Review Hilton Amingiri Resort & Spa in the Maldives, free at Christmas thanks to points

Maldives is one of the most expensive destinations in the world, few places can compete, from memory I can think of Fiji, Polynesia and nothing else.

Going there using points is one of the best uses you can make because quality facilities can cost more than a thousand euros a day in the off-season, not to mention during Christmas week.

PS this is going to be a very detailed review, because if you choose a place like this resort I think it is useful to know in detail everything it offers.

Reservation

Being a serial accumulator of points and miles, I always try to get the maximum From the reservations I make when I use my laboriously accumulated points. In this case membership rewards points accumulated paying with the my American Express Gold And all the bonuses of the last two years I invested in a thousand-and-one night reservation, or perhaps it would be better to say two thousand euros per night.

Here at TFC we tell daily how to collect as many points as possible while trying to take advantage of all the promotions, which in Hilton are frequent and very generous. I literally emptied my Hilton Honors points piggy bank for this reservation since 5 nights cost me a whopping 440 thousand points.

That is 110 thousand points per night + the fifth night for free thanks to the benefit provided by the Hilton Honors program, in fact when you book award stays you have the opportunity to get one free night for every 4 booked with points, a benefit that brought the cost down to "only" 88 thousand points per night.

The same room would have cost, paying cash, of nearly $8,000 for the same type of stay on the same dates. This is not exactly a small expense. Also because this price is for the bed-and-breakfast price, then everything else is separate and you pay for it.

Hilton Honors Points you can accumulate by staying and taking advantage of the many promotions or By transferring Rewards membership points for free.

Location

The Hilton Amingiri Resort & Spa is located about 20 minutes away from Malé, unlike other resorts so you don't have to travel via seaplane, and to get there you just take the resort's speedboat and in about 25 minutes you arrive at the hotel.

This location close to the international airport in the capital of the Maldives is an important plus because it allows for shorter transfer times and no schedule constraints typical of seaplanes or local air transport, which in the Maldives means small planes, often not reassuring in appearance to those who do not like too much the idea of flying small craft that take off and land in the middle of the sea.

Transfer fee, unless special rate, is not included in the room rate And it is a classic Maldivian practice. In 99% of cases this mandatory fee is charged extra. In the case of this resort, the price is 300$ per adult and 150$ for children over 6 years old.

Check-in

As soon as we disembarked from our Austrian flight from Vienna and went through immigration control, we noticed the attendant in the arrivals area with the name of the hotel. He picked up our suitcase and escorted us to the pier in front of the airport exit. If we were on land it would be the kiss&fly zone parking lot, here it is a pier with boats moored.

We boarded the boat and left, we did not have to wait for other passengers, the boat was just for us. On board cool drinks, wi-fi and air conditioning, a small floating limousine.

Not even five minutes and the first surprise. A pod of dolphins playing in front of our boat, the attendants stopped the engines and we admired this special reception by a huge pod of dolphins.

A little less than 15 minutes later we arrived at the resort's pier., again there was a welcoming committee as per Maldivian tradition. The second surprise was being greeted in Italian by Stefania, the resort's F&B director.

Here after a refreshing drink and an iced towel we were picked up by Hishan our contact person for the stay. Aboard a golf car we took a tour of the entire atoll and in the process were explained the hours, services and features of the resort.

One bedroom overwater pool villa

Contrary to what you might think the basic room at this resort are the stilted villas by the sea, the other types of rooms starting with beach villas are more expensive.

Unfortunately, in the Maldives, Hilton status rules do not apply. The hotel reminds you a few days before arrival by explaining, according to status what you will get during your stay.

This is for us resulted in no upgrades, although free solutions were available and despite my Diamond status being the highest in the Hilton Honors loyalty program.

Our villa was 517, halfway down the pier. Opening the first door leads to a hallway that leads to the actual entrance to the villa or directly to the terrace where the infinity pool is. The basic villa consists of a room with a king bed and an equally huge bathroom.

The facility is new, opened in July, and all the furnishings are immaculate (or nearly so).

The room is large, behind the headboard of the bed there is a small table tucked away, the mini-bar and the agolo that houses nespresso coffee maker and tea kettle.

Then there are two closets with all the classic resort equipment inside such as a beach bag, umbrellas, a backpack for wet clothes, the attention to detail is utmost such as the two oilskins to protect against any flies.

Unmissable mega screen with smart technology.

In the center of the room is a mega window with a view of the sea below to admire the fish without even leaving the room.

The bathroom is equally huge, with a gigantic double sink a "double" bathtub positioned in front of the window with a panoramic view, as well as a walk-in shower and separate toilet.

The highlight of the villa is definitely the outdoor area. The infinity pool suspended over the sea, the net where you can hang over the fish, and the ladder to dive directly into the Maldivian sea are the real reasons why it makes sense to book this type of accommodation.

