The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort

If you’re looking for a wellness inspired stay with a generous slice of Maldivian luxury from an internationally renowned hotel brand, then look no further than The Westin Miriandhoo Maldives. Journey northwest from Malé on a sea plane to the pristine Baa Atoll, an area so prized for its marine life and diverse ecosystems that it was designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2011. Miriandhoo is a lush island full of sandy paths to wander around with sea lettuce trees, coconut palms and sea hibiscus plants lining those paths. This is a tropical island paradise where nature abounds, and where luxury living, wellness and plant based delights await those who select this stunning resort for their next Maldivian adventure. All elements of the resort take inspiration from the natural environment, including the unique arrival jetty designed to resemble clamshells and the oceans waves, and these unique design elements blend perfectly with natural beauty at the wonderful Westin Maldives.

We were immediately impressed with our Deluxe Beach Pool Villa at The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort, and after our long day of travel it was exactly what we needed. At the heart of our pleasingly symmetrical and luxuriously appointed home, was the ‘Westin Heavenly Bed’ and any of you who have stayed with Westin will know that it guarantees a perfect night sleep. An expansive living area with dining table and chairs, sofa and huge flat screen TV looked out over our private pool and private beach garden, which in turn looked out over the Indian Ocean. In addition to the coffee machine for that much needed caffeine hit, there was a citrus press with accompanying bowl of oranges, allowing us to have that daily vitamin C boost also. This was a glimpse of things to come as we discovered more about the ‘Eat Well’ concept that Westin are proud of. Our bathroom had indoor and outdoor showers, dual vanities, one of those toilets from the future with heated seat and all sorts of other functions, and a freestanding bath which was most certainly big enough for two. This was no ordinary beach villa, this was a Westin Maldives beach villa and we liked it very much.

The Vegan Food

With guests invited to enjoy all day dining options at ‘Island Kitchen’, they could also choose to dine at ‘Hawker’ on the beach with a pan Asian street food theme, or to make a reservation at ‘Pearl’ the signature Japanese restaurant at The Westin Maldives that sits proudly over the Indian Ocean. We of course experienced all three restaurants during our stay, where the ‘Eat Well’ philosophy was ever present, and where we were also well catered for with delicious and nutritious plant based food. Our breakfasts at ‘Island Kitchen’ were long and lazy affairs, with each visit starting with a daily vitamin packed booster, from apple and carrot to pineapple and turmeric, they were all great. After perusing the buffet where we found options including congee, noodle soup, foul medamas and vegan cake (yes, they had vegan cake) we decided to accept the offer of Chef Min to surprise us. His team were helpful in explaining which of the buffet options were suitable for vegans or could easily be adapted, but Chef Min insisted that for all guests with dietary requirements he was more than happy to create fresh dishes in the kitchen. During our stay we enjoyed, avocado toast, vegan congee, scrambled tofu, vegan noodle soup, pancakes, noodles and huge plates of plant based goodness from the buffet. We even got to enjoy mini vegan cakes with our morning espresso which was a real ‘naughty but nice’ treat. From our experience, the Westin ‘Eat Well’ concept could quite easily be changed to ‘Eat Very Well’ as we most certainly had seemingly endless healthy options available to us.

The all day dining menu at ‘Island Kitchen’ features a number of clearly labelled vegetarian and vegan options including a delightful sounding ‘Vegan Avocado Creamy Cake’. There is also an ‘Indian Veggie Fare’ section with dishes that are either vegan or can easily be adapted. Once again, Chef Min kept us smiling with the food that he created with his team. We enjoyed a delightful tomato and watermelon gazpacho, a selection of Indian curries, quinoa salad with roasted veggies, hummus and falafel, pasta arrabbiata, vegan pad krapow and even a Beyond Burger. Although it was hard to live up to the levels of the vegan avocado cake, we would have to say that the mango sticky rice with coconut ice cream came close to challenging for the title of ‘best vegan dessert’ during our stay at Westin Maldives.

Lunch at ‘Hawker Kitchen’ was again made easy by Chef Min. He advised which of the clearly marked vegetarian options could be prepared vegan, and we selected two salads, a curry and a noodle dish. Our Maldiviain banana flower salad was delicately flavoured with curry leaves, lime and chilli, whilst our ‘Quinoa and Spinach Leaf Pakora Salad’ was a nutritional powerhouse. Protein packed quinoa was prepared with pomegranate, avocado, mango and other plant based delights, before being topped by crunchy pakora. Both the quinoa salad and the ‘Mixed Vegetable Thai Green Curry’ which came next, were so good that we ordered them twice during our stay. Next up was the ‘Penang Style Fried Kway Teow’ which saw wok fried flat rice noodles, combined with veggies, tofu and a mild chilli paste to create an excellent dish. For dessert we enjoyed grilled bananas with coconut ice cream, and ‘Malaysian Ais Batu Campur’ which was chilled and refreshing, perfect for a hot and humid day in the Maldives.

Our Japanese culinary experience at ‘Pearl’ was the epitome of ‘location, location, location’ with us dining overlooking the coral reef as the sun set over the Indian Ocean. The team prepared a special vegan menu which started with edamame beans, tempura and a sushi platter, before moving onto vegan katsu curry with tofu and stir fried soba noodles. Dining here is not to be missed by anyone staying at The Westin Maldives, not just for the sublime location, but for the plant based food too. There was a vegan dessert on offer, but we declined as we were more than satisfied with what we had already enjoyed.

The Vegan Essentials

Marriott International does not use plastic bottles, plastic straws or plastic bathroom amenities throughout their expansive portfolio, so of course this is what we experienced at The Westin Maldives. All drinking water on the island goes through a unique ‘Classic Crystal Purifaction’ system before being bottled, and this alone saves more than 80,000 plastic bottles each and every year. The signature ‘White Tea Aloe’ bathroom amenities are not only paraben free, but they are also cruelty free and vegan which gets a big thumbs up from us! In addition to this, the ‘Eat Well’ concept is encouraging guests to eat more fruits, veggies and healthy food, which in itself is more sustainable, and we loved the concept of including orange juice presses in each and every villa. The most recent sustainability initiative has seen 650 solar panels installed which will produce approximately six hours of energy daily. This use of renewable energy is great to see and should be something that is embraced at each and every resort in the Maldives, let’s hope that others follow this planet friendly installation and commitment to being more sustainable.

The Vegan Food Quest Verdict

Check in at The Westin Miriandhoo Maldives and be welcomed with smiles from the moment you arrive, until the time comes for your departure. The staff team are quite clearly enjoying their jobs and that usually comes from good leadership, which was clearly present throughout our stay. Our Deluxe Beach Pool Villa was spacious and modern, offering direct access to the Indian Ocean via our private beach garden. The Heavenly Spa was everything a luxury spa should be and more, the visibility made snorkelling and exploring the house reef an absolute joy and the complimentary sunrise yoga offered the perfect start to our days. The vegan food we hear you ask? Whether we were choosing nutritionally balanced vegan options from the ‘Eat Well’ menu, working our way through the ‘Indian Veggie Fair’ menu, or waiting to see what plant based delights Chef Min and his team created for us, we certainly didn’t go hungry at The Westin Maldives. In fact, the vegan food was plentiful, delicious and creative making this a solid option for any luxury travel loving vegans who are reading this.

We were guests of The Westin Maldives but please rest assured that their generosity in hosting us didn’t influence our views.

The Westin Maldives
Baa Atoll
Maldives

Telephone: +960 660-4444
Email: +960 660-4444
Cost From: £1410 / $1800 (July 2024)