St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort [Master Thread]
Feb 5, 2019, 2:32 am
#2268
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Rockville, MD, USA
Posts: 157
Feb 5, 2019, 8:26 am
#2269
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 22
also, do you know if we’re allow to use the floaties in the water? I know you can use it for your own pool or the shared pool, but I’m wondering if I can use it in the ocean
Feb 5, 2019, 8:45 am
#2270
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: East Hampton, NY
Programs: AA EXP, 12 year ex AA CK, AA LT PLT, Marriott LTT, Hyatt Globalist, UA Silver
Posts: 230
thanks for the reply Manish! Can I ask how much you tipped the butler? I just want an idea of how much I should...
also, do you know if we’re allow to use the floaties in the water? I know you can use it for your own pool or the shared pool, but I’m wondering if I can use it in the ocean
also, do you know if we’re allow to use the floaties in the water? I know you can use it for your own pool or the shared pool, but I’m wondering if I can use it in the ocean
Tipping:
- 10% is added to every bill but we gave some extra cash tips the day we departed as follows (all USD):
- Butler: $250
- Somm: $50
- Fitness instructor: $40
- 2 waiters: $50 each
- Alba hostess: $20
IIRC no issue with floaties... just be careful they don't blow away. Would suck to (a) lose them and (b) pollute this beautiful place.
Feb 5, 2019, 10:38 am
#2271
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Northern California
Programs: Marriott Rewards
Posts: 8
Does anyone know how far out rooms can be booked? Trying for mid-February but none available. Do they release by day or by week at a certain time? Do cash rooms have priority over points rooms?
Thank you
7
Thank you
7
Feb 5, 2019, 4:06 pm
#2273
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,068
About midway towards the end of the jetty. The first ones will not as private due to having views from the Whale Bar, people Snorkeling from the beach, etc. The SOWV are not the most private ones on the resort.
Feb 6, 2019, 3:31 pm
#2274
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Ft. Lauderdale
Programs: Marriott/SPG Lifetime PP, Delta Diamond
Posts: 2
First post; have read the entire thread.
My wife and I have 10 nights in an OWV planned for the latter half of this month for the primary portion of our honeymoon. I booked this before the merger using SPG points and, reading through some of the August/September 2018 posts, hindsight says I should have tried to rebook to get a better points rate; oh well. For any FT members who have been, below are my notes, tips and other items, as well as some questions, that I’ve gathered during the course of reading the thread. If you notice any glaring omissions or have recommendations or corrections/clarifications, I’d be most appreciative.
General:
- The resort staff in my interactions to date have been wholly pleasant and responsive. Although I put forward some room # preferences I understand that it’s at their discretion; at a minimum, if not upgraded (which I in no way expect) I hope they can accommodate my request not to be assigned 522-528, where it seems the pool would be unusable (to us) due to the temperature.
- In the case of being assigned an undesirable room it sounds like we’ll have the opportunity to review that with their staff in the STR waiting room at MLE airport. We land from CDG at 10:45am; is it feasible to make it to the resort by 2/3pm?
- Although the coral is nascent in its recovery there are recommendations to snorkel in the coral patches between the Whale Bar and the first few SOWVs and the state of the coral doesn’t seem to have affected the chance to see marine life (rays, sharks, turtles) whilst snorkeling. Another recommendation was at the wall drop-off, which I assume would be good for incoming larger marine life. Any additional tips for snorkeling locations around the island?
- We have quite a number of dives pre-scheduled, including a night dive (offered only Tuesdays and Saturdays) the first Tuesday. For those who have dove are there a good variety of locations and do they work to get you to a new spot each dive for variety?
- We pre-booked all of our dinners and will rearrange as appropriate once we are on island and have a better feel for the options and quality of each option. Because Decanter is open only two nights per week we went ahead and booked both; for those who have done Decanter does the chef solicit any input of likes/dislikes in advance for driving the menu creation?
- Breakfast hours look to be until 10:30am; will they seat guests up until 10:30am? I notice that there are a number of fresh juices available; do they permit taking any of these juices to-go? We quite enjoy watermelon juice with tequila and lime and, if it is possible, I think that’d be quite good to mix in the room. Are there full size liquor (tequila) bottles available or only smaller mini-bar sizes?
- I’ve seen a number of comments on the pizzas from Crust; any comments on Craft, the lunch location listed on the website for burgers and tacos?
- 220v outlets; does the front desk have outlet converters available to borrow?
- One comment listed availability of Netflix in the room; is this correct? Do you simply sign in with your normal credentials?
Some tips I’ve compiled; what am I missing?
- Accept the unpacking and packing; it seems worth it.
