I agree wholeheartedly that the quality of luxury properties (especially the StR Maldives for purposes of this discussion) in the Maldives easily surpass that of the StR Princeville. Yet I love the StR Princeville, too.

I am not sure I’d say the Maldives is a superior destination in and of itself (or themselves, since we usually are referring to tiny atolls, islets, and very small islands) compared with Princeville and Kauai—for me. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’m not built to relax on a beach and just hang entirely at a resort. There are exceptions, but not many. Kauai offers a wealth of activities, and the StR Princeville view is by far the best in all of Hawaii—and likely superior to any of those serene (but often so similar) ocean views in the Maldives that you also can find in many locations around the world. An ocean view might be stellar for many and even most, but we live with an ocean view from our house (as do many who live along the East and West and Gulf coasts). It sometimes takes more for us.

Most will agree with you that the Maldives is a better destination, of course. But not everyone. And for Americans who don’t relish traveling so far to sit on yet another islet or island with a lovely beach and warm water, I’m not sure it’s as superior to everyone as Europeans or others may assume. We do have the Caribbean, we do have Hawaii, we do have Costa Rica, we do have Honduras, we used to have Nicaragua, we still have Panama, etc. Heck, even Fiji and French Polynesia are below half the distance and time to reach the Maldives.

Some are gobsmacked by overwater villas. Having enjoyed an overwater villa at the StR Bora Bora, I can say that I’m not dying to repeat the experience. I don’t find it as incredible as others. I don’t find the general lack of privacy so exciting or appealing for most OWV. I find a beach villa view to be just as appealing, and sometimes more beautiful.

I for one am not sure it’s worth the distance for us to experience just another amazing Maldives resort with good to poor snorkeling and iffy diving nearby, along with very pricey accommodation, food, and overpriced activities like we found in Bora Bora...when I could experience nicer beaches and certainly better diving closer to home—or at least not that far away. The diving for us in Bora Bora actually was just not that impressive for people like us who are very experienced divers. In fact, the only experience in the Maldives that actually makes me think it’s a potentially worthwhile trip for us from the USA is the Four Seasons Explorer live-aboard, which would allow me the luxury of a luxury FS experience while enjoying the potentially superior diving from a live aboard. I actually could care less about the resorts and care more about whether the diving will make it worthwhile to go so far. The StR private Azimut is another that interests us, but the FS Explorer is probably cheaper.

Belize likely has better diving. SE Asia around Indonesia likely has better diving. Sharm El Sheikh and the Red Sea likely still have better diving. They’re closer.

Absolutes are a dangerous thing, my friend. It isn’t so hard for me to imagine that the Maldives aren’t for everyone.