Radisson Blu Maldives review. It's a paradise
The Maldives, we have written several times, reopened its borders this summer and managed the return of tourists in [...]
The Maldives, we have written repeatedly, reopened the borders this summer and handled the return of tourists in an orderly manner and without any schizophrenia of rule changes and dates, as we have seen elsewhere in recent months.
In this article:
The government's choice has been to take advantage of the natural isolation of the small atolls and to manage tourist arrivals in an orderly manner with a serious health protocol, this in fact has led to the Indian Ocean nation having a continuous, if uncrowded, influx of tourists.
It is fitting to repot the same premise made in the review of the Emirates first class flight that brought us home: not being residents of Italy, we did not violate any regulations or DPCMs and had a healthy (and well-deserved) vacation in the heat.
Reservation
This is a brand new facility, it opened in August 2020 at the height of the pandemic, but obviously plans for a chain like Radisson's were not altered by Covid. Obviously, the fact that the Maldives was reachable from all over the world even for nonessential travel also played in favor of the opening.
While accepting children, a resort area - the small island of Hanhaara Fushi - is dedicated to adults and houses the spa, yoga pavilion and a pool bar.
The atoll provides 128 villas between beachfront and overwater, all with private pools, ocean views and with two or three bedrooms.
As an American Express Platinum holder, I can take advantage of the following. the Gold level in the Carlson loyalty program, in such a vacation the most important thing is the ability to stay for free using points or take advantage of the elite level to earn lots of points to get free stays
Staying for free in this hotel costs 70k Carlson points per night, this is the rate for an overwater villa with pool. The same type of accommodation we chose in our stay. Unfortunately, there were no rooms available that could be booked with points, so we paid cash, or rather, with Amex and gained 229,163 points, enough for at least a couple of free stays in the coming months. To be specific, I could almost book 5 free nights with just the points earned from this stay.
The price quoted is with bed and breakfast, my advice is in such cases to opt for a full board or at least half board rate. You are isolated in the middle of the Indian Ocean; Deliveroo does not come here.
Check-in
There are two ways to reach the resort, which is located on a private island in the atoll of Alifu Dhaalu: 25 minutes by seaplane flight booked with the hotel (at a cost of 450$ for adults and 225$ for children) or scheduled flight to Maamigili Airport and then 20 minutes by speedboat.
We opted for the first option. While waiting for our flight, we were able to take advantage of the lounge at Malé airport, where we landed (we departed from Dubai).
Perhaps with the scheduled flight you save money, however, the experience on this type of aircraft is worth trying at least once in a lifetime.
Ditching directly at the hotel is one of those things that doesn't happen every day. While the flight was direct on the outward journey, when we left we made two intermediate stops to board other passengers.
Waiting for us were hotel staff who took us by golf car directly to our villa where we took care of the paperwork.
The structure
As can be seen in the map, the l part of the atoll houses, in addition to the beach villas, the heart of the resort: the restaurants, the SPA, and all the common areas. At either end are the stilts where the water villas are located.
The resort also has a diving center, a fully equipped gymnasium and three restaurants, three bars and The Lab. Raha, the main restaurant, serves Asian and traditional cuisine; at Alifaan dishes Mediterranean cuisine, grilled meat and fish; and at Kabuki the cuisine offers Japanese specialties and ingredients from South American and European gastronomy processed and cooked using Japanese techniques.
The atoll is a true paradise, very white sand and spectacular sea. Very courteous staff who go out of their way to meet all clients' needs.
The resort also provides guests with bicycles to facilitate travel from one part of the atoll to another. Of course, having to ride on the sand perhaps it would have been more logical to choose different bikes, also the fact that there are not enough bikes for all guests is a small sign that there is still room for improvement. Alternatively you can request a ride with the golf car, just call them they arrive to take you to your destination, again however the service can be improved.
The room
As mentioned, we opted for the "basic" solution, which we thought was also the nicest, namely the villa on stilts with a private pool and direct access to the sea. Everything is new, from the room finishes to the television.
The de facto room consists of the bedroom and the bathroom with a bathtub. Everything faces the sea.
Each villa has a terrace with a pool and a net where you can relax suspended above the Maldivian sea.
Privacy is ensured with wooden barriers that protect from the view of guests from neighboring cottages.
Food & Beverage
As mentioned there are various restaurants to eat at depending on the planned treatment according to the reservation. From a breakfast buffet to a choice of lunch and dinner menus.
Mahuran is the main, overwater bar; Crusoe's is ideal for a snack and cocktail and is for adults only while Eats & Beats by the pool offers appetizers and snacks.
In general, the ideal solution is the all-inclusive package, partly because restaurant costs are not exactly cheap. Of course by taking advantage of points, and not paying for the room and breakfast, you can also think about paying a la carte for extra services.
In the morning, having breakfast in the midst of total quiet was one of the most beautiful moments of the vacation.
In conclusion
It was a very good experience, some flaws are definitely related to the fact that it is a new facility opened during the pandemic. The fact that the staff is all local is also a sign of how well we have adapted to this semi-emergency situation. At the end of the stay, the facility also prepared the swab (100$) needed to be able to leave in the direction of home.
