mb123

All the Resorts with seaplane transfer have a policy like this:
In rare instances, due to circumstances beyond the control of TMA and/or Hotel Resort , such as unfavourable weather conditions, the seaplane may depart earlier or later than scheduled to/from Hotel, in which case, neither TMA nor Hotel assume liability for any related expenses incurred by guests.

PbodyPhoto

No one is debating that. It seems apparent that there was serious failures on behalf of the hotel and this wasn't simply a case of "Bad weather, no seaplane, tough luck"

AC777300

I was at this resort at the end of October and I hope this helps some of the more seasoned Maldives travelers make a decision if this resort is worth trying.

Before flying to Male, I had multiple emails sent to the hotel about confirming my arrival and flight info. When landing at MLE and finding the guy with the Le Meridien sign, they had no record of my arrival and it took about an hour to try to find a seaplane flight they could squeeze my wife and I on. We ended up waiting in the shared lounge for another 3 hours. The seaplane had to stop at another resort beforehand too. Not a great start…

The check in process after landing by seaplane is strange. The whole process should have been done at MLE but instead they force you to check in at the lobby after a grueling trip (coming from SFO) when the first thing you want to do is have a nice shower. Le Meridien Maldives is not Marriott Bonvoy elite friendly. 50% occupancy, no complimentary upgrade due to availability. I found it strange that even if I wanted to do a cash upgrade, they were unwilling stating no availability. I checked cash rates for that night and my entire stay and I could book at least 4 rooms of the type I wanted. (I swam by the room types I asked for throughout my stay and they were left empty)

The check in staff were relatively pushy with the all inclusive food plans and told me I won’t have free breakfast even though I am Ambassador Elite. I had to push back on this because it is something Platinum Elite and up are entitled to. Again, after multiple flights including a grueling multi stop seaplane flight this is the last thing I needed.

The overwater villa is a decent size but the paint scheme is off putting. Lounge chairs are barebones. The bathroom is very nicely styled with ample space. The villas are not as luxurious as other higher end properties in the Maldives obviously. The lagoon is large with shallow turquoise blue water. It is very photogenic but literally no fish in the lagoon near the OWV. I saw maybe 1 fish the entire 2 weeks I was there.

The beach villas are horrible and I would advise staying in one if possible. I booked the beach villa because I was staying relatively long and wanted to see how it compared. The layout is horrendous. My beach villa has a major problem with lizards inside the room and in the outdoor bathroom/shower area. Beach chairs and umbrella was missing from my beach villa. When I asked the staff about helping me remove the lizards from inside the villa because my wife was terrified, I was ignored. I would have done it myself but I can’t reach some parts of the walls. There were at least 3 of them inside near the sleeping area and at least 2 in the shower.

BOTH villas throughout my stay LOST POWER multiple times. It lasts maybe 1-2 hours at a time. No running water, lights, air conditioning when this happens. You can’t even call the guest services using the phone to ask what is going on.

The entire service concept of Le Meridien Maldives is not up to snuff if you have been to the Maldives before and stayed at relatively higher end properties. First of all, you do not get a personal butler/designated staff member to help you throughout your stay. Because of this, no one remembers your name, your room number, what your preferences are. At other resorts, the small touches like knowing how you take your coffee in the morning at breakfast makes you feel like a king. There is none of that here.

Another example would be the diving center gear you can rent for free. Most of the other resorts would have this gear in your room once you check in ready to go. Here at Le Meridien Maldives you need to walk to the diving center to pick it up yourself and carry all of it back to your room. When you check out you need to carry it all the way back as well. If you try and drop it off at the front check in lobby, even though they are next to the diving center separated by a jetty walk-way, they will refuse to return it for you.

The food at most restaurants was average and overpriced in my opinion. The Japanese restaurant is probably the best restaurant on the island 100% and the staff there are great. I wish I ate there exclusively since the beginning instead. All of the restaurants like Turquiose, Veela, etc with an outdoor setting had a lot of house fly issues. I saw some staff using fly swatters to kill flies as other guests are eating nearby.

I guess I am just disappointed by this property mainly because I asked the GM himself how Le Meridien Maldives is positioning themselves in this relatively saturated market and he told me LUXURY. They are going for luxury. This resort is not that at all. It is good for 1st timers to Maldives but if you’ve had a taste of what else the Maldives has to offer you will truly be disappointed.

AC777300

There were 2 more crazy incidents at Le Meridien Maldives that happened to my wife and I and both were rectified but very much underscores why I can’t recommend this property. But those 2 stories are for another time if people aren’t bored of my rant(s) yet.

phasher99

Please do tell. I agree with most of your statements 100%. That reminded me of the fly swatting incident I saw as well, haha. Luckily for a few of your points such as upgrade (I was upgraded), and returning the snorkeling gear (They told me I had to return it 4 hours before departure at the dive center, but when I called reception they told me I can just hand it off to the buggy driver when they picked up the luggage, which I did), they seem to have improved slightly. Oh and we did lose power at one point as well but it only lasted maybe 15 minutes.

