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Park Hyatt Maldives and Alila Maldives are both private island hotels in the Maldives, and both are part of Hyatt and World of Hyatt rewards. Both hotels are in the middle of the Indian Ocean, with white sandy beaches and amazing blue-green waters. However, each resort is very different, and we outline which is best below.
It’s worth noting that both resorts’ prices for food and services are eyewatering, so it’s essential to get the best possible deal when you book. Our luxury travel concierge offers a brilliant deal at all these resorts. We can gift you priority room upgrades, hotel credit, free breakfast, and more. You also get your usual loyalty points when you book via our agency.
Location
The Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa is one of the most secluded resorts in the Maldives. You can walk all the way around the island on the sands.
The Alila Maldives is a charming Maldivian hotel that feels boutique, peaceful, and authentic, ideal for a quiet getaway.
To get to the Park Hyatt, you take a commercial plane and then a speedboat. To get to Alila you just take a seaplane.
Style & Character
We love Park Hyatt’s minimalist design and both hotels are gorgeous in design and setting. We have appreciated the Park Hyatt minimalist look at the Park Hyatt Zurich and Park Hyatt Vienna. However, the Park Hyatt’s base rooms do not have private pools, which is a disadvantage, although most rooms offer a decent degree of privacy compared to Alila.
Service & Facilities
The Park Hyatt’s pool area is particularly delightful, offering sweeping views and beautiful cabanas. The overwater villas are the top choice here, providing unobstructed sunset views and direct access to snorkeling from your villa.
There have been reports of mosquitoes at the Park Hyatt, so it’s advisable to bring mosquito repellent if you’re staying anywhere in the Maldives, particularly if you book a stay during the rainy season.
One major difference between these two resorts is the house reef, which is poor at the Alila and lacks much marine life.
For snorkeling enthusiasts, the Park Hyatt is an excellent option. The snorkeling experience is exceptional, some of the best in the Maldives, with abundant black-tip and white-tip reef sharks, turtles, giant moray eels, and eagle rays.
Conversely, the Alila wins on powdery sand and swimming (as the water is a decent depth), plus their beaches are generous. The Park Hyatt beach spots tend to be smaller.
Rooms
Alila has the best rooms, much better than the Park Hyatt’s. The rooms are larger and newer, with a much more luxurious living space. Within the resort are beach villas and overwater villas. All of these have private pools at Alila, while not all the rooms and villas at the Park Hyatt have private pools.
The sunrise beach villa is the highest category Alila sells. These villas are amazing, larger than the overwater villas, and have a separate living area. Plus, you can walk out to the beach directly.
Beach villas are usually larger in the Maldives when compared to overwater villas and have no reef noise which can be problematic in an overwater villa if you’re a light sleeper. The overwater villa at Alila also howls when there is wind, as it gets in through the nooks and crannies of the room making sleeping difficult.
The most significant negatives at Alila are the mosquitos and fly issues. The excellent beach villa has a wonderful outdoor bathroom that is reportedly infested with mosquitos at certain times of the year. If you stay in the dry season, there have been no reported issues, but in the rainy season, the mosquitos can be a problem. To avoid the bug issues, opt for the overwater villa or stay in the dry season.
Food & Drink
There have been ongoing on- and off-fly issues at Alila Maldives, which are particularly bad at breakfast. They can be almost impossible to avoid. This issue is not problematic throughout the year, but it can be an issue at times.
The food quality and selection are less good at the Alila. If you want great food, St. Regis has one of the Maldives’ best reputations. We have compared the St. Regis Maldives to the Waldorf and Ritz-Carlton above.
Conclusion
Pick the Park Hyatt for its brilliant snorkeling on their house reef and minimalist decor. The deck and pool at their beach villas are a great place to enjoy an evening meal. The snorkeling, diving, and watersports are some of the best in the Maldives and are much better than the snorkeling and watersports at Alila Maldives.
Pick Alila Maldives for its boutique, authentic feel, and gorgeous rooms, which are larger and better than the villas at the Park Hyatt. All the Alila rooms have private pools which is a major plus.
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