InterContinental Maldives resort now accepting IHG Rewards Club points bookings

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• meta says:

  25 Jul25 July 07:06

  You could also use IHG card free night and Ambassador free night.

  • Genghis says:

    25 Jul25 July 07:22

    Using the AMB BOGOF night would require paying cash for an expensive first night. You’re better off just using points.

    • Neil Donoghue says:

      25 Jul25 July 07:48

      Or buying the points as Rob mentions above! Just wait until the next sale….Hello devaluation

• Dean S says:

  25 Jul25 July 08:14

  Can you use the credit card free night if you need a 2 night minimum?
  No reward availability for my dates so I’ll stick to the Waldorf.

• Optimus Prime says:

  25 Jul25 July 08:22

  There’s already an ongoing sale with up to 100% bonus.

  • Optimus Prime says:

    25 Jul25 July 08:23

    This was a reply to Neil Donoghue’s comment.

• J says:

  25 Jul25 July 08:51

  Does anyone know how easy it is to arrange internal seaplane flights? For example from the Conrad Maldives to this place?

  • C77 says:

    25 Jul25 July 08:59

    Hotel concierge can arrange it

    • C77 says:

      25 Jul25 July 09:01

      Generally you’ll need to head back to Male before going on to another resort. Unless the resort’s are in the same atoll or is enroute back to Male.

• Steve says:

  25 Jul25 July 09:14

  By comparison, I got 8 days at the Holiday Inn Kandooma for 15k points per night, then paid a small fee for half board. I was PC platinum and got a really nice beach villa which was perfect. Also managed to get 241 on club world… oh and it was over Christmas. Ok it wasn’t the intercontinental, but It was actually really good and they’re well geared up for activities there, hardly any children either, not sure how quickly I’d go back to the Maldives though.

• JoshO says:

  25 Jul25 July 09:34

  OT – I recently took out the IHG premium credit card, primarily to top up my Revolut card (I believe there are no charges, like with the virgin card – which I previously used for the same job). Unfortunately it seems I can only top £250 at a time, and it appears £500 per week (as additional top ups are failing) Anyone else use this method and experience the same problem? Is it a permanent IHG position or is it just that I am a new customer and need to build up “trust”?
  Many thanks.

  • Chrisasaurus says:

    25 Jul25 July 10:01

    Permanent position and shhhhhhhh

    • bazza says:

      25 Jul25 July 10:11

      The mass Amex churner brigade wont agree with you.

      Why keep it quiet?
      They know we do it?
      It’s not like they read these boards?
      Rob talk openly about this?
      They love it!

      • Ed says:

        25 Jul25 July 11:54

        Slightly related – manufactured spend using oyster payg- anyone got any thoughts?

        • John says:

          25 Jul25 July 12:40

          I wrote off £60 due to being afraid to contact TfL – and coins are annoying

        • Genghis says:

          25 Jul25 July 13:52

          Not really or not enough to move the needle. Their fraud systems are super tight and I’ve had to provide evidence to get money back a couple of times. Bought from a tfl machine, they track multiple purchases from the same credit card. You can make multiple smaller newsagent purchases, however, but not worth the agro IMO. Good for shop small of course but I’m out going forward given Amex cancelled all my accounts for that…

        • Genghis says:

          25 Jul25 July 13:53

          @John machines at Westminster return notes.

        • Lady London says:

          25 Jul25 July 15:04

          @Genghis was it just on oyster ss that you got your accounts cancelled?
          are you prepared to comment on what was the scale of it that caused this?

        • The Urbanite says:

          25 Jul25 July 15:21

          Oyster – not really suitable for ongoing manufactured spend.

          @John don’t be afraid to contact them, they will give your money back.

          Also, surprised this thread hasn’t been deleted yet!

        • Bazza says:

          25 Jul25 July 16:39

          You can certainly do it but as below Tfl block those oyster cards quiet quickly. I had about 500 held up for a couple of months as already cancelled the Amex card. The machines generally on return less than a tenner but I did hear Euston customer service don’t mind dishing out a bit more.

        • John says:

          26 Jul26 July 04:36

          @Genghis only when they have notes, seem to run out of fivers often.

          @Urbanite, suffice to say it would be better if they didn’t know my real details.

        • Genghis says:

          26 Jul26 July 16:00

          @Lady London I did quite a few transactions on day 1 of the promo over multiple cards and was blocked by the Monday. I won’t be doing it again this year…

    • Harj says:

      25 Jul25 July 14:33

      Any others that are free to Revolut??

