Pristine and Remote with Quiet Privacy

This was our third visit to the Maldives. Our first trip was a week in Meeru in 2012, a lovely, though more modest resort, followed in 2016 by a fortnight at Conrad Rangali which was truly astonishing. Park Hyatt Hadahaa had been on my list of dream Maldivian destinations for a long time and when the opportunity to visit came up, I jumped at the chance. We took advantage of a 5-night TravelZoo offer and everything came together beautifully. We visited in late August 2022 - apologies for the delay getting this review posted! Life is sometimes very busy! This is also my first big review that I’ve written with the intent of posting here so if there are issues, please let me know.

Park Hyatt Hadahaa is in the deep south of the Maldives, located in Huvadhoo Atoll (Gaafu Alifu is the administrative area) which is the second most southerly atoll after Addu Atoll. Its location means that getting to the resort is a bit more involved than visiting the islands we’d visited in the past. Initially we flew into Malé before taking a domestic flight from the capital to Koodoo Airport on a Dash 8 Q400. We waited for about 4hrs at Malé before taking our domestic flight and spent that time in the shared Moonimaa Lounge. We were really well looked after by the Park Hyatt rep who was lovely and very welcoming, but the lounge itself, while fine, wasn’t a patch on the private Conrad Lounge we experienced on Honeymoon in 2016. My understanding is that this was partly a function of available terminal space at the time. The old domestic terminal had simply run out of space for more shared lounges. The new domestic terminal has now opened so hopefully this situation will improve in the future. Nonetheless it was fine, and perfectly serviceable.

The flight to Koodoo took about an hour and on arrival we were greeted with the most legendary low-key baggage reclaim I have ever seen. The 20-30 passengers on our flight were going to a variety of resorts and we all enjoyed the efficient, but very relaxed island vibe of the tiny terminal. We were the only clients heading on to Park Hyatt and as soon as we had our bags, we were met by a friendly Park Hyatt employee who whisked us away by golf cart to the speedboat dock which was a short 2min ride away through the vegetation. We were handed lifejackets when we boarded and midway through the 30min trip to Hadahaa we were given a delicious welcome drink. I believe it was orange and mango. On our first trip to the Maldives my wife got very seasick on the crossing from Malé to Meeru and so we’ve always been a bit cautious with speedboat trips. After a long series of flights, our defences were down, but being able to look out and see the horizon tends to be the perfect antidote in our experience and neither of us had any problems despite a fairly bumpy ride. 

Park Hyatt is situated inside the main ring of atoll islands which means that it’s very much out on its own. Not only are you heading to one of the most remote parts of the Maldivian archipelago but you’re heading to an island isolated from even its atoll neighbours. We personally love the way in which many Maldivian resorts manage to make the architecture of the resort blend into the jungle and of all the locations we’ve visited, Park Hyatt does this the best. It is a small island, but the approach to the arrival jetty felt more ‘James Bond’ than anything I’ve experienced in my life. The buildings just disappear into the vegetation and it feels incredibly natural and unspoilt. In short, it looks incredible. In this area, it clearly had Conrad beat. That’s not to say that Conrad does this badly, it is also very sympathetically constructed, but Park Hyatt set a new high bar for me. The island itself is the destination and the buildings never interrupt the natural beauty.

On arrival we were greeted by Nik the fantastic General Manager, Jisun (the operations director) and our Island Host Hussain. Nik greeted us both by name and he’d clearly done his research. He knew that I was a photographer and instantly made us feel like valued guests. Within moments we were aboard a golf buggy and Hussain drove us the short distance to our room. On the way he pointed out many of the island’s key locations and told us that we’d been assigned the room we specifically requested, Room 19. Check in happened entirely in the villa - it was smooth, comprehensive and very well done. Within minutes we felt at home and the exhaustion we were feeling from our trip was already fading into the distance. Service this good really is worth the money. 