Also waiting for us in the room was a bottle of wine and a fruit basket.

We also chose pillows other than the "pillow menu" since the ones provided were not comfortable at all.

Artificial, but eco friendly

This resort is located on a "recovered" atoll, that is, it was now submerged, and the construction of the artificial island was based on the submerged part. Attention to the environment and sustainability is total.

There is no plastic throughout the resort; travel is by electric vehicles or traditional bicycles only. Keys are completely made of bamboo, just as there is no trace of polluting products in the bathroom. Employees are around, h24, to clean and keep clean every corner of the resort.

I benefit Hilton Honors

As mentioned a few days before our arrival we received an email explaining the benefits in the Maldives that are provided by the different facilities based on status, there is also a dedicated page on the Hilton website.

As a Diamond in this hotel we received:

• Breakfast in the Habitat restaurant. (Too bad the hotel only offers rates with breakfast).
• VIP welcome bottle of wine in villa and fruit basket
• With a 60-minute massage, another 30 minutes free at Amingiri Spa
• Afternoon Happy Hour 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at SIP, one of the resort's bars

Benefits are also extended to a guest sharing the same room.

As you can see with the excuse of space and the uniqueness of the Maldives they skip benefits such as the lounge, which does not exist, room upgrades, which are among the main reasons you get the Diamond card.

Wi-fi

Of course there are those who by coming here are just trying to detoxify from emails and calls, but there are also those who have to willingly or unwillingly do some smartworking.

The connection speed is not supersonic, quite the contrary. However, coverage is consistent throughout the resort as is the phone signal.

The resort

The two areas with the stilts house the one- and two-room villas., the part on the mainland everything else. There are, of course, villas with direct beach access, restaurants, SPA, kids club, and bases for sports and diving activities.

The only public pool, excluding the kids club pool is located at the beach club. It is very beautiful, especially at sunset.

Divided with two different depths, but still never more than six feet, it is perfect for relaxing outside the villa. Of course it's all designed for a few people, as there are about 20 sunbeds and a few umbrellas, but that's the way it is in the Maldives-guests come to isolate themselves in the villas and swim in the sea.

The Kids Club is close to the main restaurant and is an ad hoc facility where children can be safely left in the care of the staff.

There is an outdoor aera with pools and small playground and an indoor part with consoles, play area and sleeping area. From the point of view of things to do, this resort is absolutely kid-friendly, starting even with mini bikes to get around like grown-ups by pedaling.

The gym is open H24 and you can work out with a view of the Indian Ocean. There are also two small spa areas for guests with a sauna and steam room.

There are several small beaches on the mainland, but I didn't see beach chairs and sunbeds at any of them except near the beach club.

The spa is very scenic and the little houses by the sea where the massages are done really nice, we tried a couples massage also taking advantage of the free 30 minutes you get thanks to Hilton Honors status.

All guests are given free snorkeling gear, and again thanks to the status there is free use of SUP boards and canoes every day.

In the water sports area you can rent jet skis, experience various more or less adrenaline activities. With prices in line with the rest of the resort. We had booked a 2-hour jetski excursion for the last morning, but unfortunately there was a gale coming (which didn't come) and we got screwed.

In the evening, but decidedly uncrowded, cinema under the stars with classic silent disco headphones is often offered.

Birthday in the Maldives

I often happen to be traveling on my birthday or that of my traveling companions, the hotel will almost certainly notice the special occasion. In this case, however, I wanted to let the staff know early on that there would be a special occasion.

We received a beautiful treatment, from the drawing on the bed to the little gift not forgetting the chocolate cake. Everything was really perfect.

Christmas in the Maldives

This was my first Christmas experience in the heat. It was also the first Christmas for this resort that opened last July.

The setup was done on the night of December 20-21, and magically by the morning of the 21st the Christmas spirit had arrived on the atoll. The tree lighting ceremony was, along with breakfast, the only time we saw so many people around.

Unfortunately, however, the occasion brought nothing new in the menu and food offerings, just lights and trees around the resort.

Food & Beverage

There are four restaurants and three bars, and room service operates h24. During our stay we tried (almost everything) here are the various locations in detail.

The biggest problem is the paucity of choice, each restaurant has its own menus, there is nothing "of the day." From breakfast to dinner the dishes are always just that, with few exceptions. Even the room service menu includes the same dishes as the restaurant. The only originality is in the buffet dinner, which takes place in the habitat restaurant. However, if you do not like what is offered in the buffet dinner,you are almost screwed since one of the other two restaurants is closed that night to have more guests at the buffet.