      • MD says:

        25 Jul25 July 17:56

        Virgin, IHG, HSBC Premier World Elite.

  • Jay H says:

    26 Jul26 July 22:34

    If you’re feeling brave you can also top up your monese card at the post office using an Amex 😉

• Damien says:

  25 Jul25 July 10:59

  Haven’t found an available date. Message says “Rooms are not available until 1 Sep 2019”

• Lady London says:

  25 Jul25 July 12:38

  Why is there this fascination with the Maldives? This is a genuine question. Can anyone explain?
  I’d really like to know what attracts people so much to this place, and why apparently people are prepared to pay so much to have a holiday there.

  • Mark M says:

    25 Jul25 July 13:16

    Speaking as someone who would like to try it, but suffers from an OH who always prefers museums and stately homes, I guess it has ‘Peace & Quiet’ as the first virtue, and a degree of uniqueness too.
    But there must be cheaper ways of finding P&Q! Outer Hebridees perhaps?

    • Rob says:

      25 Jul25 July 13:20

      We were a bit bored when we went 10 years ago, and only had 5 nights.

    • Lady London says:

      25 Jul25 July 15:08

      Remember Shoestring’s words “Think about what’s important” about the Outer Hebrides and similar..!!

      Yes @Mark M I think you’re right. But I can see how you’re stuck if you OH wants stately homes and museums! for me, those are for weekends or quick trips if I find myself working near them.

  • Spurs Debs says:

    25 Jul25 July 13:48

    I think if you like sitting in sun doing nothing it’s great, but if you like to do that plus go out and about seeing and doing other things I think you would be bored after couple of days.

    • Boi says:

      25 Jul25 July 14:04

      What’s the alternative to this “magical” Maldives? 10 year anniversary and been towing in Maldives but also wondered if there’s somewhere else to go. We were trapped in Italy (where we got married) due to ash cloud and hubby says we have never had honeymoon. So would be nice to go somewhere “honemoony”. Done the usual suspects safari, Seychelles, Hawaii, Mauritius.

      • Lady London says:

        25 Jul25 July 15:11

        You didn’t think of coming back by train from italy after the ash cloud?
        It’s not that bad, can’t remember how long but there are some decent routes.

        For honeymooners some places in the Caribbean seem to come up again and again.. also can’t see the point but clearly some others do like this kind of thing.

        • RussellH says:

          25 Jul25 July 17:20

          Just how long a rail journey from ‘Italy’ to ‘UK’ will depend a lot on the actual starting and finishing points, though. Milan to London should be quite doable in a pleasant, comfortable way. Without checking timetables, I would have thought that you could do a lot further than that, but obviously Reggio di Calabria to Edinburgh will be a different matter!
          I think my personal record was Frick (Aargau) to the Lake District (3+ hours from Euston) in a day. Changes in Basel, Strasbourg, Paris + London. There was a picket line in Strasbourg, but they did not seem to be having much effect!
          I just find train travel so much less hassle than flying – six hours on a train and I am still relaxed. 10 mins in a busy airport and I start to frazzle.

        • Boi says:

          25 Jul25 July 19:39

          We lived in Dublin at the time…no train options. And also everything that isn’t flight was full. Hubby is from the Caribbean So we have traveled to those places….and he wouldn’t consider it a honeymoon lol. He didn’t even consider the fact that we moved from our original wedding town to beautiful Capri as honeymoon. Told you men are complicated.🤣

      • Mark2 says:

        25 Jul25 July 15:39

        I would regard Italy as the ideal place for a honeymoon.

        • Boi. says:

          25 Jul25 July 19:43

          Me too Mark2! It was beautiful. And he wants to go to Italy over and over again but apparently we didn’t have honeymoon.

      • Cat says:

        25 Jul25 July 15:44

        Which islands did you go to on the Seychelles though?
        Also, what are the key elements in your perfect holiday?

      • Kevin C says:

        25 Jul25 July 15:57

        Look at The Datai in Langkawi as well.

      • Dimitri says:

        25 Jul25 July 21:46

        How about a remote island in Greece? How is it different than Maldives?

        Is the only difference the amazing 5 star Hotel and the associated hype, which you would not find in a remote Greek island?

