Maldives Master Thread

[srf60]

Dan- Any chance your not using one of your many reservations at St. Regis?  This is for a big occasion. My ten year anniversary!

+1.
I missed out on booking it on time , if anyone has an extra reservation in Nov, pls pm.

[Dan]

$750/night  

[Denverite]

$750/night

That's a great deal, you guys should take him up on it! 

Conversely if you don't want to shell out that much and have SPG points lying around, I made zero St. Regis bookings but have a boatload of HHonors points that continuously replenish and if anyone instead wants to go to the Conrad, I'll take 130k SPG points for a five night stay whenever you want at the Conrad.  I just came back and it was truly amazing (plus the chef there will make you whatever kosher food you want and let you in to the kitchen to supervise everything and turn on the flame and I left kosher seaweed for whoever wants fresh sushi and replenished the Pam spray for eggs in the morning...see Barry Lincon's TR since I haven't written mine or figured out how to post pictures yet)! 

[Dan]

What's their upcharge to confirm an OWB?

[AJK]

Frankly, I wouldn't even try to confirm one there. It's blasphemous, but I'd be happy in their beach villas which look beautiful. 

[Dan]

Frankly, I wouldn't even try to confirm one there. It's blasphemous, but I'd be happy in their beach villas which look beautiful. 

I don't think I'll ever understand flying for 48 hours to a beach villa that you can find in the Caribbean, but to each their own I suppose.
You did spring for the OWB your first time, no?

[Denverite]

I don't think I'll ever understand flying for 48 hours to a beach villa that you can find in the Caribbean, but to each their own I suppose.
You did spring for the OWB your first time, no?

Now that I've been I'm totally with you that being in the OWB is what makes it a truly magical experience and the fact that they all have pools and such privacy there was amazing. When I was there it was $200/night to upgrade to an OWB but I think in peak  winter season it can go up to around $400.  Also you earn HHonors points on that spend, plus from the CC so if you spent a grand you'll earn back 40k more HHonors points.

[AJK]

I don't think I'll ever understand flying for 48 hours to a beach villa that you can find in the Caribbean, but to each their own I suppose.
You did spring for the OWB your first time, no?

Absolutely. And for a first timer, I'd recommend splurging. But second time around, I wouldn't drive myself nuts. Apartments, gorgeous water, stopover in UAE, phenomenal diving, and being remote would be enough for a second time.

[Denverite]

Absolutely. And for a first timer, I'd recommend splurging. But second time around, I wouldn't drive myself nuts. Apartments, gorgeous water, stopover in UAE, phenomenal diving, and being remote would be enough for a second time.

The location IS amazing. I only did snorkeling and saw ridiculous fish, sharks and turtles but I actually am the opposite and would want the OWB for a return trip.  Because the beach villas are so secluded (which is great because your pool is truly private) they have no ocean view and views are important to me, but if you don't care about the view then the beach villa was still gorgeous.

[Dan]

Now that I've been I'm totally with you that being in the OWB is what makes it a truly magical experience and the fact that they all have pools and such privacy there was amazing. When I was there it was $200/night to upgrade to an OWB but I think in peak  winter season it can go up to around $400.  Also you earn HHonors points on that spend, plus from the CC so if you spent a grand you'll earn back 40k more HHonors points.

Once you're paying $400++($500 with service charge+tax?) you're looking at 130K SPG+$2,500 for 5 nights vs $3,500 for 5 nights at the S Regis

[Denverite]

Once you're paying $400++($500 with service charge+tax?) you're looking at 130K SPG+$2,500 for 5 nights vs $3,500 for 5 nights at the S Regis

Hey, I said yours was a good deal...lol 😋  If it's only $250 inclusive though so 130k SPG plus $1250 at the Conrad for an OWV, plus free breakfast with lox and eggs, free daily happy hour, free Conrad lounge usage on arrival AND departure and the OWVs at the Conrad are on a separate "Quiet Island" with no kids plus you'll get about 65k HHonors points (for money spent on the OWV and the seaplane on your Hiltons Amex) to help you with your next stay at the WA Jerusalem I think I'm still competitive! 😂😂

[Dan]

Hey, I said yours was a good deal...lol 😋  If it's only $250 inclusive though so 130k SPG plus $1250 at the Conrad for an OWV, plus free breakfast with lox and eggs, free daily happy hour, free Conrad lounge usage on arrival AND departure and the OWVs at the Conrad are on a separate "Quiet Island" with no kids plus you'll get about 65k HHonors points (for money spent on the OWV and the seaplane on your Hiltons Amex) to help you with your next stay at the WA Jerusalem I think I'm still competitive! 😂😂

We're talking winter, so $500 inclusive=$2,500.
Free breakfast at the SRM as well.

