The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort [Master Thread]
Jun 6, 2021, 6:15 am
#226
Join Date: Mar 2021
Programs: Prestige Worldwide
Posts: 9
Got a confirmation that my SNAs cleared and I got upgraded to OWV with the pool. Would like to get the one facing west (sunset), which numbers are good to choose from? As I understand 106 and 107 are now Heavenly villas and are a different category.
As for the half board. Is it worth it as a Titanium? I don't drink alcohol, so it's really food that I'm looking at.
Anyone has any scuba data points there? Im coming off a liveaboard trip, but I'll always take a chance to see a manta.
As for the half board. Is it worth it as a Titanium? I don't drink alcohol, so it's really food that I'm looking at.
Anyone has any scuba data points there? Im coming off a liveaboard trip, but I'll always take a chance to see a manta.
Jun 21, 2021, 12:40 pm
#227
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: SMF
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium, SPG LTP
Posts: 1,526
We just returned from 11 nights at the Westin. This was Plan C for a big summer trip after A and B fell through due to country specific travel restrictions. Maldives has always been intriguing, but being stuck on an island without the ability to experience much local culture always deterred us. Enter COVID-19 and a fantastic redemption rate (360K for 10 nights + free credit card night) and here we are.
I’m eternally exhausted by the FlyerTalk obsession with finding which villa has the perfect sunset view, but also the right amount of sunshine on the pool so the water temperature is just right, not to mention the popular narrative that anyone who isn’t able to drop $600 on dinner every night isn’t worthy of a visit the Maldives. We like nice things, but also appreciate value so take this for what it’s worth…
Arrival
We had an early morning arrival at MLE from DOH. After a 15-20 minute wait, we cleared immigration, grabbed our bags, exited, and were immediately greeted by a Westin staff. He took us to the Trans Maldivian Airways desk where we waited in line for about 15 minutes. We were then whisked to the Westin shuttle and taken to the Westin lounge at the seaplane terminal. We checked into the resort in the lounge while we snacked on pastries and coffee. We were told our flight was in about an hour, give or take. After 40 minutes, we were taken to the dock and were in the air about 10 minutes later. We had one stop before the Westin, which gave us an extra landing and takeoff, which was fun. A brief storm added excitement to our arrival—we were greeted by staff in golf carts, taken for a quick welcome drink, and then on to our villa.
Villa
We redeemed points for a base room (beach villa) and applied SNAs for an overwater pool villa (the highest category shown when I applied). They cleared 5 days in advance and we were given villa 105, which is one villa away from the tip of the oval of villas on the west side of the island. Sunset views in June for those keeping track at home. Of note, the “Heavenly” villas are 106 and 107 on this side—from what I can tell, they have windows on the living room side of their villa and a slightly larger wraparound deck that also means anyone could stroll onto your deck if they wanted (saw someone do this once). 105 seemed like the sweet spot to us, but I think any of them seemed pretty good.
The villa was perfect for us (2 adults and a 9 year old). One of the sofas was converted into a bed for our daughter. The villa has four main sections (living, dining, bedroom, bathroom), each of which can be divided with large sliding doors. All but the dining room have sliding doors to the deck. The doors don’t seal up particularly tight, which was great for letting the sounds of the sea in, but I could see that being problematic during a storm.
Of note, it’s a bit of a hike down the ladder to the sea and was generally pretty choppy during our visit. We never went in the water from the villa and only saw others try a couple of times.
Our villa was serviced twice a day. We had an endless supply of glass bottles with purified water, a Nespresso machine, and an orange juice press with oranges galore. We put that thing through a workout as it was the best orange juice we’ve ever tasted.
Food
We were pleasantly surprised by the food quality and value. We took breakfast as our Titanium amenity. It’s all ala carte, which I’m finding I actually prefer to even the most impressive of buffets. They brought fruit and pastries to our table every day, juices were made to order, the menu was extensive and they were also happy to make whatever wasn’t on the menu. We could order whatever and as much as we wanted. They also brought us fresh coconuts every morning and thanked us for being loyal Titanium members. It was cute. We were never charged for our daughter.
Island Kitchen is the main venue, open for all 3 meals. Hawker was mostly lunch only, except dinners on Mondays when Pearl was closed. Hawker opened for the latter half of the month for a special Filipino dinner menu. The Island Kitchen menu was pretty extensive and they had several daily specials. They also repeatedly reminded us that they could make whatever we wanted.
Value at both venues varied greatly. We had many fantastic entrees that ranged from the low $30s to high $40s (USD) that were plenty big enough for a meal. We also had a few starters that were high $20s that were good, but only a couple of bites. Filipino Fiesta was a small menu (6 items) that were close to $100 each. We ordered 2 (whole fried fish and whole chicken) and it fed three of us. They were both fantastic—probably our favorite overall.
The Pearl is the fancy Japanese restaurant and has a rotating tasting menu. We went on a Sunday night on the recommendation of some of the wait staff. It was Izakaya night, which included sashimi, ramen, salads, and grilled meats, including wagyu. It was fun, but ran us about $400 for 2 and I’m not sure I enjoyed it any more than our much less expensive meals. We had initially planned on going a second time for our anniversary, but ended up choosing Hawker Filipino Fiesta instead.
We received a 20% elite discount on non-promotional food (e.g. Izakaya night was excluded) that basically offset the service charge and tax at mealtime. I reviewed the meal plan offers before our trip, but the math didn’t seem to make sense unless you eat a LOT of food (3 courses each meal), which we could not have possibly done.
We spent many a happy hour at Sunset Bar (6pm to 7pm). They had about half a dozen happy hour specials ($8). Other drinks ranged from $14-$18, which while not great, didn’t seem any worse than non-Happy Hour Maui. They also have a food menu up there and we had a couple of dinners there—especially nice early in the trip when we were still getting adjusted on time.
Kids Club
Our daughter was the only kid on the island for the first half of our trip (no complaints from her). They basically had to dust off the kids club for her. She spent a couple of hours there each day and she loved it. They took her to the kitchen to make pizzas, she got to go to the bar to make a mocktail. The restaurant staff were great with her and one even took and edited a cute video of her making the drink and shared it with me. They followed a weekly schedule of activities, but basically said they could do whatever she wanted since she was the only kid.
Dive/Activity Center
We did a couple of trips—the manta ray snorkel and the sunset dolphin cruise. Manta was a little disorganized getting into the water and I had a snorkel that was taking in a lot of water. That combined with some choppy seas and strong currents got me into some trouble. One of our guides saved my butt and dragged me back to the boat so you can thank him for this review. There were some mantas and I saw one for a brief moment, but I had other things on my mind. Another person on the trip also had gear issues and said she felt like she paid $200 to be waterboarded.