Despite visiting the Maldives a number of times, we have never opted for an overwater villa. Our reasoning on this is two fold. Firstly, we love the beach and the enclosing foliage of the jungle, and secondly we like the larger rooms you typically get with a beach villa compared to entry level overwater options. We fell in love with our villa at Conrad so the Park Hyatt villa had a lot to live up to. On balance, we liked the Park Hyatt room more. Despite being slightly smaller in terms of footprint, the architecture was much more stylish. The dark wood and glass had a very minimal feel while all simultaneously feeling like it blended into the forest margin of the island perfectly. Room 19 is a Beach Pool Villa and the pool at the front of the room was really lovely. Just the right size and perfect for a short dip. The view from Room 19 was outstanding - by far the best view I’ve ever experienced in the Maldives. There’s a wonderful tall palm outside the room that leans over the beach and, positioned at the tip of the island (as much as a near-circular island has a tip) the view is uninterrupted. 

The image above shows the view from the end of our terrace, just after stepping onto the sand. The boat in the image was a delivery boat and was there on just one morning of our stay.

The room itself is divided into two main sections. The bedroom/sitting area which you enter into through the main door and then, behind sliding double doors, the bathroom/dressing area. We really liked this from an organisational point of view. It kept the bedroom really relaxed and tidy while we could spread out and unpack in the other part of the room. The bathroom was further divided up into an indoor and outdoor bathroom. The indoor bathroom features a separate shower and toilet while the outdoor bathroom has a second shower and a large oval bath tub. We did run into some minor issues with the indoor shower which didn’t want to produce hot water on a few occasions. This was quickly sorted after we mentioned it to our Hussain our Island Host and frankly, when you’re in the Maldives, showering outside is much more fun anyway!

A few highlights and points to mention. The A/C was super effective and way better than the A/C we experienced at Conrad. Night swimming in our private pool was incredible and a lot of fun. The beach in front of our villa was fantastic, but there was a bit of a drop off from the higher sand to the shoreline sand. Basically this is a function of erosion/shifting sand that happens throughout the year as the beaches shift with prevailing currents. This wasn’t a problem in the least from our point of view. In terms of ocean, there was some rock formations in the shallows and this meant that swimming out directly from the room was tricky. No problem though, as a walk 10m along the shoreline fixed this. Most evenings we returned to chocolates or sweet treats left in the room for us. All were delicious! The bed was extremely comfy and we slept well despite some ocean noise on a few nights. The ocean at Park Hyatt was much choppier than at Conrad or Meeru - this is mostly due to the island’s location I think. As it’s not part of the ring of the atoll it doesn’t have the shared protection that those other islands have. To be honest, I found this quite exciting as it made the ocean feel more dynamic and alive.

There’s nothing that I thought the room lacked. If I was being super picky, I might say that the outdoor bath looked amazing, but wasn’t the comfiest but aside from that I really can’t think of anything.

We were staying on a Half Board plan and we had breakfast each morning and dinner most evenings at The Dining Room which is at the heart of the resort. Architecture in the Maldives is a massive thing for me and I adored this main section of the resort built around the central swimming pool. From the ocean, this part of Park Hyatt is screened by trees so it doesn’t interrupt the sense of natural habitat, but when you’re on land, amongst it, it really does have wow factor. The whole area is a sequence of gently tiered levels. It reminds me a little of a Japanese garden or paddy terraces. Lots of large rectangular ponds add to this effect. It’s hard to describe if I’m honest but the whole central part of the resort looks incredible. By far and away the coolest architecture I’ve experienced in the Maldives. Paired with the Dhoni reception area which has a roof styled on an upturned Dhoni boat, the whole area is very tastefully done; the perfect blend of clean lines and rectangular forms that somehow felt just right amongst the beautiful mature jungle. I was a bit concerned before visiting that this area wouldn’t work for me but I could not have been more wrong. It was arguably my favourite part of the whole resort.

Breakfast at The Dining Room was sumptuous. Less of a huge buffet affair than you’d find in Atoll Market at Conrad and more like the peaceful table service we loved at Vilu (the other breakfast location at Conrad). Our dining plan allowed us two dishes each for breakfast as well as the beautifully presented, but not OTT buffet. I tried most things on the breakfast menu and I wasn’t disappointed once. Everything was perfectly cooked and the service exquisite. We were looked after by Juli on most mornings and she was great. I am a pretty relaxed traveller and at times the service felt slightly more formal than I prefer - normally I like to be left to my own devices as much as possible and sometimes the service felt a bit TOO eager to please but that is a minor quibble.

