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The majority of miles & points collectors like to use their balances on aspirational travel and when it comes to aspirational travel the Maldives ranks quite highly. If you’re a Hilton loyalist, right now you have just the one option when visiting the Maldives (the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island) but, from the end of this year, a second Maldivian property should be bookable on Hilton.com.
Hilton has announced that it has entered into a franchise agreement which will see a Curio Collection property open in the Maldives at the end for 2018.
The new Curio Collection property in the Maldives will be part of the CROSSROADS project (more on that later) and will offer the following:
- 198 guest rooms, beach villas and overwater villas
- Swimming pool
- Fitness centre
- Multiple restaurants
- Duty free shops
As part of the CROSSROADS project the property will also have access to a beach club, water sports, a dive centre, a cultural centre and a kids club.
The CROSSROADS Project
The CROSSROADS Project is calling itself “the first-ever integrated leisure and entertainment resort destination” and is currently under construction in the Emboodhoo Lagoon.
The project spans 9 islands just south of Male (15 minutes by speedboat to the airport) and is set to offer numerous restaurants, shops and various entertainment venues as well as boasting a yacht marina.
Here’s what the developers, Singha Estates, have said about the new resort:
Ideal for couples, families or friends looking for an inspiring escape, the resort’s generous interiors and al fresco spaces, personalized comforts and genuine service culture, create an inspired playful destination getaway.
The signature journey begins on arrival when guests design their own amenity set using natural ingredients from the Aroma Bar. They choose their favorite flavors upon check-in to set the culinary tone, which extends to a daily gourmet breakfast with morning inspirations by Café Del Mar, and an array of appealing dining experiences that includes seafood grills, Thai-inspired treats, artisanal coffees at Bean / Co, and tropical cocktails and cozy drinks at pool bar.
The resort connects directly to CROSSROADS, a dynamic new destination that includes globally renowned Hard Rock Café, Café Del Mar and an exciting collection of restaurants and bars, duty free shops and boutique stores, as well as Maldives’ first Cultural Center. The complex also features a Junior Beach Club by Worldwide Kids, Watersports & Dive Center, Marina and luxury Yacht Club, Multi-function Hall and more.
The project is being developed overt two phases with Phase 1 covering the first three islands and opening in 2018 and Phase two covering the remaining six islands and scheduled to open in 2022.
There are n further details or images available of the new Curio Collection resort but I’ll post them to the blog as soon as they become available.
Bottom Line
New resorts are always good news but new aspirational resorts are excellent news. Hilton Honors may not be the greatest of loyalty programs but at least its members will now have another resort at which to spend their points.
Presumably a high number of points will be needed per night even if you’re just booking an entry-level room but it will be worth keeping an eye out for promotions and sales as the property nears opening – if other new resorts are anything to go by there may be some good deals to be had.
[…] News and notes from around the interweb: Hilton has signed a new resort in the Maldives […]
This one looks like a yawn. The new Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi is opening early 2019.
I would like to see more of the Maldives designated as national park and biosphere reserve. Maldives is a very fragile environment and putting a Marina and this much boat traffic and tourist traffic is not a positive sustainable Direction. There will be no reefs for the divers to see. Most of the coral in the Maldives is dead alreadyalready of a coral bleaching event that occurred in 2016 (not the fault of Maldives and it’s resorts necessarily).
Maldives is an aspirational destination but aabig part of why people go there is more the Instagram beauty of it all. The only reason I know about Maldives and made it a life goal to go was the postcards, calendars and in recent years instagram. Pictures with coral, millions of colorful fish, lush small uninhabited islands.
Im no marine biologist or expert but I’ve seen it first hand. And I know what overdevelopment does and doesn’t do to places like Maldives. I’ve been to Conrad in 2014, 2016 (right before and somewhat during the bleaching event), and most recently this year in 2018. Up to 90% coral death rate in most central Atolls like this one. It’s a eye opening experience to compare underwater photos. There was still a good fish population but not as in years past. They will continue to decline until the reef regrows itself.
I’m not only disinterested but actually disgusted in this new project. A hard rock and Cafe Del Mar in the Maldives seriously. Talk about destroying the aesthetic and overall cultural feel of the place. I guess they feel like putting a Maldives cultural center in is necessary to offset the ignorant people bent on visiting a hard rock rock in the middle of a pristine environment like Maldives.
Environment is the main point. This new project is I’m sure being made of reclaimed land which means they killed a reef, made an island and planted a reef if even that much. Coral takes 100s of years to grow.
Happy to end my ramblings now but honestly will we ever learn that you can’t eat money and it’s not that interesting to look at either.