Review of Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa

Want to get away from everyday hustle bustle and enjoy some quiet time on a private island with natural beauty and spectacular sunsets? Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa should top your list!!

This island is not shared with any other properties and therefore, you will truly be escaping to a rare luxury Private Island surrounded by a natural white beach and azure lagoon.

1. Transit to Park Hyatt Maldives

Getting to the resort was quite a journey since we were not able to get a direct flight to Male International Airport. We departed from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad India, which was a short 1 hour flight to Bombay. From Bombay we had a connecting flight to Sri Lanka which was followed by one more flight to Male International Airport. We personally arranged our travels till Male Airport whereas, the round trip transfers between Male and Park Hyatt Maldives were arranged by the resort at a whooping 520 USD per adult 😮 This round trip transfers included the plane ticket (from Male to Kododoo) and a final speedboat transfer (from Kododoo to the resort).

To sum it up, our itinerary looked like this:

• AMD — BOM
• BOM — CMB
• CMB — MLE
• MLE — GKK
• GKK – Resort via speedboat

Our whole journey was roughly 22hours! Yes, I know that sounds very exhaustive but it’s totally worth it at the end.

Upon arriving at Male Airport, we easily spotted a Hyatt staff member holding a sign with our name on it.

He escorted us to the airport lounge as we had an additional 45 min wait for our next flight to Kododoo. The flight between Male and Kododoo was approximately 1 hour and operated by Maldivian airlines.

Once we landed at Kododoo, the resort staff shuttled us to the docks, using golf carts, for the final transit – which was a 45 minute speed boat ride.

Tip: 

• Maldives rainy season runs from May to October when thunderstorms are frequent events. We visited in January when the weather was perfect. It was nice and warm during day and got a little breezy in the evenings.
• Maldives peak season runs from December to April during which period, resort and flight fares are comparatively higher.

2. The Arrival

Pheeeww!! The moment we had been waiting for 22 hours had finally arrived. The speed boat was anchored to the dock and the vacation vibes and excitement kicked in as we disembarked the speed boat.

Our first interaction with the resort was at the “Dhoni” which is the resort’s front desk area.

A staff member greeted and welcomed us with a cold beverage and some snacks which was a great gesture after the exhaustive journey. As we savored the refreshments, the staff member presented us with a pre-filled check in form that we reviewed and signed. The overall check-in process was very smooth and convenient.

After the check-in formalities, we had a short golf cart ride to our exquisite villa 😀

3. Villa Choices and Pool Information

Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa offers charming villas, each beautiful in its own way. There are various types of villas, categorized into three major groups:

• Park villa (On land, no private pool)
• Park pool villa (Similar to park villa, but with a private pool)
• Park water villa (my favorite and a must do, generally known as “Over water villa”)

Like most people, one of the prominent item on our bucket list was spending a night in an over water villa and as you can imagine they are pretty expensive!! Average price for an over water villa at this resort is $1000 but please note this rate changes by season. I know $1000 sounds horrendous which is exactly why my husband, Saj found alternative tricks that allowed us to take luxurious vacations without spending a fortune. (Stay tuned for our upcoming post on how you can plan an entire Maldives vacation at this resort with limited cash.)

Here is a tour of our Over Water Villa!

This resort has two pools. The main pool is in front of the resorts’s dinning area overlooking the ocean and famous for it’s picturesque backdrop!

The second tranquility pool, set amidst lush gardens behind the Vidhun Spa, was our preferred one. We loved going here for a swim as it is discreet, there aren’t too many strollers and we appreciated the privacy. This pool did not seem to be very popular among guests and we had it all to ourselves 90% of the time during our stay.

Tip: Personally, I am not a huge fan of the Park Pool Villa since we found the resort pools to be beyond satisfactory – something to keep in mind when choosing your villa type.

4. Dinning

For our stay at the resort we opted for a standard rate package, which did not include food or drinks. We purchased a separate breakfast package at $32 plus tax per adult for each day. (Please note complimentary breakfast is provided for Hyatt Diamond members.)

The breakfast package is a buffet concept which included two dishes from the à la carte menu of our choice and juice, tea or coffee per adult. This means 4 main course dishes per couple. The breakfast menu was expansive with a wide variety of hot and cold dishes so were never bored of the food. However, we were craving Indian food and inquired if it was possible to get Indian breakfast options. Our hostess set up a meeting with the chef who gladly prepared Indian breakfast dishes for us such as dhosa, idli, uttapam, aloo paratha etc., with no additional costs. We just had to give a 24 hour prior notice. In addition to that, a fruit and pastry platter was always served as appetizers, compliments by the resort.
Service at this resort was beyond exceptional, we could ask for anything and the staff did their best to make our stay more pleasant.

• Breakfast was from 7AM till 10:45 AM – buffet
• Lunch was from noon to 3:30pm – à la carte
• Dinner was from 7PM to 10:30 PM – à la carte

Tip: Since the resort is in a remote location, food and drinks were fancily priced. We used to take a late breakfast (brunch), skip lunch and take an early dinner which was a great money saving measure.

For details on the resort’s restaurants, operating hours and menus visit here.

5. Things to do

The resort offered a range of free activities along with the equipment required for them. We did not engage in all the activities however, here is a list of things you can do at the resort, free of charge:

• Snorkeling, gear and fins provided (we saw diverse marine life just steps from our villa)
• Kayaking (you can rent a kayak for 1 hour)
• Back of the house tour (operated twice a week)
• Star gazing
• Fitness Center
• Sunrise or sunset yoga by the beach (ask resort for schedule)
• Manager’s cocktail Reception (Hosted each Saturday around sunset time. Complimentary cocktails/wine/beer and appetizers were served followed by Maldivian dancing and music)

In addition to the above, there are other paid excursions and experiences offered by the resort. Saj, surprised me to a Private Dinning experience and Spa Package which were astonishing!

Private Dining
The resort offers three major themes for the private dinning experience, each inspired by the environment and surroundings – Blind Dining, Lagoon Dining and Sunset Dining.
Saj opted for the Sunset Dinning theme as Maldives is famous for it’s spectacular sunsets over its multi shaded lagoon. He consulted the executive chef to prepare a personalized menu for us, since we are vegetarians and the team was very enthusiastic towards this request. The food was delightful, service was personalized and exceptional, and the view of the blazing sun dipping below the horizon was heart-stopping!

Our table set on the beach overlooking the lagoon towards the setting sun.

This was a 2 hour dinning experience for a 5 course meal at 395 USD +tax per couple, followed by a splendid set up for two by the beach, where we could hear the waves lapping the shore and gaze at the thousands of stars above us.

Tip: If you opt for the Sunset Dinning theme, avoid having it on Saturdays for a more exclusive experience. On Saturdays, the resort hosts a managers cocktail reception at the same area so you will lack privacy, and it will be crowded until the sunsets.

Spa Experience
When on vacation, a spa experience is a must! The Vidhun Spa at the resort offered a range of spoiling treatments from which we opted the “Sehathu Couples Massage”.  The experience started off with a foot cleansing, followed by a 1.5 hour massage with their signature oil of either rose, lotus or jasmine; we picked jasmine.
This was followed by a steaming jacuzzi bath topped with aromatic flowers along with a complimentary champagne bottle and a fruit platter. It was really rejuvenating!