Why Saii Lagoon?

I recently wrote a post on things to consider when planning your trip to the Maldives. In a literal sea of options we had a plethora of resorts to chose from and honestly it was quite overwhelming at first. In the end I decided to forgo some bucket list amenities in order to make a decision based on: status program, location and value.

Status Program:

About 8 years ago I started dipping my toes into the world of travel hacking to maximize credit card reward points. At first I didn’t really understand what I was doing, but within the past two years I began traveling more and really paying attention to status programs; I already had Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Status and Hilton Honors Gold status from my AMEX Platinum card prior to booking the Maldives.

Marriott Bonvoy has been my preferred program, however, the resorts available in Maldives were all on the pricy side and even with numerous perks they would have resulted in me spending more that I otherwise planned and so I began to explore more options within the Hilton Honor Program.

Complimentary bottle of Champagne as a welcome present!

Enter Hilton; Saii Lagoon Maldives is a brand new five star resort with drastically lower prices compared to all other participating Hilton hotels. They were having their anniversary sale which reduced the price 40% from the standard rate but equally importantly was the possibility to: use rewards points, earn rewards points, and enjoy some high value perks.

I had been in the market for a new travel rewards card and when the opportunity presented itself I decided to apply for the AMEX Hilton Aspire card. With the Aspire I earned 150,000 points for spending $4,000 within 3 months and I was automatically upgraded to Hilton Diamond status.

Before booking, I emailed the hotel directly and confirmed what specific benefits they offered to Diamond status members; I listed some of the best perks below.

Breakfast

My favorite time of the day, the breakfast buffet was an endless amount of pastries, made to order eggs, curries, fruits, desserts, fresh juices and coffee served with a gorgeous ocean view and sparkling wine. Our most substantial meal of the day, I absolutely loved the local Maldivian food and their papaya yogurt crumble cups.

Tea Time

Tea Time Every day from 1500- 1700 we had unlimited access to any thing from the menu at Bean& Co. This included sandwiches, juices, coffees and ice creams. Having a late lunch at Bean & Co. became something of a staple in our daily plan and on average we saved about $50 a day. Between Breakfast and Tea we were hardly hungry and the only meal we had to fend for ourselves was dinner.

Happy hour

We absolutely loved the bartenders, Gwyn & Shawn, at Miss Olive Oyl poolside bar. Every evening we showed up to happy hour like it was part of our religion and we rarely ever drank at any other time. Truly a college student at heart, I indulged in a routine of crushing drinks and coasting through the night.

In the end I would guess we drank a minimum of $100 per night, it was hectic- talk about getting the most bang for your buck!

Dinner on the Beach

A complimentary dinner on the beach was included with the stay, it was a gorgeous, romantic, and private setting to enjoy a juicy Maldivian Sunset and 5 course meal.

Of note: there are beach dinners organized by two separate entities- the restaurant and the hotel, it was weird and confusing; enquire about it at check in to confirm a date if this is something included in your package.

Room upgrades

One of my favorite status perks is automatic room upgrades. We had split the stay between two rooms, I was dying to check out the over water villas but in order to be budget conscious we also planned to stay in a beach bungalow. The best part about this was only needing to book the rooms one level below, knowing free room upgrades were almost guaranteed and we would save a lot of money in the process.

Location

As I talked about in my post about booking the Maldives , location is a HUGE consideration. Saii is located within a 30 minute boat ride of the international airport and transportation is included for stays of 5+ days.

In addition to proximity, Saii is part of a multi-island multi-resort project! The Crossroads Marina is home of the Maldives first yacht clubs and is currently connected to Saii and The Hardrock via bridges. It was awesome to be able to venture over to HR for a little more party atmosphere and then retreat back at Saii when we wanted to chill again.

Obviously a lot of people venture to the Maldives as the ultimate secluded honeymoon spot- this isn’t really the best place for that but it served our purposes swimmingly!

Activities

The Maldives are known for their beautiful blue water so it is of no surprise that most activities take place in the ocean. At Saii we spent countless hours snorkeling and free diving along the sea cliff ( where was saw turtles, dolphins, &sharks !!!) off on the ocean side and also in the the shared alcove along the bridge to Hard Rock.

Snorkel gear and kayaks are provided complimentary (however clear kayaks are rented hourly) and activities such as the sea-bob, a self propelled water scooter, are available for rent!

Fun fact: The hotel actually has a coral cultivation program and several giant statues that have been sunk in the bay, try to see if you can find all three! Hint: look for the floating orange buoys.

For those looking to spend a little more time away from the resort there is the option of a day charter for fishing, scuba or parasailing at an additional fee.

When you are starting to feel waterlogged , seek refuge on dry land and enjoy: biking, shopping, slack-lining between palm trees, water sliding at the hard rock, hanging on one of the many hammocks or rope swings or drinking on a day bed- yes that is an “activity!”

Beach Villa

We started our trip with several nights in the beach villa, I was blown away by how perfectly curated everything was. Between the outdoor bath tub + shower, cute decor, comfy robes and complimentary bottle of sparkling wine on arrival I was completely blown away and utterly elated.

The beach villas are separated from one another with a lush growth of trees so it truly does feel like your own little piece of heaven and there are few things as relaxing as a bubble bath under the stars at night.

Over water Bungalow

Now THIS is why people come to the Maldives- the stuff of dreams!!! What I loved about staying in the villas was that despite being near other rooms it still felt so private and secluded.

There was a set of stairs that went directly into the water to an easily swimmable sea cliff for free diving during the day, and in the evening there were underwater lights that would attract the fish and marine animals.

I LOVED the balcony bathtub, the ample outdoor seating, natural light, bright accent colors and vibey decor!