- Complimentary bottled water in the room that will be stocked heavily upon request.
- Try to join the weekly manager’s reception at the whale bar. Unfortunately it is on Tuesdays so that means we’ll have only one rather than two opportunities due to the aforementioned Tuesday night dive.
- The beach near Alba is picturesque but unpleasant on the feet; a better beach option is that which stretches from Orientale past the check-in lounge through to the GVs.
- SPF 30 and 50 available at the main pool. There was a comment that it may also be brought to the room upon request; is this correct?
- Book in advance for any dining and activities; bear in mind you can reschedule them if needed.
- If booking a massage request some time in the Blue Hole as part of the service and they may provide it at no charge.
- Whale Bar is the best location for sunsets but try to arrive early.
My wife and I have 10 nights in an OWV planned for the latter half of this month for the primary portion of our honeymoon. I booked this before the merger using SPG points and, reading through some of the August/September 2018 posts, hindsight says I should have tried to rebook to get a better points rate; oh well. For any FT members who have been, below are my notes, tips and other items, as well as some questions, that I’ve gathered during the course of reading the thread. If you notice any glaring omissions or have recommendations or corrections/clarifications, I’d be most appreciative.
General:
- The resort staff in my interactions to date have been wholly pleasant and responsive. Although I put forward some room # preferences I understand that it’s at their discretion; at a minimum, if not upgraded (which I in no way expect) I hope they can accommodate my request not to be assigned 522-528, where it seems the pool would be unusable (to us) due to the temperature.
- In the case of being assigned an undesirable room it sounds like we’ll have the opportunity to review that with their staff in the STR waiting room at MLE airport. We land from CDG at 10:45am; is it feasible to make it to the resort by 2/3pm?
- Although the coral is nascent in its recovery there are recommendations to snorkel in the coral patches between the Whale Bar and the first few SOWVs and the state of the coral doesn’t seem to have affected the chance to see marine life (rays, sharks, turtles) whilst snorkeling. Another recommendation was at the wall drop-off, which I assume would be good for incoming larger marine life. Any additional tips for snorkeling locations around the island?
- We have quite a number of dives pre-scheduled, including a night dive (offered only Tuesdays and Saturdays) the first Tuesday. For those who have dove are there a good variety of locations and do they work to get you to a new spot each dive for variety?
- We pre-booked all of our dinners and will rearrange as appropriate once we are on island and have a better feel for the options and quality of each option. Because Decanter is open only two nights per week we went ahead and booked both; for those who have done Decanter does the chef solicit any input of likes/dislikes in advance for driving the menu creation?
- Breakfast hours look to be until 10:30am; will they seat guests up until 10:30am? I notice that there are a number of fresh juices available; do they permit taking any of these juices to-go? We quite enjoy watermelon juice with tequila and lime and, if it is possible, I think that’d be quite good to mix in the room. Are there full size liquor (tequila) bottles available or only smaller mini-bar sizes?
- I’ve seen a number of comments on the pizzas from Crust; any comments on Craft, the lunch location listed on the website for burgers and tacos?
- 220v outlets; does the front desk have outlet converters available to borrow?
- One comment listed availability of Netflix in the room; is this correct? Do you simply sign in with your normal credentials?
Some tips I’ve compiled; what am I missing?
- Accept the unpacking and packing; it seems worth it.
- Complimentary bottled water in the room that will be stocked heavily upon request.
- Try to join the weekly manager’s reception at the whale bar. Unfortunately it is on Tuesdays so that means we’ll have only one rather than two opportunities due to the aforementioned Tuesday night dive.
- The beach near Alba is picturesque but unpleasant on the feet; a better beach option is that which stretches from Orientale past the check-in lounge through to the GVs.
- SPF 30 and 50 available at the main pool. There was a comment that it may also be brought to the room upon request; is this correct?
- Book in advance for any dining and activities; bear in mind you can reschedule them if needed.
- If booking a massage request some time in the Blue Hole as part of the service and they may provide it at no charge.
- Whale Bar is the best location for sunsets but try to arrive early.
Last edited by ATCG; Feb 6, 2019 at 3:37 pm
Feb 6, 2019, 3:41 pm
#2275
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Cockeysville, MD
Programs: Marriott Rewards Lifetime Titanium, Amex Plat, Hertz Gold 5*, National Exec, AA Plat
Posts: 9,467
Marriott policy is 50 weeks-however award avail may be limited that far in advance and rates may be wonky that far out as well.
