Emily G
Revisada: 3 weeks ago
5/5
While I ultimately have rated the Intercontinental Maldives 4 stars, it truly was a wonderful hotel and a true trip to paradise (so really more like 4.7/5). My rating stems mainly from small things, and mostly from pre-arrival and not the resort itself. This is a long review- I apologize in advance! But there don’t seem to be too many detailed reviews here so I wanted to give some extra details. ||This was to be our official honeymoon, but also our first wedding anniversary as we delayed our honeymoon due to my husband's work schedule. We both work onboard a luxury cruise line, so our schedules are tricky and standards high. The stay was booked on a mix of points, cash, and Ambassador weekend certificate. The hotel was very helpful at combining the bookings easily and quickly. We did have an issue between IHG and the hotel in regards to an add-on package I had been told was for us both, only to later be informed it was not. In the end it was resolved satisfactorily, but only after I reached out to management directly. I won't go into details as it did not negatively affect our stay, but will caution that my best advice is to try and work directly with the hotel on arrival for any concerns, as the staff at the hotel are fantastic and much more service oriented then the reservations agents via email. I had a few other concerns, and they were always met with "no" versus supplying an alternative. For example, as Diamond Ambassador, I was offered an upgrade to the lagoon villa. We preferred to stay overwater on the sunrise side (meaning no upgrade necessary) and the email agent said that if we didn't want this upgrade there was nothing else. I found it strange there was no offer of a monetary upgrade if we preferred. ||On a related note, the other reason for the slightly lower rating was the general lack of disregard for loyalty status. Did this impact our vacation? I don't think so. But at the end of the day, the hotel is an Intercontinental regardless of its location, and I felt that it didn't honor loyalty over spend. My husband and I do not truly care about these things as we would stay here with or without status (I only mention it for other members), and I would say that if you do not have any status with IHG there are many benefits to choosing this hotel over other well-known brands-- the included breakfast and club benefits for everyone is an AMAZING value! We were greeted by the resort manager upon arrival (I did understand this was due to our status). There was a great setup in our room on arrival- balloons, messages on the bed, canapes and a cake for our anniversary. There was also a welcome bottle of bubbly (though not Moet as other rooms received). Again, nothing to negatively affect our stay. One thing of note, we were not allowed to choose a welcome amenity as Diamond. For those unaware, as Diamond you can choose welcome points, drink, or breakfast for your stay. This is standard at any IHG hotel. As breakfast is already included, I had planned to select the welcome drink so we could try something new at the hotel. I was told that the sparkling wine and snacks in my room were my "welcome amenity" and I could not select anything else (though I could receive the welcome points). It feels wrong to complain about a gift, but IHG does usually provide some sort of welcome gift in the room and you can still choose an amenity at check in (as usually that would be breakfast). I don't know if it was a communication issue or just a rule at this particular hotel. I also didn't feel that my ability to have guaranteed late checkout was an option. We were planning to transfer to a different resort, so did not push the issue in advance, but I didn't see how they could properly accommodate a late checkout. For us, we had requested to leave sometime after 12 (resort time) as we were not in a rush. I do understand that the schedule is largely determined by the seaplane company, but to be informed the night before that you actually need to leave at either 8am or 10:30am is a bit of a bad way to end a great trip. When pushed, the resort did inquire and found that we could transfer to a nearby resort at 12 and fly from there, but then could not guarantee an acceptable transfer to the next hotel. If we had been ending the trip I would have expected to have the late checkout accommodated, or at least informed with enough notice, and compensated as per rules. In regards to the seaplane- we also would have liked to know what time we were departing Male on our first day in advance. We literally landed and were rushed to the plane with a brief stop in the lounge to sign paperwork. We were starving and had no time to eat, and with the time change of the hotel arrived just as breakfast was closing. Certainly we liked such a speedy arrival, but it did affect our decision on when/how to eat the first day. If we had known it would be such a fast transfer without time in the lounge to refresh and eat, we would have packed snacks! To sum up- you don't really need any status to have a great experience, so just to manage expectations for others that may expect more for it. And also to be aware that the hotel has everyone use an app that allows you to share photos-- so it is not so nice when you see that other guests are receiving different gifts or extra experiences (I'm sure some are paid for, but sometimes also seemed like a "surprise" from their curator or management?). Maybe that's on us and we just needed to ask?