As for prior posts in reply to my experience - I agree, weather happens. But I don't think the hotel handled the situation well at all.

mb123

What should the hotel have done better?
The previous departure time was 3.30, then they got an delay message with the estimated departure time at 4.40 pm. Finally seaplane arrived at 5pm, couldn’t land due to heavy winds directly at the hotel. Therefore had to land at the platform and the people had to be transported by boat to this platform, which took about 15min according to the information given in this thread.
About 20 pax on the boat but only 15 seats in the seaplane. Also the decision, which passenger is in which plane isn’t made by the hotel. Pilots have their passenger list, which they get from TMA.
The sunset is at 5.30pm and at 6 pm it is completely dark.
The seaplane needs 40 min to Male, I don’t know if there were passengers from another hotel at the 2nd seaplane, but it is very likely.
So the pilots of the 2nd seaplane made the decision to leave without the 5 LM guests to make it in time to Male.
This was also completely out of the Hotels control.

Offering a discounted rate and free dinner, in the end even free accommodation, , was more than most other hotels would have done.

Majuki

From the OP's story, the communication was poor, and there was a clear lack of coordination between the hotel and TMA. I get that TMA would have a passenger manifest and the pilots would have to make a go/no go call, but it wasn't explained why OP and the other guests were brought out to the remote platform if they were not getting on that plane. Something doesn't add up on the hotel's side. The GM made himself scarce and the hotel trying to claim force majeure after what seemed like a completely disorganized and haphazard attempted departure leads me to believe the matter was to a degree within the hotel's control.

Let's be honest. The appeal of this resort is the sweet spot of being a category 5 Marriott property in the Maldives. I don't think anymore expects a St Regis, Waldorf Astoria, or Conrad level of service, but there are baseline standards. Things like unreliable electricity and water for hours at a time are unacceptable for a resort at this location. Yes, there will be teething issues as things get going, but this resort has now been open for two months. They've had time to get these things worked out.

Kacee

Agree. OP's story was credible on its own, and the subsequent post reporting a host of problems at this property, including poor coordination of transport, further supports the conclusion that the property bears a significant share of responsibility for OP missing the flight. Certainly enough that the property should have gone into service recovery mode, not "let's play hardball" mode.

If it was just weather leading to a grounding of the float plane, that would obviously be a different story.

ALGU

A botched seaplane transfer with poor service recovery tends to be a uniform DP on FT across the MLE properties and not unique to the LM. Conrad MLE sometimes forgets to send a prearrival email to facilitate resort transfers. Hell, even the IC Thalasso butchered my airport boat transfer. In this case, the LM definitely shares some responsibility for the delay and should have done better on service recovery. TMA does too, but the LM bares the entirety of service recovery. My frustration is that TMA in it’s monopoly faces little to any repercussions during operational and schedule failures, and they sure take advantage of it.



That’s quite a standard. Not sure many, if not most, of the points properties in MLE have actually navigated teething issues within two months.

I’ve had this exact conversation with the GM, but he gave a much different answer. He’s actually worked in banded management at Ritz and StR (not in MLE) and made it clear the distinction between the LM (upscale) and the properties Marriott IDs at luxury (StR, W, Ritz, JW). This is especially clear with hardware and amenities, so he centered more on how the LM differs from the Westin and the Sheraton (locations, brand focus/standards, etc.).

You make valid points, but many of the issues you’ve highlighted sometimes occur at more premium properties in MLE and BOB: Inconsistent upgrades, staff not remembering name/room/preferences, picking up/returning snorkel gear at dive center, overpriced food. Tbh, I don’t think I’ve ever got to skip the check in experience in the lobby in any of my stays.

I’ve had power fluctuations but never more than a few minutes, if it’s hitting hours that’s completely unacceptable. Hopefully, others who have encountered similar can report. Meal plans are all over the place, but it’s my first time hearing an obstacle on breakfast benefit.

AC777300

Removing most of my negative comments about this resort. As bad as my experience was, I don’t think it is worth sharing such that people don’t try this resort. The staff there all have families to support and I don’t want to anyway contribute to them not having a job.

freedom2020

Is it better to schedule seaplane flights in the morning? I guess weather is generally better and less chances of accumulative delays? Seem like seaplane transfer is not necessarily a time-saver or nicer experience except for the view.

mb123

Even if most bloggers promoted the LM as the most underrated, sweetest spot, insanest deal in the Maldives, the hotel is , what it is supposed to be.
No high end luxury, but a lifestyle brand, positioned pricewise between the Sheraton and the Westin Maldives.
The hotel will mainly focus on the Indian market, Nilesh, the GM just returned end of oct. from a several week long trip to India, to promote the hotel to the Indian travel industry.
Also the owners from Singapore will focus on the Asian market. May be that´s the reason for the strange color concept.

