Dec 7, 2018, 8:29 am
Last edit by: razflyer
Post #515 is an EXTENSIVE review w/ pics. Link
Food menus: Kitchen, In-Room Dining, Fire, Fish
Prices may change (sometimes substantially) so not necessarily up to date.
Excursions and activities pricing
Food menus: Kitchen, In-Room Dining, Fire, Fish
Prices may change (sometimes substantially) so not necessarily up to date.
Excursions and activities pricing
W Maldives [Master Thread]
May 6, 2015, 1:10 pm
#226
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: SF
Programs: UA MM, AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTP, HH Dia
Posts: 1,132
For a honeymoon, W wins hands down over the Conrad in my opinion... though I haven't been there in 4 years (which was also my honeymoon). My comments/experiences are already upthread...
May 6, 2015, 2:21 pm
#227
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: FL
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Plat, IC Plat Amb, HH Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,299
Was there for 6 nights for my honeymoon in March.
Budget between $50-$100/night per person for food. Private dinners are more. (Kitchen is on the $50 end, Fish on the $100 end). Kitchen was fine, but not very fun (ate there 1 night)... best part of kitchen is they have tables where you can put your feet in the water... though it's just pool water. For some reason, everyone was doing it when we were there. The menu is eclectic... you can get pizza, steak, fish, indian, thai curry, etc.
We ate 1 night at Fish, which was very tasty, though that was a little formal and quiet for our tastes. The bar at Fish, Sip, is a lot of fun during Sunset though... great views, fun music, and the staff there were our favorites.
Fire was our favorite restaurant hands down (3 nights there)... kind of buffet style, except you get to choose your meats, noodles, veggies, sauces, etc, and they grill/stir fry them up for you. I can't remember for sure, but I think it was between $70-85/night, depending on the theme. The tables are all out on the sand, which made it a lot of fun, though you need to call early if you want one in the first few rows by the beach. It's also not open every night, and we (I believe) were in the middle of their high season, so I don't expect that to change.
We also grilled on our deck one night, and that was pretty cool... didn't think the food tasted quite as good (possibly my Maldivian grilling prowess is lacking), but it's cool to be able to make your own meal at your own leisure.
No clue... we didn't book a package deal. But they were extremely stingy with Starpoints when we went (which I thought was a little weak, given the amount of money most guests must spend)... only restaurants, minibar, and hotel room were eligible... no points for Spa/Excursions/Diving/Seaplane.
No love for us there. We booked an Ocean Oasis with an Ocean view... got an Ocean Oasis with an Ocean view. Was hoping for a Lagoon view upgrade. Quickly denied at check-in. Lagoon view turns out to be a lot less private, as you're on the lagoon with snorkelers, windsurfers, kayakers, etc... but it's significantly less windy that the ones that face away from the island.
The nightclub is very quiet, but there were live DJ's each night... we went a couple of nights... the first night, a loud group of Russians (there were a lot there during our trip) was ordering bottles and dancing. The second night, it was just my wife and me. We never stayed past midnight, but I can't imagine it went off later. Definitely nobody from other islands. It's not open every night, but they had events on the Fire beach each night that it was closed, including a progressive shot night once, which was pretty amusing. One of the cool things about the resort is that if you open and don't finish a bottle of wine anywhere in the resort, they'll re-cork and re-cellar it for you until you call upon it later... so if you drink half a bottle (or a bottle and a half) with dinner, you can send the balance to 15 Below, the beach, your room, or dinner the next night. Makes ordering glasses a pretty boring and sub-optimal choice.
Holiday Inn is probably the nicest in Male... we never stayed there, but visited their roofdeck 2 years ago, and it was fine. I'm not a huge fan of Male at all, and have stayed at both the Hulhule and the Sheraton for a night each... between the 2, the Sheraton wins... no contest.
You won't get a lot of recognition, so I'd say that if your package is a great deal (no idea what kind of rate you have), relative to what you can get on SPG.com, go for it.
Budget between $50-$100/night per person for food. Private dinners are more. (Kitchen is on the $50 end, Fish on the $100 end). Kitchen was fine, but not very fun (ate there 1 night)... best part of kitchen is they have tables where you can put your feet in the water... though it's just pool water. For some reason, everyone was doing it when we were there. The menu is eclectic... you can get pizza, steak, fish, indian, thai curry, etc.
We ate 1 night at Fish, which was very tasty, though that was a little formal and quiet for our tastes. The bar at Fish, Sip, is a lot of fun during Sunset though... great views, fun music, and the staff there were our favorites.
Fire was our favorite restaurant hands down (3 nights there)... kind of buffet style, except you get to choose your meats, noodles, veggies, sauces, etc, and they grill/stir fry them up for you. I can't remember for sure, but I think it was between $70-85/night, depending on the theme. The tables are all out on the sand, which made it a lot of fun, though you need to call early if you want one in the first few rows by the beach. It's also not open every night, and we (I believe) were in the middle of their high season, so I don't expect that to change.
