Lots of interesting info in here about the Maldives but very little about Constance Halaveli. Has anyone been and which other resorts would it compare with?

Thanks in advance for your wisdom.

I was there in late 2010. The service was very very good - GM and a few other staff ex-O & O Kanuhura. I had a Japanese villa host who looked after me well. The villa was very spacious too. I would say service is on par with O & O resorts, better than the Taj and Banyan Tree resorts in the Maldives. I also had a great deal but then it was November, low season and it rained.

Thanks Ozchinois - really helpful. Any thoughts on the breakwaters marring the view from the pool/beach and whether the reef is any good?

Apologies, I don't check this forum regularly these days plus I've been travelling. This may sound weird but I don't swim, snorkel nor dive. I've visited Maldives a number of times solo - to de-stress and enjoy the colours of the ocean and to watch the fish from above.

We are now back from our trip. Here are my thoughts on Constance Halaveli:

The resort is stunning - you are in the Maldives though so that should be the case... We loved the water villas, particularly those further away from the island. Yes, it is a bit of a walk but that means they are lovely and quiet. If you don't want to walk for more than 5 minutes to get to (eg) breakfast then you can always call a buggy to pick you up. When we were there, they said they were at 90% occupancy but we never had to wait long for anything.

We much preferred the water villas to the beach villas, though they wouldn't be suitable for young children of course.

It is good value for money (so far as that is possible in the Maldives), particularly the food, which was excellent. We we very impressed with the in-villa dining and Jing restaurant. NB the buffets are not such good value for money (stick to Jing as it is better and cheaper unless you want all you can eat).

Things to bear in mind:

There is a breakwater. If you are going to be upset by it being in view whilst on the beach or at the pool, choose somewhere else. We didn't find it a problem at all.
It is difficult to get out to the reef for snorkelling at low tide. We found that the best snorkelling is actually down by the presidential villa in the lagoon.
The reef itself is good (rays, sharks etc.) but we thought not as good as Huvafen Fushi.
Talking of which, overall we preferred HF - completely subjective of course and HF is considerably more expensive but with that came a more slick service, slightly better layout of the room, some nice touches, better treatments in the spa etc. however, The food (other than breakfast) wasn't quite as good in our opinion.
We had to wait 2 hours for the sea plane transfer on the way out. Not a massive issue and the views are amazing but I think we prefer a boat transfer.

In summary, we really liked Halaveli and, for the price we paid, we thought it was great. On balance, we probably prefer smaller properties, but with that comes a higher price tag.

Did you do any diving?

I didn't. I tend to prefer snorkelling in the Maldives - I'm sure diving is amazing but I prefer not to be on an organised trip (and of course you can't guarantee the visibility). Don't think diving on the house reef would be worth it.

Thanks for the input.

You mention that villas farther away from the island are better. Care to recommend a few?

http://halaveli.constancehotels.com/...M_SitePlan.pdf

Also, do you know which side the sun sets on?

Sorry for the delay. In short, this is all subjective. We loved being up at the very top of the jetty -ie Villa 80 onwards and tend to prefer looking out over the lagoon to the reef. For us, the 'Maldives blue' is more attractive than the reef but many people feel otherwise.

Sunset was on the opposite side (odd nos) but due to the shape of the jetty and the angle of our villa, we actually got sun on our deck until just before sunset.

Some people say that the middle of the odd numbers is best as you get the reef and sunset. Again, we would swap seclusion for that.

I think there are only a few 'duff' villas, which are the first odd numbers as you are overlooked from the beach and snorkelling areas. On the plan looks like 31 to about 41.

Just to reiterate, this is really subjective. I know what I like and what mrs f likes but many people would shout us down and demand a direct sunset view over the reef rather than lagoon etc. Either way, it's the Maldives so the views are spectacular.

Thanks for that.

We actually just got back, and were in 74 the first night, but then switched to 77 for the rest of the trip and we liked it much better. In addition to getting to see sunset, we also had starker colors in the water which was just stunning. All in all a great trip.

hi,

Looking to stay at Constance Halaveli Maldives in December 2013, over water bungalow, where built in spa not a requirement.

Has anyone stayed there before? thoughts? price? deals?

Please let me know

thanks

anyone been here recently?

Would anyone recommend this hotel?

I've not been here but spurred on by this thread I have just scanned 100 or so photos of the resort. I have to say this place is seriously UGLY. All those overwater villas - frankly, oil rigs are better-looking. And that sea wall? Well, not only is it a serious eyesore doesn't it tell you something about the ocean around here? That perhaps they should never have built a resort on this particular sandbar?

A pity because I once stayed at another Constance Resort, the Prince Maurice, and that was outstanding, the difference being that Mauritius is an island with land and natural beauty.

Was there last May, and I cannot recommend it more highly.

Unlike the above-posters, I found the OWV very nice, and the fact they they also had a pool (unlike, say the Park Hyatt) was surprisingly something I'd never do without in the future.

Also, it's not terribly far from MLE; just a relatively short 25 minute seaplane hop.

If you have any more questions feel free.

Are you sure you're looking at the right resort?

http://www.wwwmaldives.com/wp-conten...i-Maldives.jpg

I'm sorry -- that isn't ugly and it doesn't look like an oil rig. And neither do the photos on TripAdvisor.

Can you post the pictures you're referring to because this hasn't been the experience of myself or anyone else I know that has stayed there and we've all got pretty discerning tastes. With the comparison at the end of your thread it sounds like you may have a problem with the Maldives and not Halaveli.