Last but not least for the quality that is served I find everything really "over priced" as the Americans say, ok we are in the Maldives, ok I have no chance to eat anything other than what the resort passes, but if you can't give me quality try to keep a fair price level. A 4-cheese pizza 40$ + tax and service (so almost 50$), a hamburger with cow bacon !!!! 36$ ++.

Habitat

This is the resort's main restaurant. Breakfast is served here in the morning and dinner in the evening.

The kitchen is in the center and is open, during breakfast the food offerings are presented partially as a buffet and partially as freshly cooked express food, especially for the egg and related area. The breakfast is interesting, there are many different cuisines to meet the tastes of the customers: from Indian to Asian, from continental to some typical Russian dishes.

Then there is a sweet breakfast and fruit section; there is also the option of having your favorite fresh fruit peeled at the time. The problem is that except in the ethnic cuisines area where some dishes change daily, the rest is all the same. Right down to the display of desserts, always placed in the same order.

In the evening it becomes the main restaurant, although the dishes are not very original. The menu is that, take it or leave it. Of course the sourcing of raw materials must not be easy, but if one spends a week here and has 2 "normal" restaurants to choose from, boredom lurks.

Occasionally the a la carte menu is replaced by an "all you can eat" buffet dinner the price of course is Maldives not Chinese under the house, 99$ ++. The fact is. if you then find in the buffet some dishes that are also served for breakfast it just seems that in the kitchen either they have to take out ingredients or the chef has run out of imagination. In any case, it is not 5-star resort-like.

Beach Shack

This is the beach restaurant, open for lunch and dinner. We had dinner here once and it was the worst dinner of our stay. When we booked we were told that the tables on the beach were sold out and that we could eat at the tables in the nearby beach club.

From the menu we took the most expensive dish, a grilled fish that was in the "To share" box on the menu, before ordering it we asked the waiter if it was enough for two and he absolutely said it was a generous portion.

When they served the grill it looked huge and multi-tiered, but instead it was just staged and the contents were ridiculous: a lobster opened in two, two slices of squid, three mussels, three scallops, one shrimp, and a fillet.

Origin

It is the third and last restaurant, we had made reservations here on the last night but after the disappointment of the previous days we cancelled and went back to the habitat.

Never was the choice more apt because the beauty of this restaurant is to dine suspended over the sea too bad that at 8 p.m. a monsoon broke out ruining dinner for everyone except those who had opted for the Habitat.

SIP

This is the cocktail bar where happy hour is served; it is located in front of the reception. We went there every day as good Genovese people, partly because having Diamond status costs sacrifice and here, on balance, it is the only real benefit it gives.

From 3 to 4 p.m. every day there is happy hour, two different cocktails are offered each day, one alcoholic and one not. Needless to say, it is the only place we struggled to find a seat in our entire stay.

Here as at the beach club there are many board games and people kill time playing Scrabble, Monopoly and other activities.

Aura

It is the beach club, there is a huge counter in the middle of the club and one dipped in the pool.

The second one we never saw it operational and I didn't like that either, okay there are few guests in the pool but if there is it has to be operational, otherwise you built it for nothing. This place was also designed to make up for the beach restaurant in case of bad weather.

Room service

The vast majority of guests use this service, we did for two nights. Perfect organization, delivery time even faster than stated, too bad the menu is always the usual and repetitive compared to restaurants.

The table is carefully set, the products arrive hot and in a short time despite the many orders.

Eden

It is the champagne bar; it is tiny and very scenic. The wine list again is very small and insanely priced.

What I didn't like about the resort

Of the food and the gastronomic offerings I have already said. The other things that in my opinion are not good in a resort of this level and at this price is that everything still seems to be in "half service" and in other respects "already falling apart."

On the island, people travel by foot, bicycle, or golf cars. Staff also use these electric vehicles for deliveries and commuting, as well as electric bikes. The first problem in the seaside villas is that every time one of these little cars passes by, it sounds like a plane landing on your head, or a train passing by. The reason is that these vehicles weigh because of the batteries, and the road is made of wooden panels. Really boring.

The room is 6 months old but it is already falling apart. The pool is full of holes and water is gushing from everywhere, not only ours many others of the villas near us had the same problem, it would be a minor thing if it wasn't the noise of constantly running faucets, a stuff impossible to bear so much that they came to "silicon" the holes during our stay. The floor already creaks, stuff you expect 10 years after opening not after 5 months.

The bicycles are already all rusty, the kickstand is so eaten away by rust that you risk getting an infection while using all your strength to close it.

Although it was full at 60% many things were not active, such as the bar inside the pool or that to push guests to make choices "competing" eateries are closed.

In conclusion

Would I spend 2000€ per night at this resort? absolutely NO. Also because then you have to add the cost of living to the room and honestly this resort does not deserve that much. Of course having booked it entirely with points "alleviates" the damage, but the feeling that I could have used the points better we had during our stay.

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