The dolphin cruise was far less dramatic. We didn’t see any dolphins, but were the only guests on the boat so we just looked at it as a private sunset cruise that was far cheaper than a charter. We actually saw dolphins on our way back from the manta trip and also from our villa so not all was lost.
There’s a resident marine biologist who is doing some cool things with coral restoration. He was great to chat with and very patient with all of our daughter’s questions.
The beach behind the dive center was a favorite spot of ours and we enjoyed snorkeling just off of there. We saw a huge variety of fish and a few reef sharks, which was exciting for us.
Departure
I expected departure support to be minimal, but was impressed with how involved the staff was in seeing us off. We had a late night flight so the resort put us on a 4pm seaplane—the last of the day. Upon arrival at Male, we were greeted by Westin staff and escorted to their van. They fetched our bags, provided me with some added paperwork for our airline and then escorted us through the airport, including security and check-in before seeing us off. It felt like a VIP airport experience.
Other Observations
Occupancy was low. They were at 25 to 30 people during our stay and said that was the case for the month of June.
Guests appeared to be mostly from the Middle East, with a few Russian and North American mixed in.
The resort is about 3 years old. It’s starting to show some wear in some areas (wood peeling, metal rusting, etc.). Nothing that detracts from the experience, but they’ll have their work cut out fighting the elements.
The island feels very jungle-like in the areas where the beach villas are. It was more lush than we were expecting. I suspect that also means bugs, critters, etc. in the room and pool.
There is a healthy population of fruit bats on the island. They were fun to watch fly tree to tree.
There is an onsite photography company. They provide a free photo session and one print. They sell albums and digital packages that range from $150-$400. We ended up buying digital copies of our pics as they were really nice and felt like a good value compared to what we’d pay someone at home.
Weather for us was pretty good. Some days were pretty windy. Most were sunny. Seas ranged from calm to choppy, with the area near the dive center being the best part to go in the water. Sounds like there were some pretty good storms recently that caused some damage. The lower main pool was still being cleaned up as it had filled with sand.
Staff were universally friendly and social and made this trip even more special for us. We enjoyed chatting it up with many of them and some were clearly happy to have guests to talk to. We felt very well cared for. Most seemed to know our names almost immediately and we knew most of them by name too.
They usually work on a 6 month contract, but COVID has created some tough dynamics for them. Some are past their 6 months, but aren’t going home out of fear of getting “stuck” like some of their Indian colleagues. There are several from neighboring islands who would normally get to see their families on days off or take a boat home for the night, but don’t currently get to due to COVID-19 (they quarantine on island for 14 days prior to starting work). Perhaps some good perspective for those who feel they’ve had to make the ultimate sacrifice by wearing a mask to the grocery store.
TL;DR: A great resort with fantastic elite treatment, great food, and wonderful staff. We really loved it and it got us trying to figure out how to get back to the Maldives.
I’m eternally exhausted by the FlyerTalk obsession with finding which villa has the perfect sunset view, but also the right amount of sunshine on the pool so the water temperature is just right, not to mention the popular narrative that anyone who isn’t able to drop $600 on dinner every night isn’t worthy of a visit the Maldives. We like nice things, but also appreciate value so take this for what it’s worth…
Arrival
We had an early morning arrival at MLE from DOH. After a 15-20 minute wait, we cleared immigration, grabbed our bags, exited, and were immediately greeted by a Westin staff. He took us to the Trans Maldivian Airways desk where we waited in line for about 15 minutes. We were then whisked to the Westin shuttle and taken to the Westin lounge at the seaplane terminal. We checked into the resort in the lounge while we snacked on pastries and coffee. We were told our flight was in about an hour, give or take. After 40 minutes, we were taken to the dock and were in the air about 10 minutes later. We had one stop before the Westin, which gave us an extra landing and takeoff, which was fun. A brief storm added excitement to our arrival—we were greeted by staff in golf carts, taken for a quick welcome drink, and then on to our villa.
Villa
We redeemed points for a base room (beach villa) and applied SNAs for an overwater pool villa (the highest category shown when I applied). They cleared 5 days in advance and we were given villa 105, which is one villa away from the tip of the oval of villas on the west side of the island. Sunset views in June for those keeping track at home. Of note, the “Heavenly” villas are 106 and 107 on this side—from what I can tell, they have windows on the living room side of their villa and a slightly larger wraparound deck that also means anyone could stroll onto your deck if they wanted (saw someone do this once). 105 seemed like the sweet spot to us, but I think any of them seemed pretty good.
The villa was perfect for us (2 adults and a 9 year old). One of the sofas was converted into a bed for our daughter. The villa has four main sections (living, dining, bedroom, bathroom), each of which can be divided with large sliding doors. All but the dining room have sliding doors to the deck. The doors don’t seal up particularly tight, which was great for letting the sounds of the sea in, but I could see that being problematic during a storm.
Of note, it’s a bit of a hike down the ladder to the sea and was generally pretty choppy during our visit. We never went in the water from the villa and only saw others try a couple of times.
Our villa was serviced twice a day. We had an endless supply of glass bottles with purified water, a Nespresso machine, and an orange juice press with oranges galore. We put that thing through a workout as it was the best orange juice we’ve ever tasted.
Food
We were pleasantly surprised by the food quality and value. We took breakfast as our Titanium amenity. It’s all ala carte, which I’m finding I actually prefer to even the most impressive of buffets. They brought fruit and pastries to our table every day, juices were made to order, the menu was extensive and they were also happy to make whatever wasn’t on the menu. We could order whatever and as much as we wanted. They also brought us fresh coconuts every morning and thanked us for being loyal Titanium members. It was cute. We were never charged for our daughter.
Island Kitchen is the main venue, open for all 3 meals. Hawker was mostly lunch only, except dinners on Mondays when Pearl was closed. Hawker opened for the latter half of the month for a special Filipino dinner menu. The Island Kitchen menu was pretty extensive and they had several daily specials. They also repeatedly reminded us that they could make whatever we wanted.
Value at both venues varied greatly. We had many fantastic entrees that ranged from the low $30s to high $40s (USD) that were plenty big enough for a meal. We also had a few starters that were high $20s that were good, but only a couple of bites. Filipino Fiesta was a small menu (6 items) that were close to $100 each. We ordered 2 (whole fried fish and whole chicken) and it fed three of us. They were both fantastic—probably our favorite overall.