[shiframeir]

looks like i will be cancelling my 3 nights at the St Regis OWB Jan 23-26, lmk if anyone wants to pay me for them.

[chuchem]

That's a great deal, you guys should take him up on it! 

Conversely if you don't want to shell out that much and have SPG points lying around, I made zero St. Regis bookings but have a boatload of HHonors points that continuously replenish and if anyone instead wants to go to the Conrad, I'll take 130k SPG points for a five night stay whenever you want at the Conrad.  I just came back and it was truly amazing (plus the chef there will make you whatever kosher food you want and let you in to the kitchen to supervise everything and turn on the flame and I left kosher seaweed for whoever wants fresh sushi and replenished the Pam spray for eggs in the morning...see Barry Lincon's TR since I haven't written mine or figured out how to post pictures yet)! 

We are going to the st regis and thought about getting them to make sushi as well... the kosher seaweed is easy, what about the rice cooker and rice vinigar they put into the rice?

[Denverite]

We are going to the st regis and thought about getting them to make sushi as well... the kosher seaweed is easy, what about the rice cooker and rice vinigar they put into the rice?

Bring the pre-cooked, star-k rice you can get at Wal-mart in individual packets.  I didn't worry about the vinegar although I should have brought some small packets of soy sauce like you get from a restaurant.  At the Conrad they had Kikoman soy sauce but it was from Singapore and don't have a hechsher.  Hope that helps!

[Denverite]

Interested to see how high this goes.  The last one sat around 650k but then in the last few minutes rocketed up and closed at around 980 and this one is already above 800.  Honestly at million points, it's still a great deal since if you use it in the winter, with the crazy exclusive unit, all the excursions, spa services and included Seaplane it is worth at least $45k.

http://auction.hhonors.com/iSynApp/auctionDisplay.action?auctionId=1328148

[shulem92]

Interested to see how high this goes.  The last one sat around 650k but then in the last few minutes rocketed up and closed at around 980 and this one is already above 800.  Honestly at million points, it's still a great deal since if you use it in the winter, with the crazy exclusive unit, all the excursions, spa services and included Seaplane it is worth at least $45k.

http://auction.hhonors.com/iSynApp/auctionDisplay.action?auctionId=1328148

just saw this, its at 1.1mm already

[ranhan429]

Interested to see how high this goes.  The last one sat around 650k but then in the last few minutes rocketed up and closed at around 980 and this one is already above 800.  Honestly at million points, it's still a great deal since if you use it in the winter, with the crazy exclusive unit, all the excursions, spa services and included Seaplane it is worth at least $45k.

http://auction.hhonors.com/iSynApp/auctionDisplay.action?auctionId=1328148

Wow. Crazy lol.

[Denverite]

Wow. Crazy lol.

Holy Smokes, now it's up to 1.3m with 4 days still left.  I bid on it last time, and it has an auto bidding system where you put in your max and it will automatically respond by raising by the minimum amount if someone tops your bid, plus toward the end if someone puts a new bid it automatically adds an additional few minutes so people have time to respond and bid higher so can't wait to see how that last five minutes goes...

[ranhan429]

Holy Smokes, now it's up to 1.3m with 4 days still left.  I bid on it last time, and it has an auto bidding system where you put in your max and it will automatically respond by raising by the minimum amount if someone tops your bid, plus toward the end if someone puts a new bid it automatically adds an additional few minutes so people have time to respond and bid higher so can't wait to see how that last five minutes goes...

It kind of makes me want to MS HHilton points. Last time was in the Maldives was soo expensive. Well the OWB upgrade and all the scuba diving plus the seaplane and a massage it came out to be way more than if I MS 1.3 mil HHonors points... lol. How often is this auction around?