The view from the Dining Room was superb as well. The Dining Room itself is a beautiful high-ceiling double-height space and every morning it felt like we mostly had it to ourselves. We were often joined by only 1 or 2 other couples and it felt more like a private island than just another high-end resort. Seriously *seriously* chilled out. I love breakfast and I spent most mornings grinning like an idiot because the food + the vibe was just so good.

The exterior walls of the Dining Room feature a series of large wood and fabric doors. These hinge a bit like a garage door and they were normally raised all the way along the building which created a lovely indoors-as-outdoors feel. Most mornings we sat at a table beneath one of these huge doors, sheltered from the sun but looking out to the pool and the beach beyond. Truly very special. 

Dinner in The Dining Room was also fantastic. Our plan allowed us a three course meal each evening, starter, main and dessert and my wife, who is a very picky eater, was catered for with minimal fuss. Dinner was always enjoyable and I particularly enjoyed the Beef Rendang and the dessert presented to look like a top-down view of the island. 

Park Hyatt is a smaller resort than Conrad and therefore there are a significantly smaller range of restaurants. Despite being on something of a budget, we decided to try the Chef’s Garden Treehouse on one of our five nights and I’m really glad we did. The Treehouse is set behind the Island Grill and is possibly the most romantic spot we’ve experienced in the Maldives. Rain threatened all evening, but thankfully held off. It was rather windy (which was a theme at Hadahaa in general) but this just added to the sense of being amongst the elements. 

The Treehouse menu was entirely vegetarian and the highlights for me were the arrival amuse bouche that included heritage tomatoes, cauliflower and other items arranged in an ‘edible garden’. This consisted of a tree with hanging edible decorations and edible soil made from dehydrated olives. It was cool, very fun and really delicious. The other highlight was a vegetable curry which was superb.

The chef (Loki) came up to introduce a few courses and he was immense fun, extremely charming and clearly passionate about his work. The other chap who was looking after us was also very attentive but he did misstep on one occasion by introducing some fairly heavy talk about a dead relative! It’s a tricky one - I like to cut through the waffle with staff and talk to them as people as much as possible. I’ve worked in service industries and being treated as ‘help’ is something I find deeply rude. Having real conversations with people in service roles is important to me and definitely enhances my stay, but while on holiday there is also a certain amount of escapism that I’m looking for. Life is stressful enough and the conversation about a dead relative during a fancy meal felt a bit bizarre. Nonetheless, we had an amazing night and went home - via the bar - feeling extremely lucky to have experienced such a fantastic meal. An extra shout out to the bar tender. I’ve sadly forgotten his name, but he was a great guy and exceptional at his job. Super relaxed, very personable and a drinks whizz.

Like all good Maldivian islands, there are plenty of places to relax and sunbathe at Hadahaa. The main pool area was our favourite spot away from our Villa and we were always incredibly well looked after by Sangita and the other excellent bartenders. They’d pop along within a few minutes of us getting settled and offer us bottled water in a coolbox, and quite often a mocktail freebie. There was some initial confusion about whether the water was complimentary as we’d been told that aside from the two bottles we received in the room each day, all drinks were chargeable. Initially it seemed like water beside the pool was chargeable, but Hussain resolved this quickly and explained that there had been a misunderstanding and water brought while we were sunbathing was indeed complimentary.

We normally had the central pool to ourselves and it’s absolutely vast so even when other couples occasionally appeared, it all felt very private. One of our favourite spots was just round the corner from the pool, looking towards the overwater villas. The beach here was large and pristine, and the bar was just a few steps away. The cabanas either side of the path to the bar were especially comfortable and we enjoyed hanging out there. The ocean in front of this spot is great for swimming as it is very shallow, but it’s a little uninteresting in terms of wildlife. Shallow and sandy, it’s perfect for those who might not be confident in the water.

Hadahaa is one of the rare Maldivian resorts that has a true 360º reef and no manmade beach shaping measures such as breakwaters or anything like that. The accessibility of the reef and the astonishing drop-off to the deeper water is better than at either of the other resorts we’ve previously visited. Snorkelling at Park Hyatt was immense fun. Access to the reef is easiest from either of the two main jetties. Walking to the end and entering via the ladder that descends into the water. Each time we did so, using the snorkelling gear provided free of charge by the Dive Centre, a staff member would unfurl a flag on the end of the jetty to make it clear that there were swimmers in the water. This was a good touch and made us feel a little safer. I am a strong swimmer, but my wife is not and I felt a whole lot more comfortable knowing that there was a system in place and attentive staff keeping an eye on things.