The Pearl is the fancy Japanese restaurant and has a rotating tasting menu. We went on a Sunday night on the recommendation of some of the wait staff. It was Izakaya night, which included sashimi, ramen, salads, and grilled meats, including wagyu. It was fun, but ran us about $400 for 2 and I’m not sure I enjoyed it any more than our much less expensive meals. We had initially planned on going a second time for our anniversary, but ended up choosing Hawker Filipino Fiesta instead.
We received a 20% elite discount on non-promotional food (e.g. Izakaya night was excluded) that basically offset the service charge and tax at mealtime. I reviewed the meal plan offers before our trip, but the math didn’t seem to make sense unless you eat a LOT of food (3 courses each meal), which we could not have possibly done.
We spent many a happy hour at Sunset Bar (6pm to 7pm). They had about half a dozen happy hour specials ($8). Other drinks ranged from $14-$18, which while not great, didn’t seem any worse than non-Happy Hour Maui. They also have a food menu up there and we had a couple of dinners there—especially nice early in the trip when we were still getting adjusted on time.
Kids Club
Our daughter was the only kid on the island for the first half of our trip (no complaints from her). They basically had to dust off the kids club for her. She spent a couple of hours there each day and she loved it. They took her to the kitchen to make pizzas, she got to go to the bar to make a mocktail. The restaurant staff were great with her and one even took and edited a cute video of her making the drink and shared it with me. They followed a weekly schedule of activities, but basically said they could do whatever she wanted since she was the only kid.
Dive/Activity Center
We did a couple of trips—the manta ray snorkel and the sunset dolphin cruise. Manta was a little disorganized getting into the water and I had a snorkel that was taking in a lot of water. That combined with some choppy seas and strong currents got me into some trouble. One of our guides saved my butt and dragged me back to the boat so you can thank him for this review. There were some mantas and I saw one for a brief moment, but I had other things on my mind. Another person on the trip also had gear issues and said she felt like she paid $200 to be waterboarded.
The dolphin cruise was far less dramatic. We didn’t see any dolphins, but were the only guests on the boat so we just looked at it as a private sunset cruise that was far cheaper than a charter. We actually saw dolphins on our way back from the manta trip and also from our villa so not all was lost.
There’s a resident marine biologist who is doing some cool things with coral restoration. He was great to chat with and very patient with all of our daughter’s questions.
The beach behind the dive center was a favorite spot of ours and we enjoyed snorkeling just off of there. We saw a huge variety of fish and a few reef sharks, which was exciting for us.
Departure
I expected departure support to be minimal, but was impressed with how involved the staff was in seeing us off. We had a late night flight so the resort put us on a 4pm seaplane—the last of the day. Upon arrival at Male, we were greeted by Westin staff and escorted to their van. They fetched our bags, provided me with some added paperwork for our airline and then escorted us through the airport, including security and check-in before seeing us off. It felt like a VIP airport experience.
Other Observations
Occupancy was low. They were at 25 to 30 people during our stay and said that was the case for the month of June.
Guests appeared to be mostly from the Middle East, with a few Russian and North American mixed in.
The resort is about 3 years old. It’s starting to show some wear in some areas (wood peeling, metal rusting, etc.). Nothing that detracts from the experience, but they’ll have their work cut out fighting the elements.
The island feels very jungle-like in the areas where the beach villas are. It was more lush than we were expecting. I suspect that also means bugs, critters, etc. in the room and pool.
There is a healthy population of fruit bats on the island. They were fun to watch fly tree to tree.
There is an onsite photography company. They provide a free photo session and one print. They sell albums and digital packages that range from $150-$400. We ended up buying digital copies of our pics as they were really nice and felt like a good value compared to what we’d pay someone at home.
Weather for us was pretty good. Some days were pretty windy. Most were sunny. Seas ranged from calm to choppy, with the area near the dive center being the best part to go in the water. Sounds like there were some pretty good storms recently that caused some damage. The lower main pool was still being cleaned up as it had filled with sand.
Staff were universally friendly and social and made this trip even more special for us. We enjoyed chatting it up with many of them and some were clearly happy to have guests to talk to. We felt very well cared for. Most seemed to know our names almost immediately and we knew most of them by name too.
They usually work on a 6 month contract, but COVID has created some tough dynamics for them. Some are past their 6 months, but aren’t going home out of fear of getting “stuck” like some of their Indian colleagues. There are several from neighboring islands who would normally get to see their families on days off or take a boat home for the night, but don’t currently get to due to COVID-19 (they quarantine on island for 14 days prior to starting work). Perhaps some good perspective for those who feel they’ve had to make the ultimate sacrifice by wearing a mask to the grocery store.
TL;DR: A great resort with fantastic elite treatment, great food, and wonderful staff. We really loved it and it got us trying to figure out how to get back to the Maldives.
Last edited by Sam P. Goodman; Jun 21, 2021 at 5:36 pm
Jun 22, 2021, 1:35 am
#229
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: KSA
Programs: Marriott AMB, Skywards Gold
Posts: 3,737
We just returned from 11 nights at the Westin. This was Plan C for a big summer trip after A and B fell through due to country specific travel restrictions. Maldives has always been intriguing, but being stuck on an island without the ability to experience much local culture always deterred us. Enter COVID-19 and a fantastic redemption rate (360K for 10 nights + free credit card night) and here we are.
I’m eternally exhausted by the FlyerTalk obsession with finding which villa has the perfect sunset view, but also the right amount of sunshine on the pool so the water temperature is just right, not to mention the popular narrative that anyone who isn’t able to drop $600 on dinner every night isn’t worthy of a visit the Maldives. We like nice things, but also appreciate value so take this for what it’s worth…
Arrival
We had an early morning arrival at MLE from DOH. After a 15-20 minute wait, we cleared immigration, grabbed our bags, exited, and were immediately greeted by a Westin staff. He took us to the Trans Maldivian Airways desk where we waited in line for about 15 minutes. We were then whisked to the Westin shuttle and taken to the Westin lounge at the seaplane terminal. We checked into the resort in the lounge while we snacked on pastries and coffee. We were told our flight was in about an hour, give or take. After 40 minutes, we were taken to the dock and were in the air about 10 minutes later. We had one stop before the Westin, which gave us an extra landing and takeoff, which was fun. A brief storm added excitement to our arrival—we were greeted by staff in golf carts, taken for a quick welcome drink, and then on to our villa.
Villa
We redeemed points for a base room (beach villa) and applied SNAs for an overwater pool villa (the highest category shown when I applied). They cleared 5 days in advance and we were given villa 105, which is one villa away from the tip of the oval of villas on the west side of the island. Sunset views in June for those keeping track at home. Of note, the “Heavenly” villas are 106 and 107 on this side—from what I can tell, they have windows on the living room side of their villa and a slightly larger wraparound deck that also means anyone could stroll onto your deck if they wanted (saw someone do this once). 105 seemed like the sweet spot to us, but I think any of them seemed pretty good.
