kokinos

You can't be serious?!?!? Worst idea in this thread.

Enjoy your ramen

wlp07

@Pointsloop or anyone else currently at PH Hadahaa: Could you please advise which land-based villa #'s have a good beach in front of them/ which villas have very little beach and/or exposed rock at the shoreline? I will be checking in at the end of the month and am trying to figure out a room number range that I should request to have optimal beach.

Thanks for any help that you can provide!

Pointsloop

I personally didn't bring in any alcohol, but I believe the worse that can happen is they just confiscate the alcohol. Not a big deal in my opinion. Try at your own risk.

I really do love ramen though. Spicy asian ones. It's the only way I can guarantee to get my spicy fix where ever I go.

Pointsloop

The only area where you have more than 30 feet of beach is in the public beach area. Most of the area so far seem to have about 20-30 feet at most.

If you absolutely have to have non-rocky beach access, avoid 1-5 and 19-33. 19-33 does have plenty of beach area, but in the water can be rocky.

Close up on google maps will give you a good idea where the rocks area.

But honestly, you're never more than 20 yards from a nice sandy beach and good entry point.

More important issue is view and privacy.

Ones with nice ocean views have "less" privacy. But there are so few people here that privacy isn't really a concern. Most people seem to just stay in front of their villas or in the public pool or beach. Sometimes people walk around the beach during the day time, but they can't see inside the villa. At night, you can just keep the shade down for privacy since there's nothing much to see out into the dark.

Pointsloop

More tips.

Bring a lot of your own sunblock. The cost of 3oz banana boat sunblock is $50 usd at the hotel store. I believe they do provide free sunblock at the public pool. Didn't check in person.

There's an outdoor movie night on Tuesdays. $50 gets you movie, popcorn, burger, sandwich, and soda.

If you are diamond, I would pick the amenity over the 1000 points. You get a big basket of fruit, bottle of champagne, some nuts, chocolate, and olives.

You will get reminded many times a day that you should try the spa or one of the dinner packages...

I was informed that you can NOT turn the outside lights off at night on the land villas. So to star gaze, the public beach is a good spot. Also, the OWV can have their out door lights turned off.

Terminator8

Has anyone booked a whale shark snorkeling day trip through the PH or did you have to go a specific tour provider?

wlp07

@ Pointsloop: Thanks so much for the info!

I agree that view and privacy are of high importance. I just want to make sure that we will be able to have some beach area where we can enjoy the sun loungers (ideally from a shaded spot such as the gap in vegetation between the beach and the villa). Some reviews over the years have indicated that certain villas at certain times of year can have practically zero beach at high tide. Wanted to avoid that.

Agreed if you are never more than 20-30 yards from a sandy bottom entry point, then it's all good.

I'm looking to request one in 20-26 based on the "moving beach" review post in the wiki from several years ago, plus it looks like a part of the island where you have a view that is free of piers and/or owv's. May not get my wish, since there's only two non-pool villas in that range and I'm only a platinum. We shall see how it goes. Thanks again for your help!

joecool1885

Im fairly confident, but not 100%, that whale sharks do not inhabit this part of the Maldives. We did whale shark snorkeling while at the Conrad, much further north.

Pinotage

Do they still do back of the house tours? If so have you done it while there? Worth doing?

Terminator8

I'll have to find out how to get over there then. Whale Shark diving is mandatory for me.

Pointsloop

Funny you mention this because we just did this today.

We both thought that it was kind of a bummer... Here we are living in luxury while the workers get to live in what looks like a run down Days Inn.

The facts were interesting...
All drinking water goes through desalination.
Power generators are fueled by diesel.
All trash is sorted and recycled or burned.
Staff has own cafeteria. Kinda sad looking.
They definitely read and care about TripAdvisor reviews because they were posted.
Amount of money the hotel has made was posted and amount of service charge the hotel has received over the month is posted as well. The service charge is divided amongst all.
There's about 200 staff. 50% local. The rest foreign.
Locals are contracted to work 1 year. Foreigners are contracted for 3.
They get one day off a week.

The tour will definitely make you more empathetic towards the hard working staff.


Few more tips...
Really hot water is hard to find in the bathroom. There is a nice out door bathtub but the water is just north of warm. By the time the tub is filled, the water temp is just tepid.
For people who love Splenda or Sweetnlow, bring your own. It's all sugar or Equal here.
The reef on the east side is a lot prettier than the west side. But the west side water seems a lot calmer now.
All you can drink beer from 10am to 6pm for $70
All you can drink wine from 10am to 6pm for $120
Buy some cheap float at the dollar store and bring them. There are no floats at all here to lounge around in the pool or the ocean. Let me know and maybe I'll hide the ones I brought for someone else to use

joecool1885

If it's mandatory, you might be better off at the Conrad then. There's no cheap/short/easy option to get to the more northern atolls from the Park Hyatt. Or spend some nights at PH and some at Conrad and get the best of both worlds (two vastly different properties).

Terminator8

I only have enough points for 2 nights at the Conrad

Pointsloop

I'm certain all you were dying to know.

The island does have Pokemons!!!!!

However, there are no pokestops. So load up on your pokeballs before getting here

peezondeez

i am currently scheduled to arrive in MLE In February on SQ Flight arriving at 11:40am. Looking at the Maldivian Aero website, it looks like I would have missed the early transfer flight to the Hyatt and the next one is at 5:30 pm. I know it's not an accurate source of the timing of the transfers, but it got me wondering, What time have people reached the resort who have landed around that time ? Just trying to see if there might be a better flight option to take