One of my top 10 FAQs is “where can transient visitors to the Maldives (eg. flight and cruise stopovers) visit a resort island for a single day (no night stay)?” By and large, the resorts have not had this offer for part time guests. The fear is that the island gets overrun by low margin guests just cherrypicking some of the sunshine and beach space without spending money in the restaurants, bars, activities or lodging.
One resort, Anantara Dhigu, is making day visits available. They are managing the risks by tightly containing the number of passes issued. The pass is not a standing offer, but is issued on a case by case basis, mostly when the resort is at lower occupancy. At the moment price is USD 150++ per person (10% service charge, 12% GST) and out of this USD 100 will be used as F&B credit which is non-refundable. I think Anantara is clever thinking that many people stopping in will love the resort so much that they will make it a point to come back for a proper stay Also, by keeping the offer to lower occupancy periods, it can help the overall resort experience for all because the resort can run at optimal efficiency (eg. there’s not a lot of food waste on the buffets with few people there, but the resort wanting to maintain the choice and options for the guests).
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Dear Bruce,
I will go in Maldive – 3 days in Safary Island Resort in January 2022, and another 3 days in Maafushi.
I really want to visit one lux resort, in period when I stay in Maafushi. on 28 January.
I see that you have a lot of experience in Maldive.
Do you think it will be possible? Do you know a resort that allow this pas day visit?
Thank you,
Cristina
At the moment, day pass visits are virtually impossible due to the COVID restrictions which severely limit the conditions for inter-island transfers.