Still planning to visit Cheval Blanc and Velaa in June/July at the moment (fingers crossed)...Going add Joali to my visit as a number of clients and peer advisors have shared how fabulous it is. Must admit that it does pass the eye test as well :)

Was fine when we were there - and I'm like @bhrubin - I need my room to be 16-18 C, especially at night when I sleep. That was back in 2015 or 2016 though I believe...

Have had good feedback on Joali too - will be interesting to hear your comparison of the three, if you can make your trip...

Hey guys,

as this thread mainly consists of resort discussion on the more expensive side, I'd like to ask for your help.

Me and my partner are looking to book a 7 night stay in the first week of December.

Budget in total for the resort is roughly 6000 USD and that would include transfers from the airport.

We would also appreciate all inclusive / full board plan to make the holiday more hassle free.

I have been able to get an offer from Varu by Atmosphere (no discussion about that resort here). It's all inclusive, pretty new property with an over water villa with private pool.

Is there some other resorts in that price range I should look at? Over water villa is no neccessity but it would be nice to have our own pool.

Thanks for your help!

Hey KeptiFI - You have not specified what is the standard / level you are looking for? I have so far had half a dozen stays in the Maldives and all were below your noted price level (2 persons, for periods between 11 and 13) nights, including combined prop plane + boat transfers and all inclusive eating). Of those we have visited until now I could definitely recommend Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma. This year we are planning on going again and will be trying Riu Atoll (again not top luxury) - for 12 nights (end of November, beginning of December), including seaplane transfers (a first for us) and all inclusive eating we are paying around $5.5k (taxes included) booked directly with the hotel.

Hi Michael, thanks for your insights.

I have also looked at Riu Atoll for the same date range as you. I am trying to go through the resort availability in my price range and was wondering if some of you have good experiences to share.

I am not sure of how much luxury can 6000 usd afford anyway.

Thanks again!

Do you have hilton points? As a diamond elite, the Conrad Maldives is an excellent resort.

Please try and bear in mind that overwater villas are damaging to the environment and are aesthetic eyesores. And as for a private pool in the Maldives, what's wrong with the Indian Ocean?

With rumors that the Maldives might open to tourists in July without restrictions, and with so few other tourist options of where to travel at the moment, I am considering an epic 30-day mattress run in the Maldives, if there was ever such a thing possible for this destination (immigration limit is 30 days). I have a bias towards hotel chains where I have elite status given that I can get upgrades: Marriott, Hilton, SLH, GHA, and Accor; Hyatt seems out until October. If any individual property offers a fantastic discount in July-August I will consider it, but if prices are somewhat standard, with so many choices I will probably pass. This is the time for bargains in the Maldives (and anywhere else for that matter) however I am not an expert: if I just look at hotel names and prices I might not be able to detect which one is heavily discounted and which one is not, because I am not very familiar with prices in this market. If anybody has insights about transfers between resorts which do not require a return to MLE airport that would be a good tip to find out which resorts should be paired as back-to-back stays.

Generally speaking, if you look at those resorts in the vicinity of MLE (i.e., with speedboat transfers from the airport), you should be able to arrange speedboat transfers between those resorts. I'm thinking of places like Gili Lankanfushi, One&Only Reethi Rah, FS Kuda Huraa, and TAJ Exotica, all of which are in the same general area. Once you get to the outer islands, you need seaplane transfers between resorts. From my own experience, seaplanes fly different routes every day. When we visited Velaa Private Island, our plane dropped off passengers at maybe two other resorts before dropping us off (Velaa was the farthest north). On our return trip to MLE, same thing happened in reverse... meaning if you book two resorts in the same general area (for instance, Velaa and Cheval Blanc), you should be able to arrange seaplane transfers from one resort to another. Most travel advisors would work with wholesalers with intimate knowledge of Maldives resorts. Those wholesalers would have the resources to plan intra-resort speedboat and seaplane transfers, saving you (and the travel advisor) an untold amount of time.

Difficult to say exactly what/when things will happen, and it also depends largely on exactly when your trip is (assuming July so right away), but just prior to much of the Maldives shutting down, this very specific thing was explicity forbidden (you couldn't travel between islands) incase of an epidemic on one island. So you may have to rethink that and look to camp out in one place instead if this continues into the future.

Just as an FYI, the Conrad and the WA Maldives don’t do complementary upgrades for diamond members as part of their policy “Due to the Special nature of the resort.” You have to be very lucky to get one.

not sure about the other chains.

escape4 neither of the two are points hotels but I often suggest clients to book both Cheval Blanc and Velaa as a good pairing. You can transfer between the two via speed boat. No need for planes or stopping by MLE :)

Side note, just booked 2 sets of clients at Joali under their amazing Virtuoso promotion which goes through Dec. 21. 40% off, half board, 3x upgrade at time of booking + Virtuoso amenity (hotel credit). Not a chain property but it's truly an amazing deal/value for the caliber of the property.

Ah thank you, I was not aware. I will keep my eyes open to make sure hotel hopping will be possible starting in July.

I know upgrades may not happen at Hilton properties, that said I was "upgraded" at WA last year so it's not impossible (for 2019, from beach to overwater was an upgrade, but based on 2020 pricing structure it's now a downgrade!). I am ok with no upgrade though, they remain decent options because I can book with points.

Even though my bias is towards hotel chains, I am not against trying independents because anyway elite status is extended to 2021 for all chains. If I see independents with a great promo I will pick over over a chain hotel with standard prices. Thanks for the tip about Cheval Blanc + Velaa, and the Virtuoso promo for Joali, I will research :tu:

As there is little to no discussion in this forum about any of the Anantara properties of the Maldives, is it correct to say that none of them would be considered luxury, right?