TRAVELS
Hadahaa
Park Hyatt Maldives
April 2015, Maldives
A five-star luxury hideaway located in the middle of the Indian Ocean and without question the nicest, most luxurious, secluded hotel I have ever been to. The moment the speedboat left the dock to return home, I had already promised myself I would return to this heaven on earth one day soon. That way I wasn't saying goodbye, but only until next time.
It is rare for me to ever feel the need to return and spend more time in the same place because I feel as though our lives are too short and the world is so big, that we should try to switch it up as much as possible. So honestly I am not sure why the Maldives resonated so heavily with me to make me feel such a huge need to return to this paradise on earth known as; Hadahaa. Hadahaa is the atoll, which The Park Hyatt Maldives is located on, found in the middle of the Indian Ocean. This is more than a hotel; it is an experience, which will live with you forever. You will leave this island a new person, with a new appreciation for life. I know I did.
The Park Hyatt has extraordinary staff, the grounds are immaculate, the rooms are designed to perfection and the service is beyond your wildest dreams. There is nothing missing from this hotel, and it is everything a five-star resort should be. The Park Hyatt Maldives is the type of hotel that sets the bar for all of its competition and I dare anyone to find a better hotel.
Upon arrival, you are given a personal host. Ours was Victoria for the duration of our stay. She was sensational, and such an amazing person. When we return I will ask to have her again because she really is everything you'd ever want and more in a vacation host. All of their staff is the most on-point staff I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. They are all friendly, wishing you a good day and go above and beyond to ensure your experience is everything you'd ever hoped for. One of my favourite things is how they clean your room. Having a host means they know everything about you, where you are and what you are doing at all times. This allows them to take care of your every need without interfering with your stay. I loved how they would always clean our room when we were having breakfast and were always gone by the time we returned. They were like ninjas, you never knew when or where they came from but everything was taken care of.
The rooms are beautifully designed with a Zen-like quality wrapped into a nature-inspired core design. The architect designed the rooms so that two walls completely disappeared during the day to allow the natural light and greenery to enter your room through floor to ceiling glass walls. I loved this feature as it added so much to the room. However, we didn’t spend much time in the room during the day, spending most of our time by the ocean. The bathroom is my favourite part of the room and I wish I could bring this design home with me. The outdoor shower and bathtub really allow you to enjoy the Maldives at night. I took numerous baths in the huge soaker tube under the stars with the geckos on numerous occasions.
Their breakfast is $70 a person and one might see it as a little pricey, but trust me it is not pricy at all. You get to choose 3 different main dishes and while you wait for your food, they bring you a tray filled with treats. From fresh fruit, pastries and baby sandwiches you have more than enough to snack on while waiting for your main courses. The passion fruit pancakes were my favourite and I ordered it almost every morning. The muesli and oatmeal are both amazing as well and I order them as my starter most mornings. A must while enjoying breakfast is ordering fresh juice. They have some of the best I have ever had, from watermelon, papaya, pineapple and orange all freshly squeezed. Also for anyone who enjoys a morning Café latte this hotel knows how to make a good one. I stayed at the W Verbier for a week and I couldn’t get them to make me a decent cup of coffee, which drove me crazy. My recommendation is to not skimp on enjoying the food; it’s worth the money. different
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The ocean off the island of Hadahaa is spectacular, so well maintained and overflowing with some of the most beautiful sea life you will ever see. Hadahaa has some of the best snorkelling around and many people travel here for the coral reef, which surrounds the island. It truly is amazing how much effort the hotel puts into preserving the ocean life. One major thing the hotel does for the environment is they do not offer water bottle on the island, they produce there own fresh water on the island and bottle both regular and sparkling in glass recyclable bottles. They also don’t offer little shampoo, conditioner and soap bottle. Everything is found in these black stone bottles, which helps them with their carbon footprint not having all that waste which could destroy the sea life around the island. This hotel goes above and beyond for its planet and it shows why they have won the award for the most eco-friendly hotel so many years in a row.
During our five day stay, we had a couples massage at the Spa, which includes a bottle of Moet champagne and fresh fruit in a bath under the stars. It was so romantic and relaxing and a nice way to spend our last night on the island. The spa is beautiful and so well designed. They have small little houses hidden which you can have a couples massage in and enjoy a relaxing bath. Head over to the spa for a free massage for 10 minutes just to see how much you’ll love the experience. I would also recommend getting up for sunrise yoga and enjoying sunset yoga as well, it is just such an easy and relaxes journey to enjoy in such a beautiful place.
And last but not least, don't be afraid to wake up early to experience the sunrise. It will recharge your soul and clear your mind in a way you never thought possible. I woke up every more at 5:40 am to make sure to experience the sun in its ever-changing colours. It is one of my happiest memories from Hadahaa, waking up before the sun and feeling like I was the only person in the world. The sunrise was different every day and always gave my soul the recharge it needed.
One thing I want to mention, it's not at bad thing however it takes a long time to get from Male to Hadahaa. Its not a quick flight then you are there. Once you arrive in Male you need to take a flight to another island and then you take a 45-minute boat ride to the island. Some could see this as a negative but once you arrive on the island you will fully understand why the journey to the island takes so long. It's because you're so far away from anything and everything. For me, that made it the perfect escape vacation ever.
