There are some destinations you visit only once, and there are a select few places that warrant many returns. Park Hyatt Maldives falls firmly in the latter category. We’ve been coming here for ten years, and while it’s always hard to say goodbye to our Hadahaa “family,” it’s equally exciting to return. The hospitality of the staff, comforts of a luxury property, and natural beauty of the island make this the easiest choice in the world for us when we decide where to revisit. Our arrival MLE was streamlined by Hassan and Ali, who helped us with our luggage and led us to the lounge. These guys are pros–they make it super easy for you. Notably, with the opening of the new International terminal, Park Hyatt uses the old international lounge (since domestic operations have been shifted to that space) instead of the smaller lounge that used to be adjacent to the domestic terminal. All of this to say, it’s a much better experience. The lounge is larger, more comfortable, and well-staffed. It’s not as luxurious as some of the new lounges in the seaplane terminal, but it does the job–which is important, because in most cases, guests will have to wait here for a few hours for the domestic flight to Koodoo. Once we arrived in Koodoo after the short ~60 minute flight on Maldivian, we were met by the Park Hyatt staff again, who whisked us away in a golf cart (buggy) to the dock, where our speedboat to Hadahaa was waiting. Onboard the boat, we were provided with life jackets (required safety protocol) and a refreshing beverage en route to our island paradise. The sea was calm on both our inbound and outbound trips, but the crew still checked on all guests aboard to ensure everyone was feeling OK. When we arrived at the Hadahaa arrival jetty, the team was waiting to welcome all guests, and another welcome drink was provided as we met our awesome host Akram, who drove us immediately to our villa for an early check-in. When we arrived at our beach pool villa (Globalist upgrade from base level beach villa), #7, which had the most beautiful private beach view, there were several amenities in the room to greet us: an anniversary cake (our anniversary was technically a few days after the stay, but kudos to the staff for thoughtful recognition!), our favorite beverages, some snacks (the dried coconut was our favorite!), and a lovely handcrafted palm frond message designed by our room attendant, Ahmed. Speaking of Ahmed, he did a fabulous job keeping our villa clean and organized daily, while also performing above-and-beyond tasks like leaving us some impressive sand art a few times during our stay. The villas are spacious, modern, and well-equipped. If there’s anything you need that’s not present already, just ask the staff, and they’ll do their best to get you whatever creature comforts will make your stay better. We’ve stayed in nearly every villa type at this property, and they’re all fantastic. The view and beach from villa #7 was probably our favorite beach villa view we’ve ever had… though the “villa” we experienced at the end of our stay was the obvious overall favorite; more on that in a bit. The reef that surrounds Hadahaa keeps the waves minimal (other than during storms, of course), and its natural beauty should not be missed. PLEASE snorkel or dive or both when you visit. The underwater world is teaming with life and color. For the best views, go in the morning (or early evening) and stay near the shelf. That means jumping off a jetty and swimming out is the way to go–don’t swim out from the beach. The corals are quite shallow there, so it’s kind of dangerous, and plus, there’s not as much to see as when you stay along the shelf. Dining on an island in the middle of the Indian ocean seems like it could be hit or miss. Chef Davide and his team are experts, however, and every meal is memorable and personalized. At breakfast, there is a full buffet of fruit, pastries, Maldivian specialties, Western and Asian items, and more. There’s also an a la carte menu from which Globalists and any guests on a meal plan can choose from; lots of great choices here, but our favorites on this trip were the tea-soaked chia pudding, Asian noodle soup, and wok crab omelette. My favorites from prior visits included the Hadahaa Chili Egg and the masala dosa; the staff was happy to make those off-menu items for me on request, which I really appreciated. One night, when my stomach was a bit upset, Chef Evanka made me a custom bowl of soup that really hit the spot. The thing is, I had only casually mentioned my upset stomach to another staff member in passing, but the personal level of care here is so high that within 30 minutes, the message made it to the kitchen such that Evanka came to offer me something without any prompting. Talk about a personal touch! Wow. On a previous visit we really enjoyed the soft shell crab tempura dish; Chef Davide told us that he knew we were coming, so he placed an order for the crab with their supplier so it’d be here when we arrived in case we decided we wanted it again. We thought that was incredibly impressive, and yes, we ordered it (twice!), and yes, it was fantastic! THANK YOU, Davide!! Speedy (Nabeel) expertly manages his team of F&B employees; every meal is organized and flows well. His spicy “Speedy Sauce” was excellent on our freshly grilled fish one evening. Thanks, Speedy! Special thanks to the Dining Room and Island Grill teammates who served us at each meal with kindness, attentiveness, and heart: Satheesan, Aisar, Frisca, Sayeed, and Susanti. At the Main Bar and Dive Bar, Sangita, Rusiru, Lokesh, and Iqbal took great care of us, whether it was for Sundowners (a drink and some canapes) or a light meal. Rusiru was especially attentive each evening, and the drinks he prepared were delicious! We particularly enjoyed visiting with Sangita; she’s so kind and makes the best Ginger Island mocktail you’ll ever have. We’ll look forward to seeing all of them again on a future visit! I took a Hoonu massage (pro tip: book before your stay for 10% off) on the second day of our trip, and Linda was the masseuse. She was fantastic and so friendly. I felt so relaxed after my massage thanks to the soothing sounds, gentle aromas from the oil, and the magic hands of Linda. We also enjoyed chatting with Okta and Kuka while at the spa and spa pool; they took great care of us, providing water and tea while we relaxed. On the last night of our stay, we were surprised and delighted to have the opportunity to stay at the Kiaali Residence, the presidential villa at the end of the overwater villa jetty. Folks, this place is a PALACE. It’s about 10,000 square feet, has three bedrooms, an enormous infinity pool with gorgeous sunset views, a gym with amazing sunrise views, the comfiest sofas you’ve ever melted into, an incredible marble dining table, a game room with a PS5, and honestly, so much more–all tastefully decorated with a modern, luxurious sense of style. I don’t know if we’ll ever get to stay there again, but suffice to say, this was the coolest place we’ve ever stayed in all our years of travel. It’d be perfect for a large family (it could easily sleep 6+) or, you know, a celebrity couple (if you’re reading this Taylor and Travis…). It’s THAT awesome! We also want to thank a few other staff members who made our stay special. Esthii was great fun to chat with (she’s usually at the Dhoni, but somehow she ends up pitching in everywhere, it seems like!), and she really remembers everything about her guests–so impressive. Akram, our host, was easily accessible via What’sApp for every request, big or small, and he always worked so hard to make each day of our vacation exactly as we wished for it to be. Amil, the housekeeping manager, made our magical villa upgrade on our last day happen smoothly, and was so open to feedback throughout our stay. Thanks for having Ahmed (at villa #7) and Raoof (at Kiaali) do our housekeeping; these two guys are so good at what they do and kept our villas spotless! Finally, thank you to Anshul, the GM, who is always working behind the scenes to ensure everything on the island is running smoothly–proactively. He’s made some great improvements during his tenure at Park Hyatt Maldives (we especially loved the gym upgrades during this visit), and whatever he does next and wherever he goes, they’ll be lucky to have him. Thanks to Anshul and his team of hospitality experts for making this stay even better than the ones that preceded it! See you all next year! - Mike and Lauren