theOtherHolmes

jukaks

does this work if you are staying here for an award stay?

jukaks

btw, does anyone have any recommended activities and/or ones that we should avoid or that weren't really worth it? the 'dolphin exploration' seemed pretty cool as does the spa's 'blue lagoon experience'... thoughts?

jjakobv84

Yes, I was on an award stay.

jjakobv84

I asked my Butler and she said it was usually high-seasion until Mid-Apr which sounds right this year as it coincides with Easter. You're probably right on the limit of high and shoulder season

mjrobson

Based on how they price things, it seems like consider high season right until the end of April. There was a noticeable drop off in price starting May 1st.

There also seem be a lot of price fluctuations. I initially booked a SOWV last summer for 8 nights and between then and now have modified the booking ~5 times during price fluctuations.

We started at 2,263.50 pn for a SOWV
To 2114 pn
To 1959 pn
To 1849 pn
To 1750 pn but now moved to the St. Regis Suite with 100$ pn F&B credit
To 1675 pn for the St. Regis Suite with 100$ pn F&B credit and 5000 bonus points per night (this was a few weeks ago in Feb)

exploreaswego

We have 5 nights award stay at in a GV during Nov, been actively researching and I stumbled on this..
It's from a blog that I frequently follow - Loyaltylobby.
Honestly, I always appreciate his straight forward comments towards all hard products in his reviews, but I wasn't expecting the StR Vommuli to be so bad that he's calling it garbage, and he basically cut short his stay from 5 nights to 2.

You guys can be the judge watching his review video, but if I were to pay up to $2k in cash per night for a BV, I would definitely not expect the pool shown in his video..

mjrobson

I didn't hear anything constructive in that review what so ever. He sounded mad because it was raining and he didn't get an upgrade after booking a GV.

sneamia

That looks like a GV, not a BV, do you have evidence that he booked a BV?

CPH-Flyer

This would be one of the least serious reviews of a hotel I have ever seen. There is is zero context to most of his complaints. He complains about his water view, or lack there of, but what does he expect in a garden villa? And he even seems disappointed with a bottle of welcome champagne, what did he expect a bottle of Krug?

I never read or saw much from Loyalty Lobby, but this will not make me seek out their reviews. Maybe he did have an awful stay, but he would need to substantiate why it was awful. Is this a continuation of a review? But even so, omitting a reference to that is very strange. I would apply his own term of garbage to the quality of his review

CPH-Flyer

He calls it a Garden Villa in the video.

escape4

Some people do not want to travel all the way to the Maldives without being overwater. Sounds like he's one of them. So why did he book the GV? If the hotel is full, you won't get an upgrade. He gambled, and he lost.

I also think going to St.Regis Maldives in the GV is not the best move particularly since for a modest premium you can be overwater (sometimes not even 10% difference). But he has nobody to blame but himself.

He has relevant comments about the GV and it should make people think twice about booking the GV. But then to complain about champagne and food being "crap"... this does not carry nearly as much weight in my opinion. It does not sound like he remained objective when talking about issues other than the room.

calvinoeh

totally agree... Maldives is NOT for everyone... I love it 100% but I know people like my in-laws, friends, etc that would just hate it even if it was 5star hotels... Being stuck on an island, expensive food, the beach, etc...

CPH-Flyer

He booked the GV most likely as he was there on a point booking, and counting on his status to get him an upgrade. As you said he lost his bet.

Apart from his comment about the out door shower, I did not really find any comments of value about the room. Sure there is no water view, but that would have been obvious if he looked at the room before booking. He was even unhappy with the toilet, what the devil was that about?

escape4

When booking on points you can still upgrade for cash to OWV. I agree with you that he probably thought he would get an upgrade, but unfortunately for him he did not. There are some hotels I go to where I "gamble" too.... but if I lose, I won't take it out on the hotel and trash them especially if the hotel was full. If there are lots of room types available and they don't upgrade it's another story but he did not mention this so I am assuming the hotel was full. The only useful takeaway from his review is "are you sure you want to go to the Maldives and have no water view in the GV". Pay up for an upgrade if you don't like the thought; it won't break the bank.

Even the comment about the outdoor shower is weak in my opinion. I have been to several other hotels that have the outdoor shower too and I never saw it as a negative. It gives an option to guests to do something special, if that is to their liking. I would rather have it than not have it, so what is there to complain even if you don't intend to use it.

I have gotten some value out of loyaltylobby in the past but this review is certainly not his most valuable and useful.