Learn how to travel to the Maldives on a budget
To maximize the amount
of time I would spend at the resort, I had decided earlier to stay overnight at
a transit hotel near the airport and fly in early morning the next day.
I briefly explored Male and went to bed early,
saving my energy for the next day.
My flight was scheduled
at 7:45 AM, so I woke up early morning and was then dropped off by my transit
hotel at the domestic side of Male international airport. A Hyatt employee
quickly greeted me and assisted me with my bags.
Maldivian air uses
primarily Dash-8 propeller aircraft, wherein all your carryon bags had to be
checked in.
I was then escorted to
the Maldivian airport lounge, where they served complimentary soft drinks and
food. I highly recommend the fish curry as it was delicious. The fish was fresh
and the flavors, complex. However, it
might be better to avoid the cold foods. I had one spoonful of yogurt and it
definitely tasted like it was not properly chilled.
After a couple minutes,
a Maldivian air representative arrived and escorted us through security and
onto our quick flight to Kooddoo Island.
It was a relatively small flight, consisting of mostly locals and a few
tourists.
I was assigned to seat
7A, which had a quite limited view. I highly recommend asking the Hyatt
representative to have you seated in Row 1-4 or row 21 (the last row). That
way, you will be able to enjoy the whole flight with an unobstructed view, but
regardless where you are seated, you will still be treated to some gorgeous
scenery.
The flight was quite
short and we soon landed in Kooddoo Island. I grabbed my luggage and met
another Hyatt representative who quickly took care of my belongings. Apart from
me, there was only one other passenger on our plane who was heading to the
Hyatt, a French sommelier.
We were then escorted
onto an electric buggy cart for a quick 5 minute drive from the airport to the
pier, where a speedboat was waiting for us.
The weather was
gorgeous, and we had a pleasantly smooth boat ride. On the way to the resort,
the boat captain noticed dolphins swimming ahead and asked if we wanted to stop
and look at them. Who wouldn’t want to stop and look at dolphins?!
Of course we said yes. The engines were
throttled back, and we headed out to the front of the boat to witness the
elusive creatures.
It was so mesmerizing
to see them swim gracefully, bobbing their heads up and down the water. It was
simply magical and until no, we still couldn’t believe our luck.
After a couple of
minutes, the dolphins disappeared into the sea and we resumed out journey.
When we arrived at the
Park Hyatt, a whole team was waiting for us, including the general manager. I
found out later on that the GM personally meets every arriving and departing
guest.
We walked from the pier
to the reception area, which was shaped liked an upside down boat.
While I was chatting
with the general manager, the butler introduced himself and brought me a
delicious welcome drink.
At the Park Hyatt
Maldives every guest is assigned his/her own “butler”, essentially an on call
representative that will cater to any request they need. My butler was a
gentleman from China who lived near Shanghai. All butlers are multilingual and
speak fluent English. When possible, they do assign certain butlers depending
on the nationality and language preferences of each guest.
At check in, I was
delighted to hear that since I was a diamond member, I was upgraded to the Park
Pool Villa (upgrades are assigned at check in based off availability).
Before heading to my
room, I decided to take a tour around the small private island. Just outside
the entrance area, I immediately came across the centerpiece of the hotel, a
huge infinity pool spanning across the length of the main restaurant.
Beyond the pool is a
white sandy beach, along with the clear blue water the Maldives is so famous
for.
In the middle of island
is the resort spa, which features a more private swimming pool.
On the other side of
the beach are the world famous Water Villas, but more on that later.
My first impression of
the private hotel island was one filled with awe and wonder. The resort looks
exactly like it does on the pictures, and that itself is hard to replicate
anywhere.
