Review: Air India A320-2, Male – Trivandrum

Posted on July 15, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Air India + Airbus 320 + Airline + Round The World #3 via Vietnam, Maldives and India in Air Canada, Asiana, Singapore and Turkish Airlines Business Class + Trip Report

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We were originally scheduled to fly from Male, Maldives to New Delhi, India on an Air India Airbus 320 in regional business class via Bangalore. At about fourteen days before the flight, we were hit with a schedule change cancellation. Our ticket was booked as an Aeroplan Business Class Award, and they only offered existing available reward space to chose from. If we wanted to keep the same date of travel, we would end up having to downgrade to an economy flight and re-route via Trivandrum and Chennai. Since we were on a bit of a schedule, we accepted the re-route and the downgrade.

This post is one chapter on our third Round the World trip via South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, the Maldives and India. This trip was redeemed through Air Canada’s Aeroplan and through Starwood Preferred Guest (Marriott Bonvoy) and Hyatt Gold Passport (World of Hyatt) loyalty programs. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Review: Air India A320-2, Male – Trivandrum

“Air India is the newest entrant to Star Alliance airline network. We used them for a quirky International short haul flight between The Maldives and India, experiencing delays, messy aircraft and great views out the window”

We headed down to the gate from The Leeli Lounge Male, after waiting away flight delays in the lounge. We were about two hours and twenty nine minutes late by this particular point, having had a 3:30 AM wake up from the Park Hyatt Maldives. It was fair to say that it was already a long day.

Our Air India A320 arriving to gate in Male

Boarding on the Apron at Male Nasir Ibrahim

Air India
Economy Class (Single Class of Service)
MLE – TRV (Ibrahim Nasir International Airport – Thiruvananthapuram International Airport)
AI264 – Economy Class (X)
Scheduled: 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Actual: 1:20 PM – 3:00 PM
April 14, 2015
Booked: Airbus 319
Flown: Airbus 320-2

On Board Air India:

On board the plane, they had us board by the rear of the aircraft using stairs. It was my first Air India flight of several and there are no mistaking the company colors. Everything is red and orange.

Air India Single Class of Service Economy Cabin

They had ripped out rows 1-4 on the right hand side of the plane to accommodate a flat medical stretcher. The ground agents spent about 15 minutes attempting to board the medical condition patient that seemed to have a severe leg injury. In hind sight, I suspect this was the reason why we had a two and a half hour delay. Our plane was performing double duty as an international medi-vac. The rows two to four on the right side of the cabin were completely missing thanks to the stretcher spot.

On closer examination of the Airbus 320, it was a really old model. It was actually really filthy and hadn’t had a good clean in a while. It probably won the award for the dirtiest plane I’ve ever been on. I don’t mean the odd dust ball. I mean the entire thing needed a deep clean scrub. There were left over newspapers and water bottles from the past flight left in the seats on our arrival, fixtures and tables were covered in deep seated dirt, and fasteners were worn and tired. The seats were also filthy! I wasn’t completely put off by the experience. Rather, I just note that it was a stark difference from many other carriers that I’d flown on where a reasonable attempt at cleanliness was made.

Departing the Maldives:

We finally departed the Maldives on the sole Maldivian runway 36 N. The airport only has one runway and no taxi ways. On the climb out, I took some photographs of the Sheraton Full Moon Resort Maldives which is getting ever closer to the man made island. It seems as though there is a massive land reclamation project that is underway and the islands are almost attached – at least almost attached by Maldivian standards. Take a look a the right hand side of this sandy photograph…

The Sheraton Full Moon Maldives is getting closer and closer to another reclaimed island

North Male Maldivian Atolls on the Climb to Altitude

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The Meal: A Lunch

Lunch was served on this short 90 minute international leg. Today’s Air India food offering was a chicken curry, with rice and an unidentified yellow sauce that my palate was not able to easily identify for lunch.

Arriving to Trivandrum, India:

After the lunch service, we were on approach to Trivandrum. It was a quick right turn in to the airport on the coast. The spotting was really great from the window as there were some great churches on the sea board which would have been really interesting to visit.

As we landed at Trivandum, we stayed on board for the 45 minute stopover. A good number of local travelers got off. The military boarded to conduct a carry on bag inspection and asked all travelers to identify which bags were theirs. The check was quite through and I spotted them checking the bathrooms and tapping on all the cabinetry. The plane was also groomed and vacuumed.

Staying on Board on our Trivandrum Stopover

Our experience on Air India A320 International Short Haul:

It was my first Air India flight. To be realistic, I wasn’t expecting all to much. Our flight was very late (well over 2.5 hours), the plane wasn’t super clean, and the flight lacked the usual amenities that you’d get on an International service with some of the more major carriers in Asia Pacific that usually feature wide body jets. Despite this, we got to our destination in the end, and also had unique flying experience that was quirky, fun and once in a lifetime.

If you’ve flown Air India Short Haul, was your experience as quirky as ours?

Tags: AI 264, Air India, MLE, Star Alliance, TRV

Review: The Leeli Lounge, Male, Nasir Ibrahim International Airport, Male, Maldives

Posted on July 14, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Lounges + Round The World #3 via Vietnam, Maldives and India in Air Canada, Asiana, Singapore and Turkish Airlines Business Class + Trip Report

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We had an early morning departure from the Park Hyatt Maldives. Our early morning departure allowed us for some extra time at the Male Nasir Ibrahim International Airport. We spent some of the time in The Leeli Lounge in the international departures zone. While there are limited lounge opportunities in the international departures zone, the Leeli Lounge was a perfectly adequate location to spend a little (but not a lot) of time before a flight.

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Review: Leeli Lounge, Nasir Ibrahim International Airport, Male, Maldives

“The Leeli Lounge provided Plaza Premium like lounge settings in a dry environment”

We were originally booked leaving the Maldives to fly on Air India’s flight from Male to Bangalore, then onward to New Delhi via their Boeing 787 aircraft. Despite monitoring the flight bookings prior to departure, Air India decided to downgrade the frequency of the Male to Bangalore flight at the last minute. This included an outright cancellation of our flight date a mere 14 days before we were supposed to fly them and 3 days before we were to leave home in Canada to depart on our trip. Aeroplan offered a free award change the travel dates of our India segments based on remaining reward inventory (not a lot), but that would have meant a shorter stay at the Park Hyatt Maldives, or another $500 – $1,500 room stay in the Maldives to stay an extra day, or alternately, we could accept a downgrade to economy and re-route via Thiruvananthapuram on a single class of service Air India aircraft. We opted for the re-route, keeping the same travel dates, but losing our Air India domestic Boeing 787 experience. Aeroplan compensation was promised by the Aeroplan call center which has yet to arrive; claiming 30 days to review our “circumstances” plus an additional 8 – 12 weeks to post.

We were up for departure from the Park Hyatt Maldives at the awful hour of 3:30 AM for our transfer to Koodhoo airport. We were on the hotel transfer boat by 4:30 AM, and arrived at the airport at 5 AM for a 6 AM Q2 142 Maldivian domestic flight. I was cursing Air India at this point, which wasn’t a great first impression for Air India leaving us in this early departure slot. Despite this, there were some beautiful atolls on the way up.

Maldivian Resorts on our Morning Flight Up to Male

Checking into Air India Business Class:

On arrival at Nasir Ibrahim Domestic Airport, we were met by our usual Park Hyatt ground representative and escorted back to the Maldivian Moonmia Domestic Lounge to wait transfer to our international flight. I had fully expected to be out on the street up at the Traders Bar at the Hulehule hotel, so this was a nice added feature to be taken care of by being offered the domestic lounge to hang out in. Despite being a nice new lounge, the plates and glassware wasn’t super clean. We checked emails and killed some time before our check in for Air India opened.

We were in the Moomia Domestic lounge for about 1 hour when we got our second taste of the Air India experience. Using the lounge wifi, I signed into Flight Track Pro and learned that a 1 hour and 40 minute flight delay was posted, 2 hours before our flight. Sooo disappointing!! All that early 3:30 AM wake up and early travel from the Park Hyatt Maldives was for nothing. Air India was not off to a good first impression.

With the assistance of the Park Hyatt ground handler in Male, we were escorted over to the International Terminal and checked ourselves in at the Air India Counter. I was able to convince the ground agent to give us a lounge voucher, despite our first two segments being in economy. I explained the downgrade situation and this was accepted by the ground manager. The Air India Maharajah was smiling at us on arrival to the check in desks. My first thought was that the Maharajah was: “Smiling that I screwed up your flights!”

Male Nasir Ibrahim International Departures

Air India Business Class Mararaja Check In – Male Nasir Ibrahim

We were given a voucher by Air India for the Neeri Lounge. After checking our bags, we went for lunch at the nearby airport café patio. It’s a bit of a no mans land on the airport island bit its still absolutely beautiful compared to the small North American airport in the neighborhood near you.

