Grand Park Kodhipparu, Maldives — Hotel in Malé Atoll

From the moment we were greeted at the airport we knew this was going to be a special trip. Someone from the resort immediately greeted us and gave us directions on what to do while we were waiting for the other guests to arrive at the airport. We only waited for about 15 to 20 minutes and the other guests arrived and we were escorted to our private boat to the resort. When we arrived, it was raining but we still had the crew waiting for us and welcoming us along with our ambassador for the resort and she was great. They escorted us to our over-the-water villa, and she explained everything that needed to happen and was able to be done at the resort and all our options along with her personal contact information so that if we had any questions we could contact her directly. Even on her day off she was able to respond to us and give us the information that we needed which we appreciated greatly.

When going to the Maldives one thing that everyone needs to understand is that all resorts are either going to be four-to-five-star. There is very little difference between a resort that charges $600 a night or one that charges $2000 a night they are both very close all resorts get their resources such as food etc from the same shipment. You will NOT get any resort that will have significantly better food or resources or items than any other resort will have, regardless of the star rating … you are in the middle of the Indian Ocean! (all comes on the same cargo ship) What will make your experience different is the people, and the resort itself to some extent. While new resorts may look promising and inviting one thing that needs to be understood is that anytime a new resort is made… because of the way they make resorts in Maldives it essentially destroys the environment around it so while you are at a new resort, you're more than likely have to go further to actually see decent wildlife for snorkeling and scuba diving… one of the main points of coming to the Maldives in the first place. This is where the Grand Park really sets itself apart as well since it's been there several years it's house reef and snorkeling and scuba diving is very good. Much better than a brand-new resort, which I won't name (and was much more expensive), very close to it does not even have their own house reef fully rebuilt yet. Our stay included half board, but you could probably do OK with just the breakfast, though half board did help us a lot as far as eating at nighttime. There are other dinner activities available such as a beach BBQ, which we joined, as well as “dinner on the beach” that we didn't do but we saw several other guests that did, and it looked very nice. The food and drink again will be just like any other resort very high quality, and they tasted great. Again, I can't stress this enough the people and employees at the Grand Park were exceptional we had no issues with anyone, and they always went above and beyond. Little things such as a cocktail hour for guests where I honestly thought it was going to be a sales pitch. It turned out that it was the farthest thing from that, it was actually a meet and greet with the staff where they discussed our stay and we're truly open to any comments or criticisms we had, of course we had none. It was great that they gave us that opportunity and really shows that they care about their guests. Everyone from the spa to the diving center to the manager that we talked to during our meet and greet were exceptionally friendly and always had a smile on their face. Mario, Carol, Sabree were all very good and made our stay. Though this was our first time at the Maldives I can highly recommend Grand Park as a place to visit and truly believe that for price/amenities there is no better deal. I rarely give five stars on my reviews because I truly think that I want to leave some room to be perfect but there is so very little needed that I really had no other choice but to give five stars and they deserve it! If you're planning on going to the Maldives, the Grand Park should be on...

Resort includes transport to and from airport by boat, about 20 mins travel time each way, had no issues getting there and back. All you can eat breakfast buffet included for anyone that stays 3+ days, as well as 1 couples massage, a bottle of red wine, and a small fruit basket, as well as 2 welcome drinks in your villa for honeymoon package. Free equipment for snorkeling daily, free flip flops in your villa, a beach bag and towels. Your room is cleaned twice a day. They pick you up in golf carts from everywhere and they're pretty efficient at doing so. Daria was very nice at welcoming us and showing us around. Staff everywhere are very nice except management who needs to take some lessons in customer service (read truth below in caps). The hotel has two types of villas on the water. Ocean Pool Water Villa which costs less than Lagoon Pool Water Villa. On the OCEAN side water is deeper, view is unobstructed Indian Ocean with no islands nearby, no construction just the ocean and a beautiful sunrise, it has more corals, and richer marine life, more chances at seeing baby sharks, octopus, etc. Excellent for snorkeling! On the Lagoon side, it costs more because the waters are more turquoise, more shallow which is great for those who aren't very strong swimmers, beautiful sunsets, less marine life, no corals. Lagoon view in 2019 is obstructed by nearby construction (bulldozers in the day and boats transporting sand equipment etc and at night when all lights are off you will have BRIGHT white lights pointing at your villa).

Food was delicious at every restaurant especially at FireDOOR. Staff there was exceptional and we saw several sharks while we dined in the evening. They also offer free recreation games so no chance at you being bored. Check out every corner there's always something to do usually free and there's also upgraded adventures that take you to other islands and experiences.

Be careful w/the all inclusive package: You pay more and you can only have unlimited alcohol at the restaurants and at your minibar so if the restaurants are closed you can't have your alcohol. Do the math and see if its worth for you. The menu also changes for the all inclusive. We asked for all menus on day 1 and we went over everything and it wasn't worth it for us since we had breakfast inc w/the honeymoon package. I would give this hotel 5 stars based on all other things except that our Lagoon view that we paid more for was obstructed due to construction all week and we were on our honeymoon and it still stands out on every pic. Below is my angry rant on that part of the experience. However, to be fair above you've read the things that went well. So if you do go be sure to stay on the Ocean side until construction has finished.

