Introduction:
Ever since I was a boy, I have been utterly amazed at the picturesque and breathtaking beauty of Bora Bora (BOB) and the Maldives (MLE). The crystal clear water, the blindingly white sand, and the deep blue skies, has made visiting one of these exotic locales a “bucket list” item for me for as long as I can remember. Even more than that, though, I didn’t want to fly 18+ hours only to be met on arrival with a regular ol’ hotel room. Call it spoiled, call it fulfillment of an adolescent dream, but what I desperately wanted was an over-water villa/bungalow (OWV/OWB)—what I am fully convinced is G-d’s oasis of paradise on earth. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that when an opportunity to visit the Maldives presented itself, my wife and I leapt at the chance.
Our itinerary:
May 14, Etihad Airways, EY 100, JFK-AUH, 22:40-19:50 +1 in First (Flight time of 13:10)
Connect time in Abu Dhabi of 13:30May 16, Etihad Airways, EY 278, AUH-MLE, 09:20-14:40 in Business (Flight time of 4:20)
—Constance Halaveli Resort for six nights—
May 22, Qatar Airways, QR 383, MLE-DOH, 19:30-20:05 in Business (Flight time of 4:35)
Connect time in Doha, Qatar of 3:15May 23, Qatar Airways, QR 61, DOH-ZRH, 01:05-06:30 in Business (Flight time of 6:25)
Connect time in Zurich, Switzerland of 3:20May 23, Swiss Airlines, LX 16, ZRH-JFK, 09:50-12:35 in Business (Flight time of 8:45)
Cost for Flights:
For the flights there, we each used 90,000 American Airlines miles, for a total of 180K AA. Cash price would have been $30,067.00. Thus our redemption value was an incredible 16.7 cpm. (Actually, due to a recent benefit change to the Citi American Airlines card, I got a 10,000 mile rebate on the above redemption, so it only cost me a total of 170K AA, or 17.7 cpm.)
For the flights home, we each used 60,000 United Airlines miles, for a total of 120K UA. Cash price would have been $11,678.60. Thus our redemption value was a healthy 9.7 cpm.
Cost for Hotel:
Though we had more than enough Hyatt Gold Passport (HGP) points and HGP free night certificates to stay at the Park Hyatt Maldives (PHM), we opted instead to go out of pocket for this (once in a lifetime?) trip, and <gasp> stay at a non-points hotel. Why would do such a ridiculous thing? Well, it all comes back to “G-d’s oasis of paradise,” the OWB. Unfortunately, PHM does not allow guests to book directly into an OWB using points. Therefore, guests who want to stay in an OWB at the PHM have two options:
- Book a regular room for 22,000 HGP per night. Then upon arrival, pending status and availability, ask beg the general manager for a complimentary upgrade.
- Book a regular room for 22,000 HGP per night. Then “buy-up” to an OWB for an additional $420 per night.
The (very big) problem with the former option is that it isn’t confirmed. Meaning, theoretically, we could spend 30+ hours in transit, constantly envisioning how wonderful it will be when we finally get to our OWB, only to be told by the general manager at check-in that, for one reason or another, he will not be able to upgrade us. It was just not something I was going to leave to chance on a trip like this.
The problem with the latter option, though it is confirmed, is that we’d have to pay an additional $420 a night for the privilege. Yes, at first blush $420 a night might seem relatively cheap to secure an OWB in the Maldives (especially considering the PHM and many other resorts charge $1,000+ per night). However, I was told about a resort—the Constance Halaveli—that (after special discounts) only charged $463 for an OWB with a private plunge pool (something the PHM does not offer).
So, for an OWB at the PHM, we’d be shelling out 22K HGP + $420 per night, or for an OWB with a plunge pool at the Constance Halaveli we could simply pay $463/night outright. In other words, was it worth 22,000 HGP to save $43?
Well, considering that’s a redemption rate of 0.002 cpp (yes, that’s two one-thousandths of a penny), it would be borderline criminal. That’s so especially in light of the fact that last November I redeemed 22,000 HGP for a deluxe room at the Park Hyatt Paris that would have otherwise cost $972, a redemption rate of 4.4 cpp.)
So, to us it was an absolute no brainer and we booked the Constance Halaveli.