Locating the Leeli Lounge:

After lunch, we returned to the International terminal. We had ourselves stamped out of the Maldives and headed through the duty free section to the lounge. We were given a voucher by Air India for the Neeri Lounge. There are two contract lounges in Male Nasir Ibrahim Airport. When we got to the Neeri Lounge, there was a sign on the door asking customers to visit the other Leeli Lounge. We headed over to the Leeli Lounge next to the food courts and entered into a space reminiscent of many Plaza Premium Lounges around the world. It’s not listed as a Plaza Premium lounge, but if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck… It’s the closest facsimile of a Plaza Premium Lounge that you’ll find.

Male Nasir Ibrahim International Duty Free

The Leeli Lounge is located immediately after the international duty free section on the left hand side of the walk way.

Accessing the Leeli Lounge:

The Leeli Lounge at Male Nasir Ibrahim International Airport is the contract lounge for most international carriers at the international departure zone. There are no other branded lounges at this airport, making this the place to be for pre-flight departure relaxation.

Access to the lounge is only provided through the carriers, as a result, you’ll need to be flying business class or better on a departing flight in order to gain access. Surprisingly, the lounge is not a member of Priority Pass. I suspect this is due to possible capacity issues during peak travel times.

Access for us today was courtesy of our Air India Business Class Ticket.

Inside the Leeli Lounge:

The Leeli Lounge follows the tradition of other Plaza Premium Lounges. It is a dark space, with some natural light, along with clean furnishings. The same chairs are here as in our Oman and Vancouver Plaza Premium experiences. It was by far the nicest lounge in the Maldives that we had experienced so far.

The Leeli Lounge room had a relaxing chair lounge room that was mostly unused on our visit. After a holiday in the Maldives, you should already be pretty relaxed!

Food and Beverage within the Lounge:

In terms of food and beverage, there were some limited snack offerings. As with other Plaza Premium lounges, the food did not appear to be too appealing. I personally find that contract lounges, including the Plaza Premium type lounges, usually come short on the food offerings and fall into the “eat only in case of emergency” category.

Unfortunately, this sign broke my heart, but it wasn’t something that was totally unexpected. The lounge itself is completely dry, like the entire airport of Male. It would be a while before we would be able to get an alcoholic drink.

The Bottom Line: The Leeli Lounge Male

Overall, the Leeli Lounge is a reasonable place to hang out. It won’t be the number one lounge on anyone’s list but it’s far more comfortable than the crowded terminal.

If you’ve visited the Leeli Lounge, did you miss having a drink before your flight?

Tags: Contract Lounge

Sunsets on Hadahaa Island, Huvadhoo Atoll, Maldives

Posted on July 13, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Asia + Maldives + Region Visit + Round The World #3 via Vietnam, Maldives and India in Air Canada, Asiana, Singapore and Turkish Airlines Business Class + Trip Report

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There is nothing like the unique beauty of sunsets along with Bodu Beru traditional Maldivian dancing on a private island in the Maldives. While we were at the Park Hyatt Maldives, we had the opportunity to take in a sunset entertainment ceremony, along with some pretty spectacular sunsets from across the island. As with any island life, you have to take full advantage of everything that the Maldives have to offer.

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Sunsets on Hadahaa, Huvadhoo Atoll, Maldives.

“Time spent on a Maldivian Private Island is a unique experience not found in many beach resorts around the world. The immersion into nature is usually substantial and a stark contrast to my every day corporate life. “

On this visit to the Park Hyatt Maldives, we stayed in a wonderful Park Hyatt Maldives Pool Villa. We also had the opportunity to circumnavigate the Hadahaa Island, took in a back of house tour, explored and snorkled the wonderful Hadahaa house reef, and enjoyed many sunsets on Hadahaa.

For our experience during our last stay, or for some other room configurations, please see here for our time in a Park Hyatt Maldives Park Villa and Park Hyatt Maldives Over Water Villa.

Saturday’s Park Hyatt Maldives Manager Reception:

One of the new features of staying at the Park Hyatt Maldives was the managers reception on Saturday nights. At sunset, the beach bar offers a sunset cocktail, etagiere snacks and some with live entertainment. I met the manager here. Although truthfully, I didn’t have much conversation with him. He pretty much greeted me, got me a drink and went onto the next arriving group. All in all though, the manager’s reception was a nice feature for those that are on a longer stay.

There’s nothing about that photo that I don’t like!

Setting up with a view of Over Water Villas

Etagiere of Snacks along with Sunset Cocktails

Bodu Beru Maldivian Dancing:

We also had a bodu beru dancing demonstration that was masked as the entertainment for the sunset session. The bodu beer dancing is the traditional Maldivian dancing consisting of increasing drum beats. While it

The Drums of Bodu Beru Maldivian Dancing

Sunsets on Hadahaa:

Closing out our stay are the beautiful sunsets. Hadahaa has some amazing ones and they look beautiful almost no matter where you are on the island. The island is the perfect place to grab some bubbles and spend some time with a loved one with views like this at your doorstep almost every evening.

Sunsets overlooking the Over Water Villas

Blood Orange Sunsets Overlooking OverWater Villas

Central Sun Sets overlooking Water Villas

Pockmarked Grey Clouds against a Blue Sky

My thoughts on sunsets on beautiful Hadahaa Island:

All in all, the Park Hyatt Maldives remains my favorite beach destination. It’s the ultimate beach holiday resort for an adult couple. It has beautiful beaches, heaps of privacy, a setting to die for and the remoteness that makes the place unique. The stay was just as good the second time around. Five days was way to short!!

If you’ve spent some time on Hadahaa enjoying the sunsets, did you find them as spectacular as I did?

Tags: Hadahaa, Huvadhoo, Maldives

Snorkelling the Park Hyatt Maldives House Reef at Hadahaa, Maldives

Posted on July 12, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Asia + Maldives + Region Visit + Round The World #3 via Vietnam, Maldives and India in Air Canada, Asiana, Singapore and Turkish Airlines Business Class + Trip Report

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The Park Hyatt Maldives at Hadahaa Island has one of the most spectacular house reefs out there in the world. From the comfort of your private island, from it’s sandy shores, you and one of the 150 other island residents have access to some of the most exclusive and pristine coral reefs out there. Thanks to the high price of admission, it’s a limited bunch that gain access to these waters, resulting in a reef that’s in gorgeous condition, but exceptionally accessible from shore.

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Snorkelling the Park Hyatt Maldives House Reef at Hadahaa, Maldives.

“The Park Hyatt Maldives House Reef at Hadahaa Island, Maldives is simply the greatest house reef that I’ve ever visited from any resort in the world. “

For our experience during our last stay, or for some additional room configurations, please see here for our time in a Park Hyatt Maldives Park Villa and Park Hyatt Maldives Over Water Villa.

Where is the Hadahaa Island House Reef?

One of the features of the Park Hyatt Maldives that doesn’t always get mentioned is the excellent house reef. The Park Hyatt Maldives is situated a mere 55 kilometres north of the equator. The Hadahaa Island house reef is by far the best house reef I’ve ever experienced across by travels throughout the world.

The house reef is situated on the north west portion of the island. From almost half the island, corals exist on the entire north west side of the island. From the dawn jetty or the dusk jetty, you can snorkel halfway around the island, seeing a variety of marine life.

What does the Hadahaa House Reef look like:

We’ve been fortunate enough to snorkel in many of the world’s greatest locations; Ko Phi Phi Don in Thailand, The Whitsunday Islands in Australia, Dahab in Egypt, Moorea in French Polynesia and off Le Morne in Mauritius. None of them compare to the beauty of the Hadahaa House Reef.

There Is a whole variety of tropical fish in this reef that’s situated around the Park Hyatt Maldives. The visibility is usually excellent. The corals are also in excellent shape and have not had any damage from being stepped on.

What can you see on the Hadahaa House Reef?

The reef contains a remarkable amount of aquatic life. The Park Hyatt Maldives features guided tours of the reef in both day and night times although we didn’t partake in the tours. You could spend days and months here and not be able to see everything in this particular reef.

Once you get past the enormity of all the various fish types you can get acclimated to the environment. There were hundreds of specimens on an individual basis. The Hadahaa house reef had a great opportunity to see a wide sampling of tropical fish.

Needle Fish under the Park Hyatt Over Water Villas

Spotting Grey Tip Reef Sharks:

In addition to spectacular underwater life, we were fortunate enough that we were able to get a swim past of several grey tip reef sharks. It’s pretty terrifying to see one of these things coming toward you- I had the underwater camera at the time and managed to keep still enough to get some photographs. MrsWT73 and I were swimming together and likely looked bigger than we actually were. They say that they are harmless, but I wouldn’t make a habit of provoking them.

