Originally Posted by
EuropeanPete
Spent five nights here a couple of weeks ago. It was my first repeat visit to the resort after my first stay 11 years ago. We had three days of beautiful sun and then a couple slightly rainy days as the dry season comes to a close.
I still love the hard product of the resort, or perhaps to be more accurate, the setting. The two natural islands create one of the most beautiful homes for a hotel that I've been to, and the Quiet Zone is basically my dream spot to spend an afternoon.
I booked a Sunrise Water Villa and paid a pricey $220 a night to upgrade to a Sunset Water Villa with pool. I was a Diamond when I checked in but didn't get any further upgrade. Easter week meant high occupancy. Our villa was solid, but neither especially modern (e.g. WA), nor particularly eye-catching. The old Superior Villa I stayed in last time didn't have the pool, but did have a nice glass flooring area which was now gone.
Service had its good and bad sides. Our Butler and cleaner were great, whereas some of the service elsewhere was a bit inconsistent. Prices for F&B at the resort were slightly odd - Most things were as expensive as you'd expect, but others weren't so bad. Lunch tended to come in at ~$200 for two people in most places. We did the Ithaa social hour visit (points) and saved $500+ by doing the Maldivian Culinary Adventure also on points (one dinner, one lunch - much now be on the same day). For my partner's birthday we splurged on Koko Grill which with a couple of drinks came to $800 which hurt. The best thing we ate as the Lobster dish at Ufaa. During happy hour at Rangali Grill or the Quiet Zone you can pick up a cocktail for just $14, but a glass of champagne will set you back more than $50.
Overall, we had a great time and really appreciated the natural setting. I don't go to the Maldives for the Dubai luxury feel. It's absolutely not perfect, but is still a very special place. I rarely stay at Hiltons and doubt I would choose vs. alternatives on a cash rate, so I'm not sure when I'll next be back, but hope to visit again some day. Seeing as I'm now a Hyatt loyalist, I'm thinking the Park Hyatt might be a good fit for my next Maldives trip.
We went back for our 2nd visit to Conrad last year after first visiting on Honeymoon in 2016. Still loved it, especially that mature island feel that you get. I love the way that from the water, large amounts of the resort just disappear into jungle. The way it blends with the natural environment is really one of the truly special things about the Conrad. It's probably my wife's favourite Maldivian island (of the few places we've been).
Based on what you say about the natural environment, I agree that Park Hyatt would be an excellent fit. We went back in 2022 and I was utterly blown away. Getting there was a tiring adventure - LHR-DOH-MLE-GKK-Speedboat - but the resort was incredible. It matched the lush natural vegetation of Conrad, and IMHO kind of beat it. On our last trip to Conrad we stayed in an incredible DBV with pool and it was the best villa I've experienced, but the sense of privacy and isolation that we got with our BV with Pool at Park Hyatt absolutely blew it away. I'd highly recommend Villa 19 if you like a natural setting at PH. The reef also blew the Conrad reef out of the water. I was incredibly impressed with the then GM Nik Priesnitz but have heard less glowing things about the GM who has subsequently had the reins. We only did 5 days at PH which I feared would be insufficient given the trek that it took to get there, but it was such an incredibly relaxing trip that we felt totally refreshed almost immediately after stepping onto the island. Full review
here, if you're interested.