Maldives in December 2020 and Hard Rock Resort??

[cloud9er]

Hey scuba buddies...I booked a trip to the Maldives in December, and the tour company switched resorts on me.
We are now staying at the Hard Rock Resort??
I looked and nowhere in the hotel reviews does anyone say, "Fabulous diving".
Has anyone stayed at the Hard Rock in the Maldives and gone diving?
Wondering if I should cancel with this tour company and book something else, like a more scuba friendly hotel.. )provided that anyone is traveling anywhere this year.

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

That may be because the target group for the Hard Rocks is not necessary the one that are looking what's under water. And perhaps because that resort is quite new and artificial and the surroundings still impacted by construction work.
If you are going to the Maldives to dive, this is the worst place to stay - my view only. You will be better at a resort or a nice guesthouse with a dive centre.

 

[Damselfish]

If diving is an important part of a trip, choose a resort specifically for it's dive facilities or arrangements. Places typically booked through a general tour company tend not to be the best locations or well set up for diving. You will find some but most won't be. If you want to use a travel agent, there are many agents that specialize in dive travel. A dive travel agent wouldn't move you to a resort without good diving.

Similarly, the reviews on general travel sites can be useful for information about rooms, food and many mainstream things (once you read between the ones that are fake or posted by clueless people.) But they tend not to be as helpful for diving information. Even if a place has great diving, the serious divers will tend to write about it on diving specific sites such as here, Undercurrent, and others.

 

[myshadeofred]

I have only been once and it was Liveaboard and LOVE LOVE LOVED it...But I think Hard Rock Resort..will just be like tourist cattle diving if there is any. I could be wrong.

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

Thanks for this @myshadeofred: that's the usual review you will find about the Maledives: everyone loves it and will tell you it was awesome. That's the case for the resort and often for the diving experience. The reason is simple: it IS awesome if you find what you are looking for.
But you have to be carefull and know what it is you want, e.g. water bungalow yes/no, sandy island (no shoes) yes/no, size of the resort (20, 50, 100 Bungalows), distance from Malé (transfer via boat, waterplane, inland flight), or perhaps guesthouse on a inhabited island (genuine Maldives, but no alcohol! ).

But as you have been re-booked you should have already had what was fitting you.
What was the orginal booking?

 

[KidDocDMC]

I have the same question, but with a thought to stay at the Curio Saii Lagoon. South Male Atoll looks to have many sites and there is a good description of the diving on the PADI website. I realize that the places are new and partially man-made. I guess the question is whether the dive masters take groups further south to the better sites.

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

I would say that Curio Saii Lagoon is same as Hard Rock. That's not the ideal location if you want to dive (the house reef will be non existant or dead) and for the money you will spend getting there and staying there, there are far more better options. see above.

 

[KidDocDMC]

I would say that Curio Saii Lagoon is same as Hard Rock. That's not the ideal location if you want to dive (the house reef will be non existant or dead) and for the money you will spend getting there and staying there, there are far more better options. see above.

Thanks. I know that’s all true. Having a house reef would be nice for snorkeling. Getting Hilton Honors points and possibly upgraded as a Diamond member would be nice too. A mediocre dive in the Maldives still probably beats a great one in the Bahamas.

 

[KidDocDMC]

Also,

Hey scuba buddies...I booked a trip to the Maldives in December, and the tour company switched resorts on me.
We are now staying at the Hard Rock Resort??
I looked and nowhere in the hotel reviews does anyone say, "Fabulous diving".
Has anyone stayed at the Hard Rock in the Maldives and gone diving?
Wondering if I should cancel with this tour company and book something else, like a more scuba friendly hotel.. )provided that anyone is traveling anywhere this year.

I've continued to look through the resort and it's offerings. Looks like the dive operator for the Crossroads is Best Dives Maldives. They are a 5* PADI outfit and have locations on many islands. Their reviews (none of them from Crossroads) are all excellent. They operate in the North Male Atoll and reviews from there make it sound like they go to sites in both the North and South Male Atoll. I am waiting for a response to a question about what their trips are like from Crossroads.

 

[Sunn]

Best Dives Maldives is one of the numerous dive operators in Maldives... and they have a base in Crossroads, which is a huge resort installed on 9 very near little islands.

Industrial tourism... it may be nice for some people, but be aware that this is not Maldives.

If your aim is diving, take a liveaboard !