Our first sighting was out by the drop off near the water villas at feeding time around 5 PM. Keeping our eye on him, he circled through the reef shallows, checking us out before he headed out to open waters.

What a beautiful and potentially deadly family of animals!

We had a few additional sightings during our stay. Needless to say, we needed a few cocktails that evening after that first shark encounter!

My thoughts about the Hadahaa House Reef:

I have always been really impressed with the Hadahaa House Reef at the Park Hyatt Maldives. It is simply a wonderful underwater environment that allows any visitor to take in a whole lot of fish with the convenience of being right from shore. While we’ve had the opportunity to snorkel in Moorea- French Polynesia, Dahab- Egypt, the Withsunday Islands on the Great Barrier Reef – Australia and Muscat- Oman, nothing has compared to this particular reef. Make sure you get here while it’s still in great condition.

If you’ve snorkelled the Park Hyatt Maldives house reef, did you find it as gorgeous as we did?

Tags: Hadahaa, Huvadhoo, Maldives

How does a Luxury Hotel on a Private Island Work? The Guided “Back of House” tour at the Park Hyatt Maldives

Posted on July 11, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Asia + Attraction + Maldives + Round The World #3 via Vietnam, Maldives and India in Air Canada, Asiana, Singapore and Turkish Airlines Business Class + Trip Report

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The Back of House Tour at the Park Hyatt Maldives generated an interesting look at how a luxury hotel on a private island operates. I certainly had lots of questions: What do they do with all the trash? How to they fix the broken chairs? How is the laundry completed – on site or off site? While an operations tour isn’t something that I’d typically be in to when I would travel, the Park Hyatt Guided Back of House tour was an interesting experience and view into hotel operations.

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How does a Luxury Hotel on a Private Island Work? The Guided “Back of House” Tour at the Park Hyatt Maldives.

“The Back of House Tour provided insight on how to run a sustainable luxury hotel in a remote and difficult to access location.”

For our experience during our last stay, or for a look into some other room configurations, please see here for our time in a Park Hyatt Maldives Park Villa and Park Hyatt Maldives Over Water Villa.

One of the interesting features that the Park Hyatt Maldives had formalized since our last visit is the “back of house” tour. The tour features a walk through of the living areas of the private island, and what it takes to run a hotel in the middle of nowhere. During our visit, the tour was running twice a week in the early afternoon and was offered on a complimentary basis.

The Guided Back of House Tour:

Overall, it’s a pretty impressive effort of what it takes to make all the magic happen. Its easy to be critical about things when travel. Requests don’t get completed, room service arrives cold or late. One thing I learned about the Hadahaa adventure is that the total service experience doesn’t happen by accident. It’s even more staggering when you consider that this place is in the middle of nowhere and everything has to be shipped in at great distances.

Staff Housing at the Park Hyatt Maldives

The back of house is in the center of the island of Hadahaa. The staff compound is in a circular format. There are up to 175 staff working for the Park Hyatt Maldives (including the part time ones; gardners, plumbers etc) and 90 staff living on site. Most of the staff are double, if not dormitory style bunked.

The resort has it’s own waste management facility which includes organic composting, manual separation of all trash for recyclables and solid wastes. Amazingly, someone is sorting all trash from the villas and other areas to minimize the waste footprint.

How Laundry is Done:

There were giant laundry machines responsible for the crisp sheets in our villas.

How the Resort gets Power:

The resort is powered by diesel generators that extend power across the island. There are four of them on site, with extras in case mechanical failure.

Where the staff eat and exercise:

There was also an area for general administrative offices a staff canteen for food, in addition to a soccer field for some healthy exercise.

What happens to things that break?

Being in the middle of nowhere, all repairs need to be made on site. Staff were repairing office chairs and other assorted pieces of furniture that needed attention.

The Houseman’s Workshop: Most items need to get repaired instead of replaced

How does the Resort communicate with the outside world?

There was also a large cell tower in the middle of the island for all of the digital communications. They’ve done such a good job hiding this thing, because it’s not visible from other parts of the island unless you are looking for it. Overall, I found the cellular coverage good to very good throughout the villas. I didn’t use Skype or VOIP, or download movies, but the coverage for email was excellent.

A Cell Tower hidden away in the middle of the Hadahaa Island

Where does the Resort get their drinking water from?

The resort desalinates their own water, instead of bringing in more expensive bottled water. The bottling station uses high temperature washing to clean all the water bottles prior to re-filling them. Any glass bottles that are accidentally broken on site are taken off the island and disposed of by crushing in an organic manner.

How I felt that the Back of House Tour generated goodwill:

The back of house tour was a pretty fascinating insight into how the resort runs. It’s probably not something I’d be interested in seeing at every hotel I stayed at. Given the unique remote distance challenges here in the South Maldives, I found the experience to be engaging and fascinating on how they execute a luxury stay in the middle of nowhere. It also built a lot of goodwill on my part towards the staff in how they deal with problems. Many of them have to make substantial sacrifices to move to paradise. The ninety staff have to stay on site since there is no commuting to and from the private island. When they do so, they have to double bunk in order to serve guests, with limited privacy compared to the opposite end of the spectrum for their fortunate guests who get among the most private hotel rooms in the Hyatt franchise. The staff also live in basic accommodations, compared with the luxury that Hyatt aims to achieve for their guests. Indeed, the tour was a terrific look into a day in the life of hotel operations. It’s highly recommended if you happen to stay here and have an interest in the travel industry.

Is the Back of House Tour something you’d be interested in if you were in the Maldives?

Tags: Maldives, Park Hyatt Maldives

Circumnavigating Hadahaa Island in Huvadhoo Atoll, Maldives

Posted on July 10, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Asia + Maldives + Region Visit + Round The World #3 via Vietnam, Maldives and India in Air Canada, Asiana, Singapore and Turkish Airlines Business Class + Trip Report

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One of the most unique features about the Maldives is that almost all the luxury resorts form part of a private island. Each of these one thousand islands that make up the Maldives are sprinkled around the atolls and are truly unique. There is something to be said about being on a tiny island where no cars exist, few amenities exist off the resort and you have the place all to yourself. Our stay on Hadahaa with the Park Hyatt Maldives showed what this type of island life looked like; a window into the soul of life in the Maldives.

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Circumnavigating Hadahaa Island in Huvadhoo Atoll, Maldives.

“Time spent on a Maldivian Private Island is a unique experience not found in many beach resorts around the world. The immersion into nature is usually substantial and a stark contrast to my every day corporate life. “

For our experience during our last stay, or a look at some other room configurations, please see here for our time in a Park Hyatt Maldives Park Villa and Park Hyatt Maldives Over Water Villa.

Where is Hadahaa Island?

The Hadahaa Island is located in the Southern Maldives in the eastern portion of Huvadhoo Atoll. The Hadahaa Island is host the Park Hyatt Maldives, The atoll itself is ringed by some inhabited Madlvian islands, although it can be challenging to explore these independently since most access to the islands requires approval and the requisite transportation. We visited the nearby Gemanafushi Island on a previous visit and it was a pretty interesting and unique window into traditional Maldivian life.

About Hadahaa Island:

The Hadahaa Island is a gorgeous place. As host to the Park Hyatt Maldives, it’s simply one of the most attractive beach holidays on earth. One of the things that makes this place so darn appealing is that you have the entire island to yourself (and maybe 100 other guests) in an environment like this. It’s small enough to be easily explored, it has no day tourists, and looks great from every angle.

The Hadahaa Island is best explored at low ride. The island is ringed by mostly sandy beaches on the north side. There are some portions on the south side that contain some rocks; however for the most part the entire island is circumnavigatable without many challenges.

There are a few areas on the South of the Island where the beach gets lean at high tide

For the most part, the Bach is pretty broad and expansive. It has those typically gorgeous white sands set against crystal emerald and blue sea waters. IF you are nearby to the house reef, you can see the coral life peeking through to the waters below.

Sandy Beaches with a gradual incline into the water

The island contains approximately 52 villas surrounded around the edge of the island. There are also a number of over water villas that stretch out on a single arched pontoon over the water. All the overwater villas have a sunset facing view.

Looking Out Towards the Overwater Pontoon

And Back Towards the Forested Hadahaa Island

Continuing around the island, it’s a complete stunner to photograph. The northern portion of the island has the majority of the sand bars and is where some of the best photographs are.

It is pretty easy to be inspired into relaxation when you arrive to a place as pretty as this. While I have been fortunate enough to visit some of the nicer places in the world, there were few beach holidays that met the wonder and the beauty of Hadahaa.

What time is like on Hadahaa Island:

Its hard to have words that describe the beauty of a place like this. Being stranded in luxury on a remote island in the middle of the Indian Ocean is something that should be on everyone’s bucket list. It’s easy to be inspired and relaxed when you’re on a private island get away like this.

