Mauibaby2008

that sucks, but thanks.

any advice for whale sharks? We aren’t diving people, probably just snorkeling - but it’s one of the primary reasons we are going to the Maldives (whale sharks) We are at the Holiday Inn for 3 nights.

Exleftseat

Snorkeling is doable within the coral reefs surrounding the island. But there are only sand sharks and some sort of stingray. For Scuba you need to sign up at the activity center. They have daily runs,
didn't do one myself, but know they are certainly available. Can't help you with the whale shark question. Happy diving.

BTW, the boat ride is well over 45 minutes, so the price is not so unreasonable. I have heard of much higher boat charges to other hotels. But it is what it is.And it is the Maldives.

happymondays

Just arrived here for three nights before moving to the Conrad for another five nights. Redeemed my IHG Chase free nights and was pleasantly suprised to be upgraded (complimentary) to a water villa! Staff also threw in free breakfast vouchers for my hubby and I. We used points to fly Qatar business class from JFK which qualified us for Fast Track processing through immigration at the airport. Airport was a bit chaotic, but easily found the Holiday Inn Booth #45 to check in for our 45 minute speedboat shuttle. Customer service was excellent from the beginning. Was met at the boat jetty by staff and whisked away on a golf cart to the reception lobby, with welcome cocktails and a quick orientation on the resort. Fun fact: the staff actually tell you not to swim to the other island. What?! I'm not that good of a swimmer! 😀 Later, during our walk, we saw the island they were referring to, and I kid you not, if the water was shallow enough, you could probably walk to that island; you can kayak to it, for sure. We settled into our water villa which was a very nice upgrade! Suffice to say, hubby is pretty pleased and wanted to try sleeping al fresco under the stars, until his body cried for the good ol' AC. 😊 We walked around the resort for a bit, signed up for the snorkeling tour the next day, and picked up our snorkeling gear. I am planning on being up early tomorrow to say hello to my marine friends right by our water villa the first opportuniy I get! We had dinner at the buffet, which was, hmmmm... underwhelming for $69++pp. You're better off dining a la carte here based on the menu at the other restaurants. I'm sitting here on the deck writing this because I am wide awake after grabbing a few hours of sleep and my body thinks it is still in the Midwest! But, the sound of the waves is soothing, and I am hoping it will help lull me to sleep. For those of you concerned about traveling to the Maldives while the state of emergency is in place, we made the decision with our eyes open. We actually cancelled our hotels on the last day that we were allowed to cancel for free and with the plan to rebook depending on how things go in the next few days. We monitored the travel blogs and reports from tourists coming and going through different resorts and pulled the trigger after feeling satisfied that it was safe to proceed with our travel plans. Now, I am glad we did. This Maldives trip is one that I have aspired to do for quite some time now. Our first attempt was in January 2015, which we ended up cancelling and redepositing miles back, in favor of visiting parents in the Philippines instead. The second time was in January 2017, which we eventually cancelled because the company I work for went through an M&A and you don't pack up to go to the Maldives when you're part of the transition team. Third time's a charm is such a cliche, but, hey, we're here! I am finally in the Maldives, listening to the waves hug the shore... and I can't wait to explore it.

bsaced

Does anyone know if IHG platinum elite gets you free breakfast here?

336

Do you know a place where you do get free bf with IHG Plat?

Exleftseat

Status alone does not get you free breakfast at any IHG property. That why I stay mostly with Hilton or Marriott now.

troytos

I would like to know Does it worth paying twice the price than a regular rate? Any tips at that property?

thanks,

craigthemif

I haven't been, but where else are you expecting to eat on an island in the middle of the ocean?

All inclusive gives you certainty over the cost versus a-la-carte dining and drinking.

Of course if somebody has a copy of the hotel's food menus, then you can judge for yourself and you're probably better off asking in the hotel's main thread or emailing the hotel.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/inte...ldives-16.html

EtihadFraud

I have stayed at the resort many times. I did the full inclusive first time but haven’t since as I couldn’t eat and drink enough every day to make it worthwhile. It also limits you to the main buffet restaurant and you will want to eat at the pizza restaurant next door as well as the Kitchen restaurant (tip: for a romantic night ask for the Kitchen to do you the lobster menu for two at the top of the tower). The buffet menu gets a bit too much after a few days despite the special events. The special nights are also at the Kitchen which won’t be included in your package so that’s another reason to stay flexible.

In the end we found that a full breakfast at the buffet restaurant plus a shared pasta/pizza at lunch was more than enough to get you through a tough day of relaxing on the beach! Then you had flexibility to do what you want in the evening.

You can also buy the F&B packages at the site so you can buy a 2 day package there and chow down and then revert to a more slimming approach for the rest of the trip. In other words you don’t need to buy the package now.

The only caveat to all to all this is that taxes are astronomically high now - the reason we don’t go so much nowadays. It’s worth ringing the hotel and asking for current prices of packages and how much taxes apply and then do your calculations.

Lovely resort and better value for money than other places which are posher but over the top and very expensive so can highly recommend it.

Make sure you package includes boat transfer from the airport. That’s also very expensive both ways.

Enjoy!

enox5

Do you thinks this property is a good use of IHG points? Or should I hold out for the new IC Maldives hotel?

Exleftseat

That you must decide yourself. It depends what you are looking for. The IC will be more points than the HI and I don't think they have announced the requirement yet. The HI was hiked up this year to 45k per night. The transfer cost will be much higher for the IC since it can only be reached by plane ( of course by boat as well, but it would take a very, very long time ), which drives up the price. I would also imagine that the restaurant charges at the IC will be much higher than at the HI. But then if one looks for a budget vacation, the Maldives are the wrong place.I am sticking to the HI OWB, quite sufficient for me. Enjoy!

rebadc

For us well worth the points.

We were in Bangkok, so really an easy and affordable flight.
We have both credit cards so stayed 8 nights with the 4th and 8th night free and 10% points returned to account a month or so later.
And we have a 2 year old toddler and the HI takes really good care of children.

If it were just us adults and flying from the US or Europe I would save the points and go with the IC later in the year.

enox5

Interesting. We will be flying in from Mumbai, and we have a 3 year old. How do HI take care of kids?

Also, the IC Maldives has a plunge pool in each villa. I am not 100% certain that these plunge poos are safe, when you have young kids - what do you think?

rebadc

The HI is really geared towards families.
Your 3 year old will have plenty of company in the kids club, kids pool etc.

The IC will also be fine.
And in your case with a short easy flight, I would likely try out the new property.

My comment was based on adults without children (you did not mention children in your question) and a long flight
Plunge pool will also be fine if you keep your eyes open and your toddler doesn't like to wake up at 200-300am and go off exploring
Always have to watch kids and pools.

enox5

Thanks for the advice. My trip to the Holiday Inn went pretty well, and my family enjoyed our trip. My daughter loved the kids pool!

The resort was nice, but there were some basic things they did not do well. Wi-fi wasn't good, and housekeeping only came every 2 days.

I have written a full trip report, if you want to look at the full details