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W Maldives [Master Thread]

Old Mar 8, 2009, 3:48 pm
  #76  
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Originally Posted by SanDiego1K
I'm a huge fan of Starwood, but I have to say that for this one specific location, Hilton trumps Starwood. Hilton has a beautiful property in the Maldives that is only 40K points per night or 125K points for an AMEX award for 4 nights. (I equate that to roughly 15K SPG points for one night or 45K for 4 nights.) It's one of Hilton's top redemption values in the world. And because it is, there are many of us who have figured out flights to get to this distant (for Americans, not so much for Europeans or Australians) part of the world.
FYI, W Maldives redemption cost is as follows:

Beach Oasis (Suite Catgeory 3): 90K SPG points per night

Ocean Oasis (Suite Category 4): 120K SPG points per night

Breakfast is included in the redemption however, as it is a benefit for all guests. Please note Beach Oasis is the most basic room type at this property and 90K Starpoints is the minimum redemption level.

That said, I don't think Conard Maldives is comparable to W Maldives. I have been to the Conrad on HHonors award and wasn't terribly impressed, especially the service level. As for room vs. room, I get the impression that W Maldives is easily superior to Conrad Maldives. Keep in mind my stay at the Conrad was at a Deluxe Spa Water Villa, a pretty big OWV but if I have to compare to the pictures of different "Oasis" at the W Maldives, I hate to say it isn't comparable. On a scale of 1 to 10 for Luxury properties, I'd give Conrad a 6. Since I have not been to the W Maldives yet and it's hard to judge based on just pictures, my impression is the W will get at least a 8 or 9. In other words, the W is definitely superior. As far as service is concerned, service at Conrad just wasn't good and it felt like you were under communist surveillance all the time - one of the reasons, I won't go back. In Male, our tour guide told us that most of his clients think the service at the W is better [than Conrad]. My question to him was simply which other properties does he think are superior to Conrad and his reply was Four Seasons and W Maldives and that was his explanation about why W is better. I have to say even though I have never been to the W Maldives, it's not hard to imagine why.

I won't be returning to Maldives anytime soon since I have Easter Island, re-visit of French Polynesia (Bora Bora and others) and New Zealand planned. However, I know I am not going back to Conrad so it will be W Maldives next time. In terms of value of points, hands down, Conrad is far more economical (GLON 175K HH VIP award for 6 nights). But you have to ask yourself, whether the two properties are interchangeable and the answer is likely a no. But don't let the inflated award redemption level fools you, there are ways around that (and no, I am NOT talking about the 5th night off redemption). It's still expensive though but much more reasonable.
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Old Mar 9, 2009, 5:44 am
  #77  
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
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Originally Posted by tfung
They price it by ingredients, but some stuff like tomatoes, corn, and potatos are free... there are some items that are not shown on the bbq menu, but you can order as well, like chicken wings, sausages, etc...
Excellent, thanks for the info tfung. Appreciated. I'm looking forward to having a little cookout
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Old Mar 9, 2009, 7:21 am
  #78  
 
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Originally Posted by Guava
FYI, W Maldives redemption cost is as follows:

Beach Oasis (Suite Catgeory 3): 90K SPG points per night

Ocean Oasis (Suite Category 4): 120K SPG points per night

Breakfast is included in the redemption however, as it is a benefit for all guests. Please note Beach Oasis is the most basic room type at this property and 90K Starpoints is the minimum redemption level.

Thanks for this info, I am going to Male in Sept/Oct for a dive trip and have 4-5 days on land was thinking of using some points for the W but not at that rate. This has got to win the award for World's Worst Redemption Value, EVER! not sure if that was the plan, why not just pull out of *wood at that point. I am getting a rate of $637 for a beach oasis and $935 for Ocean Oasis, which puts that at $0.007 per point. Wow, just wow.
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Old Mar 9, 2009, 9:22 am
  #79  
 
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Originally Posted by BobbySteel
Excellent, thanks for the info tfung. Appreciated. I'm looking forward to having a little cookout
yeah.. it's a fun experience.. and I highly recommend it, especially if you are staying more than 3 or 4 nights... its something different from eating at the restaurants all the time....
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Old Mar 9, 2009, 2:22 pm
  #80  
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Originally Posted by ryan182
Thanks for this info, I am going to Male in Sept/Oct for a dive trip and have 4-5 days on land was thinking of using some points for the W but not at that rate. This has got to win the award for World's Worst Redemption Value, EVER! not sure if that was the plan, why not just pull out of *wood at that point. I am getting a rate of $637 for a beach oasis and $935 for Ocean Oasis, which puts that at $0.007 per point. Wow, just wow.
Paying for the rooms using cash may not be such a bad idea after all. On Tripadvisor, most people think the W is very expensive but well worth the money. I am glad when I went to Conrad Maldives, it wasn't for honeymoon or anything like that. If I were to return to Maldives for honeymoon, the price of W seems like a small price to pay for a trully memorable experience.
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Old Mar 9, 2009, 5:52 pm
  #81  
 
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There are SET codes to get the price down a bit. Have a look around
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Old Mar 9, 2009, 8:16 pm
  #82  
 
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Originally Posted by BobbySteel
There are SET codes to get the price down a bit. Have a look around
Try 253568..

