mgef

Thanks for the info. I looked online and the local Maldivian Island is temporarily unavailable, but everything else you mentioned sounds really nice. Also, are there bathrooms on the boat? Since it's a 5-6 hour journey and we have two kids, might create an issue. Thanks for the feedback.

FlyerStef

No bathrooms. The snorkel stop, which for us was after the local island visit, fishing and the dolphins, also ends up being the only "bathroom break" (in the water).

scubadu

LOL. When I used to teach scuba diving for many years, I had a saying I often shared with students; there are two kinds of people in this world, those who pee in their wetsuits and those who lie about it

Regards

joecool1885

Kind of wish the resort would bring a yacht back into the picture. We were set to do the equator excursion back in 2016... cost was $2500, but it was going to be on a yacht.
They told us it was undergoing maintenance, and I guess they ended up selling it instead of bringing it back into service. We did the journey on a speedboat (for half the cost), and that's (on the equator) where wife and I got engaged.

Repeated the journey this year, and while it's still a great value proposition, we missed being able to go onto the local island.
Also, since we had relatives aboard who did not enjoy the bumps, we went extra slow on our journey down, which extended the trip by two hours (for better or worse). "Lunch" ended up being just before sunset at the picnic island.

tearex

You can also email the concierge to get a copy of the literature that shows the activities and their costs since that specifically doesn't appear on experienceparkhyattmaldives.com. I can upload the literature I received in 2019 (applicable to our stay in January 2020) unless anyone else has newer literature available.

I haven't see it recently mentioned, but we did the Traditional Fishing excursion and enjoyed it. It's not done by speedboat, but on a dhoni. Everyone (including the crew) had a blast. After the excursion, each person had a fish cooked for them at the dining room.

radiojon

Just booked a few nights in January and the hotel sent me this sheet. Hope this helps anyone looking for info/costson the activities!




















with the activities/costs. Hope this helps!

Battleship

For those who have been before, how have you handled individual staff tipping? I’ve read the tipping section at the top of the thread, but am having a tough time figuring out what might be considered appropriate given the service charges that are already included. What’s reasonable for housekeeping, wait staff/bartenders, hosts and excursion staff?

platbrownguy

Cash in hand goes to whoever you give it to, additional gratuity left on a bill is shared within that group (excursion shop, F&B, etc). We didn't feel obligated to tip generally. But we left a thank you note and a $20 for housekeeping, and the occasional $5 or $10 to a generous bartender. $50 to the Sri Lankan chef who made us a Thai feast at Drift (we were the only ones dining) and who found us and gave us top cuts of seafood at the seafood grill. The excursion team went above and beyond, so we gave each of the two guides a $100 tip. I don't think I ever had a reason to leave additional gratuity on the bill... better to give greenbacks to the person you want to tip. Also, at least as important is leaving a TripAdvisor review where you name the staff you thought were excellent -- there is some monthly contest where whoever gets the most mentions in online reviews gets a bonus. (The service charge, by the way, does in fact go to the staff -- when we did the back-of-house tour, they showed us where they post the monthly service charge collection totals in the staff area for all to see... everyone gets a cut plus a bonus to those who get honorable mentions etc.)

razflyer

Did you need to get a PCR test to go between the StR and the PH?

joecool1885

Yes.

razflyer

duplicate

razflyer

Last minute decision to go to PH instead of cold London! Express PCR cost $200++ each! We paid $20 each in Dubai so I do think it's a little overpriced!

PH just told me points bookings can't be "suite upgraded" to OWV, but you can pay, at the rates listed above.

razflyer

First impressions of PH:

• The beach is all round the island and is truly amazing - the very best of the 5 properties I've been to in the Maldives.
• Service is friendly and good although not as slick as StR, eg they don’t greet you by name or put their hands on hearts, and they’re not as attentive/proactive
• Food is good but not of StR quality or variety.
• Staff mostly from South India vs Maldivian/international in StR
• Villas could do with a refurb / new tech (who has DVDs these days?)
• Bed sheets have a soft/humid ferl vs clean/crisp
• Pet hate - toilet with frosted glass door near bed
• It feels hotter than StR because of the humidity and no AC in restaurant. There are many more lizards, bats and flies and I never noticed any in StR which was full of birds.

jasonvr

Well known - PH Maldives is a "Suite Award Ineligible Property"

PennyPincherCAN

For those of you that have stayed at multiple room types, do you feel like the difference between a Park Villa and a Park Pool Villa is worth the $400 that they're asking for? Have an upcoming stay in May and would love to finalize these upgrade decisions early. Thanks!