Originally Posted by Filthy Monkey

Currently at the resort for a week and having a wonderful time. We have our daughter with us, who turns two in a couple of weeks, so we chose to stay in a beach villa, which was definitely the right choice for us. The extra space in front of the villa is invaluable.

The villa itself is absolutely beautiful and very high quality. Had we not stayed at the Waldorf Maldives previously, we’d be absolutely blown away by it. In fairness, it’s not far behind the Waldorf on style and quality, only footprint.

The restaurants on the island are all very nice and service has been excellent, although food at lunchtime in Aura tends to be a little slow in coming. We went to Habitat, the main restaurant, last night for dinner and I had, quite possibly, the best lamb chops I’ve ever eaten.

We’ve used the kids club quite a lot as a drop in to play with our daughter and, I have to say, it really is lovely. Lots of space and a huge number of toys for our daughter to play with. The staff are excellent and really make you feel welcome. Also, babysitting here is $25++ an hour, which is not ridiculous - $20 per hour cheaper than the WA!

Snorkelling wise, the reef is almost non-existent. That’s the one key disappointment here. I went diving yesterday and we found some little bits of reef, as well as some artificial areas, where they’re trying to promote fresh growth, but this is not currently somewhere to go with snorkelling in mind.

Another odd sensation is that the sand feels very artificial and, for the most part, doesn’t have that lovely, soft underfoot feel. The island is mostly man made, and you can tell. As you enter the water, you find yourself mostly stepping over bits of dead coral.

Something that really impressed me was the boat transfer. I didn’t expect the Hilton boat to be anywhere near as comfortable as it was. Okay, it’s not the 50ft Princess that you get to the Waldorf, but it’s also a third of the price. Inside, it’s beautifully fitted out and very pleasant. We were the only people on the boat during our transfer but there are four individual cabin areas so it wouldn’t have felt in any way uncomfortable to share.

Had we not already done a couple of weeks at the WA in late 2021 and been absolutely blown away, this would rate as one of our favourite resorts ever. However, at half the price of the WA, and with much better availability on points, this still feels like a real bargain.

We’re heading back to the Waldorf on Saturday for a week, making this a perfect back to back adventure. We would definitely come here again.