If you’ve spent some time on Hadahaa while staying at the Park Hyatt Maldives, did you find it as inspiring a place as I did?

Tags: Hadahaa, Huvadhoo, Maldives

Review: Park Hyatt Maldives – Beach Access Pool Villa, Hadahaa, Maldives

Posted on July 9, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Hotels + Park Hyatt + Round The World #3 via Vietnam, Maldives and India in Air Canada, Asiana, Singapore and Turkish Airlines Business Class + Trip Report

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There isn’t quite anywhere in the world that is like the Maldives. The Maldives is a country with almost one thousand atolls, with a select few of them containing some exceptional and outstanding resorts. A typical resort experience on the Maldives involves a private island experience with only a few guests; complete peace and serenity for miles around often surrounded by the most unimaginable beauty of nature and island living. Our return trip to the Park Hyatt Maldives was no exception to this rule. We were treated well and enjoyed several days on the island.

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Hotel Review: The Park Hyatt Maldives, Beach Access Pool Villa, Hadahaa Atoll, Maldives

“The Park Hyatt Maldives on Hadadaa set the standard of the luxury private island villa resort. The beauty of the island and it’s remoteness remains one of my favourite luxury beach holiday destinations the world”

On this visit to the Park Hyatt Maldives, we stayed in a wonderful Park Hyatt Pool Villa. We also had the opportunity to circumnavigate the Hadahaa Island, took in a back of house tour, explored and snorkled the wonderful Hadahaa house reef, and enjoyed many sunsets on Hadahaa.

For our experience during our last stay, and to see some other room configurations, please see here for our time in a Park Hyatt Maldives Park Villa and Park Hyatt Maldives Over Water Villa.

Booking and Getting There:

The Park Hyatt Maldives has been written about and reviewed so many times by many frequent travellers. We last visited the Park Hyatt Maldives for our honeymoon, staying in both a Park Hyatt Maldives Park Villa and an Park Hyatt Maldives Over Water villa. We enjoyed it so much, we decided to return for a 5 night visit. It was a pretty easy decision. This place was, and still is, one of my favorite destinations on the globe and easily one of the few that I’d return to in a heartbeat – even if it means traveling twelve time zones across the world to enjoy it. One of the things that’s so unique about it is that it’s on its own pristine private island. It’s so unusual, that it’s fitting to start with the rare photo (courtesy of the Hyatt website) that no traveler ever gets to take unless they’ve chartered their own private helicopter.

Hadahaa Island: Home of the Park Hyatt Maldives

Instead of writing about every last detail of the Park Hyatt Maldives experience, I’ll just try to cover off the highlights of what has changed and what is new in the last two and a half years. I’m going to break up this report into several parts:

Pool Villa
Back of House Tour
House Reef
Sunsets

Arriving to The Park Hyatt Maldives:

The Park Hyatt Maldives

North Huvadhoo, Gaafu Alifu Atoll, Maldives, 20054

On arrival we were welcomed and provided a welcome drink in the Dhoni. It’s still an immaculate and interesting building. Truthfully, despite its chic factor, the only time we’ve ever been in here is to check in and check out of the resort. Each of the groups of guests had their own Park Hyatt Representative to deal with them individually, so there was no waiting in queues to be checked in.

During our check in process, we were informed that, as returning guests, we had been upgraded with compliments, to a Pool Villa for the duration of our stay. This was the start of royalty treatment on the part of the Park Hyatt Maldives for their “returning guests”.

We were escorted to Pool Villa #36 by golf cart. Villa #36 is close to the restaurants and two villas away from the over water villas access jetty. Access around the island is through roads covered by a canopy of trees. I had requested a west facing view and the reservations team was happy to accommodate.

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The Room: A Beach Access Pool Villa

After a ride through the sandy jungle, we arrived to the modern looking Park Pool Villas. The villas make a great first impression, as they are modern and understated, despite being found in the middle of dense vegetation.

The Park Hyatt Villa:

The best way to describe the villas are that they are exceptionally spacious. This is one of the main draws of the property. You get complete seclusion and don’t have to see another person unless you step out. The villas offer plenty of space, room to run around in, and a comtemporary style.

Glass Views to the Outside and Ocean on the Horizon

On arrival to our villa, we were also provided a welcome bottle of Kramer French Sparkling Wine on ice in the villa with the resorts’ compliments. Our host explained that Park Hyatt Maldives wants to reward their return guests. This is likely a wise strategy considering the level of competition in the Maldives with the sheer amount of hotels and the long distances involved in getting there.

Park Hyatt now offers a personalized representative that handles all of your guest service needs. This was offered in the past. However, the resort has taken a more active approach in monitoring this with signage placement in the room and more frequent and regular contact with the representative than in the past. We had 2X daily contact with our representative, whereas days would pass previously without seeing our representative on our past visit. There was also a 10% discount for Hyatt Gold Passport Members for all wine after sunset. This was automatically deducted from the bill whenever we signed for it.

Personal Dedicated Host while in Residence

Compared with our last visit, the dedicated host for a single point of contact is a much improved level of service. Natalia from Russia, made herself available to us “up until midnight” through cell phone.

Welcome Letter Communicating Hyatt Gold Passport Discounts

The Washroom:

An advantage to the park and pool villas are that they feature among the largest outdoor bathrooms out there. The area is split into a large indoor area and a large outdoor tub and shower area. There is nothing like having an outdoor shower underneath the stars in the middle of the moon light. I certainly miss the outdoor showers when we stayed in the Water villa – it’s such a terrific feature. The indoor bathroom is couple friendly, with his and her sinks, closet areas and storage cupboards.

Washroom Area looking untoward towards the villa

The villas, despite being super comfortable, are showing a bit of wear. It seems like they need a coat of stain, in addition to some UV damage and some general warping of the wood likely due to the heat. Perhaps it’s a matter of commercial grade products not being used? Either that or the insane temperatures and climate of the Maldives isn’t kind to structures that are now 7 years old. Overall, it was still an excellent stay. Those looking for peace and quiet may be out of luck. It was very busy by private island standards in the first half of our stay, with staff running around trying to keep up.

The Park Hyatt Ocean Access and Private Pool:

It was nice to have the pool to plunge in. Having said that, the pool is not heated / cooled and it naturally got quite warm due to the strong heat of the sun.

Pool Villa Plunge Pool with Sun Loungers & Beach Access

Sun Exposure: The Morning Sun peeking through lush island vegetation

A Villa close to the Ocean: Beach Access from Villa #36

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Around the Hadahaa Island:

The Park Hyatt Maldives Pool Area:

We didn’t lie on the beach that much, having a nice deck and private area all to ourselves. We also moved our beach chairs down the beach at times. Having said that, the main public pool deck area is awesome. Frankly, it looks straight out of a luxury magazine. We didn’t spend much time at the general pool on this visit. There were also less deck chairs on the beach for this particular visit than on our last one.

During our stay, I happened to cross paths with Flyertalk member lucky9876coins and author of the Boarding Area blog One Mile at a Time. I had a nice chat with him at breakfast and we shared our opinions of the resort. He was among the only people at the resort working with a laptop over the breakfast hour. I have to admire his dedication to work, despite being in such a beautiful environment.

My Thoughts on the Park Hyatt Maldives Pool Villa:

We were fortunate to have received a complimentary upgrade into the Park Hyatt Pool Villa. It was a nice feature having access to the pool villa for quick plunges into the water to beat the ever present heat. It allowed for exceptional privacy and personal space, which is something everyone can appreciate. The Park Hyatt Maldives rooms are generally exceptional, and it’s hard to imagine having a “bad” room at this property. Having now stayed in all three room categories of Park Villa, Pool Villa and Over Water Villa, I’d have to say that my favourite is the Pool Villa followed by the Overwater Villa and lastly the base villa. There’s something about being on land and surrounded by lush trees that is exceptionally cool.

If you’ve stayed at Park Hyatt Maldives, did you find the stay exceptional?

Tags: Hotel Review, Maldives, Park Hyatt Maldives, World of Hyatt

Review: Maldivian Airlines DHC8-2, Malé – Koodhoo

Posted on July 8, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Airline + Dash 8 + Maldivian + Round The World #3 via Vietnam, Maldives and India in Air Canada, Asiana, Singapore and Turkish Airlines Business Class + Trip Report

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Maldivian Airlines runs a small network of international and domestic flights as the flag carrier for the Republic of Maldives. Their international destinations include Bangkok, Thailand, in addition to several destinations in India which include Cochin, Chennai, Mumbai and Trivandrum. Maldivian’s domestic airport will be home to many travellers experiences as Maldivian is often the back bone connecting tourists to the various resorts. Our trip with them would be our third flight on their domestic product as we headed back to the Park Hyatt Maldives for our second visit.

