GIVEAWAY: Would You Like a Free Stay in the Maldives?

by Gary Leff

Regular readers know that I love the Maldives. I’ve been 5 years in a row. It’s the only place I’ve found where I can really unplug. The distance is a feature not a bug, by the time I get there I’m really ready to relax and the time difference helps me to do it — I can answer work emails in the morning, and everyone is gone from the office the rest of the day so I can just enjoy myself.

I’ve gone to the same place each time, because I could use points, but there are some fantastic properties that I’d love to try some day. One that’s really worth checking out is Loama Resort.

A new property, a 45 minute sea plane from the airport in the capital, this was a Buddhist refuge dating back centuries. Artifacts from the Ching dynasty were unearthed during the construction of the hotel. The property was listed in Conde Nast Traveler Middle East as one of the Best New Hotels in the World.

A beach villa here runs ~ $840 plus taxes. And I’m giving away 3 nights there with breakfast.

The resort looks fantastic, and gets a certificate of excellence from TripAdvisor.

Whether you want to dive, snorkle, spa or just relax this is going to be tough to beat. Combine it with a points stay somewhere else in the country, or drop in on nearby Sri Lanka (flights from Male are cheap and it’s less than 500 miles) and make a bigger holiday of it.

This is a very special giveaway, thanks to my good friends at Luxury Travel Diary. Regular readers know them as a high-end travel blog with great reviews. They’re based in the UK and run travel auctions with real bargains.

As I’ve said before, folks who already know about these auctions don’t like this added attention, because there don’t seem to be enough bidders for many of their best offerings relative to the value available. Some of their items go way too cheap.

This prize is being given away by the hotel and Luxury Travel Diary, I’m just helping to highlight it and randomly select the winner.

To enter: leave a comment on this post with your favorite item up for auction at Luxury Travel Diary, or why you would choose to stay at Loama Resort. You may enter two times if you wish and answer those two questions one time each in separate comments.

Contest deadline and drawing winner: Entries close Sunday, September 4 at Noon eastern. I will draw winner with the assistance of random.org.

The fine print: Advance booking is required and it’s subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply. Winner will have one week to respond to email notifying of the prize, otherwise the prize will be forfeit and made available to another reader.

For avoidance of doubt, I have no affiliation with Luxury Travel Diary or Loama Resort. I am not getting anything in exchange for running this giveaway other than an opportunity to share the place with readers.

The hotel is solely responsible for providing prize to winner. All decisions made in the course of running this giveaway are final and unappealable and your entry signifies your acceptance. The goal here is to make readers aware of a pretty cool auction opportunity, and to give away a stay. So please don’t make it hard on me for doing so!

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. I’m a fan of the auction titled “3 Nights At The Riad Palais Amani In Fez, Morocco” – let’s go to Morocco already!

  2. Laoma resort looks like the perfect place to take my wife after she finishes her PhD this fall so she can properly unplug and celebrate.

  3. My favorite item up for auction: 2 Nights At The Stunning Paresa Resort In Phuket, Thailand. I can’t wait to see that part of the world!

  5. My favourite entry for auction is the ‘3 Nights For Up To 4 In An Apartment In Lisbon, Portugal’. Fingers crossed!
    I would want to stay at the Laoma resort because of its idyllic setting. Would love to go snorkelling there

  6. I would choose to stay at the Loama Resort because my fiancé would absolutely fall in love with it. He’s supporting me through grad school right now and he deserves an extremely relaxing vacation 🙂

  8. This auction sounds fab from Luxury Travel Diary

    ‘4 Nights For 16 At Villa Campo Verde Near Rome, Italy’

  10. Loama Resort is looking damn good, I want to take my girlfriend there so bad, thank for posting 😀

  12. Why I would want to stay at the Loama Resort: Because I want to have a beautiful and relaxing honeymoon with my amazing fiancee in the Maldives!

  13. Why would I stay? Looks like an amazing unique property, way more special than any of the chain hotels.

  14. My Favorite Auction at Luxury Travel Diary – 2 Nights At The Stunning Paresa Resort In Phuket, Thailand. Sounds amazing!!!

  16. What I would want to stay at Loama Resort? The villas look incredible and I’ve never been to the Maldives

  17. My favorite auction item is the 4 Nights At Navutu Dreams Resort & Wellness Retreat Cambodia…Cambodia is next on my travel list

  18. I’d love to go to Loama in the Maldives for our silver wedding anniversary next year.

    I won a brilliant African holiday in the Luxury Travel Diary auctions last year! This time I am bidding for 2 Nights At The Stunning Paresa Resort In Phuket, Thailand!

  19. My partner and I are eyeing up the auction for the 5* stay in Paris as it was where we got engaged last year. Unfortunately were there during the Bataclan attacks so were unable to really enjoy the city so have been desperate to go back and celebrate properly.

    Would absolutely LOVE to visit the Maldives and to stay in such a magnificent place with so much history would be incredible. I’m about to finish my PhD, so the escape to relax would be priceless.

    Really enjoying your blog, thank you! (Great research for our honeymoon too!)

  20. Interestingly, I signed up for this give away and started getting spam from sky auction the next day. I hope this is a coincidence.

  23. Love to go to Maldives, would be our first. Plus we would like to say that we are the first 2-time random winner from View From the Wing!

  27. My favorite item up for auction is the 7 night couples Retreat at Mangosteen Resort & Spa in Phuket. Why would I love to stay at the Loama Resort in the Maldives? I have award tickets booked to the Maldives next July for my wife’s 40th birthday and am actively looking for resorts to stay at. This looks like a perfect place to indulge her for her birthday.

  31. Favorite Auction at Luxury Travel Diary is the 2 Nights At The Stunning Paresa Resort In Phuket!

  35. The resort looks fantastic, and has a certificate of excellence from TripAdvisor. I’d want to snorkle and then just relax in the spa. I’d even drop in on nearby Sri Lanka and make a bigger holiday of it.

  36. 3 NIGHTS IN A STYLISH BEACHSPOKE COTTAGE RETREAT IN CORNWALL – Great auction. Cornwall is fantastic -home-away-from-home holiday.

  37. I’d stay at the Loama Resort anytime! The beach villas look amazing — just steps from the ocean.

  39. I have always wanted to go to the Maldives. Loama Resort looks like a beautiful place, and the water is so clear!

  41. I’ve been watching Luxury Travel auctions for a while now, sadly haven’t had a chance to take advantage of any of the great specials on the site. Although i have referred many friends to the site. If i had to pick an auction right now to bid on, totally would be the “Roch Castle”. Looks cool and easyish to get to from the states. Plus its a full castle built in 1195!

  42. The Maldives have been on my bucket list, and after seeing the photos of Loama Resort on Luxury Travel Diary, I feel that it would be a visit to paradise! My favorite items for auction currently are in Thailand, specifically the Aleenta Phuket Spa and Beach Resort. I have my eye on that one!

  43. I’d love to stay here for my honeymoon! I’d take ‘A Pair Of Designer Sili Sunglasses Worth £58’ bought at the auction!!!

  44. I would love to stay at the Loama Resort. We have never been to past Hawaii. This would be a great 30th anniversary trip for us

  45. The Loama Resort Looks spectacular and I would like to win a trip there. My favorite auction item is the Bali one (although to be honest I’d be happy on any of the trips you offer – they all look wonderful)

  47. My favourite auction item in the Luxury Travel Auction is 2 Nights At Makakatana Bay Lodge In South Africa.

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