Hotel Review: Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa Part I

This review is the last installation of a 7 day series. Typically I only write one post per hotel, but since the Maldives is so remote and I was there for a longer period of time I separated it into two posts.

As our plane danced through the clouds on the way to the island of Kadahoo, I pressed my nose against the window and excitedly thought, “Are we there yet? are we there yet?”

After passing atoll after atoll and gazing at the turquoise water, the wheels came down and we descended.

We arrived on the island to clear blue skies and balmy weather.

Just inside the baggage room, a cheerful Hyatt representative was waiting.

We were headed to the waterfront, which was only a short distance but we were given the royal treatment via buggy.

Once at the dock, three more guys met us. They transferred our suitcases onto the boat, and then it was time to hop aboard.

There were no hard plastic seats on this boat, but luxurious couch like seating instead.

My husband and I were the only passengers on the boat. Everyone wore a life jacket, even though the journey wasn’t bumpy.

Skipping across the waves, we passed several islands.

After a while, a row of dots finally appeared on the horizon. Coming closer, I saw they were the Park Water Villas of the Park Hyatt.

The General Manager and part of his team were there at the dock waiting for our arrival. What a warm welcome!

As soon as we stepped ashore, we were greeted, introductions were made, and we climbed into a golf cart driven by our assigned host during our stay, for easy transport to our villa.

Of the different villa types, I had chosen one on the beach with its very own private plunge pool – the Park Pool Villa. It had been a tough decision between that one and the overwater Park Water Villas, but I’d finally decided on the beach villa because I wanted to make sure that the air conditioning was able to keep up with the hot sun (I’d heard that the overwater villa A/C wasn’t as strong), plus I wanted my own swimming pool too. I paid for the stay using points, but that only guaranteed a standard Park Villa. In order to secure the Park Pool Villa in advance, I paid an extra $200 per night.

The buggy ambled down the sandy path beneath the tree awnings, and I sat back and took in all the beauty.

Even though there were only a total of 50 villas on the island, this one offered a little extra privacy from anyone who might be walking by on the beach. As the guy was bringing in the luggage, I went around to the back of the villa to take a look at the plunge pool. It was larger than I expected, and had been cleaned of any leaves. The calm water looked inviting and there was just enough view of the ocean, while maintaining privacy.

There was an outside couch for lounging, and a table with chairs.

The temperature wasn’t extremely hot outside, the cool air conditioning inside felt good. A welcome bottle of champagne on ice was waiting for us, along with some tasty chocolate treats and snacks under glass domes. The host warned us that if the glass covers were left off of the treats, the ants would soon enjoy them.

The bed had silky sheets, a comfortable duvet, fluffy down pillows, and there were bedside tables with easy to access light switches.

Floor to ceiling windows had easy to close sliding sections. The daybed had a good view of the pool and beach, and large glass bottles of water were positioned on a small table.

The rain shower had great water pressure, and there were built in areas in the wall for toiletries. The hotel provided shampoos and such in environmentally friendly reusable bottles, but I had brought my own toiletries (and took my bottles home with me when I left). There were also tiny geckos that clung occasionally to the outside wall of the shower (perhaps they liked the moisture) and provided some entertainment.

The bathroom had separate his-and-hers sinks, closets, and storage spaces.

In between the two spaces there was a door that led to the back patio.

There was an outdoor rain shower, underneath the gently swaying palm trees.

There was also a large tub, for bathing under the stars. I didn’t end up using the bathtub during my stay, but swam in the pool every day.

I took a dip in the plunge pool before dinner and the water was wonderfully cool, but not cold. The bottom of the pool was clean and there was plenty of room for swimming around.

After rinsing off we headed to the beach where we found glider chairs and candlelit tables set up.

Complimentary “sundowner” hors d’oeuvres and alcoholic drinks were served to Diamond members in the early evening, so you could enjoy the view and a light snack before dinner. We going to eat dinner with close friends also staying at the resort so this was a great place to meet up.

The sky’s hue changed slowly from blue to pinkish purple, as we ate and talked. There was a gentle breeze, and the temperature was perfect.

Dinner was served at The Island Grill, so we all moved there after our starters were finished. Fine white sand was underfoot and the room was partially open to the elements, but I didn’t notice any bugs.

At the time I of my stay, the menu was heavily focused on regional curries. I love curries, though the hotel has since updated their menu to include more Western offerings to appeal to more guests.

After perusing the menu I ordered a Maldivian fish curry, which was absolutely delicious. It was fresh, had just the right combination of flavorful spices, and came accompanied by rice and some soft roshi bread.

Dessert for the evening was a moist cake, accompanied by ice cream. The cake was warm, the ice cream was just starting to melt, and the combination was tasty.

Heading back to the room the sky was dark, but our path was lit by carefully hung lanterns. The gentle waves lapping at the shore and the rustling of leaves were the only sounds. I was thrilled that there were no mosquitos at all. Tucked into bed, I couldn’t wait to see what the next day would bring…

Park Hyatt Maldives Part II

I’d be grateful if you’d follow me on Twitter!