A Maldivian Anniversary - Part VI

Logistics...

This post is purely a reminder to myself so I can reflect with an accurate post trip impression. We were very lucky to have been able to add Maldives to our list of travel experiences. We truly do not take this for granted, and appreciated every moment of it. If it is in our future to return, we would happily come back. However, this is a very far, remote, and without the points and miles, would not have been possible.

I still can't believe we pulled this trip off!!! This has surely been a dream come true!


Flights: We flew Qatar Airways to Maldives and Singapore Airlines back.

Qatar Airways: Our routing took us SFO-ORD-DOH-MLE. Overall, we liked the 78 inch pitch of Qatar Airways, and the service was good. It was a comfortable way to travel for 33 hours. The best part of this leg was the awesome Al Mourjan lounge. This lounge is HUGE, and I mean HUGE! There was no shortage of seats! We also got to experience the "quiet room" and took a 2 hour nap! The food was predominantly middle eastern (which I like, but Wayne did not like as much as I did).

Overall, I'm not too picky with my flights as long as I can get good rest. Anything more would be an added bonus. With that said, I liked Qatar Airways business class.

Qatar Airways: ORD-DOH

Singapore Airlines: We were so fortunate to have flown the A380 SQ Suites. Our route was MLE-SIN-NRT-LAX. Then we flew VX from LAX-SFO.

All I can say is WOW! The service was above and beyond. The food was really good for airline food. The experience was phenomenal! Everything about it was WOW WOW WOW!

Hubby very happy to hop into bed

Google image of what the commercial said it looks like...

Book the Cook Lobster. There was a couple next to us who looked over at my food, probably wondering how I got the lobster. BOOK THE COOK!

Bone China by Wedgewood on a plane...WHAT??? The coffee was good too!

There was Krug and Dom! I chose the Krug. Hubby chose both

Pretty good Lobster Salad

Hubby before his meal

Steak - okay...kind of dry. The wine was good!

My downfall - caviar. 1% of the first world problems, caviar allergy. Was it worth to eat it? No....

SQ Suites - getting ready for bed

As the pictures have shown, we really really enjoyed the SQ Suites experience!


Lodging: We stayed at the Park Hyatt Maldives, which costs 25,000 points a night. With the diamond status, everyday we got complimentary breakfast and a cocktail sundowner. The breakfast included two choices and the buffet, which was really nice.

The first villa we stayed in was the Villa #18 pool villa. There was a private entrance to the a small sandy beach. This was a very good villa. There were certain things that I prefer in the pool villa over the water villa, such as (1) the larger feel of the room, (2) less wear and tear, (3) larger bathroom, (4) air conditioner was able to keep the rooms cool (5) private beach access, and (6) privacy. Here are some pics of our accommodations for the first four nights.

Villa #18 pool

Villa #18 pool - totally awesome villa. Probably one of the few villas with a sandy beach.

View from the room at night

bedroom

Bathroom in Pool Villa

The second villa we stayed in was Villa #42 water villa. The Park Hyatt Maldives now has four categories of rooms, whereas it used to be three. Villa #45-51 are "sunset water villa", and the rest are "water villa". Although the villas were nice, and supposedly an upgrade to our "pool villa", I actually prefer the pool. The water villa was a good experience, but if we were to ever go back, I'll be happy with a land villa. This is because the water suffered more wear and tear and the rooms felt like it needs a good update. Another thing was the temperature. It was difficult to keep the room cool. It's bearable, but a couple of celcius cooler would be preferred. Here are some pictures of the water villa:

sink

Google Image of bathroom view

Google Image of bedroom

Villa #42 deck

Overall impression: The Park Hyatt Maldives is a fantastic resort! It's not LUXURY, but the service is very good and real. It doesn't feel stuffy at all. I much prefer the barefoot luxury versus the over the top one. Supposedly the snorkeling and diving is out of this world, but...I am scared of fish. So I experienced a little, but much prefer the experience above water than under.

So, how does it compare to Bora Bora? Since I've only been to each place once, the comparison between IC Thalasso and PH Maldives is more fair, than Bora Bora and Maldives. I like the soft sand, quietness, island spaciousness, western cleanliness, feel of solidarity, resort service and food variety of the PH Maldives. I like the dramatic backdrop view, calm lagoon waters, and the well design of the overwater bungalow of the IC Thalasso. Apples and oranges, and I love them both equally for different reasons.