Although with the economy the way it is, I have noticed that a lot of the special offer packages are better priced than SET code discounts when staying for more than a few nights..
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Old Mar 10, 2009, 6:02 am
  #83  
 
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Originally Posted by BobbySteel
There are SET codes to get the price down a bit. Have a look around
should have mentioned I guess the $637 and $935 prices were with my SET code but still.
Originally Posted by travelbear
Try 253568..

Although with the economy the way it is, I have noticed that a lot of the special offer packages are better priced than SET code discounts when staying for more than a few nights..
Mines better, I get $675 with 253568 and $637 on my SET But you are correct the economy has made AAA rates in NYC lower than the rates I get on my SET account (until July I hope at least)
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Old Mar 21, 2009, 10:51 pm
  #84  
 
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Originally Posted by ryan182
should have mentioned I guess the $637 and $935 prices were with my SET code but still.


Mines better, I get $675 with 253568 and $637 on my SET But you are correct the economy has made AAA rates in NYC lower than the rates I get on my SET account (until July I hope at least)


Hi, ryan182.

Would you mind give me your set code? As it might be 15% discount from best available rate at W now.

Mine is $750, $1,100 with $100 credit per day.

Thanks
(^^)
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Old Mar 22, 2009, 1:19 pm
  #85  
 
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Originally Posted by Teenoynoy
Hi, ryan182.

Would you mind give me your set code? As it might be 15% discount from best available rate at W now.

Mine is $750, $1,100 with $100 credit per day.

Thanks
(^^)

Sorry Teenoynoy, it is against SPG policies to use someone else's SET. Also, what if they ID you? Just use your own, or, if you don't have one, search theinternet for legit deals.
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Old Mar 29, 2009, 10:32 pm
  #86  
 
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Originally Posted by PCTraveler
What is the currency used in the Maldives? I don't imagine there's too much cash changing hands (mostly credit cards, I assume), but is it US $?
you'll like the place, I've a gut feeling
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Old Mar 30, 2009, 2:41 pm
  #87  
 
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Update from recent stay

Got back a few days ago from a delightful stay at this property for 4 days, as part of a journey around the subcontinent.

My partner and I flew in from Bangalore since we could maximize our time on Oneworld airlines this way. We took the Indian Airways flight from BLR after a ~6 hour layover in the (shockingly nice) new Bangalore airport. After a few hours reading the paper pre-security, we hopped our flight to Male.

Once landed, we were met by the W rep and driven in a special W van to the other side of the airport island. We were brought into the W cabana there and waited about an hour until our seaplane was ready, via Maldivian Air Taxis.

The Twin Otter ("twotter") took us and a few other couples further west towards the North Ari Atoll. We stopped for a few minutes at the Conrad, then alit to the W. All-in, the time on the seaplane was around 55 minutes. The plane seats about 12 passengers, so it was fairly smooth and not like a bush plane.

We touched down on Fesdu and were greeted by Goetzer (the GM) and other staff who took us around the island for a tour. We were told over email before we arrived that we would be granted an upgrade to an Ocean Oasis room, so we were indeed escorted to our (harbor view) Ocean Oasis. Inside the room they had a few small gifts to greet us, as well as the card offering the Platinum Amenity (500 points/local gift 1/local gift 2). I was pleased they offered this, as it seems hit-or-miss at Luxury Collection properties.

The room keys also featured "W the Card" branding, despite this now being discontinued. I was a member of this, so not sure if it was coincidence, old card stock, or special recognition from the hotel.

The stay itself was amazing. The snorkeling was superb, even just off our back deck. Going off the reef near the spa, we saw a few small pink sharks, three sea turtles, some squid, lots of rays and quite a few fish types I can't recall right now.

The meals were excellent, of course. The prices are rather high though - we spent around $200 each dinner with a glass of wine each and one entree. It's easy to go up to $400 if you get the whole bottle of wine! We mostly had local fish and lobster for each meal.

We didn't use it, but the gym looked rather nice as well. I thought of it as I walked to get cocktails at sunset

Overall, a superb stay. The Platinum recognition was excellent and exceeded my expectations. I took a peek at a guest manifest left out and they clearly noted in places my plat status and took appropriate care. Occupancy seemed pretty good - around 60-70% I think, so they weren't hurting for customers necessarily. We're already planning our next trip here!

Some pictures of the W Maldives are here as well.
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Old Jun 24, 2009, 2:30 pm
  #88  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
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Traveling to this hotel

Slightly OT but British Airways have just announced service to MLE making getting there less difficult for many US folks
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Old Jun 24, 2009, 5:14 pm
  #89  
 
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Wirelessly posted (Blackberry8700c: BlackBerry9000/5.0.0.100 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/120)

The MLE service will be really excellent. Wish I had it in March! Beats going via BLR on BA
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Old Jul 13, 2009, 1:46 pm
  #90  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
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its definitive - W Madlives top Starwood property...

that I've been to. Just returned from a 2.5 week trip to Thailand, Bali and Singapore and stayed in several St Regis' - nothing compared to the level of service that my wife (then girlfriend) experienced at the W Maldives last year. Far and away superior to other properties from start to finish. In fact while at the St Regis Bali, one of the managers commented that they were trying to "learn" from the W Maldives example. If you are thinking about the W Maldives, don't hesitate, you will not regret.
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