The villa was perfect for us (2 adults and a 9 year old). One of the sofas was converted into a bed for our daughter. The villa has four main sections (living, dining, bedroom, bathroom), each of which can be divided with large sliding doors. All but the dining room have sliding doors to the deck. The doors don’t seal up particularly tight, which was great for letting the sounds of the sea in, but I could see that being problematic during a storm.
Of note, it’s a bit of a hike down the ladder to the sea and was generally pretty choppy during our visit. We never went in the water from the villa and only saw others try a couple of times.
Our villa was serviced twice a day. We had an endless supply of glass bottles with purified water, a Nespresso machine, and an orange juice press with oranges galore. We put that thing through a workout as it was the best orange juice we’ve ever tasted.
Food
We were pleasantly surprised by the food quality and value. We took breakfast as our Titanium amenity. It’s all ala carte, which I’m finding I actually prefer to even the most impressive of buffets. They brought fruit and pastries to our table every day, juices were made to order, the menu was extensive and they were also happy to make whatever wasn’t on the menu. We could order whatever and as much as we wanted. They also brought us fresh coconuts every morning and thanked us for being loyal Titanium members. It was cute. We were never charged for our daughter.
Island Kitchen is the main venue, open for all 3 meals. Hawker was mostly lunch only, except dinners on Mondays when Pearl was closed. Hawker opened for the latter half of the month for a special Filipino dinner menu. The Island Kitchen menu was pretty extensive and they had several daily specials. They also repeatedly reminded us that they could make whatever we wanted.
Value at both venues varied greatly. We had many fantastic entrees that ranged from the low $30s to high $40s (USD) that were plenty big enough for a meal. We also had a few starters that were high $20s that were good, but only a couple of bites. Filipino Fiesta was a small menu (6 items) that were close to $100 each. We ordered 2 (whole fried fish and whole chicken) and it fed three of us. They were both fantastic—probably our favorite overall.
The Pearl is the fancy Japanese restaurant and has a rotating tasting menu. We went on a Sunday night on the recommendation of some of the wait staff. It was Izakaya night, which included sashimi, ramen, salads, and grilled meats, including wagyu. It was fun, but ran us about $400 for 2 and I’m not sure I enjoyed it any more than our much less expensive meals. We had initially planned on going a second time for our anniversary, but ended up choosing Hawker Filipino Fiesta instead.
We received a 20% elite discount on non-promotional food (e.g. Izakaya night was excluded) that basically offset the service charge and tax at mealtime. I reviewed the meal plan offers before our trip, but the math didn’t seem to make sense unless you eat a LOT of food (3 courses each meal), which we could not have possibly done.
We spent many a happy hour at Sunset Bar (6pm to 7pm). They had about half a dozen happy hour specials ($8). Other drinks ranged from $14-$18, which while not great, didn’t seem any worse than non-Happy Hour Maui. They also have a food menu up there and we had a couple of dinners there—especially nice early in the trip when we were still getting adjusted on time.
Kids Club
Our daughter was the only kid on the island for the first half of our trip (no complaints from her). They basically had to dust off the kids club for her. She spent a couple of hours there each day and she loved it. They took her to the kitchen to make pizzas, she got to go to the bar to make a mocktail. The restaurant staff were great with her and one even took and edited a cute video of her making the drink and shared it with me. They followed a weekly schedule of activities, but basically said they could do whatever she wanted since she was the only kid.
Dive/Activity Center
We did a couple of trips—the manta ray snorkel and the sunset dolphin cruise. Manta was a little disorganized getting into the water and I had a snorkel that was taking in a lot of water. That combined with some choppy seas and strong currents got me into some trouble. One of our guides saved my butt and dragged me back to the boat so you can thank him for this review. There were some mantas and I saw one for a brief moment, but I had other things on my mind. Another person on the trip also had gear issues and said she felt like she paid $200 to be waterboarded.
The dolphin cruise was far less dramatic. We didn’t see any dolphins, but were the only guests on the boat so we just looked at it as a private sunset cruise that was far cheaper than a charter. We actually saw dolphins on our way back from the manta trip and also from our villa so not all was lost.
There’s a resident marine biologist who is doing some cool things with coral restoration. He was great to chat with and very patient with all of our daughter’s questions.
The beach behind the dive center was a favorite spot of ours and we enjoyed snorkeling just off of there. We saw a huge variety of fish and a few reef sharks, which was exciting for us.
Departure
I expected departure support to be minimal, but was impressed with how involved the staff was in seeing us off. We had a late night flight so the resort put us on a 4pm seaplane—the last of the day. Upon arrival at Male, we were greeted by Westin staff and escorted to their van. They fetched our bags, provided me with some added paperwork for our airline and then escorted us through the airport, including security and check-in before seeing us off. It felt like a VIP airport experience.
Other Observations
Occupancy was low. They were at 25 to 30 people during our stay and said that was the case for the month of June.
Guests appeared to be mostly from the Middle East, with a few Russian and North American mixed in.
The resort is about 3 years old. It’s starting to show some wear in some areas (wood peeling, metal rusting, etc.). Nothing that detracts from the experience, but they’ll have their work cut out fighting the elements.
The island feels very jungle-like in the areas where the beach villas are. It was more lush than we were expecting. I suspect that also means bugs, critters, etc. in the room and pool.
There is a healthy population of fruit bats on the island. They were fun to watch fly tree to tree.
There is an onsite photography company. They provide a free photo session and one print. They sell albums and digital packages that range from $150-$400. We ended up buying digital copies of our pics as they were really nice and felt like a good value compared to what we’d pay someone at home.
Weather for us was pretty good. Some days were pretty windy. Most were sunny. Seas ranged from calm to choppy, with the area near the dive center being the best part to go in the water. Sounds like there were some pretty good storms recently that caused some damage. The lower main pool was still being cleaned up as it had filled with sand.
Staff were universally friendly and social and made this trip even more special for us. We enjoyed chatting it up with many of them and some were clearly happy to have guests to talk to. We felt very well cared for. Most seemed to know our names almost immediately and we knew most of them by name too.
They usually work on a 6 month contract, but COVID has created some tough dynamics for them. Some are past their 6 months, but aren’t going home out of fear of getting “stuck” like some of their Indian colleagues. There are several from neighboring islands who would normally get to see their families on days off or take a boat home for the night, but don’t currently get to due to COVID-19 (they quarantine on island for 14 days prior to starting work). Perhaps some good perspective for those who feel they’ve had to make the ultimate sacrifice by wearing a mask to the grocery store.