We also grilled on our deck one night, and that was pretty cool... didn't think the food tasted quite as good (possibly my Maldivian grilling prowess is lacking), but it's cool to be able to make your own meal at your own leisure.
No clue... we didn't book a package deal. But they were extremely stingy with Starpoints when we went (which I thought was a little weak, given the amount of money most guests must spend)... only restaurants, minibar, and hotel room were eligible... no points for Spa/Excursions/Diving/Seaplane.
No love for us there. We booked an Ocean Oasis with an Ocean view... got an Ocean Oasis with an Ocean view. Was hoping for a Lagoon view upgrade. Quickly denied at check-in. Lagoon view turns out to be a lot less private, as you're on the lagoon with snorkelers, windsurfers, kayakers, etc... but it's significantly less windy that the ones that face away from the island.
The nightclub is very quiet, but there were live DJ's each night... we went a couple of nights... the first night, a loud group of Russians (there were a lot there during our trip) was ordering bottles and dancing. The second night, it was just my wife and me. We never stayed past midnight, but I can't imagine it went off later. Definitely nobody from other islands. It's not open every night, but they had events on the Fire beach each night that it was closed, including a progressive shot night once, which was pretty amusing. One of the cool things about the resort is that if you open and don't finish a bottle of wine anywhere in the resort, they'll re-cork and re-cellar it for you until you call upon it later... so if you drink half a bottle (or a bottle and a half) with dinner, you can send the balance to 15 Below, the beach, your room, or dinner the next night. Makes ordering glasses a pretty boring and sub-optimal choice.
Holiday Inn is probably the nicest in Male... we never stayed there, but visited their roofdeck 2 years ago, and it was fine. I'm not a huge fan of Male at all, and have stayed at both the Hulhule and the Sheraton for a night each... between the 2, the Sheraton wins... no contest.
You won't get a lot of recognition, so I'd say that if your package is a great deal (no idea what kind of rate you have), relative to what you can get on SPG.com, go for it.
I have a couple of questions:
How was the weather in March? I am also going in March
How far is it from the Conrad? Is it worth it to go to the underwater restaurant in the Conrad? (my future wife will love it)
May 6, 2015, 5:42 pm
#228
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: SF
Programs: UA MM, AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTP, HH Dia
Posts: 1,132
ps9a thank you for your excellent review! I am leaning towards W retreat...
I have a couple of questions:
How was the weather in March? I am also going in March
How far is it from the Conrad? Is it worth it to go to the underwater restaurant in the Conrad? (my future wife will love it)
I have a couple of questions:
How was the weather in March? I am also going in March
How far is it from the Conrad? Is it worth it to go to the underwater restaurant in the Conrad? (my future wife will love it)
We've stayed at the Conrad 3x... really enjoy it there-- it's a lot larger, and caters to both couples and families. The W caters to couples-- IIRC, kids aren't allowed. If I were going back with only my wife (we have a newborn now), AND the room cost were the same (we used points at the Conrad each time vs paid rate at the W), I would stay at the W in a heartbeat-- better vibe, and the fact that there aren't many people redeeming points there means that they don't try to nickel and dime you while there.
May 6, 2015, 9:45 pm
#229
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: KSA
Programs: Marriott AMB, Skywards Gold
Posts: 3,737
ps9a thank you for your excellent review! I am leaning towards W retreat...
I have a couple of questions:
How was the weather in March? I am also going in March
How far is it from the Conrad? Is it worth it to go to the underwater restaurant in the Conrad? (my future wife will love it)
I have a couple of questions:
How was the weather in March? I am also going in March
How far is it from the Conrad? Is it worth it to go to the underwater restaurant in the Conrad? (my future wife will love it)
May 7, 2015, 6:22 am
#230
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: A few
Posts: 5,499
If you don't care about the cost in points then the W I would say is the more exclusive option (if you think 1 SPG point is equal in value to 1 Hilton point, well boy have I got a lot of Hilton points to swap with you 
)
March is peak season... as noted above the peak weather is January - March where you can expect calm waters and lots of sunshine. Of course individual experiences may vary
(We had 10 days of glorious basking sunshine in the middle of June)
It is not really possible to just "pop over" to the Conrad for dinner from the W or any other resort for that matter. They are quite far apart and the only way to transfer would be by boat. I mean if money really is no object you might be able to charter a private speedboat transfer there and back.
Maybe do a few nights at both?
)March is peak season... as noted above the peak weather is January - March where you can expect calm waters and lots of sunshine. Of course individual experiences may vary
(We had 10 days of glorious basking sunshine in the middle of June)It is not really possible to just "pop over" to the Conrad for dinner from the W or any other resort for that matter. They are quite far apart and the only way to transfer would be by boat. I mean if money really is no object you might be able to charter a private speedboat transfer there and back.
Maybe do a few nights at both?
May 7, 2015, 11:28 am
#231
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: FL
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Plat, IC Plat Amb, HH Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,299
Thank you all so much for your help! So far I have booked: 6 nights at park hyatt on points, 4 nights at W paid with money, 3 nights at the conrad on points.
