Review: Hyatt Stays at Maldives and Athens

Perks

Not only did I get a free room on points, I also received several other benefits that helped me save money and just make the trip more enjoyable. 

• Grand Hyatt Club Lounge: On the Mezzanine floor, I was able to access the Grand Hyatt's club lounge due to my Globalist status. During happy hour until 10pm, they had plenty of hors d'oeuvres like salmon crudo and greek snacks. There was also a pour yourself bar with wine, beer, and juices. While we probably could have eaten dinner here, we did want to try out a local spot nearby. We did eat breakfast here, which saved us money and was at a level above a typical hotel continental breakfast. There was hot foods, a Greek yogurt spread, and of course more salmon. 

• Late Checkout: Typical hotel checkout is 11am, but because of my status, I was able to request late checkout, as late as 4pm. We only needed it until 12:30, but it allowed us to visit the Acropolis in the morning and walk back to the hotel without any sense of rush. In fact, we were able to return to the hotel, shower, and pack before heading to the airport to our next flight. 

• Free Upgrade: While not guaranteed, again, because of status I qualify for a complimentary upgrade to a suite based on availability. Fortunately there was room, and we were upgraded to a corner one bedroom suite instead of the King bed room I booked. The cash price of the suite was around $345, so in a way, gives me a higher cpp from what I booked. The room was very large and allowed us to unload our suitcases to reorganize for the evening. Having two bathrooms also helped us get ready quickly in the morning. 

• Other Perks: Some smaller things we received included water bottles (given to Discoverists and up), a bottle of wine as a welcome amenity, and a free shuttle to/from the Acropolis. The shuttle is free for all hotel guests, which is a nice perk to have when visiting. 

Park Hyatt Maldives - Hadahaa (2/11-16)

Booking and Breakdown

By now, you've realized that the only hotel I'm going to stay at is a Hyatt. At the Maldives there were two options for me to choose from, the Park Hyatt and the Alila Maldives. The Alila had just been open for less than a year, so even though both hotels had good reviews, I chose the Park Hyatt for its tried and true history. 

I was able to book their cheapest room, the Beach Villa for 35,000 points per night. So for 5 nights, it cost me 175,000 Hyatt points. Fortunately, I had earned a free Category 1-7 night for obtaining Globalist status, so I was able to apply that coupon to my trip, saving me 35,000 points. At the time of booking, the beach villa was $1,537.20 per night, which is crazy to me as that's almost my monthly mortgage. Thankfully, the points covered the hotel cost and any resort fees associated, giving me a 4.39cpp value, which is way above my 2cpp average. 

We all know though, that the highlight of the Maldives is the overwater villa. While I could have chanced the free upgrade with status, I didn't want to fly out all the way to be disappointed. So on top of the points spent, I did have to pay an additional $701 per night for 3 nights in the overwater villa. While it was still pricey for my wallet, I considered it a huge discount from what I could have paid in cash. Also, when travelling to specific islands in the Maldives, I also had to pay $550 per person for the plane ride from the Male airport to another island AND a speedboat transfer to the actual Hadahaa island. So as you can see, even before spending any money on the resort, I was already paying over $3,000 for a 5-night stay. The Maldives ain't cheap, but it's better than paying $8,6000. On the bright side, I paid with my World of Hyatt business card, which gives me 4x back on top of the 5x back I get for being a member. Also, as a Globalist, I get an additional 30% back on the 5x portion (confusing I know), giving me a total of 10.5x back (4x + 5x + 1.5x). Finally, the cards also provides a $50 credit 2 times a year, so all that combined alleviates a little bit of the sticker shock. 

For Globalists

• Free juices, coffees, and two a la carte items during breakfast - On top of the breakfast buffet, we also were able to order from the a la carte menu. We took advantage of getting the $55 breakfast steak and the $27 Thai fried rice, and more to enjoy the local cuisine. While the regular buffet was nice, it would have gotten boring over the course of 5 days. With the a la carte menu, we were able to try all sorts of Maldivian, Asian, and American foods. 

• Globalist Sundowner happy hour - Every day from 5-7pm we were invited to the bar to have a free snack and drink. We each could order one cocktail (or milkshake) from the menu and it would also come with a 3-serving amuse-bouche tasting of different foods and delicacies. You can see on the right the glasses were also pretty large. 

While we didn't get any complimentary upgrades, the free food and drink alone not only saved us quite a bit of money, but also provided a luxurious experience while we vacationed here.