||That being said, the experience at the hotel is absolutely incredible. We have both seen some gorgeous beaches in our travels, and we live in Greece so are near to beautiful unique beaches everyday, but this was something out of a movie. You felt as if you were on a deserted island untouched by civilization- except for the 5 star amenities of course! The snorkeling was fantastic- definitely do not miss the house reef! We loved that everywhere we went we felt like we were on our own. It did help that it was "low" season, but I don't think the resort could ever truly feel crowded. We appreciated that there were chairs set up in various locations around the resort, so you were not forced to stay in the main areas. Everything was so quiet and peaceful-- and the STARS!!! AMAZING!||Our curator, Thoif, was the epitome of professional, yet genuinely friendly service. We didn't really require any assistance, but any inquiry was dealt with quickly and positively. He always checked on us at breakfast to see how our stay was and any plans we may have. He also would recommend activities or areas to explore. He was also kind enough to show us a few other room options on request so that we could make future plans and show them to our friends and guests onboard. To be honest, all of the staff was very friendly and not in a fake way-- we were always greeted as we rode our bicycles, and appreciated that the buggies would always stop for us to pass without feeling like we were in the way. Our servers were always smiling-- we particularly enjoyed chatting with Svetlana during teatime. She was warm and engaging- and didn't bat an eye when I asked for extra scones ;) The nice staff member working the beach club chairs-- I'm terrible with names but I think something like Ajit? -- he was so nice and always proactive. He would offer drinks, extra towels, helping move chairs whether we wanted shadow/sun. Housekeeping were magical ninjas that always knew when we were out and left the room spotless and inviting. The team at the water sports/dive center were also friendly and helpful.||The food was very good-- we had a package for part of our stay which allowed us to try things from the different restaurants. Some standouts included the tuna steaks, sashimi, and carpaccio. My husband really enjoyed the pasta at Umi. As mentioned earlier, breakfast was top notch. It kept us full until tea time, or sometimes even until dinner. The crepes are not to be missed and the fresh fruit is perfect. There were some items though that you could definitely skip- the sushi was nothing special (only the sashimi was worth it) and we didn't care for any of the desserts we tried-- though that is probably for the best! On the first day my husband tried the ribeye at Retreat and it was not a ribeye- very thin and tough. It was definitely wiser to order the more fresh, local items. We also didn't feel the all-inclusive was worth it. We were usually too full to enjoy it, and I think we would fare better just paying as we go. We are also not big drinkers, so the happy hour would suffice for us. Though I did find it strange that the fresh juices, which are included at breakfast, are not included at the happy hour. The menu is nearly identical to the all inclusive menu, but surprisingly without the juices. It just seemed a bit off that you could not have the juice.||I'll close with a few more positive things of note-- the gym is impressive. I loved the wide range of "toys" and there was good space to do any kind of workout. The rooms are all amazing-- you cannot have a bad room in the entire resort. We LOVED our overwater villa- we used the pool and the deck multiple times per day. We would love to try out a beach villa too in the future... The details that went into the resort are lovely-- I've seen some people mention it seems a bit artificial or "Disney"- to me that is a positive. Everything was pristine. The lights on the pathways were magical. We loved riding our bikes around and enjoying the trees and pathways. It was such a peaceful and calm trip-- the perfect honeymoon for us. The bed was so lush and comfortable. We sort of wished it had rained so that we were "forced" to enjoy a day in bed instead of in the beautiful sun! ||We left to go to a different resort, and I literally cried on arrival because the other hotel was not at all what we expected and the Intercontinental was MORE. We wished we would have stayed the whole time there. I would 100% recommend the hotel even with the minor issues we encountered, and am sure that it will be an even better experience next time- 5 stars all the way!
