dval44

I decided to just email them and they said no, all people in the villa must be on the same plan. Totally understandable, imo.

olouie

Makes sense.

countingmiles

Plenty of low-cost lodging options in Hulhumale (the same island as the airport) or take a ferry to the main island (Male) for more options plus you can spend some time exploring Male.
We stayed in Hulhumale (a place called h78 ) a couple years ago before the seaplane flight to the Conrad, will stay there again next year.
Transfer to/from the lodging will be easier if the lodging comes with this service whether it's included or extra.
It's all seemless as the lodging and the resort work together as "one island" to help us with the logistic.

Martellus

How is the reef these days? The fact that the reef seems to be in much better condition than the ones at the St Regis (for example) is one of the biggest reasons I'm picking the PH over that hotel. Has the situation gotten any worse over the past year with regards to bleaching or has it mostly been the same?

lagunas2k

We did an overnight in Hulhumale. We stayed at the Hotel Ocean Grand. For what it was, it was a great stay. Wonderful TA reviews led us to the spot, and the fact that I did not feel comfortable taking a ferry in the dark of night with my toddler in tow. The hotel can be reached by a short 10 minute van ride around the airport. They handled pick up at the airport, and coordinated with the PH Maldives on departure the next day. Helped with bags and navigating the airport. Upon arrival they greeted my family with tropical drinks while we handled check in lounging on the sofas. Many of the women employees took turns passing around my 2 year old. It was quite a wonderful experience actually. Morning breakfast spread was simple but adequate. Rooms were clean and AC was cold, just don't expect 5 star accommodations. Before you know it you'll be on your way to the Park Hyatt. Would totally recommend it for a relaxing overnight in Male/Hulhumale.

WillSkiGT

IIRC the Vidhun spa pool is open later, for this reason (pool frolicking while guests are eating). The view is admittedly not as good, but it is a pool.

You're right, it is a bit of a bummer.

We were there in peak season (mid-December) and our "private" beach dinner was one of four happening simultaneously on the main beach. If we were not on the AI package and had paid extra, I would have been pretty aggravated. As it was, it was free, and it rained for about 1 minute, clearing the other 3 folks out. We were wearing bathing suits and linen and didn't care if we got wet.

Chateaubriand is excellent, the chef comes and talks with you, was a cool experience but it is a serious amount of food - we struggled to finish it. Again, if not on the AI package, we probably would have skipped it.

My body clock was way out of wack when we arrived - the bar stayed open well past midnight hotel time (+1 hr vs Male) and it was just myself and one other American hanging out.

If there are delay concerns (weather or otherwise), the hotel stays on top of them quite well. We were hanging out with another couple in the bar area on their last day and the flights to MLE were beginning to be delayed. The hotel immediately told them to pack and head out to the airport to put them on an earlier flight so they wouldn't miss their connection to HKG.

Can only speak for 8 months ago (Dec 2017), but it was in pretty good shape from east of the dusk jetty around to the overwater bungalows. The best areas are from 100 yards east of the dusk jetty to 300 yards west of the dusk jetty. The eastern side around to the dawn jetty and on to the overwater bungalows (basically the south side of the island) isn't in great shape, and anything in less than 6 feet of water (main lagoon area) is bleached. Can only imagine what it must have been like a decade ago, but I still saw turtles, dolphins, spotted eagle rays, 3 shark species, crown of thorns, clownfish, anemones, giant clams, titan triggerfish, etc. Great snorkeling, despite the bleaching.

platbrownguy

Thanks for all of this great info. Getting more and more excited...

andreiz

Thank you – booked Hotel Ocean Grand for overnighting after the flight in.

andreiz

Here comes that villa # question... I will be at PHH at the end of October. I already requested a Park Villa with good beach space for that time of the year, but in case they upgrade me to Park Pool Villa (as Globalist), which pool villa would you recommend? How are 11-18? I read the post linked to in the wiki, but it's a few years old and things may have changed.

lagunas2k

I asked this to the GM when I was there in November, and his response was it can change on a weekly if not daily basis. Yes there are some generalities regarding which villas have good beach frontage, but the tide can and does shift the beach space often. I think the best you can do is tell the staff before you arrive what you are looking for: Beach frontage, privacy, etc. As a globalist they are likely to accommodate you in one of the best spots, but if you're not happy, you can always bring it up and they can try their best to re-accommodate you. We moved from a standard villa to a deluxe pool villa during our stay and it was actually kind of nice to experience different parts of the island (sunrise vs. sunset and proximity to jetty etc). The staff usually goes above and beyond to meet expectations regardless of "status." For example, our flights were leaving late in the evening from Male around 8 PM, and they needed our deluxe pool villa for a guest arriving so could not provide late check out. Given we had a toddler with us, they were very sympathetic for our needs to have a place for him to nap etc. They then transferred us to 2 bedroom deluxe pool villa to use until our departure. It was a wonderful gesture, and we were lowly discoverists at the time.

Nicksta

I just returned from the property last week and had made a similar request for beach frontage. Ultimately, we walked most of the perimeter of the island to see which villas had superior beach frontage (presently). I specifically recall that the area around villa 10 had very deep beach frontage and nice access the the water. Starting around villa 19, the beach was almost non-existent and near the jetty, it was completely rock and not possible to walk down the shoreline.

The Dhoni is still under construction, but its not very noticeable. The public beach is terrific and largely vacant. The outer two overwater villas are both closed for renovations. It appears pools are being added to the back decks of each villa. Further, I noticed that there are 8 AC lines running out of the villas (as opposed to 4 on the others), so perhaps they are doubling that air-conditioning capacity.

Also, the property just received new 50-inch Sony TVs and those are being installed in all of the villas over the span of the upcoming weeks.

WillSkiGT

11-18 should be great for that time of year - they had the largest beaches of any area except the main beach when we were there in December. Really, any villa from 10-25 is good - far from both jetties and decent beaches. The widest beach is around villas 14/15 and 18/19 (pool villas), and those also have decent setback from the beach so you have privacy in the pool area.

This. We were at the hotel for 10 nights during peak season on a points/free nights stay with the AI package. My wife has no status and I am a Discoverist purely due to the credit card. The first 9 nights we were in Villa 23, a standard villa (no pool). We got upgraded to an overwater villa (42) for the last night for no apparent reason other than our host was able to do it. Pretty awesome, especially given the hotel was close to 100% capacity.

poisonsag

We were lucky enough to do our honeymoon at this amazing location and property!! The service was impeccable and overall experience was outstanding! This trip will be very close to my heart since it was our honeymoon! We have written a review of Park Hyatt Maldives and our trip to help others out, check out the blog by hitting signature link!
If there are any questions in particular feel free to post here or pm me!!

gates_2

Edited

andreiz

Is it possible to pay for the Male-Kododoo plane transfer with a separate card (thinking Amex Platinum for points) or does it just go onto your hotel folio?