Much of the Maldives has been hit by reef bleaching events and Hadahaa is no different. That said, we saw a LOT of fresh growth and I have to say that the reef looked healthier than anything we’ve previously seen in the Maldives. In terms of ocean life, weirdly I felt like Conrad had more fish. I don’t know if this is just the effect of memory, or possibly because Conrad has a huge lagoon that sits between the two islands, but I think it probably edged it here. Don’t get me wrong, we saw plenty of fish at Park Hyatt and the reef was considerably better, but unusually I feel like Conrad won out on marine life. 

There was apparently a resident sea turtle at Park Hyatt, but once again, we weren’t lucky on this front and didn’t spot him. Three visits to the Maldives and we’ve never clocked a sea turtle! We did see all manner of reef fish, lots of black and white tip reef sharks but only glimpsed rays once while being buggied out to a water villa for a quick tour. 

On land, there were a few things I noticed. The bats seemed bigger and more active than in previous Maldivian visits. They’re incredible to see and utterly uninterested in humans so they’re no bother. They just add to the interesting things you spot each day. The other oddity was that the Asian Koel, a bird which has a very distinctive call that I associate utterly with the Maldives didn’t seem to be native to the island. We didn’t hear it once. No dramas, just interesting to note.

We had an enjoyable spa day midway through our stay. My wife has been to many more spas than me, but we both felt extremely relaxed after our couple’s facial. My wife isn’t a fan of citrus flavours and the staff did a good job of adjusting the treatment to provide scents that suited her well. From my point of view I did the classic ‘nearly falling asleep’ part way through the treatment and for me this is always a sign of a suitably relaxing visit! 

The spa is pleasant, located towards the middle of the island, with a beautiful main pool that is available to both spa clients and Hadahaa residents alike. We didn’t use it during our stay and didn’t see anyone else using it either. Something to try on our next visit!

Compared to Conrad, which absolutely excels when it comes to spa options, the Spa at Park Hyatt was definitely one of the lesser attractions. It didn’t have the same wow factor as the Conrad options but that is partly due to the architectural differences.  At Conrad the Spa Retreat in particular is jaw-dropping. Park Hyatt’s spa is comparatively conservative - it was very nice but not one of the standout elements of our trip. 

We ummed and ahhed about doing the Lucky Dolphin Cruise because during our honeymoon at Conrad the Dolphin Cruise was the uncontested highlight. At Park Hyatt we went out with just two other guests, a Japanese couple who were lovely. The boat was basically the same style that brought us to the resort: fine, but not fancy. We also had a very long drive before we got lucky with the dolphins and they only stuck around for a few minutes. Nonetheless, Samy kept us entertained with excellent stories that felt authentic and honest - he was clearly talking from the heart rather than repeating the same stuff, week-in-week-out to different guests. I enjoyed chatting to him! 

Fun though the trip was, as we predicted, it couldn’t match up to the cruise at Conrad. The motor yacht at Conrad had an observation deck where, upon boarding, we were served champagne or a drink of our choice and, as we rode out beyond the lagoon, we perched on the cushioned seating area on the prow of the boat. Going full tilt and holding on as we bounced through the breakers was genuinely one of the most fun, exhilarating moments of our entire trip! My wife isn’t usually one for adrenaline, but this was *just* the right amount and it just felt super exciting. For those that didn’t want that sort of experience, the observation deck was comfortable and far less dramatic.

By comparison, the Dolphin Cruise at Hadahaa felt far more humble. A fun experience, but not unmissable.

When we first arrived at our villa, we discovered that we’d been given a voucher for a complimentary 30min couples photoshoot. Hussain, our host, explained that they thought this would be a nice touch as I am a professional photographer. I’m not great at being in front of the camera but it seemed like a fun opportunity to have some photos with my wife. We used it on the penultimate day and the shoot itself was good fun. I was less impressed with what happened next. We met the photographer the following day to review the edited images. This session began with the photographer explaining that he’d not had time to edit the full selection. As a working photographer I fully understand this predicament but it might have made more sense to present a smaller selection of edited images from the get-go rather than show lots of images straight out of camera. No problem I thought - I’ve been in that situation many times when deadlines are tight. He also seemed a bit nervous shooting for a professional photographer. I can understand that and tried to make it clear that I was very relaxed about the whole thing. We didn’t come to Hadahaa for a photoshoot so some nice images would be a bonus - if nothing great transpired, no harm, no foul. In the end, he took some lovely images (see below):