TL;DR: A great resort with fantastic elite treatment, great food, and wonderful staff. We really loved it and it got us trying to figure out how to get back to the Maldives.
I’m eternally exhausted by the FlyerTalk obsession with finding which villa has the perfect sunset view, but also the right amount of sunshine on the pool so the water temperature is just right, not to mention the popular narrative that anyone who isn’t able to drop $600 on dinner every night isn’t worthy of a visit the Maldives. We like nice things, but also appreciate value so take this for what it’s worth…
Arrival
We had an early morning arrival at MLE from DOH. After a 15-20 minute wait, we cleared immigration, grabbed our bags, exited, and were immediately greeted by a Westin staff. He took us to the Trans Maldivian Airways desk where we waited in line for about 15 minutes. We were then whisked to the Westin shuttle and taken to the Westin lounge at the seaplane terminal. We checked into the resort in the lounge while we snacked on pastries and coffee. We were told our flight was in about an hour, give or take. After 40 minutes, we were taken to the dock and were in the air about 10 minutes later. We had one stop before the Westin, which gave us an extra landing and takeoff, which was fun. A brief storm added excitement to our arrival—we were greeted by staff in golf carts, taken for a quick welcome drink, and then on to our villa.
Villa
We redeemed points for a base room (beach villa) and applied SNAs for an overwater pool villa (the highest category shown when I applied). They cleared 5 days in advance and we were given villa 105, which is one villa away from the tip of the oval of villas on the west side of the island. Sunset views in June for those keeping track at home. Of note, the “Heavenly” villas are 106 and 107 on this side—from what I can tell, they have windows on the living room side of their villa and a slightly larger wraparound deck that also means anyone could stroll onto your deck if they wanted (saw someone do this once). 105 seemed like the sweet spot to us, but I think any of them seemed pretty good.
The villa was perfect for us (2 adults and a 9 year old). One of the sofas was converted into a bed for our daughter. The villa has four main sections (living, dining, bedroom, bathroom), each of which can be divided with large sliding doors. All but the dining room have sliding doors to the deck. The doors don’t seal up particularly tight, which was great for letting the sounds of the sea in, but I could see that being problematic during a storm.
Of note, it’s a bit of a hike down the ladder to the sea and was generally pretty choppy during our visit. We never went in the water from the villa and only saw others try a couple of times.
Our villa was serviced twice a day. We had an endless supply of glass bottles with purified water, a Nespresso machine, and an orange juice press with oranges galore. We put that thing through a workout as it was the best orange juice we’ve ever tasted.
Food
We were pleasantly surprised by the food quality and value. We took breakfast as our Titanium amenity. It’s all ala carte, which I’m finding I actually prefer to even the most impressive of buffets. They brought fruit and pastries to our table every day, juices were made to order, the menu was extensive and they were also happy to make whatever wasn’t on the menu. We could order whatever and as much as we wanted. They also brought us fresh coconuts every morning and thanked us for being loyal Titanium members. It was cute. We were never charged for our daughter.
Island Kitchen is the main venue, open for all 3 meals. Hawker was mostly lunch only, except dinners on Mondays when Pearl was closed. Hawker opened for the latter half of the month for a special Filipino dinner menu. The Island Kitchen menu was pretty extensive and they had several daily specials. They also repeatedly reminded us that they could make whatever we wanted.
Value at both venues varied greatly. We had many fantastic entrees that ranged from the low $30s to high $40s (USD) that were plenty big enough for a meal. We also had a few starters that were high $20s that were good, but only a couple of bites. Filipino Fiesta was a small menu (6 items) that were close to $100 each. We ordered 2 (whole fried fish and whole chicken) and it fed three of us. They were both fantastic—probably our favorite overall.
The Pearl is the fancy Japanese restaurant and has a rotating tasting menu. We went on a Sunday night on the recommendation of some of the wait staff. It was Izakaya night, which included sashimi, ramen, salads, and grilled meats, including wagyu. It was fun, but ran us about $400 for 2 and I’m not sure I enjoyed it any more than our much less expensive meals. We had initially planned on going a second time for our anniversary, but ended up choosing Hawker Filipino Fiesta instead.
We received a 20% elite discount on non-promotional food (e.g. Izakaya night was excluded) that basically offset the service charge and tax at mealtime. I reviewed the meal plan offers before our trip, but the math didn’t seem to make sense unless you eat a LOT of food (3 courses each meal), which we could not have possibly done.
We spent many a happy hour at Sunset Bar (6pm to 7pm). They had about half a dozen happy hour specials ($8). Other drinks ranged from $14-$18, which while not great, didn’t seem any worse than non-Happy Hour Maui. They also have a food menu up there and we had a couple of dinners there—especially nice early in the trip when we were still getting adjusted on time.
Kids Club
Our daughter was the only kid on the island for the first half of our trip (no complaints from her). They basically had to dust off the kids club for her. She spent a couple of hours there each day and she loved it. They took her to the kitchen to make pizzas, she got to go to the bar to make a mocktail. The restaurant staff were great with her and one even took and edited a cute video of her making the drink and shared it with me. They followed a weekly schedule of activities, but basically said they could do whatever she wanted since she was the only kid.
Dive/Activity Center
We did a couple of trips—the manta ray snorkel and the sunset dolphin cruise. Manta was a little disorganized getting into the water and I had a snorkel that was taking in a lot of water. That combined with some choppy seas and strong currents got me into some trouble. One of our guides saved my butt and dragged me back to the boat so you can thank him for this review. There were some mantas and I saw one for a brief moment, but I had other things on my mind. Another person on the trip also had gear issues and said she felt like she paid $200 to be waterboarded.
The dolphin cruise was far less dramatic. We didn’t see any dolphins, but were the only guests on the boat so we just looked at it as a private sunset cruise that was far cheaper than a charter. We actually saw dolphins on our way back from the manta trip and also from our villa so not all was lost.
There’s a resident marine biologist who is doing some cool things with coral restoration. He was great to chat with and very patient with all of our daughter’s questions.
The beach behind the dive center was a favorite spot of ours and we enjoyed snorkeling just off of there. We saw a huge variety of fish and a few reef sharks, which was exciting for us.
Departure
I expected departure support to be minimal, but was impressed with how involved the staff was in seeing us off. We had a late night flight so the resort put us on a 4pm seaplane—the last of the day. Upon arrival at Male, we were greeted by Westin staff and escorted to their van. They fetched our bags, provided me with some added paperwork for our airline and then escorted us through the airport, including security and check-in before seeing us off. It felt like a VIP airport experience.
Other Observations
Occupancy was low. They were at 25 to 30 people during our stay and said that was the case for the month of June.
