What a beautiful island... just opened on October 2019 too? Phew. Good thing you went so you're basically one of the very few who reviewed the hotel. 45min flight from an airport isn't that bad tbh too. Love the video you 2! Keep it up with the amazing quality content
It was an incredible property! Highly recommend- particularly as they adjust some of their management policies and reservation requirements to accommodate people!
Hey there!! Interesting video and loved your reviews.. I’m planning to visit Maldives soon and was wondering if the ocean pool suites is fully private or other guests can have a view of us while swimming
Hey! thank you so much!! we really appreciate it :)! The pool suites at all the hotels we have stayed at are not the most private. Usually, the pools stick out a bit farther than the privacy wall so your patio is private, but the pool isn't. Pros and cons because you get a wonderful view, but others can typically see you. Typically, we find the beach villas with pools to be the most private due to the hedges, trees and more space between the villas. We've never had any issues, but I wouldn't skinny dip if people are around ;). Let us know if you have any other questions!
Thanks for your reply!! I have stayed at noku resort 2 years ago and guests from both sides can view us so I requested to keep both villas vacant while being there 😅
Thanks for the review! we arrive in a few weeks. I now know to make reservations for dinner prior to arrival. Did they accept tips? If so, is American dollars ok?
Hey Belinda! Thanks for your comment - I hope you have an amazing trip :). Yes!! Dinner reservations are a must 🙌🏼. Regarding tips, tipping is not super common in the Maldives but if you feel like tipping for great service, everything runs off American dollars so that would be fine :). Tipping your butler is common at the end of your stay
Hey!! Thanks so much for your comment :) so glad you reached out!!! So for sure 2:45 won’t get you to a resort with a seaplane until minimum 5pm and then heritance is on island time so it’s actually 6pm their time in that case. It’s definitely doable but yea just keep in mind you’ll be on the last seaplane. I would highly recommend confirming that they can even accommodate a seaplane at that time as they often run only during daylight hours until 4ish in the evening. So before you book give them a call!! The hotel itself is great, if you were staying longer I’d have some other recs but for a 3 night trip, I would also consider SAii lagoon/Hard rock because it’s a stunning lagoon and SUPER close to male like 15 minutes by boat. They have amazing food and beverages and a great marina. I would also look at Ozen Life maadhoo depending on your budget as we are here now and loving the quality of the offering. The property is older but they’re doing some great renovations. Check out our instagram stories as we are here right now! Let me know what other questions you have!!
Hello! The video is pretty informative. Quick question, What do you reckon is the best location for ocean villa? Sunset or sunrise? Visiting heritance next week \^_^/ Thank you in advance.
Hey there! Thanks for your comment :). So for the villas, theres honestly not really a complete sunrise or sunset view due to the direction they face. The closest you will get (if you look at the satellite image of the Heritance Aarah on google maps) is going to be the last couple of ocean villas if you are facing towards the end of the pier. They will have the MOST direct view. The sunsets in the Maldives are usually SUPER red due to the trash burning and can be seen all over :). My favorite sunset spot on the island is at the bar next to the Ocean Suites so be sure to check that out!!
Hey! Thanks for your comment :) all the restaurants ARE included, except the ocean suites restaurant. I did just verify though and looks like their street food restaurant (Haatha) is going to charge 50 usd per person starting November which is really kind of a BS move, but if you go before then, highly recommend :)
Hi, What a good informative video! When was this video recorded, when were you at the Heritance Aarah? We are thinking about traveling in the beginning of july and are not sure if its to bad weather at that time. What is your experience? BR.
Hi there! Thanks so much for your comment - we really appreciate it!! We filmed this in December 2019. July is a great time to visit- if it ever rains it lasts about 5 minutes. Of course, weather is never guaranteed but overall Maldives is one of the best year round destinations. We have no doubt you’ll love it!! Let us know if we can answer any other questions!
Hello, we just booked our honeymoom here and can't wait to experience this wonderful resort! But we can't seem to find what type of outlets they use. Do you know what kind of plugs they have? Thanks in advance!
Hi guys, you mentioned having the Ocean Villa ideally not close to the restaurant (meaning not be the first 3-4 villas i presume). Any additional tip that i can request from the hotel before my trip? Thanks a million
Hey George! Thanks for your comment. Yea that’s correct, if you want a quieter room I would make sure you ask to face away from the property towards the ocean and toward the end of the pier :). I’d also book restaurants before you arrive for at least the first night or two so you don’t end up at the buffet. It was a little discouraging when we showed up and everyone told us they were full. We were told if you book in advance it’s no problem. Let us know what other questions you have!!
Hi we are considering booking the 2 bedroom beach family villa for next year but a bit concerned after watching your video that the beach villas will not be in a good location. Can you expand on this? We love your video style by the way, very helpful. Thanks x
Hey there!! Thanks so much for your comment. Actually- you may be one of the lucky ones. Does the villa you are looking at have a pool? If so, I believe those are on the “nice” side facing the overwater villas. The smaller non-pool villas are not nice when it comes to location but when we took a walk around the beach, the pool villas had the most desirable location on the one great beachfront where they built the overwater bungalows. Upon reviewing their website I also noticed that they no longer offer butler service to tiers below ocean suites which is an interesting choice and wanted to call that out for you if that’s something you were looking for. I would recommend when you book, be sure to reach out about a month to three weeks out to request the beachfront facing both sets of overwater villas and suites as well as make your dinner reservations :) don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any other questions!