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Review: Maldivian Airlines DHC8-2, Malé – Koodhoo

This is our second time experiencing Maldivian Airlines flying down to Koodhoo. For our previous experience on the newer Maldivian DHC8-300 series, please see Maldivian Airlines DHC 8 – 3 Malé – Koodhoo –

“Maldivian Airlines offers an as expected service domestically within the Maldives. The service is bookended by a comfortable lounge in Malé, and landing at rural airports on isolated Maldavian atolls”

After a visit to the Maldivian Moonimaa Domestic Lounge, we were prepared by our local Park Hyatt representative. He led us down and we had a quick security screening before heading into the domestic departures holding area. As is usually the case before any flight, the podium and gate area are a hive of activity.

We boarded again from the apron, into an older non cosmetically marked Maldvian Dash 8-200 series.

Simple Red Script on White: Maldivian Livery

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On Board Maldivian Airlines:

On board, the configuration is 2-2 with no business class seating on the Dash 8 product. This configuration isn’t unique to Maldivian and is pretty consistent whether you happen to find yourself on the Dash 8 product or the equally quirky ATR-72 product that some times turns up in the domestic short haul market. The Maldivian Airlines Dash 8 – 200 seating was pretty much as expected. The older series had seats decorated in rawhide red leather. Please see our past review of the Maldivian Dash 8 – 300 seating, which is slightly more avant grade.

It was a quick ride down non stop to Koodohoo. Since we sat in 10A/10B, we didnt have much of a view since the flight path has most of the atolls on the west side of the flight route down. As a result, I have only a small amount of flying over the atolls photographs to share. They are mostly from take off and landing.

Islands in the Middle of Nowhere: Atoll Views

If you’re looking for the experience of sightseeing over the atolls with great photographs, I have to conclude that you really need to take a sea plane. A sea plane flies at much lower altitudes and a little bit is lost flying at propeller plane altitudes.

Arriving to Koodhoo:

A view vibrations later, and we were on the ground at Koodhoo. Its pretty isolated here, to say the least. Surprisingly, it’s little more built up compared to the last time we were through this airport. There are fences around the airport and walkways and there seem to be more people around. The deserted arrivals hall hasn’t lost its hospital charm.

Disembarkation: On the Ground at Koodhoo

Baggage Claim: The Sterile Hall at GKK Koodhoo Airport

Transferring to the Park Hyatt Maldives:

After our flight, we hopped in the boat for the water transfer over to the Park Hyatt. It’s usually about 30 minutes. However, we had 11 people on the transfer with us on this particular day. This meant that the process was much slower than in the past when it was just the two of us. Logistically, it meant transferring two sets of guests on the golf cart between the airport and the harbour, then going back for all the luggage, then getting all the people onto the boat, then loading up 15+ suitcases on the boat. Then, the boat was unable to go as fast as it usually does because it was so heavy. It probably had over 500 lbs of luggage (about 10 cases loaded at an estimated 50lbs each).

All in all, the transfer process took us about 90 minutes from Koodhoo airport to hotel. When you experience things a second time, usually its quicker than before. That certainly wasnt the case today! This isn’t the transfer boat. Instead, we had views of the harbour while we waited for everything to get organized.

Our experience on Maldivian Airlines summarized:

Every time I fly in the Maldives, I always hope for a little great photography and aerial sights out of the flight window. That wasn’t the case today and I think after three domestic flights in the Maldives, I’ve just concluded I’ll have to take a sea plane transfer to a closer resort in order to experience seeing some really great photographs. Our time on Maldivian Airlines was as expected, and there isn’t much in the way of dressing up travel on a Maldivian Dash 8. At the very least, we had a comfortable lounge at the start of the trip, in addition to a reasonably prompt flight down.

If you’ve flown Maldivian Airlines down to the Southern Malé Atolls, what was your journey like?

Tags: GKK, MLE, Q2 142

Review: Maldivian Moonimaa Domestic Lounge, Malé Ibrahim Nasir Domestic Airport, Maldives

Posted on July 7, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Lounges + Priority Pass Lounge + Round The World #3 via Vietnam, Maldives and India in Air Canada, Asiana, Singapore and Turkish Airlines Business Class + Trip Report

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When it came time to our internal flight down to the Park Hyatt Maldives, we were surprised that we were granted access to a domestic lounge prior to our domestic flight on Maldivian; the Maldivian Moonimaa Domestic Lounge. The Maldivian Moonimaa Domestic Lounge offered a comfortable dry space, in order to relax prior to our onward journey.

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Review: Maldivian Moonimaa Domestic Lounge, Malé Ibrahim Nasir Domestic Airport, Malé, Maldives

Transferring from Malé to the Malé International Airport:

When it came time to leave Male, we were transferred by the Hotel Jen Maldives staff back to the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport. It was a gorgeous zip across the harbour in the speedboat and we finally got the daylight opportunity to appreciate the Male skyline. Add the occasional Aeroflot wide body jet landing at the Malé airport and you’ve got a terrific view all around.

A skyline more reminiscent of Miami Beach than Malé, Indian Ocean

Aeroflot Jet’s Landing at Malé International Airport

Getting off the Hotel Jen transfer boat, we were met by our Malé based Park Hyatt Representative, who happened to remember us from our last visit to the Park Hyatt. With our handler taking the bags, we walked the short distance to the Maldives Domestic Terminal. It is a short 2 minute walk from the arrivals hall of the international terminal.

Checking into Maldivian Airlines:

Once we were at the spartan domestic terminal, we were checked in on Maldivian Q2 Flight 142, which was the non stop service to Koodohoo. The current schedule also stops on the other side of the Gaaf Alifu atolls at Kaadedhdhoo. Chances are you might get a one stop trip down, but it wasn’t in the cards for us today, meaning a non stop flight direct to our airport. Our host happened to arrange for seats 10A & 10B, which were emergency exit rows on the plane, giving us a little extra leg room.

Accessing the Maldivian Moonimaa Lounge:

Like I mentioned earlier, our access to this lounge was included with our economy class Maldivian domestic air transfer ticket organized by the Park Hyatt Maldives. The transfer was well over $500 USD for a flight and a 40 minute boat ride, so I’m suspecting that the flight rate for foreigners is higher than it is for Maldivian citizens. While it’s not clear on the Maldivian Airlines website who or how access is granted, I am going to make the assumption that if you have a resort arranged air transfer ticket, you’ll likely have access with your booking.

The lounge is also a Priority Pass member and is the only Priority Pass Lounge at Malé International Airport.

Entrance to the Maldivian Moonimaa Lounge

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Inside the Maldivian Moonimaa Lounge:

We were led up to the lounge by our Park Hyatt handler. The lounge is now upstairs from where the old lounge was and occupies most of the whole top floor of the domestic terminal. The old lounge space has been walled off and is inaccessible.

There has been a slight upgrade in the lounge offering since the last time that we were here.

Lounge Space with Tropical Photographs and Tired Travelers

Food and Beverage:

There was also a small buffet on offer, which was similar to the last visit. The buffet was pretty average, limp cold cuts and tired vegetables probably the worst snack meal of our entire stay in the Maldives. The lounge, like most other places in the Maldives off resort, was dry. Fruit juices, soda and water were available. I am guessing with the cost of items being transported to the Maldives, there isnt much incentive to spend a great deal on food and beverage.

While we were here, our Park Hyatt host stopped by to advise us that there would be a ten minute delay. Maldivian was waiting for two passengers arriving off an Emirates flight for this particular connection. As a result, our domestic flights was slightly held up, not that anyone was complaining.

The Bottom Line: The Maldivian Moonimaa Domestic Lounge

The Maldidivan Moonimaa Domestic Lounge was a welcome surprise in our domestic Maldives transfer from Malé into the Southern atolls. While it was a reasonable place to hang out, the food and beverage weren’t all that too exciting. If anything, this space would be the most welcome addition after a long international flight from overseas, when you’re likely tired, jet lagged or exhausted. I would just recommend that you come fully fed.

If you’ve visited the Maldivian Moonimaa Domestic Lounge, what was your visit like?

Tags: Malé, MLE, Priority Pass Lounge

Street Life in Malé. A day of Walking the Republic’s Maldivian Capital, Maldives

Posted on July 6, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Activity + Asia + City Visit + Maldives + Round The World #3 via Vietnam, Maldives and India in Air Canada, Asiana, Singapore and Turkish Airlines Business Class + Trip Report

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We had a bit of a hiccup with Air India canceling our outbound flights from the Maldives a mere 14 days before we were scheduled to fly on them. This meant a little arranging and re-scheduling with our hotel transfers having to be re-booked and re-timed. Thankfully we were able to keep the same travel dates intact. Faiz at the Park Hyatt Maldives reservations desk was fabulous to deal with by email and took excellent care of us. As a result of re-jigging flights, we were able to schedule ourselves into a self guided morning tour around Male.