Oh boy the W on water is really expensive... thank God for the citi prestige 4th night free...
Oh boy the W on water is really expensive... thank God for the citi prestige 4th night free...
May 8, 2015, 9:56 pm
#233
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: ECP
Programs: DL Diamond
Posts: 1,658
-Do 4 nights at the Park Hyatt in AUH/DXB on your Hyatt points (PH AUH is a very nice property... can't speak to DXB)
-Do 6 nights at W MLE on cash
May 8, 2015, 11:02 pm
#234
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: FL
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Plat, IC Plat Amb, HH Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,299
Don't waste your time with the Conrad--particularly for 3 days. They treat redemption guests as decidedly second/third class while waiting hand and foot on the other guests... at least that was our experience.
Yeah... between the seaplane costs, and what you'll spend at the PH and Conrad in nickel and dime upcharges and ridiculously overpriced food you could probably:
-Do 4 nights at the Park Hyatt in AUH/DXB on your Hyatt points (PH AUH is a very nice property... can't speak to DXB)
-Do 6 nights at W MLE on cash
Yeah... between the seaplane costs, and what you'll spend at the PH and Conrad in nickel and dime upcharges and ridiculously overpriced food you could probably:
-Do 4 nights at the Park Hyatt in AUH/DXB on your Hyatt points (PH AUH is a very nice property... can't speak to DXB)
-Do 6 nights at W MLE on cash
Oct 24, 2015, 10:27 am
#237
Moderator, El Al and Marriott Bonvoy, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: SIN
Programs: SQ*G, Mar LTT, Hyatt Glb, AA LTG, LY, HH, IC, BA, DL, UA SLV
Posts: 12,018
Heading to the W in two weeks. Arriving from Singapore very late so we will overnight at the Sheraton. A few questions which I haven't seen answered:
Considering the half-board option for around $140. Being a PLT I have the option to use the amenity for breakfast and considering doing the BBQ in the room one evening. Anyone know if the BBQ is included in the half-board? If not, how much is the BBQ?
Currently booked into the Wonderful Beach Oasis for 3 nights. The room looks pretty cool with the upper deck. It also looks pretty private which is nice. But being in the Maldives we should spend some time over the water I guess. Is there any privacy in the OTW rooms?
Lastly, our flight out of MLE is at 11:30PM. What is the latest the seaplane will transfer us to MLE? How are they at honoring late check-out? What would we do for all these hours between arriving back at MLE with the seaplane and the late flight out?
Considering the half-board option for around $140. Being a PLT I have the option to use the amenity for breakfast and considering doing the BBQ in the room one evening. Anyone know if the BBQ is included in the half-board? If not, how much is the BBQ?
Currently booked into the Wonderful Beach Oasis for 3 nights. The room looks pretty cool with the upper deck. It also looks pretty private which is nice. But being in the Maldives we should spend some time over the water I guess. Is there any privacy in the OTW rooms?
Lastly, our flight out of MLE is at 11:30PM. What is the latest the seaplane will transfer us to MLE? How are they at honoring late check-out? What would we do for all these hours between arriving back at MLE with the seaplane and the late flight out?
Oct 26, 2015, 10:09 pm
#238
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: YVR - Vancouver, with most winter weekends in Whistler.
Programs: Aeroplan 35K, Alaska MVP, Marriott Titanium / Lifetime Platinum, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 4,609
I can't speak for the hotel transfer details, but I can comment on Male.
If you happen to have a few hours on Male, you can opt for the Trader's Bar at the Hululue Hotel - a favourite of the air crew stay overs and everybody else looking for an alcoholic drink in Male. It's the only place to my knowledge that is actually licenced to serve alcohol in the capital area. It's a 5-7 minute walk or take the free shuttle. The bell staff were a bit stuffy when we arrived with bags solely looking for a drink at the bar (check your bags at the airport if you can).
If you're feeling adventurous, you can take the ferry over to Male city. i personally find this a most fascinating place. It's probably the only place in the Maldives where you can actually visit and be on the same level as Maldivians. My last visit was during the daytime, so I can't say how busy it would be at night if you were to arrive at 7 PM. It was very safe and interesting to visit.
If you happen to have a few hours on Male, you can opt for the Trader's Bar at the Hululue Hotel - a favourite of the air crew stay overs and everybody else looking for an alcoholic drink in Male. It's the only place to my knowledge that is actually licenced to serve alcohol in the capital area. It's a 5-7 minute walk or take the free shuttle. The bell staff were a bit stuffy when we arrived with bags solely looking for a drink at the bar (check your bags at the airport if you can).
If you're feeling adventurous, you can take the ferry over to Male city. i personally find this a most fascinating place. It's probably the only place in the Maldives where you can actually visit and be on the same level as Maldivians. My last visit was during the daytime, so I can't say how busy it would be at night if you were to arrive at 7 PM. It was very safe and interesting to visit.