Op still here?

I have been to Maldives (the Hadahaa
Hyatt )Seychelles, Tahiti/Bora Bora, Bali, Kauai, several Caribbean destinations.
Out of the first 3, I would pick Bora Bora hands down if you want to go that far off. Maldives was gorgeous but Bora Bora was amazing.

Having said that one of my top destination is Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos, that I would love to go to again and again. We went with our 11 year old.

I would do option B.
One could be Bora Bora solo plus Turks and Caicos with kids.

Or Turks and Caicos and Aruba to both with the kids.

We went to the Maldives a few times when living in Dubai. Direct flights weren't too long, making a 4-5 day break feasible. I wouldn't want to stay there any longer.

The typical set up on the Maldives is one resort per island and the islands are tiny. You can walk around the entire island in under half a hour, many even less than that. And there really is nothing to do except swim, sleep, drink, have bedroom activities, repeat. After three full days I was ready to move on.

Not every island has amazing snorkeling. Many do but others do not. Keep this in mind and read the reviews carefully before deciding on an island. Are the Maldives beautiful? Yes, in a certain way. But let me also say that the last trip to the Maldives was in 2018 and I have no desire to go back.

You could combine the Maldives with a trip to Sri Lanka or Dubai/Oman. But if you just want to lie by a pretty beach, just save yourself a lot of time and hassles and go to the Caribbean if on the East Coast or Hawaii if on the West Coast.

Unless you travel in business class forget about the Maldives it's too far.

Maldives was nice. Far but nice. If you have the option, I’d go to Bora Bora instead.

Anonymous wrote:Travel with your kids, OP. Mine are both in college now and it's much harder to travel together now due to different school calendars and summer jobs/internships. You won't regret spending the time with them, and you can always travel solo once they are launched.

OP here..thank you for the advice..I was thinking the same as well and we do enjoy traveling together.

I get it -- I'm very attracted to the photos as well. But The Maldives is far. Very far, lol. If really long flights/travel doesn't bother you, maybe it is a better option for you than it would be for me.

I would consider looking at one of the few places that have over water bungalows in the Caribbean. I was going to emphasize how close they are and how they are in this time zone and how it will be much cheaper, but if you would be booking with points, maybe it wouldn't be cheaper? But without having to fly as far maybe it would still be cheaper? If it is, you could get the bungalow in the Caribbean and take your kids maybe?

Travel with your kids, OP. Mine are both in college now and it's much harder to travel together now due to different school calendars and summer jobs/internships. You won't regret spending the time with them, and you can always travel solo once they are launched.

Anonymous wrote:My passion in life is gorgeous tropical beaches. I’ve been to tropical beaches all over the world but the Maldives is hands down the most gorgeous, stunning, magnificent place I’ve ever been. Especially if you love diving or snorkeling. The sea life is amazing. Now, if your goal is to just daydream on a beautiful beach, then I agree that a closer-to-home destination makes more sense.

Which are your top 3 tropical beaches?

Anonymous wrote:My passion in life is gorgeous tropical beaches. I’ve been to tropical beaches all over the world but the Maldives is hands down the most gorgeous, stunning, magnificent place I’ve ever been. Especially if you love diving or snorkeling. The sea life is amazing. Now, if your goal is to just daydream on a beautiful beach, then I agree that a closer-to-home destination makes more sense.

OP here. I do enjoy snorkeling here and there and gorgeous beaches but I am not into diving at all. Yes from all the blogs I have read people have found the Maldives to be gorgeous. But as you mentioned for someone who isn't into spending significant time doing watersports activities a local destination may be preferable.

Anonymous wrote:I went to the Maldives and did this boat tour. It's a "budget" way to see the Maldives but I would argue you actually see more than staying at a resort. May be a way to split the difference between going or not going.

https://www.gadventures.com/trips/maldives-dhoni-cruise/AFMS/?srsltid=AfmBOopE7sfxbkjKkDfatjkzxM-vDYxtjlmBEzvV8V0fg9KrsQfJ-ZmC

OP here. Thank you so much for sharing this. I'll def save this link.

My passion in life is gorgeous tropical beaches. I’ve been to tropical beaches all over the world but the Maldives is hands down the most gorgeous, stunning, magnificent place I’ve ever been. Especially if you love diving or snorkeling. The sea life is amazing. Now, if your goal is to just daydream on a beautiful beach, then I agree that a closer-to-home destination makes more sense.

I went to the Maldives and did this boat tour. It's a "budget" way to see the Maldives but I would argue you actually see more than staying at a resort. May be a way to split the difference between going or not going.

https://www.gadventures.com/trips/maldives-dhoni-cruise/AFMS/?srsltid=AfmBOopE7sfxbkjKkDfatjkzxM-vDYxtjlmBEzvV8V0fg9KrsQfJ-ZmC

Option 2

I have never been to the Maldives and I don't doubt it's a beautiful place. But I think you can find comparable places that are cheaper that you and your kids can enjoy.

Personally I'll go for quantity here. 2 trips at different times instead of one.

And good for you for crowdsourcing this and putting the "Maldives cool aid" down lol. Again don't get me wrong I have seen the same videos and insta posts about that place and it looks magnificent.

If I had a bunch of points like you I'll go to Kauai, Antigua, even basic Key West before wasting points on an ocean in the middle of the Pacific ocean. And you are single and the Maldives will probably better be enjoyed by couples unless you want to go there take some pics/videos to show the ex wife what she is missing lol (I am just joking).

But let's us know where you end up going.

Hi,

I have a good amount of chase, Hyatt send capital one points that I would like to use this summer or the next. I am male, 46, divorced and currently single. I have 2 kids (15 and 13 boy ang girl - great kids)

I have 2 options in mind:

Option 1: solo trip to the Maldives
Option 2: 1 solo and 1 with my kids (most likely a beach destination like Honolulu, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica). We have been to Maui already.

I am very boring so laying down by the beach daydreaming is my typical vacation day. Also I don't drink, so I don't need to go to a destination known for fancy drinks and party lifestyle

I'll be honest there is no specific reason I want to go the Maldives other than the beautiful images I see on the web and the various blogs and YouTube videos recommending this destination. So those of you who have been to the Maldives, at the park Hyatt in particular, and found it to be a waste of points and wish you had gone somewhere cheaper I would love to hear from you.