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Street life in Malé. A day walking the streets of the Republic’s Maldivian Capital, Maldives.

“A visit to geographically remote Malé is one of the only ways of getting an urban glimpse into Maldivian culture on the same level as the locals. If you’re interested in urban local life, a visit through the leafy city is worth a stop on your travels to the outer Maldivian atolls. “

About Malé:

The Capital of the Republic of the Maldives:

Malé is the capital of the Maldives and is the largest island city on the atolls. The city is only 8.3 square kilometers wide and has a population of approximately 230,000. This makes the island, in the Republic of Maldives and it’s one thousand atolls, among the most densely populated cities in the world.

We took in the morning to walk around Malé prior to our trip down to the Park Hyatt Maldives. I can’t endorse how nice and pleasant our morning visit to Male was. I’d describe it as the perfect visit for adventurous independent traveler. We were able to get around, on our own, for an ethnic experience without getting hassled by the usual touts. What’s even more unusual was that I’ve found this to be particularly unlike typical travels throughout the Middle East, India and Africa that as tourists, you were pretty much left alone to your own devices- sharing space with the Maldivian locals without much of a second thought.

Setting out from The Hotel Jen by Shangri-La Malé, there was an unusual combination of new and old office buildings, and squares on cool tree lined streets. The streets are really quiet, as there are only a few cars on Male. Those that have their own vehicles are usually motorbike riders. We wandered around the Northern part of the island checking things out as we went…

A Quiet Moment Sitting on Bikes Under Vined Trees, along side Medium Rise High Density Towers

Motorcycles are the main form of transport

A Laundromat signed with Maldavian Dhivehi language script

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Local Produce Market Shopping:

We made our way over to the produce market and were able to get a little “window shopping” done. Again, we had unfettered access to the area and felt safe and secure as we went through on our visit. It was pretty unique to see a market selling bananas, peppers and other specialties. I recognized swiss chard in there, among other things. The market was a place where most locals came to shop.

Counters of Fruit with Curious Customers

As we got more and more into the market, it was even more unique when you consider the fact that the Maldives have little to almost no arable land to produce all the products that were seen here. While some fruits would grow locally, many of the others would have likely have travelled distances from the atolls to get to Malé, just in order to be sold.

Where does one grow Watermelon in the Maldives?

Pre-Ripe Banana Trees being Carried to the Next Destination prior to sale

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Visiting the Fish Market:

Immediately next to the produce market is the fishing harbor and the daily fish market. If you come in the morning like we did, you’ll get to see the fish market in action. I wandered around the fish market, looking at the yellow fin tuna for sale. Unlike the anonymous experience visiting the Tsujuki Fish Market, I had a nice chat with one of the local fishmongers.

The ability to interact directly with the locals in a situation like this, is one of the view opportunities a Maldivian traveler can get to be on the same level as the locals. Most tourists to the Maldives are whisked away to super luxury resorts where there is a massive imbalance between luxury and residents that often work at these mega resorts. In fact, the Maldivan government has taken steps to keep Maldivians and tourists apart and segregated. Luxury resorts usually take over an entire smaller atoll, where as local residents occupy larger atolls. With few exceptions like the ex-British military base Gan to the south, permission is usually needed to get to an inhabited island atoll and you’re always on a guided tour arranged by your hotel or resort that is hosted by a local family. Male is probably the only place where, on your own, you can chat to anyone about anything. It’s also a place where there isn’t the unusual power imbalance between yourself and Maldivians, which happens as a result of visiting a seven star resort.

The Malé Harbour:

Just past the fish market is the harbor where all the fishing boats come in from various corners of the Maldives. It is among one of the most colorful harbors I’ve had the opportunity to visit. The beautifully colored sea certainly helps with this. We had an opportunity to see the fishermen cleaning off their boats after bringing in their day’s “catch”.

Male Harbour; clear water in the harbour

We same across the odd vendor, who was selling aquatic sea life.

Our Malé layover summarized:

All in all, our morning visit to Malé was a totally fantastic stopover experience. Our tour around was no longer than 2 hours, but we were able to take in some sights and see how life is in the capital city. Realistically, it’s sometimes a challenge to get the most out of a stopover. Nowhere I have been has offered the amount of proximity and contact with the locals where, unlike other areas of the Maldives, you’re on an even ground with them. Instead of seeing many landmarks and sights, the tour of Male is more experiential- it is more about the experience of city life in the Maldives and seeing how the local’s life in the capital. It’s highly recommended if your flight arrives in Male late at night, and you need a place to stay.

If you’ve spent some time visiting the streets of Malé before your visit to the atolls, did you enjoy your experience?

Tags: Malé, Maldives

Review: The Hotel Jen Maldives Malé by Shangri-La, Malé, Maldives

Posted on July 5, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Hotels + Round The World #3 via Vietnam, Maldives and India in Air Canada, Asiana, Singapore and Turkish Airlines Business Class + Trip Report

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The capital of the Maldives is the city of Malé. Malé is the most populous city in the Republic of Maldives. With a population of 227,486 and an area of 8.30 square kilometres (3.20 sq mi), it is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world. With that population comes expensive real estate, which is often translated into higher room rates. For our stopover in Malé, we ended up at the Hotel Jen by Shangri-La. The Shangri La describes Hotel Jen as a “design and lifestyle centric hotels offer cutting-edge tech, flexible spaces and 24/7 everything. So you can maintain your rhythm and make the most out of your stay”. We would end up having a great stay that mostly met all these criteria.

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Hotel Review: The Hotel Jen Maldives Malé by Shangri-La, Malé, Maldives

“Shangri-La’s newest entry into the lifestyle brand offered a great, convenient and hip space in ultra conservative Malé at Hotel Jen Malé, with a terrific breakfast room overlooking leafy streets and an infinity rooftop pool with skyline views”

Booking and Getting There:

Our Singapore Airlines Business Class Singapore – Malé flight arrived around 11 PM. Although it was possible, I opted not to attempt to transfer to the Park Hyatt Maldives that same evening. It is a very long transfer from Malé to the Park Hyatt that typically includes a one hour flight, and a forty five minute boat ride to the resort.

With limited hotel choices on Huluhule or Male, and having previously visited the Traders Bar at the Huluhule Airport hotel, (where many air crews stay – the hotel, not the bar) on our way back from the Park Hyatt Maldives the last time, we opted for the Hotel Jen of the Shangri La chain. The Hotel Jen brand is described as “Shangri-La’s design and lifestyle centric hotels offer cutting-edge tech, flexible spaces and 24/7 everything allowing you to maintain your rhythm and make the most out of your stay.” We had previously stayed at the Sheraton Full Moon Maldives on a short stopover before a transfer to resort hotel in the Maldives, but Sheraton Full Moon Maldives required a $150 per person boat transfer fee which substantially added to the cost of a short stay.

Since there aren’t too many options available on Malé, and no easy way to earn Shangri-La Golden Circle points for a 3,500 Golden Circle Points reward redemption, we ended up paying cash under the Best Available Rate for $335 USD, along with generous taxes and fees at $77.72 USD, for a total of $412.72 USD for one night. Although this was pretty steep, when you consider that nearby resort properties on islands often incur a transfer fee of $150 USD per person (or $300 USD for two), staying at the Hotel Jen in Malé made the most economical sense as there was no transfer fee.

Getting to the Hotel Jen Maldives:

After Maldivian immigration, we were met by a local Hotel Jen representative on the public arrival side of the terminal. Five other travelers (3 groups of us) from the Singapore Airlines flight were spending the night at the Hotel Jen. The meet and greet service and transfer to and from Male from the separate airport island is included in the room rate for all guests.

The Hotel Jen is on the main island capital city of Male, which was not connected to the airport island bt bridge at the time of our visit. We headed to the boat launch, situated adjacent to the Sheraton Full Moon Maldives boat launch. The Hotel Jen uses a dedicated private boat for transfers, instead of the public boat, which ferries everyone else from staff to locals to day trippers across to and from the airport for around $1USD. The Hotel Jen staff loaded our bags and we didn’t have anything baggage related to worry about.

It was a quick five minute boat ride over from the airport. I happened to notice that the sea here is so clear, that even at 11 PM, you can see right to the bottom of the water from the artificial lights of the airport.

When we arrived at the boat launch in Male, the hotel was a 2 minute walk from the launch. It was just one block back from waterfront street in the same block as the boat launch. Again, the staff completely took care of our bags. The road wasn’t suitable for my rollie thanks to uneven surfaces, so I left it care of the willing Hotel Jen crew. The staff eventually brought up our six bags consisting of several carry ons and a laptop back. Given the airport to shore to hotel to room transfer, I gave a $5 USD tip and they were genuinely happy. They must be used to non tipping guests.

