At the Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific 2026, Marriott Bonvoy’s Maldives portfolio dominated, with five resorts — The Ritz-Carlton Fari Islands, St Regis Vommuli, W Maldives, JW Marriott and Sheraton Full Moon — recognised across all seven award categories. W Maldives won Best House Reef for the third year running. InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau won Top 10 Best Resorts for Families for the second consecutive year.
The Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific 2026, curated by the editors of Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong & Macau and voted on by readers across the region, have recognised an unusually strong showing from the Maldives this year. Here is our full breakdown of who won, and what each accolade actually tells you about a resort.
The winners
W Maldives’ house reef is home to reef sharks, tropical fish and a beloved resident sea turtle known as Bob, with direct snorkelling access from the beach and overwater villas. Winning this category three years running confirms it as one of the most consistent house reefs in the country.
Read our full review →The circular, Kerry Hill-designed Ritz-Carlton Spa appears to float above the lagoon, and its wellness programme draws on the cardinal directions and the healing energy of water — a distinctive concept that clearly resonated with voters.
Read our full review →A triple recognition that reflects its position as one of the strongest family resorts in the Maldives — anchored by the FAMiLY by JW Little Griffins Kids’ Club, one of the largest in the country, alongside a family-friendly Horizon Pool and an adults-only Pool 18.
Read our full review →The John Jacob Astor Estate, at 1,726 square metres across two levels, is one of the largest overwater villas in the Maldives — a private gym, cinema, three spa treatment rooms and a sweeping infinity pool justify its recognition.
Read our full review →Other Maldives honours worth noting
Beyond the headline Marriott sweep, several other Maldives properties earned recognition worth flagging:
Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa — General Manager Greg Allan recognised among the Best General Managers in the Maldives.
InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort (Raa Atoll) — Top 10 Best Resorts for Families, its second consecutive year receiving the honour.
Heritance Aarah — Ralu Overwater Restaurant and Baani both received Wine Spectator’s 2026 Award of Excellence, recognising wine lists of at least 75 selections with a thoughtful match to the menu.
The Standard, Maldives (Raa Atoll) — Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award 2026, placing it in the top 10% of hotels globally based on verified guest reviews over the preceding 12 months.
What awards season actually tells you
Industry awards and reader-voted awards measure different things, and it is worth knowing which is which. The Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards are largely reader-voted, reflecting genuine traveller sentiment and brand reputation across the region. Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice is built entirely from verified guest reviews, making it a useful cross-check on real, on-the-ground guest experience. Wine Spectator’s awards are assessed on the substance of a restaurant’s actual wine list. None of these replace first-hand expert assessment, but taken together, they are a useful signal of which resorts are performing well right now.
For our own take — grounded in first-hand visits rather than reader votes — see our scoring methodology and the full set of OMaldives expert reviews.
Frequently asked questions
W Maldives won Best House Reef in the Maldives for the third consecutive year at the Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific 2026. The resort also ranked #4 among the Best Resorts in the Maldives overall.
Marriott Bonvoy resorts dominated the 2026 awards, with The Ritz-Carlton Maldives Fari Islands, The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort, W Maldives, JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa and Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa recognised across all seven award categories. InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort also won Top 10 Best Resorts for Families for the second consecutive year.
The Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific are curated by the editors of Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong & Macau and voted on by readers across the region. They recognise the best in luxury travel, including resorts, spas, villas, pools and hospitality leadership.
Published 9 July 2026. Verified against official Marriott International and Visit Maldives announcements.