llfoster

from a lady's perspective

- shorts and linen button shirts for men and sundress/dress/skirt for ladies seems to work except for wine cellar and wine/cheese bar areas - I've worn linen pants and taken a sweater (and socks as silly as it sounds .. I love the cheese fondue but it is cool there !).

bathing suit and bathing suit cover ups for ladies - swim trunks and tees/polos for men
Both might want tee shirt to swim in if you snorkel /swim/water activities a lot

I pack shoes but am barefoot 95% of the time ... maybe sandal flip flops for ladies for hot wooden bridge ... something for men for hot wooden bridge

Hat sunglasses sunblock ( as everyone mentions that sun block is $30+ /bottle at CR

Just a few thoughts off top of head

have a fantastic time !!!

alf55555

We're back in the States and have a few observations:

The bad:

Since we arrived late into MLE, we booked a night at H78, which was fine. The rate was under $100 per night, and they picked up and dropped off at the airport. We were scheduled on an early seaplane flight, so when we got to the airport, we sat around waiting for the rest of the group, then sat around some more, then taken to the lounge, and we didn't even get to go in because they said it was time for the flight (which was fine--get to CRI as early as possible). Our host greeted us at the seaplane landing, took us to check in, only for us to find out the room won't be ready until 2pm. It was 10am and we were starving. I asked to have breakfast at Atoll, which they had to check with multiple people, but the right answer was gotten, we sat down to eat but only a limited time (10:30 closing), then went back to the lobby area to wait and wait some more. Got into the room by 1pm, thankfully, but by that point, we were exhausted from travel and waiting that we stayed in our SWV until tea time.

I echo everyone else, the tea food was lacking, but good to have a bite mid-afternoon.

Our SWV was great, but the sun was so intense that the deck was useless. When we were in the villa, we just stayed inside and we only used the hot tub in the mornings when the sun is on the opposite side.

Snorkeling on the SWV side was not good. The water was too shallow and the coral all dead. Very little sea life. Snorkeling on the house reef was good, but it's quite a hike from the SWV side. We found a great little snorkel site on the north west point off the main island, across from Mandhoo.

The good:

Our host saw us and talked to us almost every day when we were around the lobby.

We did the adventure snorkel, which was expensive, but we got to see manta and whale shark. Lunch at Ithaa, dinner at Sunset Grill, Maldivian Infinity Dinner and Lobster & Champagne were very good, but expensive. The staff was tremendous, everyone was super nice and accommodating.

For our last night, we transferred to a Beach Villa (long story short--our return flight DEL>YVR was moved out by a day by AC, so rather than spending a day in Delhi, we decided to buy an extra room at CRI). We asked at the front desk to have us go straight to the villa rather than having us wait around for it to be available, and they ended up upgrading us to the renovated DBV, which was just absolutely spectacular. It was the perfect way to end the trip. I wish we had that room the whole time, it was huge, plenty of space for the Mrs. and me, and the backyard plunge pool was in the shade most of the day, where I spent almost all of the last 24 hours of the trip. I know the prevailing advice is to go from Beach to Overwater, but my would argue otherwise. The views from the SWV were great, but with the intensity of the sun, we hid indoors a lot.

The last item is that the staff were really great, they chatted with us about their lives, what it's like to work at CRI and told us about the Staff Island.

mikewhyatt

Thanks for the write up! If the SWV are bad for sea life/snorkeling anyone know what's the best option?

alf55555

I would suggest staying in a beach villa for snorkeling, or one of the large overwater villas off the north tip of the main island. On the east, sunrise side, is where the house reef is, and there's some great fish to see there and in the dropoff on the outside of the reef. The snorkeling was really easy, BTW, we experienced very little current for most of the days we were there, which meant that we could just float above and see all the fish swim around. On our last day, we stayed on the sunset side (126) and the small reef to the northwest of the beach villa island was a short swim away.

There is obviously something magical about staying in an overwater villa, I don't want to discount that. My wife and I have done it twice before in Bora Bora, and it's a real treat to swim right off your deck and the views are spectacular. I just found the DBV that we got to be more user-friendly, and you get TONS more space.

mendezka

Is it typically ok to have breakfast the morning of arrival if you take the first flight over? Obviously having Diamond status, or a breakfast package included.

alf55555

What didn't make sense was that if a villa were ready, they would have allowed us to eat. So it shouldn't be bad luck that without a villa number to give to the server, we shouldn't get to eat. This is not a situation where we wandered in off the streets and are asking for a free meal--they decided when to bring us over, and had we stayed in the lounge at MLE, we would have eaten in the lounge.

alanslegal

Strange. When we arrived, our room was not ready so we went to Ufaa for lunch - without a room number - it was all OK.

JRV62

Traveler Dave

rslb75

alanslegal

Receiving breakfast on arrival is at the goodwill of the hotel.

I commented it is as strange that the OP could not eat because they did not have a room assigned - regardless if it is free meal or not.

But going back a bit more, the OP suggested they did "we sat down to eat but only a limited time (10:30am closing)" So it appears they ate, but did they get charged for it? That the OP can answer if s/he chooses. If it was comped, then good hotel.

MaldivesFreak

I guess your host was new or just not familiar with this situation as it almost never gets brought up.


Not exactly. Technically speaking, because the resort provides a free lounge service which includes F&B on arrival, they should provide it at the resort if guests are unable to attend the lounge for reasons beyond their control (TMA schedule). Continental breakast at least (or equivalent), not full. But since it would be pretty stingy to let guests into Atoll Market and tell them they're allowed continental only, they give you the whole shabang.

MaldivesFreak

Yes, that's all you need.


That's disappointing. And that new dessert looks a bit of a mess if you ask me. May well be a reasonably good tasting mess, but not really something I'd be super keen to try if I saw it on a menu - it just looks too much like.....well, how wouId I describe it.....'a carnival on a plate' may be a good description. I wouldn't know what it was supposed to taste like with all that different stuff on it, LOL. Anyway, I have a solution; I will let them know in advance we'll be having a chocolate fondant every couple of days on our upcoming 30-night visit. I wouldn't want the pastry chefs there to forget how to make them.....not just for my personal benefit, but all the CMRI regulars as well.

You're welcome. And I get a couple of pins removed from my voodoo doll. You're awesome!

kyleh

Have there been any updates/rumors around the CMRI leaving Hilton? I'm looking to book an award stay for early 2020 and wondering if I should also book the Park Hyatt or another resort as a backup plan. Would hate to get close to the date and then lose my reservation.

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