Arriving to The Hotel Jen by Shangri La:

The Hotel Jen Malé by Shangri-La

Ameer Ahmed Magu, Malé, 20096, Maldives

On check in, we received a complimentary upgrade to a Deluxe Ocean View view room from our booked base Deluxe Room. I attribute this to our Shangri-La Golden Circle Loyalty Program membership (Gold base level membership). Our room was on the 12th floor, with a view facing north toward airport and the northern atolls. It was a pretty good view. It’s worthwhile to note that the lower floor rooms have obstructed views into other buildings in the area. The hotel didn’t appear to have high levels of occupancy.

Front Desk Reception at Hotel Jen Malé, Maldives

The Room: A Deluxe Ocean View

The Deluxe Ocean View room itself is Hong Kong styled, like many of the other buildings in the Maldives. This means that real estate was at a premium, the rates were expensive, and the room was not very spacious. The hotel room furnishings were upgraded and were in excellent condition. The room was decorated in modern traditional fixtures.

A small Desk Area and Flat Screen Television

As seasons Maldivian travelers will know, the entire city of Male is a “dry” city. There isn’t a drop of alcohol publicly available, aside from the few resident expatriates that are allowed to purchase some with their permit. Everyone else seeking a beer, wine or cocktail needs to visit the Traders Bar on the airport island at the Huluhule Airport hotel. The Hotel Jen was also a dry zone, as reminded by the signs in the room.

The Washroom:

The shower featured a rain shower. As far as comfort and noise, the room itself was very quiet, thanks in part to an absence of an abundance of cars on the island. A Golden Circle welcome amenity was offered to us as a published benefit in the form of welcome fruit in the in room fridge.

A Refreshed Bathroom with Single Vanity sink

A Room with A View:

We had some nice morning views on sunrise the next morning. Although we were in an Deluxe Ocean View room, the view is somewhat between structures between the hotel and the water just one block in.

A Twelfth floor Deluxe Ocean View room (between buildings)

I found it particularly neat to see the atolls from far away from our hotel room that is so typical of beach views within the Maldives.

Views of Atolls of the Maldives in the Distance on the Horizon

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Around the Hotel:

The Lime Restaurant in Hotel Jen:

We were up sold to the breakfast buffet on check in at the front desk. It was offered at $21 USD if purchased in advance, and $27 USD on day of based on a walk in at the restaurant. This turned out to be quite a bargain considering the comparative food costs at hotel properties in the Maldives.

The Lime Restaurant breakfast room in the Hotel Jen turned out to be a beautiful breakfast room that was much better than expected. With a charming view of the quaint quiet street below, the breakfast setting featured the usual favorites: buffet, asian, omlette station and the Maldivian Tuna Manushi that I had missed for two years since my last visit.

Lime Restaurant Floor to Ceiling Windows

View of the Leafy Local Streets from Lime Restaurant

The food was exceptionally spicy. It was not toned down for international clientele. I throughly enjoyed it once I put the fire out in my mouth. Our experience here was very genuine and there were many Maldivian diners in the restaurant, in addition to some Indian staff.

Before we headed out for the day, we checked out the rest of the hotel.

Outdoor Pool

The Hotel Jen featured an infinity pool on the roof top. While we took a sneak peek the night we arrived, it looked ever more inviting today in the sunlight. It was pretty amazing to have a small Infinity pool on a roof top,, but it was a really terrific feature if you happened to be stuck here on a layover or needed somewhere to wind up a work day.

Hotel Jen Rooftop Infinity Pool Views over Malé

The pool at night is an intimate roof top place, with city lights views

Night Time Pool Views overlooking the lights of Nasir Ibrahim International Airport

Recreation Center:

There was also a small gym available for those needing a quick workout. There was one of everything needed for a proper hotel workout.

The Bottom Line: Our stay experience with The Hotel Jen Malé by Shangri – La

The bottom line was that we were well taken care of at the Hotel Jen. The rooms are New York sized, with room rates to match. However, the convenience of being met on arrival and taken into Male for a comfortable stay in a unique property in one of the most densely populated cities in the world, along with warm hospitality made for a great stay experience. The added benefit of being able to sightsee around Male in conjunction with your stay before transferring to your resort turned a good stay experience into a great one. I would easily chose this property again as a transfer hotel prior to a journey to a resort in the Maldives.

If you’ve stayed at The Hotel Jen Malé, did you find it a reasonable alternative from staying at a resort hotel near Malé ?

Tags: Hotel Review, Maldives, Shangri-La Golden Circle

Review: Singapore Airlines Business Class A330-3, Singapore – Malé

Posted on July 4, 2021 By World Traveller 73 in Airbus 330 + Airline + Business Class + Round The World #3 via Vietnam, Maldives and India in Air Canada, Asiana, Singapore and Turkish Airlines Business Class + Singapore Airlines + Trip Report

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There are many ways to get to the Maldives. Typically, from our home in North America, the typical routes are through the Middle East on Turkish, Emirates or Etihad. Thanks to some available award availability, we were lucky to get some award space on Singapore Airlines departing from Singapore Changi International Airport on their Airbus 330-3 business class product. While it wasn’t the most up to date business class offering, it was great to be able to take a spin through Singapore on the way to the Maldives.

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Review: Singapore Airlines Business Class A330-3, Singapore Changi – Malé Ibrahim Nasir International Airport

“Singapore Airlines Business Class positions itself as a premium regional carrier in South East Asia offering excellent service and quality food and beverage, with the occasional low rent touch”

After years of traveling to Singapore, I had always looked on the flight information display screens after landing at Singapore Changi International Airport and had always noticed the departure listing of the Singapore Airlines SQ452 flight from Singapore to Male popping out at me from the middle of the screen. In the nineties, I had no idea of where Male was but it sure sounded exotic. Sometime in early 2000, when I later learned it was the Maldives, it made the destination seem even more appealing and before I knew it, I was yearning to visit. That dream was to become a reality today with the opportunity to fly SQ452 from Singapore to the Maldives. The flight never used to be available on Star Alliance miles. Now, thanks to a proliferation of carriers flying there from both the Middle East, Asia and others, Singapore Airlines no longer has a strong hold on capacity to and from the island, that they may have had in times past.

Singapore Airlines Male Flight Information Sign

Leaving the enclave of the Singapore Airlines Silver Kris Changi Terminal 2 lounge, at about T-45, we headed to Gate F54. As most are probably aware, Singapore Changi Airport completes security immediately prior to the entering the holding lounge. On arrival, they were already boarding the aircraft in another example of Singaporean efficiency. As we were in line at the security screening check point, we were cut off by some excited Chinese mothers rushing to catch up with members of their party, shrieking Cantonese or some other similar language across the reception as they cut in front of us without a thought and wiggled their way in front of us into the security screening line. Travelling in Asia, is at the very least entertaining.

Singapore Airlines Gate F 52 holding gate

Singapore Airlines
Business Class
SIN – MLE (Singapore Changi Airport – Ibrahim Nasir International Airport )
SQ 452 – Business Class (I)
8:45 PM – 10:10 PM
April 8, 2015
Booked: Airbus 330
Flown: Airbus 330-300

On Board Singapore Airlines Business Class:

We boarded the aircraft using double door jet bridge. Again, we were identified by name on arrival to the aircraft and personally escorted to our seats.

On board, we settled into the now familiar, but functional A330 seating. The configuration in business class is 2-2-2, which is great for travelling with a partner, but not so great if you want privacy and personal space if travelling by yourself.

Singapore Airlines Business Class A330-3 Seats

Singapore Airlines A330-3 Business Class Seats

Singapore Airlines Business Class A330-3 Cabin in 2-2-2 Configuration

Singapore Airlines Business Class A330-3 Space

Singapore Airlines A330-3 Business Class Cabin

The seat itself is an angle flat variety. As always, angle flats are very comfortable for relaxing, but not so comfortable for sleeping since you tend to slide down the seat. Fortunately, these Singapore Airlines Airbus A330-3 tend to make up mostly short to medium haul regional flying in the Singapore Airlines network, so your likelihood of getting stuck on one of these for an overnight flight is pretty minimal. The seat controls are contained hidden in the arm rest, and include an individual reading light and call buttons.

The seat itself offered an individual entertainment monitor, along with a storage compartments and magazine racks.

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The In Flight Entertainment System:

The in flight entertainment was adjusted through a wired remote control. In terms of design, I tend to find my hips easily bump these buttons in flight, causing a channel or display change when the controls are stored next to your hip. It’s one thing for short flights when you’re not likely to get fidgety, but on longer flights, I tend to shift around a bit, making the design of arm rests in the walls of chairs to be a little problematic for me.

A Wired Remote for the Entertainment Controls

I played around with the AVOD system. Singapore Airlines calls their in flight entertainment system KrisWorld. There was a substantial amount of movies available on offer. Singapore Airlines was among the first to offer Advanced Video on Demand and they have stayed current with a massive inventory of movies and other entertainment.

