Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa review – The Points Guy

What is the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa?

The Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa is a private island resort in the Maldives that’s part of World of Hyatt. You can reach the resort from Male via a 50-minute domestic flight and then a 30-minute speedboat ride. The resort has 36 beach villas, 14 overwater villas and a three-bedroom overwater residence; the residence and some villas have private plunge pools.

One of the main draws of the Park Hyatt Maldives is its pristine house reef encircling the island and its unique location in the Huvadhoo Atoll, just 34 miles from the equator.

In terms of the vibe, things feel relaxed; even at the resort’s most upscale dining venues, it’s not unusual to see guests arrive for dinner in a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops.

How to book the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa

After staying at eight other Maldives resorts in the last four years, I redeemed 105,000 Hyatt points for a four-night stay at the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa in September 2024.

Getting to the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa

Once you land in Male, getting to the Park Hyatt Maldives requires a domestic flight and a speedboat transfer. The resort will arrange these for you at a round-trip cost of $599 per adult, $499 per child and $199 per infant.

A Park Hyatt representative will meet you when you exit baggage claim in Male and walk you to the domestic terminal.

If you have time, you can visit a lounge before security in the domestic terminal.

Your domestic flight will be on the flag carrier airline of the Maldives, Maldivian. We received juice, water, chocolate and a bag of dried fruit and nuts on each flight.

We arrived at and departed from Kooddoo Airport, a small domestic airport with one runway.

As we exited baggage claim, a Park Hyatt representative greeted us. After a short golf cart ride, we boarded a boat with eight other guests. Once on board the boat, we each received a life jacket to wear, a bottle of juice and a coconut bar. The boat sped away from the island but stopped in the middle of the atoll about 10 minutes later. I wondered why we’d stopped until I noticed a pod of 20 to 30 dolphins near the boat.

Once the pod of dolphins continued, we did too. Before I knew it, we were slowing down and passing by the resort’s overwater villas. Resort staff members stood waving on the jetty to greet us.

Overwater villas are older but spacious with direct ocean access

We stayed in Overwater Villa 39.

When we entered the villa, we found ourselves in a large room that served as the bedroom and living area.

The bed was firm but comfortable, although the pillows were thinner than I prefer. Power outlets and light switches on both sides of the headboard were convenient.

The room featured a couch, a lounge chair with footrest and a desk for seating. Unfortunately for those who like seeing the ocean while they work, the desk area faced a frosted window that a shutter could cover.

The minibar area offered an expresso machine and pods, a water kettle, tea bags, dehydrated coffee, milk and water — all of which are provided free of charge as needed. Paid minibar items such as beer ($13) and soda ($6) were also available.

The TV was immediately in front of the bed, which made it difficult to see from any of the villa’s seating options, unfortunately.

We could open shutters along two sides of the bedroom to let in natural light and enjoy the views (the room was rather dark if we didn’t open all the shutters). We could also open sliding doors around the villa to access the deck.

Speaking of the deck, it included a table and chairs in a nook. We also found a daybed and two lounge chairs on the deck. On the far end of the deck were some stairs and a ladder leading directly into the ocean.

We couldn’t open the sliding door between the bathroom and the deck (it appeared to be sealed closed), so we had to use a sliding door into the bedroom when returning from the ocean. This meant we tracked water across the bathroom floor as we headed toward the shower — not ideal.

The shower was spacious and had interior hooks, a ledge for amenities, and hand-held and overhead showerheads. However, the water in the shower was only mildly desalinated, which made me feel slimy each time I showered.

You’ll find double sinks across from a too-large-for-comfort stone bathtub.

The sink area offered lotion, tissues, a light-up makeup mirror, a shaving kit, two dental kits, cotton balls, cotton pads and a basket for holding small items.

In the bathroom, next to the shower, were three double-door closets. One offered a safe and ironing board, while the other two held hangers, a bathrobe, a life jacket and two drawers. We found a hair dryer, laundry price list and laundry bag in one drawer. I was surprised by the modest prices on the laundry list, including $4 for a T-shirt and $6 for pants (these prices, and all other stated prices in this review, include the mandatory tax and service charge).

Finally, the resort did not use digital keys or standard “Do not disturb” indicators. Instead, you could hang a beaded necklace on your door to indicate “Do not disturb,” and there is only one physical key to your villa.

Dining and drinking outlets

Plan to spend a lot of time in the water

Whether you enjoy sitting and watching the waves or getting out into the water, you’ll enjoy the Park Hyatt Maldives most if you’re a water person.

Snorkel the house reef

You’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t snorkel the house reef at the Park Hyatt Maldives. After checking in to our villa, I went to the water sports center to pick up complimentary masks, snorkels and fins and to get snorkeling advice.

You can swim from the overwater villas to the house reef when it isn’t low tide. It’s a relatively easy swim that should only take a few minutes, even if you stop and watch the fish. I loved the variety of fish and the healthy coral on the reef and enjoyed snorkeling around the overwater villas toward the arrival jetty.