Guests appeared to be mostly from the Middle East, with a few Russian and North American mixed in.
The resort is about 3 years old. It’s starting to show some wear in some areas (wood peeling, metal rusting, etc.). Nothing that detracts from the experience, but they’ll have their work cut out fighting the elements.
The island feels very jungle-like in the areas where the beach villas are. It was more lush than we were expecting. I suspect that also means bugs, critters, etc. in the room and pool.
There is a healthy population of fruit bats on the island. They were fun to watch fly tree to tree.
There is an onsite photography company. They provide a free photo session and one print. They sell albums and digital packages that range from $150-$400. We ended up buying digital copies of our pics as they were really nice and felt like a good value compared to what we’d pay someone at home.
Weather for us was pretty good. Some days were pretty windy. Most were sunny. Seas ranged from calm to choppy, with the area near the dive center being the best part to go in the water. Sounds like there were some pretty good storms recently that caused some damage. The lower main pool was still being cleaned up as it had filled with sand.
Staff were universally friendly and social and made this trip even more special for us. We enjoyed chatting it up with many of them and some were clearly happy to have guests to talk to. We felt very well cared for. Most seemed to know our names almost immediately and we knew most of them by name too.
They usually work on a 6 month contract, but COVID has created some tough dynamics for them. Some are past their 6 months, but aren’t going home out of fear of getting “stuck” like some of their Indian colleagues. There are several from neighboring islands who would normally get to see their families on days off or take a boat home for the night, but don’t currently get to due to COVID-19 (they quarantine on island for 14 days prior to starting work). Perhaps some good perspective for those who feel they’ve had to make the ultimate sacrifice by wearing a mask to the grocery store.
TL;DR: A great resort with fantastic elite treatment, great food, and wonderful staff. We really loved it and it got us trying to figure out how to get back to the Maldives.
Aug 30, 2021, 12:53 pm
#230
Join Date: Jul 2021
Posts: 44
Has anyone been to both the W and the Westin?
We currently have a 10 day stay booked at the W in February on points.
The rooms at the Westin actually look nicer than they do at the W. We would likely upgrade to a pool overwater villa with either points or dollars as that seems to be what we are looking for.
Important things to us:
SCUBA
Pool / deck privacy
Food options
Platinum benefits
Serenity of the resort / accommodations
Water quality / view from resort
Level of service / we want to be spoiled
We could save some points switching over from the W but I don't want to lose out on anything.
Thanks in advance.
We currently have a 10 day stay booked at the W in February on points.
The rooms at the Westin actually look nicer than they do at the W. We would likely upgrade to a pool overwater villa with either points or dollars as that seems to be what we are looking for.
Important things to us:
SCUBA
Pool / deck privacy
Food options
Platinum benefits
Serenity of the resort / accommodations
Water quality / view from resort
Level of service / we want to be spoiled
We could save some points switching over from the W but I don't want to lose out on anything.
Thanks in advance.
Sep 4, 2021, 9:47 am
#231
Join Date: Dec 2014
Programs: AC, AS, BA Silver/OW Sapphire, DL, SQ/*A Silver, Bonvoy Gold, HH Gold
Posts: 161
Potable Water Westin Maldives
A quick question: is any type of potable water free (bottled "island water"/ distilled/mineral etc.)? If so, how do you refill?
Oct 23, 2021, 11:09 am
#232
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Toronto (YYZ)
Posts: 6,279
Just completed a 7 night award stay. Here are my thoughts...
I was welcomed at Male airport by Mahu who was very friendly and professional. He escorted me to The Westin Welcome Lounge and completed my check-in and saw me to my seaplane transfer. The seaplane flight was about 35 minutes.
When I arrived I was warmly greeted and provided a tour of the resort by golf cart. As a Titanium Marriott Member I was upgraded (without using SNA's) from a beach villa (lowest category room) to a heavenly over-water villa (107) with a pool located on the most outer edge of the resort. The villa was beautifully decorated with modern furniture and bathroom fixtures. My welcome gift was a bottle of Rose from Italy ($90 USD as listed on menu) and some sweets.
Everything in the villa was in excellent and working condition. The bed was very comfortable and the bathroom had the largest tub I've ever seen. The resort uses refillable ceramic toiletry bottles and they also use refillable glass bottles for drinking water instead of plastic. Both "green" initiatives are long overdue... wish more hotels would follow suit. There was also an orange juice press with oranges replenished daily and a Nespresso coffee pod machine. From the deck of my villa I could see there was A LOT of marine activity. I saw large pods of dolphins, jelly fish, colourful fish of various sizes. At night, I could see rapid streaks of light in the water which I was told are squid. I personally felt intimidated to jump in the water even though I can swim and have even dived and snorkelled in Great Barrier Reef.
The only downside to my villa was that it had a wrap around deck which means you could walk from the front door and around to the back. There is no gate or partition to stop someone from accessing your villa which is what happened on day 2. Someone decided to walk around and try and jump off my deck however when they saw me they quickly walked back.
Regarding F&B... I chose breakfast as my welcome amenity but after seeing the prices of entrees I upgraded to half-board for $80. For example spinach salad with boiled shrimp was $32 USD, braised chicken was $48 USD and tiramisu was $28. Sparkling and still water was provided with each meal. Food over-all was over-priced (as expected) but very good. Having said that, I thought the selection was somewhat limited. Buffets were not offered (due to covid) including at breakfast. I personally enjoy buffets because they offer variety and if you don't like something you can try something else. When ordering off the menu it can be hit or miss especially if it's something you haven't tried before. For example, on my first night I thought I'd try the Maldivian theme which was a tuna curry and some red cabbage salad.... NOPE. AWFUL. And I enjoy chicken and chick pea curry but tuna curry? Never again.
The resort did a very good job in retaining the lush vegetation and incorporating it in the design of the property. There was bright, beautiful, tropical flowers, large plants and fruit bearing trees. Mature palm trees with coconuts lined along the beach provided the backdrop for perfect, postcard photos.
The staff was very pleasant and friendly. My only "complaint" is I felt they really went overboard in thanking me for being a loyal Marriott Bonvoy member during every interaction. It was the waiter, the hostess, the chef, the room attendant. And this was throughout my stay... breakfast, dinner etc... after the 2nd day... It just didn't feel or sound sincere anymore.
In regards to covid - all staff were wearing masks at all times. The resort did provide on-site pcr tests with results the following morning. The cost was $120USD plus tax.
Over-all I really enjoyed my stay, I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful villa. It was luxurious with stunning ocean views and sunsets. The only things I would improve would be to get the buffet running again even if it means guests wearing masks within the buffet area and that staff keep the loyalty acknowledgment limited to the front desk staff.