Kris World: Amply stocked with a selection of movies

Flight Amenities Provided: A Blanket and a Pillow with no Amenity Kit

On arrival waiting on the seat for us were a blanket and pillow. As with other Singapore Airlines Business Class flights, no amenity kit was offered. Supplies of toothbrushes and soaps are available in the Business Class washroom. Today’s flight offered slippers in an unusually shaped bag.

Slippers: with a slightly low rent throwaway bag

Pre Departure Beverage Services:

We were offered another pre departure beverage of champagne, iced tea, water or orange juice. We opted for the champagne once again. We were again thirsty and received a refill while still on the ground.

Pre Departure Beverage: Charles Heinseick Champagne

We had a view out the window of the Singapore Airlines Changi Airport Ground Operations, with many SQ planes parked nearby.

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The Meal: “Book the Cook” – A Personalized Full Dinner

We were underway quickly with a take off on runway 02. It wasn’t long before the cocktail offering came around. I broke with tradition and went with the gin martini on offer on the cocktail menu.

We both used the Singapore Airlines “Book the Cook” feature. Instead of over the top Lobster Thermador, I went with a seared nut crushed veal fillet, designed by Singapore Airlines International Culinary Panel Chef Carlo Cracco. Wow – that’s a long title! I have personally found that Lobster doesn’t really travel well into an aircraft so I went with the western choice.

Singapore Airlines Regular Business Class Menu

Singapore Airlines Business Class Menu SIN-MLE

The wines were the exactly the same set as from our previously flown Singapore Airlines Business Class Ho Chi Minh – Singapore flight. They are re-produced here as follows.

The supper service started with the traditional lovely satay; a staple of the Singapore Airlines Business Class menu.

Satay with Onion, cucumber and Spicy Peanut Sauce

I enjoyed the appetizer Prawn Salad Caesar salad, with parmesan cheese and crouton. I paired this with the white Spy Valley Sauvingon Blanc white wine.

Prawn Caesar salad with Romaine, Parmesan Cheese, and Crouton

Seared nut crushed veal fillet, with roasted asparagus

After dinner, I switched to red wine for dessert (not an actual pairing). I wasn’t able to resist the strawberry ice cream.

Strawberry Ice Cream with sauce (and red wine)

After the dinner service was completed, I spent some time with the Singapore Airlines in flight entertainment system KrisWorld. I spent the time watching Liam Neeson rocking it out in Taken 3. Meanwhile, MrsWT73 entertained me with images of a delicatessen in India (under the “Next Destination”)

I napped for a little bit after a long day. I had an onboard cappuccino but it was no match for my fatigue by this point.

Singapore Airlines Cappuccino Service and a Chocolate

As in the past, we arrived promptly and straight into Male, Maldives without any holding pattern.

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Arriving to Malé Ibrahim Nasir International Airport:

As in the past, we arrived promptly and straight into Male, Maldives without any holding pattern. Being that the Maldives is in the middle of nowhere, there isn’t a lot of connecting traffic.

We arrived to non gate position. We were among the very first off seated in 12A and 12C by the front door. It was always cool to see aircraft scattered around the apron on ground here.

Malaysian Airlines & Bangkok Airways Narrowbodies on the Ground at MLE

Singapore Airlines A-330-3 on the ramp at Malé

We entered the arrival’s hall, which is now looking a bit dated. We were among the last planes to arrive tonight.

MLE Nasir Ibrahim Arrivals Hall: Baggage Claim

Male Arrivals / Departures Information Screen

Our experience on Singapore Airlines Business Class A330-3:

The dream of flying Singapore Airlines to the Maldives was made a reality today. It was a super comfortable way to get to the Maldives. As always, Singapore offered terrific service and a professional attitude. It was a very comfortable way to get here. Like in our last flight. the other aspects of the service were professional and attentive. Singapore Airlines sure sets the standard leagues ahead of many of the North American carriers when it comes to service and making a flight pleasant and enjoyable.

If you’ve flown Singapore Airlines Business Class Medium Haul, what was your experience like?

Tags: MLE, SIN, SQ 452, Star Alliance

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Review: Air India A320-2, Male – Trivandrum

Air IndiaEconomy Class (Single Class of Service)MLE – TRV (Ibrahim Nasir International Airport – Thiruvananthapuram International Airport)AI264 – Economy Class (X) Scheduled: 11:00 AM – 12:15 PMActual: 1:20 PM – 3:00 PMApril 14, 2015Booked: Airbus 319Flown: Airbus 320-2

On Board Air India:

Departing the Maldives:

The Meal: A Lunch

Arriving to Trivandrum, India:

Our experience on Air India A320 International Short Haul:

If you’ve flown Air India Short Haul, was your experience as quirky as ours?

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Review: Leeli Lounge, Nasir Ibrahim International Airport, Male, Maldives

Checking into Air India Business Class:

Locating the Leeli Lounge:

Accessing the Leeli Lounge:

Inside the Leeli Lounge:

Food and Beverage within the Lounge:

The Bottom Line: The Leeli Lounge Male

If you’ve visited the Leeli Lounge, did you miss having a drink before your flight?

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Sunsets on Hadahaa, Huvadhoo Atoll, Maldives.

Saturday’s Park Hyatt Maldives Manager Reception:

Bodu Beru Maldivian Dancing:

Sunsets on Hadahaa:

My thoughts on sunsets on beautiful Hadahaa Island:

If you’ve spent some time on Hadahaa enjoying the sunsets, did you find them as spectacular as I did?

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Snorkelling the Park Hyatt Maldives House Reef at Hadahaa, Maldives.

Where is the Hadahaa Island House Reef?

What does the Hadahaa House Reef look like:

What can you see on the Hadahaa House Reef?

Spotting Grey Tip Reef Sharks:

My thoughts about the Hadahaa House Reef:

If you’ve snorkelled the Park Hyatt Maldives house reef, did you find it as gorgeous as we did?

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How does a Luxury Hotel on a Private Island Work? The Guided “Back of House” Tour at the Park Hyatt Maldives.

The Guided Back of House Tour:

How Laundry is Done:

How the Resort gets Power:

Where the staff eat and exercise:

What happens to things that break?

How does the Resort communicate with the outside world?

Where does the Resort get their drinking water from?

How I felt that the Back of House Tour generated goodwill:

Is the Back of House Tour something you’d be interested in if you were in the Maldives?

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Circumnavigating Hadahaa Island in Huvadhoo Atoll, Maldives.

Where is Hadahaa Island?

About Hadahaa Island:

What time is like on Hadahaa Island:

If you’ve spent some time on Hadahaa while staying at the Park Hyatt Maldives, did you find it as inspiring a place as I did?

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Hotel Review: The Park Hyatt Maldives, Beach Access Pool Villa, Hadahaa Atoll, Maldives

Booking and Getting There:

Arriving to The Park Hyatt Maldives:

The Park Hyatt Maldives

North Huvadhoo, Gaafu Alifu Atoll, Maldives, 20054

The Room: A Beach Access Pool Villa

The Park Hyatt Villa:

The Washroom:

The Park Hyatt Ocean Access and Private Pool:

Around the Hadahaa Island:

The Park Hyatt Maldives Pool Area:

My Thoughts on the Park Hyatt Maldives Pool Villa:

If you’ve stayed at Park Hyatt Maldives, did you find the stay exceptional?

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Review: Maldivian Airlines DHC8-2, Malé – Koodhoo

On Board Maldivian Airlines:

Arriving to Koodhoo:

Transferring to the Park Hyatt Maldives:

Our experience on Maldivian Airlines summarized:

If you’ve flown Maldivian Airlines down to the Southern Malé Atolls, what was your journey like?

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Review: Maldivian Moonimaa Domestic Lounge, Malé Ibrahim Nasir Domestic Airport, Malé, Maldives

Transferring from Malé to the Malé International Airport:

Checking into Maldivian Airlines:

Accessing the Maldivian Moonimaa Lounge:

Inside the Maldivian Moonimaa Lounge:

Food and Beverage:

The Bottom Line: The Maldivian Moonimaa Domestic Lounge

If you’ve visited the Maldivian Moonimaa Domestic Lounge, what was your visit like?

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Air India
Economy Class (Single Class of Service)
MLE – TRV (Ibrahim Nasir International Airport – Thiruvananthapuram International Airport)
AI264 – Economy Class (X)
Scheduled: 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Actual: 1:20 PM – 3:00 PM
April 14, 2015
Booked: Airbus 319
Flown: Airbus 320-2

Singapore Airlines
Business Class
SIN – MLE (Singapore Changi Airport – Ibrahim Nasir International Airport )
SQ 452 – Business Class (I)
8:45 PM – 10:10 PM
April 8, 2015
Booked: Airbus 330
Flown: Airbus 330-300