We visited the Park Hyatt Hadahaa in 2016 and fell so deeply in love with the resort and its staff that we vowed to return, even though it’s halfway across the world from our home in Baltimore. A few years later, we were thrilled to be back in paradise at the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa. Once again, we used our World of Hyatt points for 6 free nights at our favorite resort in the world! Read our new Park Hyatt Maldives review for more details on this stunning resort that should definitely be on your travel bucket list.  This time we had the opportunity to stay in the amazing Park Water Villa, which was a first for us, and every bit as incredible as we had imagined. If you’re looking for a lux Maldives resort, we highly recommend Park Hyatt Hadahaa.

Park Hyatt Maldives Review

**Our WTA score represents our own views based on our personal experience with the entity being reviewed.

Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa Video

Our Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa Booking

Park Hyatt Hadahaa is known among award travelers as one of the best Hyatt resorts for award redemptions. It was a Hyatt Category 6 at the time of our stay, requiring 25,000 World of Hyatt points per night. The resort has switched back and forth between a Category 6 and 7, and is currently a Category 7, requiring 30,000 points per night. Either way, it still is a bargain to stay there on points, since the standard park villa can cost over $2,000 per night in high season.

Be aware, however, of the Park Hyatt Maldives transfer fee, which is $520 (USD) per adult, $480 per child age 2-12, and $160 for infants not requiring a separate seat. This covers the roundtrip cost of transfer from Male airport to the resort on Hadahaa island. The transfer includes a domestic flight from Male to Kooddoo and then a speedboat transfer to Hadahaa Island, home of the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa.

How to get to Park Hyatt Maldives

Part of the lure of the Park Hyatt Hadahaa is its remoteness from the outside world. It truly feels like paradise in the middle of the Indian Ocean. However, the long journey to get there may turn some travelers off. You first fly into Male International Airport. There, a staff member of the Park Hyatt Maldives greets you, loads up your luggage on a cart, and takes you to the lounge to relax while he checks you in for your next flight (covered by the transfer fee). The wait at the lounge can be between 1-4 hours, but we’ve always been fortunate to have a short wait. The lounge has a modest selection of food and drinks (no alcohol since the Maldives is a Muslim country), chairs, bathrooms and a shower, television, and Wifi.

The domestic flight from Male to Kooddoo is with Maldivian and takes about an hour if you are able to get the direct flight. Otherwise, you’ll stop at Kadhdhoo Domestic Airport, which will add another hour to the flight time. From Kooddoo airport, staff from Park Hyatt Maldives will shuttle you to the dock on a golf cart.

There you will board the speedboat and take a 30 minute ride to the resort. We recommend arriving during the daytime so you can see the beautiful blue waters during the ride. The boat crew passes out iced tea and some snacks to provide a warm welcome.

Welcome to the Park Hyatt Maldives

As soon as you arrive to the island, you are greeted at the dock by as many of the managers and hosts as possible. It always feels so good to arrive to smiling faces welcoming you to paradise. The resort assigns a personal host to each guest villa, and we’ve been fortunate to have Natalia both visits. The personal host is available to help you with anything you need during your stay, such as showing you around the island, making reservations, answering questions, giving you a ride on the golf cart, etc.

Natalia greeted us at breakfast each morning and was quick to help us with anything we needed. She even remembered our anniversary and set up a romantic surprise for us. This resort truly shines on customer service. We were happy to see Pravin again, who is now the Park Hyatt Maldives General Manager. He and his fantastic team do an excellent job making sure guests are beyond satisfied.

As Hyatt Globalists, the highest elite status in the World of Hyatt loyalty program, we received a welcome gift of sparkling wine and some snacks waiting for us in our room. We also received turndown snacks every night with a small note card explaining the local specialty, which was a fun treat.

During our stay, we received a complimentary upgrade (as Hyatt Globalists) to a Park Pool Villa, which is on the island with its own private plunge pool. The upgrade is based on availability at check-in, so you have a better chance of getting one during low season. We spent several nights there before getting upgraded for our last few nights in a Park Water Villa, the overwater villa where you can snorkel right off your deck.