If you want to snorkel at low tide or aren’t in an overwater villa, you can also use ladders at the Dawn and Dusk jetties to enter and exit the water near the reef. You can also snorkel from the beach, but I recommend putting in from an overwater villa or a jetty for the best experience.

The beach

The resort hasn’t built wave breaks, instead letting the island shift naturally. As such, some beaches outside the beach villas have eroded, leaving the beach by the resort’s pool as the primary beach for swimming and relaxing.

Along the beach, we found some lounge chairs. In the water, the bottom was sandy at first before transitioning to coral farther out.

Guests can rent a stand-up paddleboard or glass-bottom kayak for $25 per hour or use standard kayaks for free.

Guests can get service from The Bar when sitting on the beach — but if you think you might want something, let the bartender know as you head to the beach so they check in regularly.

Pool

The Park Hyatt Maldives has a large infinity pool near The Bar and The Dining Room. I rarely saw anyone besides scuba divers in training and a young family using the pool, but it’s a beautiful place to relax. Staff from The Bar will occasionally see if you’d like to order food and drinks when sitting by the pool.

The spa pool was closed for tiling work during my stay, but guests can typically enjoy a quiet pool experience near the Vidhun Spa.

Go on an excursion

The on-site dive shop, Blue Journeys, offers dolphin cruises, snorkeling trips, fishing trips and boat dives on a set schedule. Guests can also arrange private trips — including a five-hour boat trip to the equator for $1,575 per couple. It’s even possible to get an open water scuba certification here.

We went on a scheduled Turtle Quest snorkeling trip for $189 per person. Before heading to the boat, we stopped in The Dhoni for a short informational presentation about turtles and our trip.

The Turtle Quest snorkel trip was excellent. Although we were only in the water for an hour, we saw dozens of turtles, black-tipped sharks, eagle rays, countless reef fish and beautiful coral. Our snorkel guide also took some amazing underwater videos of what we saw, which he was eager to share on our boat ride back to the resort.

On-site amenities

I loved being able to walk around the island in under 10 minutes. But, despite the resort’s relatively small size, here’s a look at the other things you can do during your stay.

Get a workout in

The Park Hyatt Maldives has a gym between The Dining Room and the spa. The gym is split into two rooms: a strength training room and a cardiovascular fitness room.

Both rooms were cool and clean when I visited, although there was only one of most types of equipment.

Next to The Dining Room is a golf simulator. Two people can use the simulator for an hour for $113.

Enjoy complimentary wellness activities

You’ll find a schedule of weekly complimentary wellness activities in your room.

I tried meditation one afternoon and was surprised to be the only guest at the short but relaxing session.

Play and learn in The Dhoni

A dhoni is a traditional boat, and The Dhoni at the Park Hyatt Maldives is a massive upside-down boat that serves as a meeting place.

Inside The Dhoni, you’ll find table tennis, an informational exhibit, seating and a sperm whale skeleton.

Enjoy a spa treatment

The Park Hyatt Maldives Vidhun Spa offers five treatment villas, each serving one guest or a couple.

Friendly, attentive staff

In line with the Park Hyatt motto of “Luxury is personal,” we found the staff adaptable to each guest. We love learning about the place we’re visiting, and we encountered many Maldivian staff members who were happy to discuss local foods, their home islands and native wildlife with us when we asked.

One charming aspect of the resort I noticed our first night and observed every subsequent night was some off-duty staff members watching the sunset from the Dawn Jetty. I also loved hearing multiple staff members mention they frequently snorkel the house reef on their off days.

Reasons the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa might not be for you

Although I loved my stay, the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa isn’t for everyone. Here are some signs you may be better off choosing another resort:

Accessibility

Unfortunately, this resort doesn’t offer any accessible rooms, and I found no specific accessibility features around the property during my stay. For example, I didn’t see any Braille signs, didn’t notice a pool lift for wheelchair users, and encountered some stairs and loose sand paths. Boarding the speedboat to and from the resort also likely wouldn’t be comfortable for travelers with limited vision or mobility.

That said, Park Hyatt’s motto is “Luxury is personal.” So, if you’re interested in staying, contact the property to see whether it can meet your needs.

Checking out

The Park Hyatt Maldives is an easy choice for World of Hyatt elite members who enjoy snorkeling or diving and are in a financial position where incidental costs won’t distract from their experience. After all, despite redeeming Hyatt points for our room, our four-night stay still cost $2,611 out of pocket for food, drinks, laundry, tips, a snorkeling excursion and transfers from Male.

That being said, I feel confident I’ll return to the Park Hyatt Maldives for its excellent house reef, personable staff and nature-loving vibe. Plus, redeeming Hyatt points for superb value makes it less painful to pay for incidental costs.