Maldives Master Thread

[CS91]

Have never gone wrong with blue ice.

By blue ice, you just mean those reusable ice packs, right? Because when I googled "blue ice," it comes up as glaciers. Now, with anyone else, I'd assume they were talking about ice packs. But with AJK, for all we know, he went to Iceland (or somewhere similar) and brought back actual pieces of glaciers that he now uses to pack his POM meals.

[Buruch]

  18-24 later the food is frozen solid?

[AJK]

By blue ice, you just mean those reusable ice packs, right? Because when I googled "blue ice," it comes up as glaciers. Now, with anyone else, I'd assume they were talking about ice packs. But with AJK, for all we know, he went to Iceland (or somewhere similar) and brought back actual pieces of glaciers that he now uses to pack his POM meals.

lol

I'm talking about this:



I believe I bought mine from Target.

[AJK]

18-24 later the food is frozen solid?

Frozen, less than solid.

But the more compactly packed, the more ice, the less space, the longer it'll stay frozen.

[Dan]

18-24 later the food is frozen solid?

It's 20 hours CLE--EWR-HNL-LIH door to door and my food has always been frozen solid even without ice packs or polar bears. Important to have it frozen for several days beforehand though.

[Denverite]

I know people have bought kosher Australian meals from other hotels but have any of you done that at the Conrad?  Also forgive my ignorance, but these Pom meals you bring, once you got to the Maldives you gave them all to the hotel staff to store? And then what, call room service and tell them what to heat up and bring you?  I know in other places people go buy a toaster oven from Wal-Mart but obviously that isn't an option here.   

[CS91]

I know people have bought kosher Australian meals from other hotels but have any of you done that at the Conrad?  Also forgive my ignorance, but these Pom meals you bring, once you got to the Maldives you gave them all to the hotel staff to store? And then what, call room service and tell them what to heat up and bring you?  I know in other places people go buy a toaster oven from Wal-Mart but obviously that isn't an option here.

Hotel keeps them in freezer and then heats them up for you every night. Haven't don't it yet (going in March to PH MLE), but already spoke to the hotel about it. They're charging me $15 per day per meal.

[Denverite]

Hotel keeps them in freezer and then heats them up for you every night. Haven't don't it yet (going in March to PH MLE), but already spoke to the hotel about it. They're charging me $15 per day per meal.

Thanks so much. And $15 per meal is really reasonable considering how expensive the restaurant meals are at these hotels.  My problem is there is no prepared kosher food from Denver I want to bring so I'm a planning to take from the restaurant in Singapore.  They actually have a fully glass enclosed underwater restaurant at the Conrad and I wonder if it would be too Chutzbadik to ask them how much it would be to heat up my meal to eat there and then I would also order some nice drinks for them to make money...

[AJK]

They'd probably do it, provided they're not booked to capacity. But a meal there is $$$ usually, so not sure how that will work.

I don't know about everyone else, but somehow I find the fact that a hotel charging $750+/night can charge to heat up a pre-cooked meal is just tacky.

[Denverite]

They'd probably do it, provided they're not booked to capacity. But a meal there is $$$ usually, so not sure how that will work.

I don't know about everyone else, but somehow I find the fact that a hotel charging $750+/night can charge to heat up a pre-cooked meal is just tacky.

Thanks and yeah maybe I'll ask since I'm going in the off season.  I totally disagree and am fine with them charging.  I work in event planning and know that the rooms are only a small part of their revenue streams.  We don't expect to bring our own masseuse to use their spa tables for free or do a simcha with an outside caterer and not pay them for the event space.  It's not an all-inclusive resort and I'm asking their staff to heat up my food in their oven for something that has nothing to do with their restaurants.  Meals at the Conrad are around $200 pp for dinner so if they only charge me $15pp I'll make extra sure to give their staff a generous tip! 

[CS91]

They'd probably do it, provided they're not booked to capacity. But a meal there is $$$ usually, so not sure how that will work.

I've done it at other hotels without a problem. They were usually more than happy to do it. But as you said, different story if they're completely booked with people ordering regular meals.

I don't know about everyone else, but somehow I find the fact that a hotel charging $750+/night can charge to heat up a pre-cooked meal is just tacky.

SO tacky. True, regular meals there are expensive. But the $200 over the course of a week vacation isn't gonna do anything for them. I think the customer service aspect of doing it for free would be more valuable to them.

[Denverite]

I've done it at other hotels without a problem. They were usually more than happy to do it. But as you said, different story if they're completely booked with people ordering regular meals.

SO tacky. True, regular meals there are expensive. But the $200 over the course of a week vacation isn't gonna do anything for them. I think the customer service aspect of doing it for free would be more valuable to them.

Yeah, you are right that the total extra money they are getting is nominal.  It IS in their interest to provide great customer service but I guess like with the other examples I gave of things we would never ask for, expecting them to heat up and serve outside food for free isn't a normal request either (on the event/catering side it's usually totally forbidden unless you negotiate it in your contract) so we should be mentschs and appreciate the service too.

[Emkay]

Yeah, you are right that the total extra money they are getting is nominal.  It IS in their interest to provide great customer service but I guess like with the other examples I gave of things we would never ask for, expecting them to heat up and serve outside food for free isn't a normal request either (on the event/catering side it's usually totally forbidden unless you negotiate it in your contract) so we should be mentschs and appreciate the service too.

Extra fees always leave a bad taste in my mouth. Especially as it's a low enough amount that it likely doesn't mean anything to them. Charging $1000 a night and then nickel and diming me sounds weird. like paying 15k for a first class ticket and them having to shell out a couple dollars more for WiFi

[Emkay]

They're charging me $15 per day per meal.

That's per person?

[CS91]

That's per person?

Per day per meal. That's what they emailed me. So doesn't sound like there's a difference between me eating two meals or my wife and I each eating one ($30 both ways).

[ya]

Per day per meal. That's what they emailed me. So doesn't sound like there's a difference between me eating two meals or my wife and I each eating one ($30 both ways).

They charge me $25 per person went in August

[Marco Polo]

In regards to being charged for heating meals, I almost always had them wipe the charges for it. You should ask about it before checking out and see what they can do about it.

[ya]

In regards to being charged for heating meals, I almost always had them wipe the charges for it. You should ask about it before checking out and see what they can do about it.

Even if they told you about it upfront. And if you are there for 10 days. $25 pp,pd =$500

[Marco Polo]

Even if they told you about it upfront. And if you are there for 10 days. $25 pp,pd =$500

IME I've had places that didn't charge at all and I mention that to the hotel. Usually they will wipe the account, but YMMV.

[CS91]

They charge me $25 per person went in August

That's what they quoted me originally. A little negotiation never hurt, especially when it's something like this that's probably an unofficial policy/charge.