tried it at the Sheraton Full Moon Resort and was totally blown away. Cherry, who normally barely eats omelets, can finish a whole portion by herself. The hint of spice makes it incredibly appetizing for spice lovers!

Over our eight-day stay, we ordered almost every item on the breakfast menu. The most unforgettable dishes were the Asian ones cooked by Chef Morgan—the Chicken Congee and Seafood Noodle Soup were our daily must-orders! (Info as of Sept 2022). The Chicken Congee even came with century egg and salted duck egg on the side. It was so magical!

Actually, if you're craving something specific, you can always ask the server if they can make it! Once we found out we could order off the secret menu, we secretly checked what amazing dishes the neighboring tables were having every day 🤣. After spotting a neighboring table eating Kimchi Fried Rice, it instantly became one of our must-order dishes too. But the prerequisite is checking if Chef Morgan is in the kitchen. One morning, we ordered our usuals, but from the first bite, it just didn't taste right. When we asked, we found out Chef Morgan had the day off! 😅 (Info as of Sept 2022)

Overall, the buffet section of Hilton Amingiri's breakfast doesn't have an overwhelming amount of choices, but the à la carte menu offers a wide variety of delicious options. They genuinely do a wonderful job catering to the diverse tastes of guests from all over the world~

Overall, the buffet section of Hilton Amingiri's breakfast doesn't have an overwhelming amount of choices, but the à la carte menu offers a wide variety of delicious options. They genuinely do a wonderful job catering to the diverse tastes of guests from all over the world~ We really loved it!

🌴 Floating Breakfast

Besides the breakfast at Habitat, if you're staying in an Overwater Villa, we highly recommend paying out-of-pocket to experience the floating breakfast~~ After all, staying in an overwater villa with a private infinity pool is a rare opportunity!

Your butler will confirm your breakfast order with you in advance, and they'll arrange all the non-hot foods in the floating basket.

The only downside is that it's just too pretty—we spent way more time taking photos than actually eating the breakfast!

Floating breakfast and floating baby boy 🤣

🌴 Summary

To sum up, the interior space of this Overwater Suite Villa is breathtakingly beautiful. It's arguably our favorite resort room we've ever stayed in! Coupled with the stunning ocean views, infinity pool, and flawless butler service, it was a spectacular accommodation experience. The only slight drawback is that there aren't many corals or fish underneath the villa~ Just something to keep in mind if that's super important to you! Hope this helps with your planning!

Also, if you're traveling with kids, we highly recommend checking out the 👉🏻Beach Villa, where the little ones can play in the sand right outside, and the design is just as stunning as the overwater ones!

Other Travel Guides

★ Europe: Finland | UK

★ Middle East: Dubai | Abu Dhabi | Doha

★ USA: Las Vegas | San Francisco

★ Southeast Asia: Bali | Phu Quoc | Koh Samui

★ Islands: Tahiti | Maldives | Fiji

Hilton Hotel Reviews

Tahiti · Conrad Bora Bora Nui

Fiji · DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel Fiji - Sonaisali Island

Finland · Hilton Helsinki Airport

UK · Hilton London Bankside

Marriott Resort Reviews

Maldives · Sheraton Full Moon Resort & Spa

Dubai · Renaissance Downtown Hotel

Bali · Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort

Phu Quoc · JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort

Fiji · Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay

Taiwan Hotel Reviews

Taipei · W Taipei

Taipei · Renaissance Taipei Shihlin Hotel

Taipei · Aloft Taipei Beitou

Taipei · Courtyard Taipei

Taoyuan · Sheraton Taoyuan Hotel

Taoyuan · The Westin Tashee Resort

Taipei · Humble House Taipei

Taichung · Fairfield by Marriott Taichung

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