Hotel Loona - Hulhumale, The Maldives
Our flight from Singapore to Male arrived late at night, so we needed to stay near the airport before continuing on to the fantastic Park Hyatt Maldives the next day. The easiest option would have been the airport hotel (Hulhule Island Hotel), but we weren't willing to pay £250 for a stopover in a hotel which doesn't receive great reviews. Another option would have been Traders hotel on Male island, which gets reasonable reviews, but at the time of booking, the Foriegn and Commonwealth Office were advising against all but essential travel to Male. So, we trawled the net to find a better value alternative and found Loona Hotel at about £70, including transfers to and from the airport, through Agoda.
After finding the representative at Male airport (this was difficult but we managed after help from the other representatives), we were transferred with another couple to the hotel. This was a hair-raising (dark, no street-lighting, no seatbelts and 60 mph) 10 minute drive around the airport and across a causeway onto the island of Hulhumale. Staff did not speak much English, but had enough to get by, and shortly after arriving we had checked in and been escorted to our room (unfortunately we didn't take any photos, but the pictures on the hotel's website are accurate). The room was small with a tiny bathroom (so small my husband decided not to shave the next morning), but it was clean and the air conditioning unit worked well, although it was quite noisy. We had doors onto a shared balcony with a sea view. It was on coming back into the room, we noticed that the doors to the balcony didn't lock, thus had an uneasy night feeling insecure. Another comment we would make is that the sound-proofing is pretty terrible - we heard people leaving very early in the morning (4 am) as clearly as if they were in our room. Surprisingly, WIFI was reasonably fast and free. We got up to the sound of sea planes coming in to land and the sight of the beautiful Indian Ocean and Maldivian sun. Although we had booked a bed-and-breakfast rate (and been told to appear at reception at a particular time for breakfast), there was no mention of where to go, and we decided we wouldn't make a fuss and would rather get straight to the airport. After another fast journey, we were soon continuing our journey to the Park Hyatt.
Loona Hotel represents a good value overnight stop, but we advise against staying longer. It was interesting to compare the island of Hulhumale, complete with stray cats and a large unofficial rubbish dump, with the perfection of the luxury resort islands so nearby. However, when we return to the Maldives, if we need an overnight stay near the airport, we will probably try Traders Hotel on Male, unless the new Hyatt Regency or Radisson opens beforehand.
After finding the representative at Male airport (this was difficult but we managed after help from the other representatives), we were transferred with another couple to the hotel. This was a hair-raising (dark, no street-lighting, no seatbelts and 60 mph) 10 minute drive around the airport and across a causeway onto the island of Hulhumale. Staff did not speak much English, but had enough to get by, and shortly after arriving we had checked in and been escorted to our room (unfortunately we didn't take any photos, but the pictures on the hotel's website are accurate). The room was small with a tiny bathroom (so small my husband decided not to shave the next morning), but it was clean and the air conditioning unit worked well, although it was quite noisy. We had doors onto a shared balcony with a sea view. It was on coming back into the room, we noticed that the doors to the balcony didn't lock, thus had an uneasy night feeling insecure. Another comment we would make is that the sound-proofing is pretty terrible - we heard people leaving very early in the morning (4 am) as clearly as if they were in our room. Surprisingly, WIFI was reasonably fast and free. We got up to the sound of sea planes coming in to land and the sight of the beautiful Indian Ocean and Maldivian sun. Although we had booked a bed-and-breakfast rate (and been told to appear at reception at a particular time for breakfast), there was no mention of where to go, and we decided we wouldn't make a fuss and would rather get straight to the airport. After another fast journey, we were soon continuing our journey to the Park Hyatt.
Loona Hotel represents a good value overnight stop, but we advise against staying longer. It was interesting to compare the island of Hulhumale, complete with stray cats and a large unofficial rubbish dump, with the perfection of the luxury resort islands so nearby. However, when we return to the Maldives, if we need an overnight stay near the airport, we will probably try Traders Hotel on Male, unless the new Hyatt Regency or Radisson opens beforehand.