Review: Transfer from Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa to Male airport

Wednesday newsletters always feature a luxury hotel or flight review.

Last February, I enjoyed a FABULOUS holiday in the incredibly beautiful Maldives. You can read my trip reports here:

• Review: Qatar Airways B787 Dreamliner Business Class Brussels to Doha
• Review: Qatar Airways A330 Business Class Doha to Male
• Review: Dhevanafushi Maldives Luxury Resort
• Review: Trans Maldivian Airways seaplane transfer
• Review: The St Regis Maldives Vommuli
• Review: Largest overwater villa in the Maldives
• Review: Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
• Review: Transfer from Park Hyatt to Male airport (today)
• Review: Soneva Jani (most amazing resort in the Maldives)
• Review: SriLankan A330 Business Class Male to Doha (via Colombo)

Today (May 10, 2017): Review of the transfer from Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa to Male airport.

• Location: Google Maps
• Hotel website: Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
• Tip: get free VIP amenities when booking the Park Hyatt Hadahaa via Virtuoso

Last week, I published my trip report of the famous Park Hyatt Hadahaa resort, which you can read here. The resort is very popular, not only because of its natural beauty and stunning lagoon, but also because you can score a free stay here by redeeming World of Hyatt points. However, it’s important to keep in mind that getting to the resort from Male is not included in the room rate and does require some efforts, as you have to take a 60-minute domestic flight to Kooddoo Airport followed by a 30-minute speedboat ride (and that excludes waiting time at the airport, which may vary from a minimum of 1 hour to a maximum of 4 hours). I hereby share with you a few key points regarding the transfer between the Park Hyatt Hadahaa Maldives resort and Male International Aiport.

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• Round trip transfers between Male airport and the Park Hyatt Hadahaa Maldives are arranged by the resort on your behalf. They are currently charged at $520 USD per adult, $430 USD per child and $160 USD per infant and include the plane ticket (from Male to Kooddoo) and speedboat transfer (from Kooddoo to the resort).

• The flight between Male and Kooddoo is always on a small Bombardier Dash turboprop aircraft operated by Maldivian, the country’s national carrier. Maldivian has a small fleet of less than 10 Dash turboprop aircraft, as well as a couple of narrow-body Airbus airplanes. Although I am not a fan of turboprop planes and suffer from a fear of flying, the flight itself was not too bad. I was happy though that the weather was clear and sunny, since I believe it may be a different story during the Maldives’ rainy season which runs from May to October (when thunderstorms are frequent events).

• The flight between Male and Kooddoo leaves from (or arrives at) Male’s domestic terminal, which is adjacent to the international airport (just a 5 minute stroll away).

• Maldivian only operates a few flights between Male and Kooddoo each day. This means that your journey to/from the resort will most likely include waiting time at Male airport (where most guests connect on international flights). The waiting time may vary from a minimum of 1 hour to a maximum of 4 hours, and this is something you may experience as a very tiring event, especially when you arrive in the Maldives after a long-haul flight. The good news though is that you can wait in the domestic airport’s lounge.

• The direct flight from Male to Kooddoo Domestic Airport is approximately 1 hour, but sometimes the total journey time can take up to 2 hours due to a stop over in Kadhdhoo Domestic Airport (to drop off or pick up guests that stay in that atoll). There’s nothing you can do about it, as the resort books the flights for you and they are operated by a third party (but it doesn’t hurt requesting a direct flight).

• Kooddoo island – home of the domestic airport that the Park Hyatt uses to shuttle its guests – is a far cry from the typical paradise islands that the Maldives are associated with. In fact, it’s more of a transport hub, with a busy harbour, a small airport and dorm-style apartment homes. The Park Hyatt staff uses golf cards to shuttle guests between the airport and the dock of the resort’s speed boat, a short trip that takes less than 5 minutes.

• The speedboat transfer between Kooddoo and Park Hyatt takes around 30 minutes, although it can be 10 minutes longer in case of rough seas or bad weather. The speedboat itself is quite comfortable for the short ride, and the hotel staff hands out cold tea and snacks to arriving guests, which is a nice gesture.

• When you return from the resort to Male, you will leave the resort around 80 minutes prior to the scheduled takeoff time. Waiting time at the airport will be around 30 minutes (and keep in mind that there are no shops or eateries at the airport, which is just a concrete building with one check-in counter and one waiting room).

• I advise not to book a morning flight out of Male on the day of your departure. If not, you may end up like me and have to wake up at 5 am in the morning to catch the only morning flight from Kooddoo to Male.

• In summary, the transfer to/from the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa resort (including waiting time) may take a large chunk of your holiday time on the day of your arrival and departure, making the resort not ideal for a short trip.

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