Villa options at Park Hyatt Hadahaa

Check out our posts from our first visit detailing the different villas at Park Hyatt Maldives, including the standard Park Villa, the Park Pool Villa, and the Park Water Villa. There are a few additions that we haven’t stayed in yet, including the Deluxe Park Pool Villa with a larger pool and deck area and the Two Bedroom Park Pool Villa, which is basically two villas connected to each other with a really nice pool and deck area.

We did get to take a tour of the 2 bedroom park pool villa and loved its fantastic pool with loungers in the water. This would be perfect if we returned with our kids next time. It is very popular with families since the parents can have privacy but still be in the same villa with their kids. It would also be fun for two couples traveling together.

There’s also new Park Sunset Ocean Pool Villas, which are overwater villas with their own private plunge pool. These were not completed yet during our visit, so hopefully we’ll get to stay in one next time.

Our stay in the Park Water Villa

The Park Hyatt Maldives Water Villa is the aspirational overwater villa that everyone thinks of when visiting the Maldives. Staying in an overwater villa had been on our bucket list, so we were happy to finally cross it off on our return visit. The views of the water from the deck loungers are so relaxing that we could have spent all day out there. The water is so crystal clear you can see fish, reef sharks, and if you’re lucky you might even spot a sea turtle from your villa.

We loved that we could go snorkeling right off our deck, which is one of our favorite activities at the resort. Make sure to check out our post about 13 activities not to miss while at the Park Hyatt Maldives.

Another feature of our water villa that we absolutely loved was the view from the bathroom, especially from the tub. I have never taken a bath with such an incredible view. Plus, the bathtub was large enough for both of us to fit, which is always nice on a romantic getaway without the kids.

One special night, we returned from our private romantic dinner on the beach to find candles and flowers around the tub filled with a bubble bath. Our host set it up and it was such a delightful surprise. It’s the little touches that go a long way in making the Park Hyatt Hadahaa such an unforgettable place to visit.

The water villa has windows on all sides to showcase the natural beauty of the area, and shades that can be closed for privacy. Don’t walk around naked with the shades open, though, because snorkelers can swim past your villa and might get a view they weren’t bargaining on. LOL!

Park Hyatt Maldives pools and beach

The resort is so incredibly beautiful everywhere you look, with cozy spots to relax and read a book, soak up some sun, or take a dip. Make sure to check out our first review of the Park Hyatt Maldives, which is chock full of photos of the resort. Here are some of our favorite spots to chill at Park Hyatt Hadahaa, including the main pool with stunning views of the ocean, the beach cabanas at sunset, and the quiet Spa pool.

Post from RICOH THETA. – Spherical Image – Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa

Park Hyatt Maldives Spa

We’ve visited Spa Vidhun on each visit and had a couples massage both times, which was so incredibly blissful. You can read about our chocolate-inspired Valentine’s Day spa treatment, which included a chocolate body wrap, couples massage, romantic outdoor bath in the private spa villa, smoothies and chocolate cake.

On our second visit, we were treated to a couples Sehathu Massage, which balances out the dry, hot, and wet aspects of the body with oils of rose, lotus and jasmine. We highly recommend a visit to the fantastic spa while in paradise.

Breakfast at The Dining Room

As Hyatt Globalists, breakfast at The Dining Room was complimentary and was a highlight of our stay. We would enjoy the sublime views of the pool and ocean, linger over tea while chatting with other guests, and enjoy the delicious culinary experience which included both Asian, Maldivian, and American breakfast fare.

We could each order 2 items off the menu and enjoy the buffet fare, which included coffee, tea, juice, fresh fruit, yogurt, bread, pastries, cereal, sliced meats and cheeses, nuts, and more. We wrote an entire post about the Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast after our first visit, because it is truly an experience that you savor. We ate breakfast late and then didn’t need to eat again until dinner, which is what many other guests do as well.