        • Shoestring says:

          25 Jul25 July 21:53

          there are many 5*, much better value, places to go to, ie spend a lot less and get a similar experience

          but people should be free to spend their money as they see fit & here we have a ‘guaranteed’ perfect holiday (in many ways but obvs not all!)

          plus the Maldives needs tourism $ like no other place needs tourism $

      • Chris says:

        26 Jul26 July 12:56

        Bora Bora, Tahaa or if you dont mind roughing it a bit (and by that I mean its barely 4* and being at the end of the earth its a bit expensive once your there) then look at Le Meridien on the Isle of Pines new Caledonia.

        The latter is likely my favourite place on earth but French Polynesia islands win out for tourism – the whole country is one big controlled access tourist project.

  • Cat says:

    25 Jul25 July 15:41

    I really love peace and quiet in the midst of nature in all its glory. Mountains, lakes or beaches, I don’t mind which. I would like to give the Maldives a try, but would be bringing my snorkelling gear, and would like to find a resort that has free kayak or SUP rental, as in the absence of any land >2m above sea level, I would need to be active in some other way if hiking isn’t an option! I certainly do enjoy that level of luxury though, and love lying in a hammock on a white sand beach, reading a good book (as long as I can do something active at the start or end of the day, when it’s cooler).
    When I went to the Philippines a few months back (CX first, via the Hong Kong lounges), I spent 5 very happy days on a boat tour, hopping from paradisical beach to paradisical beach. I absolutely loved it, we had some of the most stunning beaches I’ve ever seen in my life to ourselves and I can’t even tell you how incredible the snorkelling was (especially when we encountered turtles in the wild, and I had my gopro with me!).
    I haven’t made it to the Maldives yet, but when I do, I’ll let you know how it compares!
    I’m more keen on visiting on a redemption though, as I’d honestly like to minimise the money I pay in taxes to a government that still has laws that allow women and children to be stoned to death for the crime of being raped. I’ll pay a similar amount of money to a local women’s advocacy group or Amnesty instead.
    What did Shoestring say about the Outer Hebrides? I think I missed that one (exam season…).

    • Boi says:

      25 Jul25 July 19:47

      Cat, I like similar- relaxation mixed with some activity. Some days lying on beach, boat cruises, snorkelling, nature, water sports and good local food.

      • Cat says:

        26 Jul26 July 07:39

        I presume you already went to Praslin and La Digue when you went to the Seychelles? If not, they would get my vote – plenty of hiking, snorkelling and kayaking to be done, just watch the currents!
        Also, there is nowhere on Earth more stunning, and either Raflles or Constance Lemuria would be a perfect overpriced honeymoon hotel!

    • Colin MacKinnon says:

      25 Jul25 July 20:42

      Cat, who did you go with for your boat tour?

      • Cat says:

        26 Jul26 July 07:46

        Tao Philippines – I can’t even tell you how amazing the trip was. They had these fantastic little bamboo huts set up on beaches all the way along the archipelago. We’d arrive and have the most stunning beach to ourselves (me and 20 other people, but the beaches were big enough, you could wander and have an enormous stretch of sand to yourself) which was wonderful after sharing the sights of El Nido and Coron with hundreds of influencer wannabes. I’ve never seen snorkelling that good, the food was incredible (we even had a hog roast one night), and the whole thing was just so well set up.
        Highly, highly recommended!

    • Lady London says:

      27 Jul27 July 16:56

      @Cat along the lines of fight club

  • Olly says:

    26 Jul26 July 17:36

    @LadyLondon….. from a personal point of view we spent 12 nights in June this year and last year on different islands on an AI basis and had two wonderful holidays. The resorts were not the big gun chains as we wanted to enjoy the Maldives without a massive F&B bill at the end of it, as well as not having a million points for the large sums required for a decent stay. We couldn’t see the point of staying something like 5 to 7 nights when it takes so long to get there. If you get itchy feet kicking back and sitting in the sun for long periods it’s probably not for you, not matter how warm, clear waters and icing sugar sand and aquatic life within arms length it is. We spend our time between sun bathing and snorkelling with a full face mask and GoPro feeding the fish with tropical seafood during the day and enjoying the food and drink in the evening. Our report this year got us feeding songrays on the beach, which was a wonderful experience. We fell on our feet with both hotels, 4 star plus and different chains but I can imagine if you are a fussy eater or get a bad resort then it also don’t be enjoyable. We research TA to avoid the latter.

    • Lady London says:

      27 Jul27 July 17:00

      Tx @Olly it sounds like you got the best of it without some of the rip-off.

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