Having said that, I would definitely return.
Lots of marine life in and out of the ocean
Lush vegetation
View from villa deck
Sunset
Breakfast
Pool villa
Main resort pool
Evening
Sunset
Beach
I was welcomed at Male airport by Mahu who was very friendly and professional. He escorted me to The Westin Welcome Lounge and completed my check-in and saw me to my seaplane transfer. The seaplane flight was about 35 minutes.
When I arrived I was warmly greeted and provided a tour of the resort by golf cart. As a Titanium Marriott Member I was upgraded (without using SNA's) from a beach villa (lowest category room) to a heavenly over-water villa (107) with a pool located on the most outer edge of the resort. The villa was beautifully decorated with modern furniture and bathroom fixtures. My welcome gift was a bottle of Rose from Italy ($90 USD as listed on menu) and some sweets.
Everything in the villa was in excellent and working condition. The bed was very comfortable and the bathroom had the largest tub I've ever seen. The resort uses refillable ceramic toiletry bottles and they also use refillable glass bottles for drinking water instead of plastic. Both "green" initiatives are long overdue... wish more hotels would follow suit. There was also an orange juice press with oranges replenished daily and a Nespresso coffee pod machine. From the deck of my villa I could see there was A LOT of marine activity. I saw large pods of dolphins, jelly fish, colourful fish of various sizes. At night, I could see rapid streaks of light in the water which I was told are squid. I personally felt intimidated to jump in the water even though I can swim and have even dived and snorkelled in Great Barrier Reef.
The only downside to my villa was that it had a wrap around deck which means you could walk from the front door and around to the back. There is no gate or partition to stop someone from accessing your villa which is what happened on day 2. Someone decided to walk around and try and jump off my deck however when they saw me they quickly walked back.
Regarding F&B... I chose breakfast as my welcome amenity but after seeing the prices of entrees I upgraded to half-board for $80. For example spinach salad with boiled shrimp was $32 USD, braised chicken was $48 USD and tiramisu was $28. Sparkling and still water was provided with each meal. Food over-all was over-priced (as expected) but very good. Having said that, I thought the selection was somewhat limited. Buffets were not offered (due to covid) including at breakfast. I personally enjoy buffets because they offer variety and if you don't like something you can try something else. When ordering off the menu it can be hit or miss especially if it's something you haven't tried before. For example, on my first night I thought I'd try the Maldivian theme which was a tuna curry and some red cabbage salad.... NOPE. AWFUL. And I enjoy chicken and chick pea curry but tuna curry? Never again.
The resort did a very good job in retaining the lush vegetation and incorporating it in the design of the property. There was bright, beautiful, tropical flowers, large plants and fruit bearing trees. Mature palm trees with coconuts lined along the beach provided the backdrop for perfect, postcard photos.
The staff was very pleasant and friendly. My only "complaint" is I felt they really went overboard in thanking me for being a loyal Marriott Bonvoy member during every interaction. It was the waiter, the hostess, the chef, the room attendant. And this was throughout my stay... breakfast, dinner etc... after the 2nd day... It just didn't feel or sound sincere anymore.
In regards to covid - all staff were wearing masks at all times. The resort did provide on-site pcr tests with results the following morning. The cost was $120USD plus tax.
Over-all I really enjoyed my stay, I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful villa. It was luxurious with stunning ocean views and sunsets. The only things I would improve would be to get the buffet running again even if it means guests wearing masks within the buffet area and that staff keep the loyalty acknowledgment limited to the front desk staff.
Having said that, I would definitely return.
Lots of marine life in and out of the ocean
Lush vegetation
View from villa deck
Sunset
Breakfast
Pool villa
Main resort pool
Evening
Sunset
Beach
Last edited by imverge; Oct 23, 2021 at 2:13 pm
Oct 25, 2021, 1:02 am
#233
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: FLG
Programs: AA ExP, UA Platinum, Marriott Platinum, IHG PlatInum
Posts: 88
Thanks for your review and pictures. I have some questions, if you have the time to respond.
I have an 8-night award reservation for a stay with my wife in early December. At the time I made the reservation, I had Gold status with Marriott (due to my United Gold status). I knew I'd get enough stay nights to reach Gold the traditional way (and the Maldives stay would've push me to Platinum), but obviously that wouldn't have changed my status at arrival. I've since had enough additional stays to have already reached Platinum, and between the upcoming stay at the Westin, using the 5 elite nights from my choice benefit, and another stay after the Maldives, I will actually reach Titanium for the first time by the end of the year (but I will still be Platinum when I arrive at the Westin). I made the reservation early on, and was able to get a very nice cash+points rate for an overwater villa with pool. I really wanted an overwater villa, and given my Gold status at the time, I couldn't rely on an upgrade, December is within their high season (so an upgrade was unlikely anyway), and I didn't have any SNAs to use.
Wow, that's quite the upgrade!!! Titanium or not, they definitely wanted to make you happy!
I'm a light snorkeler, so your comments are making me leery about whether I should do it. So you didn't try it there at all?
After making the original reservation, I emailed the hotel and asked the prices for half/full board. They provided those and they also said they offered an all-inclusive option (they also sent copies of their menus). Since at the time I thought I'd be Gold at arrival, I went with the thought that I'd be paying for all meals, or I'd have to select one of their plans. We're not the type to order appetizers or desserts on a regular basis, and so after doing some math at the time, we decided to go the a la carte route. The fact that I'll now be platinum upon arrival will certainly make things less expensive given that I can choose breakfast as the welcome amenity. Were there any limitations as to what you could order off the breakfast menu? Was the $80 an adjusted price for half board because you selected breakfast as your amenity? The half board price they quoted me was $127; full board was $177 and all-inclusive was $277. I'll email them again to give my updated status to see if there's any changes to the prices as a result.
Did you participate in any of the activities they offer? Other than no buffets, what were some of the other COVID-related changes to their offerings? I'm hopeful that by early December they may change their buffet policy, since like you, I do like buffets.
Thanks again for your review.
I have an 8-night award reservation for a stay with my wife in early December. At the time I made the reservation, I had Gold status with Marriott (due to my United Gold status). I knew I'd get enough stay nights to reach Gold the traditional way (and the Maldives stay would've push me to Platinum), but obviously that wouldn't have changed my status at arrival. I've since had enough additional stays to have already reached Platinum, and between the upcoming stay at the Westin, using the 5 elite nights from my choice benefit, and another stay after the Maldives, I will actually reach Titanium for the first time by the end of the year (but I will still be Platinum when I arrive at the Westin). I made the reservation early on, and was able to get a very nice cash+points rate for an overwater villa with pool. I really wanted an overwater villa, and given my Gold status at the time, I couldn't rely on an upgrade, December is within their high season (so an upgrade was unlikely anyway), and I didn't have any SNAs to use.