Last week we returned from a 10 days stay, as I wrote before, booked 3 rooms on points, were given free breakfast for all three rooms (2x Platinum, 3rd room of courtesy).
Also got the same contradictory information before arrival regarding the meal plan costs . On arrival we were offered the 30$ rebated price list.
Regarding the final F+B bill, LM was the cheapest Maldives hotel we ever stayed. Been to the Maldives 20x in the last 10 years. Stayed before at the following chain hotels on points :the former Hilton Irufushi, Conrad Rangali, Park Hyatt, St. Regis, WA Maldives and other non chain or smaller chain hotels like the Taj Exotica, Hurawalhi.
The 52$ ++ suplement for halfboard is more than fair. E.g. you could order a35$++ starter, 70$++ main and a 20$++ dessert a la carte. Usually I don´t like buffet dinner, but special themed Halloween and Diwali buffets were great and included in halfboard.
Also the free still/sparkling island water during dinner was to nice to have.

We were a group of six, even if we decided to order a la carte at Turquoise, we were offered to get some food from the buffet or when eating from the buffet, we could also get a big bowl of the a la carte Wagyo Udon or butter chicken to share.
Was also possible to get some food that was on the regular menu and not on the halfboard menu or order some grilled prawns at Turquoise, which were on the Velaa menu.

From the first day, we got our favorite table for breakfast (coverd outdoor area, with feet in the sand,), only been asked once for room numbers, staff knew our names, our water preferences , coffee preferences.
Was no problem to get some off menu items like avocado, indian specials, mango, passionfruit...

Also some special requests we made during checkin like sparkling house water in the room, daily refilled icebox were no problem.

The things I didn´t like will follow in the next post...

AC777300

I didn’t mention this before but buggy service is abysmal. Since there are no bicycles at this resort if you are staying in an OWV you’ll have a long walk in the heat or request buggy service.

There seems to be only 2-3 buggies in service for the entire island. You’ll need to call to request one and the shortest I’ve waited was 10 minutes and longest being 30 minutes. Make sure you call well ahead. This is the first Maldives resort I’ve gone to without bicycles. Huge oversight.

The paths to walk and for buggies are extremely narrow. 2 buggies going in opposite directions can barely fit on the narrow path. On several occasions parked housekeeping buggies will cause a traffic jam because they aren’t pulled completely off to the side. My wife and I also got the occasional tree branch in the face because the buggy had to pull so far to either side to squeeze by.

Buggies will also occasionally run very close to those walking so my suggestion is to be very aware of walking as buggies fly by really close if you are walking.

KRUXED

The things I didn´t like will follow in the next post...[/QUOTE]

another cliffhanger

mb123

Although we enjoyed our stay, there are some reasons, why we probably won´t return.
In terms of price 35K points or less than 225$ if you buy the points ( 45% bonus and 5for4) it´s a good deal, but it is definitely no luxury hotel.

Begins on arrival, whereas more upscale hotels use suvs or cars to take you to the seaplane terminal, LM uses the shared TMA buses, which resulted in a long wait, for the last guests, probably sitting in the last row of our QR flight
LM uses the TMA VIP lounge, even worse than the Conrad Lounge. The shared ( with other lounges) shower/bathroom facilities are disgusting.
After opening of the new seaplane terminal/lounges, this will be better.

First impression on arrival at the island, construction of the guest villas look very cheap, more like 3 star property in Thailand.
There is not much space between the water villas, villas are only a few steps away from the jetty, so you can hear the passing buggies in your room, on your terrace.
None of the water villas have an umbrella, sunbeds are non adjustable, you can only use them in a sitting position , cannot lay down. No cushion for the sunbeds.
Beach villas have umbrellas, but they will drop , if there is a little more wind.

Had some rainy/cloudy days and it was very boring at the resort, no tennis court, nothing like table tennis, pool table....
Announced activities like Beach Volleyball or Beach Scoccer never happened.
I am used from other hotels, if there are not enough guests, some of the staff will join.
Snorkeling is just ok, i think best place is at House Reef , near the arrival jetty/ Divecenter.

During some rain, wanted to try the SmartTV/ Netflix, Amazon , didn´t work, all our room got a "there is no network connection " message.
Water sports provider is one of the few in Maldives that charge for nonmotorized activities like Windsurfing or Hobie Cat Sailing.

IMHO the value for money, especially 65$ Halfboard supplement was exceptional, on the other hand, they run out of too many things:
e.g. Beef tournedos with foie gras and grilled bone marrow was just a grilled steak, on request was told, that they made a big portion of beef , as the run out of the other things, Tuna Tatar came without the Sea Urchin Espuma, Mozarella Cheese instead of Burrata....

Very strange, the bar closes at 8pm, there is a DJ once a week and the bar closes later, but there are no information about it. One night , after dinner we coincidentally realized, that the bar is open and a DJ was performing.
But there were no guests at all, because noone knew about it.
As the bar usualy closes at 8pm, you have a lot of Allinclusive guests, having their afterdinner drinks in the restaurants. Pushing them towards the bar, would result in nicer athmosphere.