Feb 6, 2019, 4:16 pm
#2276
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Tokyo
Programs: JAL Metal Card (OWE), SAS Eurobonus Gold (*G), Marriott Titanium (LTP), Tokyu Hotels Platinum
Posts: 21,068
While the corals are still recovering, the marine life in general is still good around the hotel. We had stingrays coming all the way up to the beach in front of Alba, which was pretty cool.
We had 528, which we loved for the outward facing view, the ease of going snorkeling right from the villa, and the fact that we had both sun and shade on the deck basically all day. But admittedly the pool had a fresh temperature.
We landed at 12:30 and was at the resort at 15:30. We had one stop on the way where they also refuelled the plane, so a it longer than necessary transit. But seems 2,5 to 3 hours from landing is not unusual
We had prebooked about half of our dinners and arranged the rest after arriving. In room dining seemed to be very big, judging from the number of buggys bringing food out in the evenings, thus getting space in the restaurants was not a problem.
Crust and Craft are basically the same location, you get both menus when you sit down. The pizza menu was more appealing to us, but the burgers carried out looked very nice.
They will seat you basically until 10:30, but of you come last second you will only really get one round of ordering drinks and food, so I would arrive earlier than that for a leisurely breakfast. As they do start clearing things aways at 10:30. But they will leave you to finish your breakfast at your speed. We typically arrived around 9:30, and hang out until around 11.
Netflix is ready on the TV for log in with your normal credentials.
Getting a spot for sunset at the Whalebar was not difficult, of course if you only want the very front row tables, you might have to come rather early, but it was never over crowded and no competition for tables.
We had 528, which we loved for the outward facing view, the ease of going snorkeling right from the villa, and the fact that we had both sun and shade on the deck basically all day. But admittedly the pool had a fresh temperature.
We landed at 12:30 and was at the resort at 15:30. We had one stop on the way where they also refuelled the plane, so a it longer than necessary transit. But seems 2,5 to 3 hours from landing is not unusual
We had prebooked about half of our dinners and arranged the rest after arriving. In room dining seemed to be very big, judging from the number of buggys bringing food out in the evenings, thus getting space in the restaurants was not a problem.
Crust and Craft are basically the same location, you get both menus when you sit down. The pizza menu was more appealing to us, but the burgers carried out looked very nice.
They will seat you basically until 10:30, but of you come last second you will only really get one round of ordering drinks and food, so I would arrive earlier than that for a leisurely breakfast. As they do start clearing things aways at 10:30. But they will leave you to finish your breakfast at your speed. We typically arrived around 9:30, and hang out until around 11.
Netflix is ready on the TV for log in with your normal credentials.
Getting a spot for sunset at the Whalebar was not difficult, of course if you only want the very front row tables, you might have to come rather early, but it was never over crowded and no competition for tables.
First post; have read the entire thread.
My wife and I have 10 nights in an OWV planned for the latter half of this month for the primary portion of our honeymoon. I booked this before the merger using SPG points and, reading through some of the August/September 2018 posts, hindsight says I should have tried to rebook to get a better points rate; oh well. For any FT members who have been, below are my notes, tips and other items, as well as some questions, that I’ve gathered during the course of reading the thread. If you notice any glaring omissions or have recommendations or corrections/clarifications, I’d be most appreciative.
General:
- The resort staff in my interactions to date have been wholly pleasant and responsive. Although I put forward some room # preferences I understand that it’s at their discretion; at a minimum, if not upgraded (which I in no way expect) I hope they can accommodate my request not to be assigned 522-528, where it seems the pool would be unusable (to us) due to the temperature.
- In the case of being assigned an undesirable room it sounds like we’ll have the opportunity to review that with their staff in the STR waiting room at MLE airport. We land from CDG at 10:45am; is it feasible to make it to the resort by 2/3pm?
- Although the coral is nascent in its recovery there are recommendations to snorkel in the coral patches between the Whale Bar and the first few SOWVs and the state of the coral doesn’t seem to have affected the chance to see marine life (rays, sharks, turtles) whilst snorkeling. Another recommendation was at the wall drop-off, which I assume would be good for incoming larger marine life. Any additional tips for snorkeling locations around the island?
- We have quite a number of dives pre-scheduled, including a night dive (offered only Tuesdays and Saturdays) the first Tuesday. For those who have dove are there a good variety of locations and do they work to get you to a new spot each dive for variety?
- We pre-booked all of our dinners and will rearrange as appropriate once we are on island and have a better feel for the options and quality of each option. Because Decanter is open only two nights per week we went ahead and booked both; for those who have done Decanter does the chef solicit any input of likes/dislikes in advance for driving the menu creation?