When I arrived I was warmly greeted and provided a tour of the resort by golf cart. As a Titanium Marriott Member I was upgraded (without using SNA's) from a beach villa (lowest category room) to a heavenly over-water villa (107) with a pool located on the most outer edge of the resort. The villa was beautifully decorated with modern furniture and bathroom fixtures. My welcome gift was a bottle of Rose from Italy ($90 USD as listed on menu) and some sweets.
From the deck of my villa I could see there was A LOT of marine activity. I saw large pods of dolphins, jelly fish, colourful fish of various sizes. At night, I could see rapid streaks of light in the water which I was told are squid. I personally felt intimidated to jump in the water even though I can swim and have even dived and snorkelled in Great Barrier Reef.
Regarding F&B... I chose breakfast as my welcome amenity but after seeing the prices of entrees I upgraded to half-board for $80. For example spinach salad with boiled shrimp was $32 USD, braised chicken was $48 USD and tiramisu was $28. Sparkling and still water was provided with each meal. Food over-all was over-priced (as expected) but very good. Having said that, I thought the selection was somewhat limited. Buffets were not offered (due to covid) including at breakfast. I personally enjoy buffets because they offer variety and if you don't like something you can try something else. When ordering off the menu it can be hit or miss especially if it's something you haven't tried before. For example, on my first night I thought I'd try the Maldivian theme which was a tuna curry and some red cabbage salad.... NOPE. AWFUL. And I enjoy chicken and chick pea curry but tuna curry? Never again.
Did you participate in any of the activities they offer? Other than no buffets, what were some of the other COVID-related changes to their offerings? I'm hopeful that by early December they may change their buffet policy, since like you, I do like buffets.
Thanks again for your review.
Oct 25, 2021, 11:16 am
#234
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Toronto (YYZ)
Posts: 6,279
If you get a villa that is located more inward towards the resort you might have better luck But just as the weather can change on a dime in The Maldives so can the currents. BTW... The snorkelling gear was complimentary.
After making the original reservation, I emailed the hotel and asked the prices for half/full board. They provided those and they also said they offered an all-inclusive option (they also sent copies of their menus). Since at the time I thought I'd be Gold at arrival, I went with the thought that I'd be paying for all meals, or I'd have to select one of their plans. We're not the type to order appetizers or desserts on a regular basis, and so after doing some math at the time, we decided to go the a la carte route. The fact that I'll now be platinum upon arrival will certainly make things less expensive given that I can choose breakfast as the welcome amenity. Were there any limitations as to what you could order off the breakfast menu? Was the $80 an adjusted price for half board because you selected breakfast as your amenity? The half board price they quoted me was $127; full board was $177 and all-inclusive was $277. I'll email them again to give my updated status to see if there's any changes to the prices as a result.
Did you participate in any of the activities they offer? Other than no buffets, what were some of the other COVID-related changes to their offerings? I'm hopeful that by early December they may change their buffet policy, since like you, I do like buffets.
Thanks again for your review.
Thanks again for your review.
Other-than the buffet offering I didn't see any other changes that stood out. All the staff were wearing masks at all times both indoor and outdoor. Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip!
Oct 25, 2021, 2:17 pm
#235
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: SMF
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium, SPG LTP
Posts: 1,526
I imagine season affects swimmability from the OWVs. Ive seen YouTube videos of people swimming in calm seas there.. We were in 105 in June and swimming was a no-go from the room. It was usually pretty choppy. But...snorkeling off the beach behind the dive center was pretty solid and far calmer. I would just check in with the Dive center for guidance when you're there.
Also, if you have your own gear, I might consider bringing it. They have free stuff, but my snorkel took in a bunch of water when we we're out on a trip and caused me some drama. Had I brought my gear, I might have been able avoid that.
Also, if you have your own gear, I might consider bringing it. They have free stuff, but my snorkel took in a bunch of water when we we're out on a trip and caused me some drama. Had I brought my gear, I might have been able avoid that.
Oct 30, 2021, 11:23 am
#237
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: DOH, FRA, LHR
Posts: 3
Seaplane Transfer included in redemption rate?
Newbie question here: Just booked an 8 night cash+points redemption for a beach villa. I paid 720$ cash supplement and 1.182$ taxes and fees. I am wondering if these include the 500$ seaplane transfer? Unfortunately its not clear from the overviews. Anyone had a recent redemption experience?
And for anyone interested: “SNA cant be used towards this reservation”. Was really hoping for it.
And for anyone interested: “SNA cant be used towards this reservation”. Was really hoping for it.
Oct 30, 2021, 1:50 pm
#238
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Toronto (YYZ)
Posts: 6,279
Newbie question here: Just booked an 8 night cash+points redemption for a beach villa. I paid 720$ cash supplement and 1.182$ taxes and fees. I am wondering if these include the 500$ seaplane transfer? Unfortunately its not clear from the overviews. Anyone had a recent redemption experience?
And for anyone interested: “SNA cant be used towards this reservation”. Was really hoping for it.
And for anyone interested: “SNA cant be used towards this reservation”. Was really hoping for it.
Yes, the total for stay amount includes the seaplane transfer. I was able to attach SNA's which I didn't end up using in the end. I don't think SNA's can be applied to cash+points reservations.
Enjoy your stay!
Oct 30, 2021, 2:10 pm
#239
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 222
Newbie question here: Just booked an 8 night cash+points redemption for a beach villa. I paid 720$ cash supplement and 1.182$ taxes and fees. I am wondering if these include the 500$ seaplane transfer? Unfortunately its not clear from the overviews. Anyone had a recent redemption experience?
And for anyone interested: “SNA cant be used towards this reservation”. Was really hoping for it.
And for anyone interested: “SNA cant be used towards this reservation”. Was really hoping for it.
Nov 1, 2021, 2:27 am
#240
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: FLG
Programs: AA ExP, UA Platinum, Marriott Platinum, IHG PlatInum
Posts: 88
Thanks imverge and Sam P. Goodman for your replies.
I do have another question. The CDC page on the Maldives says that Chikungunya, Dengue, and Zika are are mosquito-borne illnesses of concern in the Maldives. Did you notice that many mosquitos on the premises of the Westin resort? Should we be bringing insect repellent supplies with us?
I do have another question. The CDC page on the Maldives says that Chikungunya, Dengue, and Zika are are mosquito-borne illnesses of concern in the Maldives. Did you notice that many mosquitos on the premises of the Westin resort? Should we be bringing insect repellent supplies with us?