However things went downhill when it came to discussing the price for the images. I understand the business model in use here; they shoot a short session for free, but then if you want the images, you’ll have to pay. To begin with, I’m not a huge fan of this. I am happy to pay for things, but I like to know up-front what I am getting myself into. Bait and switch does not sit well with me and I avoid it at all costs in my own business. Nonetheless, I expected it. Given that, I went in prepared to pay for 1-3 of our favourite images. We chose a couple of images at which point the photographer suggested that he could throw in the full set of unedited shots, as well. He said we’d be looking at $90 or so for the edited versions of our favourite 3 plus the unedited remainder. I considered this reasonable and said yes, at which point he came back with a receipt for over $200 for me to sign. Confused I pointed out the discrepancy. At this point, he basically bargained with me. I made it clear that I wasn’t willing to pay that much and would rather just pay for the couple of images we particularly liked. He came back with another receipt for $125 and said that this would be all the photos ‘as is’. Some edited, some unedited. This made no sense given that he’d earlier suggested around $90. We’d talked about photography a bit and by this point a slightly unusual student/teacher atmosphere had developed and frankly I didn’t want to end up insulting him so we sucked it up, paid and went on our way. 

In short, it was an extremely badly-handled situation. If they’re going to pursue the ‘free session, paid images’ business model, the client needs to have clarity about what they’re actually paying for. Ideally before the shoot, but certainly after. It felt like numbers were being made up on the spot and it felt like a cheap hard-sell. Unpleasant tbh and it left a bad taste on our penultimate day. I had to actively shrug it off to get back in the holiday spirit. Don’t get me wrong, the photographer was a lovely bloke and his pictures were good, but this interaction needed work. I don’t think there was anything nefarious at play, but it could do with being looked at for the future. I fully understand that the Park Hyatt team want to maximise client spend, but this was not the way to do it. Instead it just detracted from what was otherwise a near perfect stay.

All of the staff at Park Hyatt were excellent but a few stood out. The GM, Nik Priesnitz, was exceptional. The finest GM I have encountered by far. Efficient, incredibly personable and, above all, very engaged. He made us feel like he was catering just to us. Our island host, Hussain, was also excellent. He wore a mask during most of our stay, and only removed it when Nik asked him if he minded for a photo as we left, and this meant that we didn’t feel like we knew him quite as well, but that’s just the realities of life post-pandemic. He was friendly, very helpful and there when we needed him.

Hussain also organised a visit to one of the Overwater Villas for us. It was great to see and, unlike many OWV at other resorts, it didn’t feel pokey compared to the land villas. Next time we visit the Maldives we will probably give an OWV a whirl. 

I was also impressed by Julie who looked after us when we ate at The Dining Room and chef Loki who cooked for us at the treehouse. Samy, who lead the Lucky Dolphin Cruise also stood out and was great at talking to us in a very relaxed, non-servicey way. 

One overall takeaway I had is that, at times the service almost felt too slick. I am not a huge fan of the us and them approach to client/staff - at the end of the day we’re all human beings. It’s an incredibly tough line to walk and so this is a minor nit pick rather than a major criticism but I feel like there’s a balance to be struck between showing the guests the staff’s real personalities while perhaps keeping the heavier stuff (see the Treehouse dead relative comment above) out of the conversation!

Right, I think that’s just about everything I can share. It’s taken me a few months to write this review, in a number of sessions, so apologies if it has ended up long-winded or repetitive. 

Overall I would say that Park Hyatt is the best property we have visited in the Maldives. It won’t be the correct choice for everyone, but for us it was truly exceptional. A few missteps aside - nowhere is perfect after all - it really was first class.

Its natural unspoilt beauty is hard to match and the super accessible reef is top draw. Add to this a very low room density, beautiful, unfussy architecture and very good service and you have a real winner on your hands. I was unsure if the long trip to Hadahaa would pay for itself - particularly for a relatively short 5 night stay. I shouldn’t have worried. Despite the long journey, Hadahaa exceeded our expectations and we left with a new favourite Maldivian island. I very much hope to return at some stage.