The Westin Maldives with a Toddler: Our Monsoon Season Stay in Baa Atoll
We spent a chunk of our summer holiday in the Maldives from end July to 2 August, with the majority of the trip at The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort in Baa Atoll. July is monsoon season in the Maldives, so this was never going to be one of those guaranteed-blue-skies trips. We actually got very lucky at the beginning, with several beautiful sunny days and calm enough weather to spend most of our time swimming. Towards the end, though, things changed quickly. The rain came in, the winds picked up and eventually the weather became bad enough to disrupt the seaplanes entirely - which made getting off the island quite an adventure. Would I still go during monsoon season? Yes, especially because this is also manta season in Baa Atoll. But I would go knowing that the weather can affect much more than your beach plans.
Getting to The Westin Maldives
We arrived in Malé too late to take a seaplane that same day, so we spent our first night at Hulhule Island Hotel near the airport. This is something worth considering when booking flights to the Maldives. Seaplanes only operate during daylight hours, with the final flights generally departing around late afternoon. If your international flight arrives later in the day, you may need to spend a night near the airport before continuing to your resort the following morning. The next morning, we boarded The Westin's seaplane and finally headed out to Baa Atoll.
Staying in the Heavenly Overwater Pool Villa
The Westin Maldives is extremely family-friendly, but it still feels like a proper Maldivian island escape. We stayed in a Heavenly Overwater Pool Villa at the very end of the walkway, and I honestly think our location was one of the best in the resort. Being the final villa meant there was nothing immediately beside us on one side and we had these incredible, almost 180-degree unobstructed views over the ocean. The villa itself was gorgeous and incredibly spacious, particularly with a three-year-old. But my favourite part was the sound. At night we would fall asleep listening to the waves crashing beneath us, which is exactly what I want from an overwater villa in the Maldives.
Our private pool also ended up becoming one of the highlights of the entire holiday. It was the perfect depth for Kenzo, and this was really the trip where he learnt to properly swim on his own. He spent countless hours in there. His favourite game involved us dropping the hotel's little teaspoons into the pool so he could dive down and retrieve them from the bottom. Apparently this is all you need to entertain a three-year-old for an afternoon.
We also loved being able to put on our snorkelling gear, climb straight down from the villa and swim out into the ocean. One warning, though: the current could get surprisingly strong, particularly with the monsoon weather. I wouldn't be casual about swimming directly off an overwater villa with a young child. And then there was the plankton.
A Warning About Stinging Plankton!
There was A LOT of stinging plankton while we were there. At first it doesn't seem like such a big deal, and then later you start getting these little raised, itchy bubbles all over your skin. Not worth it. If you're visiting at this time of year, I would absolutely bring a fitted, long-sleeved rash guard or swimming suit that covers as much skin as possible. The key for me is something tight against the body rather than loose fabric that traps water against the skin. The trapped plankton tends to sting more too. I learnt my lesson.
Is The Westin Maldives Good with Kids?
Yes.
We booked full board, so breakfast, lunch and dinner were covered, which made life incredibly easy with a toddler. Children under 12 also eat free from the kids' menus.
There is a large main resort pool right beside the beach, so you can easily move between pool and ocean. There's also a kids' club with indoor and outdoor areas. The indoor playroom was perfectly fine, with enough toys to keep Kenzo entertained, although strangely we almost never saw other children inside. Then again, I kind of understand why. You're in the Maldives. Unless you desperately need some air-conditioning or a break from the sun, it feels like a waste to spend too much time sitting inside a playroom. Most families seemed to be swimming, hanging out at their villas or exploring the island instead.
The Food
We were on full board and overall thought the food was pretty good. The resort has several dining options, including Island Kitchen, the main international restaurant; Hawker for Asian food; and The Pearl, its Japanese restaurant.
There were also different themed dinners throughout our stay, which helped add some variety. The kitchen was always accommodating when we asked for something slightly different. One evening, for example, we weren't particularly happy with the curry on the buffet and the chef offered to make us a fresh one instead. Little things like that make a big difference when you're staying somewhere for an extended period. Breakfast was fine, although if I'm comparing purely on breakfast buffets at family resorts, I preferred the spread at Six Senses.
There were also a few little things that bothered me. I noticed the same breadsticks sitting in the buffet area throughout the day and into the evening without appearing to be changed, which slightly icked me out once I noticed it. And, as tends to happen at almost any island resort after a week, we eventually started getting a little tired of the food. There's only so much resort dining you can do before you start craving something completely different
Swimming with Manta Rays in Baa Atoll
One of the main reasons this part of the Maldives is so special is its marine life. The Westin sits within the UNESCO-listed Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve, close to Hanifaru Bay, one of the world's best-known places for manta ray encounters. July is also right in manta season, so obviously we had to try. We booked a private manta ray excursion and were warned that sightings are never guaranteed.
