Park Hyatt Maldives We stayed at the Park Hyatt Maldives and booked entirely with points at 35,000 Hyatt points per night. The main reason we chose this resort was its reputation for having one of the best house reefs in the Maldives. Snorkeling is my primary reason for visiting the Maldives, so this was a major deciding factor. Another huge bonus for me: no mosquitoes—at least during our stay. I am someone who gets bitten relentlessly, and I can honestly say I wasn’t bitten once. We visited in January during dry season, and the staff mentioned mosquitoes are more common during the rainy season, which makes sense. Getting to the resort requires a domestic flight from Malé (about one hour) followed by a 30-minute boat ride. The resort coordinates everything seamlessly, making the process stress-free. The transfer cost at the time of our booking was $610 per person. ⸻ Arrival & Villas We arrived exhausted and starving—travel fatigue is real, even when you’re mostly sitting or lying down. We were greeted by our host, Abby, who was absolutely phenomenal. She is the best host you could ever ask for and somehow always seemed to anticipate our needs. She would send ice before we even asked, learned our preferences quickly, and consistently showed up to pick us up for activities or bring us back to our villa. She was the only host we observed who reliably did this. Other guests without Abby often walked back to their villas because their hosts didn’t come for them. We felt incredibly lucky to have her and truly wished we could take her home with us. If you’re assigned Abby as your host, consider yourself fortunate—and tip her well. Park Hyatt is very lucky to have her. Upon arrival, the resort walks you through a lot of information, which can feel overwhelming when you’re exhausted and hungry. We were also required to download the resort app, which I initially wasn’t thrilled about, but it ended up being useful for schedules and daily information. Due to the time change, we fell asleep around 6:45 p.m. our first night and woke up at 2:30 a.m. As a Hyatt Globalist, I had hoped for an upgrade to a beach villa with a pool, which I had read was common. Unfortunately, due to occupancy, we were assigned a standard beach villa. I was honestly disappointed—it had no ocean view and didn’t feel like the Maldives experience I had imagined. The website photos can be misleading, as many beach villas have no view due to dense foliage. After a few days, we upgraded to an overwater villa for about $200 per night, and it was absolutely worth it. The views were stunning, the nighttime stargazing was incredible, and the best snorkeling on the island is right at the end of the overwater villas. Being able to jump directly into the ocean from our villa was one of the highlights of the trip. We even saw two dolphins from our room. My biggest advice: book the room you truly want from the start, even if it costs more. There isn’t much to do at this resort, so you’ll spend a lot of time in your villa. I didn’t think I needed an overwater villa—but after experiencing it, I was very glad we upgraded. ⸻ Resort Experience & Activities The resort is absolutely breathtaking. I’ve snorkeled all over the world, and I’ve never seen water this blue or sand this white—not even in Tahiti. The snorkeling is excellent. Belize still tops my list overall, but the house reef here is very good and easily accessible. Activities are intentionally limited—this is a place to relax, snorkel, dive, read, and truly unwind. If you need constant stimulation, this may not be the resort for you. But if you enjoy peaceful downtime, snorkeling a few hours a day, and complete relaxation, it’s perfect. We attended yoga classes, a meditation session, and a few small activities. I especially loved the meditation and wish I could have done it more than once. I was disappointed with the paid excursions. Most require a minimum of four people, and group options were very limited. Despite asking to be notified if another couple wanted to join, I didn’t get to do Turtle Quest until day seven—and it was amazing. I also did reef exploration on my last day thanks to Abby coordinating another couple to join me. Private excursions are available but cost around $1,500 for four hours, plus a 27% service charge and tax. Most excursions visit similar locations, so doing multiple isn’t particularly worthwhile. Reef Exploration and Turtle Quest did go to different sites, but you’ll generally see the same marine life: turtles, rays, and black-tipped reef sharks. If you’re a diver, however, there is much more to do. My husband dives, and dive trips were available daily. ⸻ Food & Meal Plan Water I was surprised the resort does not provide refillable water bottles, especially given their sustainability efforts. They stock your room with large glass bottles of water, but no reusable bottle is offered. I recommend bringing your own. I lost mine at the airport and ended up paying $58 (plus 27%) for one at the gift shop—worth it, but still disappointing. Coffee The rooms have pod coffee machines, and the staff will happily provide as many pods as you want. My husband is a big coffee drinker, and Abby made sure we always had plenty—sometimes 20 pods per day. You can also buy a large milk for $10, which lasted us several days. Full Board Meal Plan We opted for the full board meal plan at $150 per day (Globalist pricing) and were very glad we did. We don’t drink alcohol, so all-inclusive wasn’t necessary. Because of the time change, we were waking up around 5 a.m. and going to bed by 9 p.m. Breakfast doesn’t start until 7:30 a.m., and dinner starts around 7–7:30 p.m. Skipping lunch would have meant going 12 hours between meals—far too long, especially with snorkeling. We came out ahead every day with the meal plan. Prices are extremely high: a small salad can cost $30 plus 27%, bringing it close to $38. Everything we ate was good—nothing mind-blowing, but consistently solid. Island Grill was our favorite restaurant, and while there are exclusions you don’t learn about until dining, we still enjoyed excellent meals there, including several great steak dinners. We also appreciated having specialty coffees, sodas, juices, and mocktails included—those costs would really add up otherwise. One dining complaint: the resort hired a magician who went table to table during dinner. Unfortunately, he was loud and lingered too long. My husband eventually told him we just wanted to have dinner together. While he left us alone, he continued speaking loudly at nearby tables, which was distracting and unpleasant. Many guests seemed uncomfortable but tried to be polite. ⸻ Spa & Service I booked a massage on our first day due to travel soreness, and it was one of the best massages I’ve ever had. While the spa doesn’t have many amenities or ocean views, the treatments themselves are excellent and absolutely worth it. The service at this resort is truly exceptional. Requests were handled immediately, often within minutes. The staff quickly learned our preferences and consistently exceeded expectations. Your comfort and happiness are clearly their top priority. ⸻ Final Thoughts Even though we booked flights and accommodations entirely on points, this is still an expensive vacation. We spent around $8,000 on food, transfers, a villa upgrade, and activities during our 9-night stay. This is not a budget trip—you will spend thousands no matter what. That said, I don’t regret a single penny. This vacation exceeded my expectations and delivered exactly what I hoped for. If the Maldives is on your bucket list, I wholeheartedly encourage you to go.