Voyager Guru thank you for your reply, unfortunately it would be one without a pool as they are a lot more money. What makes the other ones not so desirable? Many thanks
Gotcha- ok I would probably recommend then making sure you request the villas closest to the beach pool area after booking. The other beaches were built up so they brought in sand and I think there is concrete underneath so the sand outside the villa wasn’t as nice or soft. Also some villas faced the arrival jetty which is quite loud all day or the neighboring island which has a call to prayer several times a day that is very loud. However, if you don’t intend on spending all your time in the room, it’s a very short walk to the pool and it’s a beautiful pool area and the sand there is super soft. The beach pool is our favorite because of the access to the ocean and best lunch restaurant is on the overwater but walkway right next to it so super convenient.
Thank you so much, Haley!! We were there in December - we have also been previously in November and then heading back in September. June is going to be SUPER hot but beautiful. June is typically cheaper due to it being low season. There’s really no bad time to visit the Maldives, to be honest. June is great - low prices, less people. We have a destination guide on voyagerguru.com as well that’ll give some insight into time, when to go and where :) Let us know what other questions you have!
Hi, thanks for the detail. We are looking at booking, my concern is about the sealife, is this island on a reef? What’s the sealife like if you just snorkel offshore? Thanks
Hey there! Thanks for your comment. So heritance is manmade primarily so there isn’t a lot of reef or coral unless you swim out fairly far off the water bungalows or the pier. I’d say it wasn’t the best hotel if you’re looking to snorkel right off your villa. Their lagoon is beautiful, but mostly sand bottom. They are in a fantastic atoll for sea life but you’ll want to take an excursion for sure to see the most fish and coral reef
Wow ! Thanks for the review..had booked this property..gonna cancel. 130$ for 15min !? And reservations refused in empty restaurants..Ridiculous ! No thanks.
Hey Kuka! Thanks for your comment and we're so sorry to be the reason!! Although, I am glad that we could help with the expectations. Also, some changes since we stayed: the chef's table is no longer included also. It is now an extra charge, and they have gotten rid of butlers for any rooms other than the Ocean Suites. Happy to suggest some alternatives if you're looking for a more reasonable and truly AI property. Feel free to comment here or shoot us an email at team@voyagerguru.com :)
Hi Jessica! So the most quiet villas will be facing away from the island and towards the ocean. I would personally recommend requesting the furthest villas on the left hand side to maximize privacy, quiet and uninterrupted views. They won’t guarantee anything but it’s worth noting so that you can reference it later if you end up in a room that is not to your liking (be sure to do it in writing)!
Hey there! Thank you for your comment! I’ve seen some great deals for sure - I did find that they have limited a number of services that used to be included such as access to their chefs table dining. If you can get it under a grand, it could be worth doing. The other ones in that similar price range that I’ve heard amazing things about is Pullman and emerald. We will be staying at emerald in September and are excited for that experience. Let us know what other questions you have :)
Hi Mary! Thanks for your comment! Tipping in the Maldives is not a cultural norm and therefore, you won't find it commonplace. There is a 10% service charge added to your stay and to any ancillary activities you book, which is the equivalent of a tip so you do not need to add on extra :). I hope this helps!
@@VoyagerGuru Hi, thanks for your reaction. I just got back from Heritance Aarah (august/september). Here some things that could be helpful for future visitors. First of all the lounge is currently unavailable due to renovations. So we had to wait at the airport and after an hour being left alone, someone came looking for us to offer a meal in a nearby restaurant. Some things has changed since the review. Restaurant Hathaa will charge 50 USD per person. The Udaras infinity pool bar is exclusively for ocean suites and residents. Overall it was a decent experiences, but with some disappointments.
Thank you so much for this update, Mary!! That is extremely disappointing to hear they’ve really degraded the customer experience. This is very helpful for future travelers to know. If I recommend this property, I would probably only recommend the suites to ensure you get those amenities. However, there are so many incredible hotels in the Maldives, it sounds like this one may not be worth it without the suites.
Hi, we are looking at the over water villa here and we are deciding between that and the romantic over water villa at the Lux South Ari Atoll, at both properties we would be all inclusive. Your reviews have been super helpful. Which would you recommend? We have never been to the Maldives before and we are big foodies and cant decide!! Thanks so much!
Hey Ali!! Nice to meet you! Oh man, if you’re foodies, Heritance has the best food we’ve experienced in the Maldives for an all inclusive. The wine list was exceptional and literally everything was included. Lux has a lot of asterisks. Many things weren’t included and I think the food was just better at Heritance. As of last time I checked, the heritance removed their butler service for every room type except the ocean suites, but lux doesn’t have butlers anyway. We have a written review for both on our blog as well with some more detail shots if you’re interested :) voyagerguru.com. Either way, you can’t go wrong but my vote is with Heritance on this one :)
@@VoyagerGuru Hey, thank you so much! that's super helpful, and definitely better to have no asterisks- we were swaying more towards the Heritance, it was just the room types which were tempting us back towards Lux - are the ocean villas at Heritance really nice/ is the sea nice around them? and is there a specific area of the resort which should request - because I noticed you mentioned about sound-proofing! thanks for you help :)
Hey Ali! That’s true. The lux temptation villas are very tempting ;) with their pool and interesting features. However, the swimming area around the villas at lux is VERY shallow so the pool is nice in that case. At Heritance, the water is super teal, clear, but those villas don’t have pools so it kind of depends on your preference. We swam all day off our deck. Thank The sound was an issue only due to the bar near the villas, so I’d probably request the ocean facing side, not the interior facing side. The farther out you get on the jetty, the less likely you are to hear anything. We were pretty close to land, so that’s where our issue was I think. Lux has a larger island to explore on bikes, Heritance is smaller and you can walk around the whole island in a few minutes.
@@lindas2531 Hopefully that worked! This was one of our earlier videos so hopefully we have learned some things over the years :). thanks for watching- if you need anything, don't hesitate to reach out!