We did see mantas on our first trip, but only a handful, so considering the time of year and where we were, we weren't particularly lucky that day. Still, seeing a manta ray in the wild is incredible. And Kenzo actually got into the water for a few minutes and saw them too. Watching your three-year-old trying to process the fact that these enormous creatures are swimming beneath him is one of those memories you don't forget.
Swimming with Nurse Sharks
We also went swimming with nurse sharks, which was a completely new experience for me. The crew used a bucket of chum to attract them, and suddenly we were surrounded. They looked like these enormous, prehistoric, scaly beasts moving through the water - intimidating when you first see them coming towards you, but incredibly beautiful and gentle once you're actually swimming alongside them. It was my first time swimming with nurse sharks and one of my favourite experiences of the trip. The current that day was strong, though, and this was also the first time I've ever managed to get seasick while actually swimming. Apparently that's possible.
No Mantas, but Dolphins!
We decided to try another manta excursion later in the trip, thinking we'd have another chance at seeing a big group. We had even less luck. Zero mantas. But the ocean gave us something else instead. We spotted two sea turtles - a green turtle and a hawksbill - and then, on the boat ride back to the resort, we suddenly found ourselves alongside a huge pod of dolphins. They stayed with the boat, swimming and leaping beside us as we made our way back to the island. There was even a baby dolphin flipping itself out of the water. It was my first time ever seeing a baby dolphin in the wild, and honestly one of the most magical things I've ever seen. Kenzo was completely in awe. The mantas, nurse sharks, turtles and then an entire pod of dolphins - watching him see all of these animals in the wild at three years old made the whole trip feel incredibly special. Sometimes the excursion where you don't see what you came for ends up being the best one.
Spa & Fitness
The Westin also has a beautiful wellness side to the resort. The gym was gorgeous. I can confidently tell you this despite never actually using it. The Heavenly Spa, on the other hand, I did use - twice. I found the spa treatments to be surprisingly good value compared with many of the luxury resorts we've visited in the Maldives. My therapists were Balinese and both treatments were excellent, so I would definitely recommend looking at the Balinese treatments in particular. And this is where strategic parenting came in. Kenzo had basically been deprived of his tablet for the entire holiday, so both times I went for a treatment I put him in a corner with the tablet. He was delighted. I got my massage. Everyone won.
When Monsoon Season Really Hit
Our original plan was to leave on 31 July. That did not happen. By the end of our stay, the weather had deteriorated significantly. It was rainy, extremely windy and seaplane schedules had become backed up because of the storms. On the day we were supposed to leave, we took a speedboat to a nearby island where we were meant to board our seaplane back to Malé. Except the seaplane wouldn't take us. By then daylight was running out, flights were heavily backed up from the weather and there were a lot of very unhappy passengers waiting around trying to get off the islands. Eventually, there was nothing we could do. We got back onto the boat, returned to The Westin and unexpectedly checked in for another night - this time in a beach villa. This is probably the biggest thing I would tell anyone considering the Maldives during monsoon season: build some flexibility into your travel plans. Seaplanes can only fly during daylight hours, and bad weather can have a domino effect on the entire day's schedule. Missing your transfer isn't necessarily anyone's fault, but you will have to factor in the costs of re-booking flights and staying extra nights if your insurance doesn't cover it.
A Very Long Journey Back to Malé
After the seaplane situation, we decided we weren't going to risk it again. Instead, we arranged to leave via a domestic flight, which was the more reliable option in the weather (we also flew back this way last time from Six Senses Laamu). It made for a very long morning of boats, transfers, waiting and eventually flying back to Malé, but we made it. Rather than immediately getting onto another plane back to Hong Kong after all of that, we decided to give ourselves one final night in the Maldives and checked into the Sheraton Maldives. It turned out to be such a good decision. The Sheraton is only around a ten-minute speedboat ride from Malé, so it was incredibly easy after the journey we'd just had. And I was genuinely surprised by how much I liked the property - lush, beautiful and with an enormous buffet that felt like absolute heaven after more than a week away. We spent our final day doing absolutely nothing, had one last relaxing night, then took the short boat back to Malé the following day for our flight home. A much nicer way to end the trip than going directly from storm-delayed island transfers onto an international flight.
My Takeaways
Best for: Families with young children who want the overwater-villa Maldives experience without sacrificing convenience.
Go for: The spacious villas, private pools, marine life, family-friendly dining and access to Baa Atoll's manta season.
With a toddler: Very easy. Kids eat free, there's a kids' club and pool, and our villa gave Kenzo more than enough entertainment without us constantly having to plan activities. The dive center also has the appropriate snorkeling equipment for a three year old, but you could always bring your own equipment too (I bought his goggles and life vest from Taobao).
During monsoon season: Expect both gorgeous days and very bad weather. Bring proper sun and sting protection, be cautious of strong currents and don't make your onward travel schedule too tight.
Would we return? Yes - although next time I might leave a little more buffer between our seaplane transfer and our flight home.
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