2020 UPDATE: CONSTRUCTION OBSTRUCTING THE VIEW OF THE LAGOON is now finished. However, the LAGOON OR anything BEACH FACING no longer shows you an uninterrupted view of the indian ocean. Meaning you now have a building across your villa. So if you're looking for an uninterrupted view of the ocean you want to stay on the OCEAN side. THEY HAVE 2 TYPES OF VILLAS: "OCEAN" (SUNRISE, DEEPER WATER BETTER SNORKEL) AND "LAGOON" (SUNSET, SHALLOW WATER LESS CORAL MORE TURQUOISE BETTER FOR NOT SO STRONG SWIMMERS $150-200 MORE A NIGHT THAN OCEAN) HOTEL DOESN'T HAVE ANY SHOPS AND THEY CHARGE YOU FOR EVERYTHING. IF YOU DIDN'T BRING IT WITH YOU EXPECT TO PAY FOR IT AT TRIPLE THE COST. VILLAS ARE SO SMALL FOR THE PRICE YOU PAY.

When we went in March 2019 there was construction in front of our villa and even though we specifically asked about this on email hotel denied it and upon arrival we asked to be moved to diff room and HOTEL MANAGER CHRIS WOULDN'T CHANGE OUR ROOM WOULDN'T GIVE US A REFUND WOULDN'T GIVE US ANY COMPLIMENTS FOR THE INCONVENIENCE that our view was blocked and we had bulldozers blocking it as well as bright lights on us at night. THEY GOT YOUR MONEY, SO IT NO LONGER MATTERS HOW UNHAPPY YOU ARE BC THEY KNOW YOU'RE FAR FROM HOME AND STUCK. You don't come to...

This review is from the perspective of an American couple honeymooning during the current pandemic.

We were very happy and surprised with this resort. We chose Grand Park because the price (around 600/night before meals etc) was a lot better than other high-end Maldives resort brands (Soneva, Six Senses etc are all well over 1,000/night), but we still felt like we were at a five-star resort with great service and great food.

PROS: Location: many resorts require a flight to the capital, Male, then a subsequent flight to Gan or a seaplane transfer to the island. At the Grand Park you simply step off your plane at Male and into a speedboat that the resort arranges (though there is a fee), and 20 minutes later you are on the island. Many Americans consider places like Tahiti or Bora Bora, when in reality a place like this is a quicker and more convenient trip for those who live on the east coast.

House reef/snorkeling: the absolute highlight of our time here. We stayed in one of the reef overwater villas where the house reef is just steps from your bed. The reef is gorgeous and teeming with biodiversity. In our snorkeling adventures we had multiple close encounters with sea turtles, reef sharks (harmless), giant moray eels, squid, rays, and massive triggerfish. There was also a spot by reception where we could see baby sharks. Talk to the folks at the dive shop (where you can rent snorkeling/kayaking equipment) as they have a good knowledge of where the best snorkeling spots are on the island.

Food/Drink: we were impressed with the quality of the food. The resort also has the occasional special dinner option (torchlit BBQ on the beach, wine-pairing dinner) and these were all quite good, though they are an additional charge. The drinks were great - I stopped ordering specific drinks and started asking the bartenders at Breeze to surprise me and I was never disappointed. Side note: we loved everyone working at Breeze but to the one bartender in particular whose name I unfortunately did not remember (still mad at myself for that), you’re the man and I’m coming back for more of those Corona based cocktails as soon as possible!

Service: literally every single person we interacted with was wonderful. It was the best service we have received at any resort we have been to. They are exceptionally kind and helpful. They were also all very health conscious and I never once interacted with a staff member who was not wearing a mask or keeping a safe distance.

CONS (all of these are very minor and nitpicky, but hey, nobody is perfect):

Pandemic-related issues: there is no mask enforcement for guests, which we occasionally felt somewhat uncomfortable with, but since the only place that is truly indoors on the resort is your private villa it was not a huge deal. For anyone who is concerned about such things during the pandemic, you might have a close encounter or two with a maskless guest on the boardwalk leading to the villas but that is about it. For what it’s worth the mask compliance was worse on Qatar Airways than it was at the resort and we never felt at risk there.

Room quality: again, a minor complaint. Some of the finishings of the room were a bit worn and our villa’s pool had a couple of small weird stains. We also encountered a couple of roaches during our stay but my understanding is this is common for the Maldives.

Pricing issues: one final minor complaint. The prices on some of the experiences were a bit high in our opinion - paying over $400 for a two-hour, two-person fishing trip was a bit much. But maybe there was a cheaper option that I just missed. Also, I have never before stayed in a resort where I got a phone call from the gift shop reminding me to buy things there.

Overall, despite my minor complaints this place really is a paradise. I don’t think I have ever felt more relaxed in my life. We are so grateful to everyone at Grand Park for giving us the best...