Park Hyatt Hadahaa Restaurants

The Island Grill

Besides The Dining Room, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, The Park Hyatt Hadahaa has several other dining options. The Island Grill serves dinner with an open kitchen and wood burning oven so you can watch the chef prepare your meal. The tables and swing chairs are set in the sand, which makes for a fun barefoot dining experience. We dined there one night and enjoyed a delicious meal while digging our toes into the sand. Check out the Island Grill menu here.

The Drift

The Drift, which is on the jetty with the water villas perched over the lagoon, is another dinner option. The Drift offers international fare on certain nights, including cuisine from Italy, China, and Thailand. We didn’t try the Drift for dinner, but on our first visit enjoyed a fantastic afternoon tea from The Drift (which I don’t believe is offered from there any longer). You can check out their dinner menu here.

The Bar

The Bar, which is situated next to the pool and just off the beach, is a great place to get a casual meal at the resort. The environment is very relaxing and cozy, with plush couches and swing chairs. Since we received our complimentary cocktails and canapés there every evening, we stuck around for a light dinner a few times while chatting with friends we made over drinks. The Bar is the best bet if you would like to meet other guests, since it is a lounge atmosphere that invites socializing. The Bar has a tasty drink menu and snack menu, which includes appetizers, sandwiches and pizza.

Private Dining

The hotel offers private dining in a variety of settings, including the beach at sunset, over the lagoon on a jetty, stargazing from the rooftop, and more.  We recommend splurging on private dining once during your stay at Park Hyatt Hadahaa, especially if you’re visiting for a special occasion. Nothing says romance like the Maldives, so you might as well go big or go home, right? 😉

You can read all about our private sunset beach dinner and almost private rooftop movie dining experience in this post from our first visit. Check out their private dining menu, which includes an exotic blind dining experience. Unfortunately our private beach dinner on our return visit got rained out a few minutes after sitting down, but we enjoyed a romantic meal at The Island Grill instead.

Special dining events

The resort also offers several special dining events throughout the week. Monday night is Thrill of the Island Grill, which includes a seafood extravaganza. Tuesday night is movie night on the rooftop open air cinema, where you can eat while you watch a movie. Wednesday night is Cuisine of the Region with a buffet of regional dishes from India, Middle East, Sri Lanka and the Maldives served on the beach. We tried this and loved tasting the food from the different cuisines in the area, which were all delicious and full of flavor. Thursday night is Shoreline dining with a 4 course meal on the beach.

Saturday night is the Manager’s cocktail reception, which you absolutely don’t want to miss. Guests are treated to complimentary cocktails and canapés, chair massages on the beach, and a traditional Boduberu performance with drums and dancing by locals. We couldn’t help but get up and join in on the fun! The Beach Barbecue follows and includes seafood, chicken and meats grilled on the beach.

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Sunday is the Maldivian Family Feast, where you share your table with other guests and learn how Maldivians prepare food and eat from a local. We tried this as well and enjoyed learning about local cuisine while getting to know other guests.

Room Service

The resort also offers room service 24 hours, which is fantastic if you want to be really lazy and just enjoy each other’s company in the privacy of your villa. There are several room service menus, including an all day menu, a late night menu, and a breakfast menu. We enjoyed room service in the Park Pool villa and nibbled on lunch from our private plunge pool.

Last words on our Park Hyatt Maldives Review

We absolutely love the Park Hyatt Maldives. Of all the beautiful places we’ve been and the luxurious hotels we’ve stayed in, this gem is at the top of our list. It has everything you crave for a perfect vacation- breathtaking natural beauty in a remote location that melts stress away as soon as you arrive, impeccable service, activities for both relaxing and adventure, and delicious food and drinks. Despite only visiting twice, we truly feel like family when we’re there thanks to the outpouring of hospitality and warmth from the team. We cannot wait until the next time we return to paradise…next time with the kids!

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