Originally Posted by
Zainth
Hi Everyone!
I feel like I just won the award travel lottery since I was able to book 5 nights on points in November for our Honeymoon which we had already booked at a different property (dates aligned nearly perfectly!).
Just seeking some advice based on the following itinerary since I am now missing one night on the front end of the trip since changing to the WA based on our previously booked flights:
1 Night TBD (No points availability currently at WA)
5 Nights WA (Hilton)
7 Nights Alila Kothaifaru (Hyatt)
Obviously I would ideally like to get this first night at the WA covered via points as well but just looking at the following options to see what people recommend:
1. Suck it up and book the first night with cash for ~$2.6k
2. Book the Hilton Amingiri for 1 Night with points, keep checking the WA for availability (adds another transfer/movement between hotels).
3. Stay an extra day in Dubai and delay the outbound flight 1 day. (Probably wouldn't do this one but it's an option)
Personally I think I am leaning towards #2.
Unsolicited advice alert:
I honestly don't know if I'd spend time at the Alila after leaving the Waldorf. When I went to the WA in 2021 the reef was just starting to show signs of life. I'm not sure how the Alila will be in comparison, and it'll be quite the shock going from the uber lux WA villas to the nice enough villas at the Alila.
I'm personally going to the PH in November on the tail end of a safari trip through the masai mara and cape town, and I chose the PH over both the WA and Alila due the cast away feeling of the PH, with its much better sand and wildlife. It'll be a nice change of pace, and the marine life will kind of be its own additional leg of my safari.
Basically I worry the Alila won't have any special oompf for you, especially coming right off the heels of the WA. It's great evaluated in its own, but not quite the nice enough to compete with the WA in terms of luxury and not quite "cast away" Maldivian enough to compare with the PH.