We just returned from 10 nights (June 15-25) celebrating my husband’s 60th birthday and our anniversary.

We had an amazing time! Weather was perfect, only rained one day, and very humid.

Here’s a breakdown of our trip with costs for anyone one needing more information. Happy to help with questions.

Booked:

We used 270,000 Hyatt points to book 10 nights in a Beach Villa. We paid $1,276 USD to upgrade to an over the water lagoon villa ($100/night + Tax).

Seaplane Transfer:

We arrived at 8 AM and waited 90 minutes in a nice, air-conditioned lounge. Our return flight was a smooth 45-minute direct ride. However, the inbound transfer took nearly two hours with two stops. There was a lot of up/down and time sitting in the water. I enjoyed the experience, but some guests did get sick; if you're sensitive, I highly recommend taking Dramamine beforehand. Cost: $1,320 USD (2 people + Tax)

Villa:

We were in the over the water villa #208. This room was beautiful, modern, and bed & pillows very comfortable. Hot water and Air conditioning were excellent. We really enjoyed the in room coffee/tea selection (not sure of the brand but looked like Nespresso). Our villa was perfectly situated—facing the lagoon with a beautiful sunrise view. We especially appreciated that the deck received full sun until about 11 AM, after which just the pool and part of the deck stayed sunny—ideal for us since we enjoy being outside without constant exposure to direct sun. The private pool was a highlight, and snorkeling right off our deck was great (though the sea can get a little rough depending on the time of day).

Snorkeling:

I enjoyed snorkeling right from our villa and saw plenty of small fish, rays, and even a few blacktip reef sharks (small to medium size). I feel like snorkeling was good here but compared to Caribbean Sea/Hawaii, it was a little bland (seemed like a lot of dead coral).

Food:

This was my biggest concern leading up to the trip. I’m happy to report we were very pleased with the food/restaurants and selections. Breakfast was at Sea Salt and was buffet and ala carte, all very delicious. We celebrated my husband’s Birthday and our Anniversary at Umani, it was excellent. The standout at all the restaurants is really the fresh fish. Some of the best Sashimi we have ever had. We decided not to go all inclusive with meals and paid as we went. We normally ate just two meals, late breakfast and dinner, or early breakfast with a late lunch. We especially loved Mirus Bar for sunset meals, and Yakitori Bar for sunset drinks and poke bowls. We normally each had one to two cocktails or wine each evening. Our total cost for 10 days of meals and cocktails was: $3107 USD (including tax & service charges).

SERVICE:

We found the service exceptional. Staff was friendly, fun to talk to, and quick to address any needs. The resort was only 44% occupied. They helped celebrate our anniversary and birthday at all meals, with comp wine and desserts and decorated our bed each night. We really appreciated the extra effort in helping us celebrate.

SPA:

We really enjoyed the spa. We had two couple massages over the 10 days. My husband also enjoyed the small gym. Spa Bill was: $850 USD (including tax/services)

Our goal was to totally disconnect and relax. We chose not to do any excursions but looked like a few things to do daily.

Notes/good to know:

-If you book with points, breakfast is not included, they charge $40 USD per person per day but, booking with points does avoid the taxes on the room.

- Every spend was charged an additional 26% tax/fees, (10% service charge + 16% tax)

- A few things we brought that really came in handy:

· lots of snacks (power bars, trail mix, sometimes you just need a snack vs a meal),

· suction cup hooks(hang towels and bathing suits since hotels never have enough hooks),

· blow up pool noodle/raft

· snorkel mask/breathing tube(I left the flippers at home but took beach shoes instead), They had them at the resort, but I like to have my own.

· Lots of sunscreen. 4 bottles for 2 people.

Tipping: There is 10% service charge added to every bill. We tipped extra a few times for bar, breakfast, and SPA, usually $10 or $20. Also tipped out host $120 at end of trip because we really appreciated the great service.

Conclusion:

We absolutely loved this resort, it was luxury without being pretentious and exceptional service. I would recommend this resort for anyone that wants to truly relax, disconnect from the outside world, and enjoy the beauty of the small atoll. I don’t think it’s great for really active people, although there are things to do it’s not activities 24/7.