- Breakfast hours look to be until 10:30am; will they seat guests up until 10:30am? I notice that there are a number of fresh juices available; do they permit taking any of these juices to-go? We quite enjoy watermelon juice with tequila and lime and, if it is possible, I think that’d be quite good to mix in the room. Are there full size liquor (tequila) bottles available or only smaller mini-bar sizes?
- I’ve seen a number of comments on the pizzas from Crust; any comments on Craft, the lunch location listed on the website for burgers and tacos?
- 220v outlets; does the front desk have outlet converters available to borrow?
- One comment listed availability of Netflix in the room; is this correct? Do you simply sign in with your normal credentials?
Some tips I’ve compiled; what am I missing?
- Accept the unpacking and packing; it seems worth it.
- Complimentary bottled water in the room that will be stocked heavily upon request.
- Try to join the weekly manager’s reception at the whale bar. Unfortunately it is on Tuesdays so that means we’ll have only one rather than two opportunities due to the aforementioned Tuesday night dive.
- The beach near Alba is picturesque but unpleasant on the feet; a better beach option is that which stretches from Orientale past the check-in lounge through to the GVs.
- SPF 30 and 50 available at the main pool. There was a comment that it may also be brought to the room upon request; is this correct?
- Book in advance for any dining and activities; bear in mind you can reschedule them if needed.
- If booking a massage request some time in the Blue Hole as part of the service and they may provide it at no charge.
- Whale Bar is the best location for sunsets but try to arrive early.
My wife and I have 10 nights in an OWV planned for the latter half of this month for the primary portion of our honeymoon. I booked this before the merger using SPG points and, reading through some of the August/September 2018 posts, hindsight says I should have tried to rebook to get a better points rate; oh well. For any FT members who have been, below are my notes, tips and other items, as well as some questions, that I’ve gathered during the course of reading the thread. If you notice any glaring omissions or have recommendations or corrections/clarifications, I’d be most appreciative.
General:
- The resort staff in my interactions to date have been wholly pleasant and responsive. Although I put forward some room # preferences I understand that it’s at their discretion; at a minimum, if not upgraded (which I in no way expect) I hope they can accommodate my request not to be assigned 522-528, where it seems the pool would be unusable (to us) due to the temperature.
- In the case of being assigned an undesirable room it sounds like we’ll have the opportunity to review that with their staff in the STR waiting room at MLE airport. We land from CDG at 10:45am; is it feasible to make it to the resort by 2/3pm?
- Although the coral is nascent in its recovery there are recommendations to snorkel in the coral patches between the Whale Bar and the first few SOWVs and the state of the coral doesn’t seem to have affected the chance to see marine life (rays, sharks, turtles) whilst snorkeling. Another recommendation was at the wall drop-off, which I assume would be good for incoming larger marine life. Any additional tips for snorkeling locations around the island?
- We have quite a number of dives pre-scheduled, including a night dive (offered only Tuesdays and Saturdays) the first Tuesday. For those who have dove are there a good variety of locations and do they work to get you to a new spot each dive for variety?
- We pre-booked all of our dinners and will rearrange as appropriate once we are on island and have a better feel for the options and quality of each option. Because Decanter is open only two nights per week we went ahead and booked both; for those who have done Decanter does the chef solicit any input of likes/dislikes in advance for driving the menu creation?
- Breakfast hours look to be until 10:30am; will they seat guests up until 10:30am? I notice that there are a number of fresh juices available; do they permit taking any of these juices to-go? We quite enjoy watermelon juice with tequila and lime and, if it is possible, I think that’d be quite good to mix in the room. Are there full size liquor (tequila) bottles available or only smaller mini-bar sizes?
- I’ve seen a number of comments on the pizzas from Crust; any comments on Craft, the lunch location listed on the website for burgers and tacos?
- 220v outlets; does the front desk have outlet converters available to borrow?
- One comment listed availability of Netflix in the room; is this correct? Do you simply sign in with your normal credentials?
Some tips I’ve compiled; what am I missing?
- Accept the unpacking and packing; it seems worth it.
- Complimentary bottled water in the room that will be stocked heavily upon request.
- Try to join the weekly manager’s reception at the whale bar. Unfortunately it is on Tuesdays so that means we’ll have only one rather than two opportunities due to the aforementioned Tuesday night dive.
- The beach near Alba is picturesque but unpleasant on the feet; a better beach option is that which stretches from Orientale past the check-in lounge through to the GVs.
- SPF 30 and 50 available at the main pool. There was a comment that it may also be brought to the room upon request; is this correct?
- Book in advance for any dining and activities; bear in mind you can reschedule them if needed.
- If booking a massage request some time in the Blue Hole as part of the service and they may provide it at no charge.
- Whale Bar is the best location for sunsets but try to arrive early.
