joecool1885

Lol, that's my Fiancee's stuffed monkey. He's the CFO of my travel blog. More info on bottom right of http://joeprotravel.com/about/

The flower I may have placed myself. Don't recall.

The hotel did provide friends for monkey though:

alanslegal

Will be arriving on the 28th so if you're still around, happy to do rounds of drinks at happy hour

MaldivesFreak

Welcome. Maybe I should start charging, haha. JK. Great review and some funny parts too, especially your under-the-sea attire.

alanslegal

Hi all,

re: tennis courts, are there complimentary racquets + balls or should I bring my own?


Is tap water drinkable? or should I just head to the fitness centre to grab some water there (I assume it's available and free)

saaveraward

The tap water is NOT potable. You will be given fresh water daily via glass bottles with plugs.

There is also bottled water in the business center.

Cynicor

Is it not? It's all distilled water isn't it? It's definitely not overtly dirty water.

saaveraward

A manager told me the tap water is NOT meant to be drunk. The water contained in the glass bottles goes through a treatment process. However, I don't know how they "sanitize" the actual bottle itself since I'm sure guests drink from it from time-to-time.

Cynicor

i can believe that. But I reckon the water is safer than most I've had, so in general I wouldn't want prey about it if you drink some. I mostly drank the tap water after my glass bottle was done (hate all the imported/plastic bottles).

MaldivesFreak

Technically, all the water goes through a treatment process as it's desalinated but the drinking water goes through an extra process (distillation) whereby they kill any germs that may be in it.

Is it back now? When we were there in February they had taken it away.


I've had the tap water before, too. Never had a problem with it.

lizs

Yes, definitely. We leave the 30th so let's get in touch closer to your arrival and plan on doing so.

captainamerica

Just booked a 5 night stay for January. How long does it usually take for the resort to contact you? If I'm looking to upgrade should I contact them now for rates or wait until they contact me?

Cynicor

They don't contact you until around 1 month out or less.
tou can contact them for paid upgrades but I would wait a bit, unless you really want a specific room type.

captainamerica

I'm just curious about the upgrade rates. Do they usually get cheaper as you get closer to travel? Are there any strategies for getting the lowest rate for upgrade fees?

Cynicor

Rates vary. If a certain villa type is popular then it will go up. IF they are overselling BV and not enough confirmed upgrades you may get a cheap one. It's a bit of an gamble, so if happy with a BV, my would be to let it get quite close and see what is on offer.

MaldivesFreak

See my 'Guidelines For Paid Upgrades' post linked in my sig below. Usually the rates go up and you have less negotiating power as time nears and the resort fills up but, as Cynicor has mentioned, you can get lucky on occasion. IME, and from what I've read here and on TA, getting lucky is a rare occurence though, especially if you leave it to the day of check-in. Depends on whether you want to take your chances or you definitely want to secure something before you arrive.

Also note that the rates have gone down in the last couple of months (both cash prices due to promos and upgrade rates as well) and are probably at the lowest they're going to get, so if I were you I wouldn't hesitate to secure something before you arrive if that's what you are thinking about doing. Just remember to compare what they give you to what's in the wiki. That way you'll get a better feel as to whether you're getting a good deal (which you will be due to the current situation) or an even better deal.