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. Do you really need a reason to go to the Maldives? I would go diving there though…
    Another auction I like is the 8 days camping and safari in Botswana.

  2. I would love to visit Loama Resort and visit the Maldives to treat my dearest wife to a holiday after a difficult year.

  3. My favourite auction item is the 2 x Business Premier tickets to Paris which ends in the next 10 days. We live in London and the bids are only at £160 so far!!

  8. Luxury Travel Diary ‘s 3 Nights For 4 Ppl In A Luxury Villa In Koh Samui, Thailand looks a pretty great deal!

  11. Luxury Travel Diary is a great site! My favorite in Asia is 5 Nights For Up To 5 At Villa Koru, Koh Samui, Thailand. Looks like a great trip with friends.

  13. We were lucky enough to stay in the Maldives on our honeymoon and it certainly made our entire stay thoroughly magical. We’d love to go back, but have never managed it, as we have children now. The children are older now and we’d really love to recapture the magic at the Loama Resort with some time to ourselves.

  14. This resort sounds heavenly. Who wouldn’t want to stay at one of the Best New Hotels in the World

  16. Staying at the Luxury Roch Castle in Pembrokeshire Wales looks like a great deal up for auction in a beautiful place!

  18. Already have award tickets to the Maldives. The loama resort looks amazing and would take care of my hotel expenses

  20. Getting to Maldives to stay at the Loama resort is half the fun which is ranked highly on a travel review site. The resort offers jet ski use and sashimi from Japan.

  23. This is the very same hotel that me and my wife were dreaming. Could not put together the budget so went to Capetown instead. We still dream Maldives.

  25. Loama would be amazing to stay at, if only, to learn more about the country’s Buddhist history, nevermind the sheer beauty of the property!

  26. My favorite item at the luxury auction site would be this:

    8-Night Camping & Hotel Safari With Big Foot Tours, Botswana

  29. I like the auction “4 NIGHTS IN A POOL VILLA AT THE 5* MILAIDHOO ISLAND MALDIVES”. It would make a good combo if I won this contest.

  30. I would love to stay at the Loama resort. I would make a great excuse to return to the Maldives.

  32. And I liked when LTD had auction for 2 nights in Hyatt Rio. Unfortunately, I lost that auction 🙁

  34. Loama Resort just looks heavenly, the sand. Love the beach. Would love to take a holiday there. My favourite auction item is booking hotel accommodation. Every now and then, we need a break from the hustle and bustle.

  35. Of the current auctions, I’d choose 3 nights at the Riad Palais Amani in Fez, Morocco, because I haven’t been to Morocco since I was a little kid.

  37. All the Thailand resorts up for auction are extremely affordable on Luxury Travel Diary. 3 Nights At The Serene Aava Resort & Spa In Khanom, Thailand would be awesome.

  39. Although I found about a dozen auctions I would love to participate in, I think the stay at the Karawan Riad in Fes, Morocco would be fabulously exotic.

  40. I would be happy to stay anywhere in the Maldives. Just look at those photos. Loama Resort looks just as amazing.

  42. I would love to treat my wife to a great visit at the Loama Resort and the Maldives for our anniversary.

  43. My favorite Luxury Travel Diary auction is in Asia for 5 Nights at the Villa Koru, Koh Samui, Thailand.

  45. All of the auctions look fantastic, but I think I’d choose to stay at the Wallawwa in Sri Lanka for my upcoming trip!

  47. My favorite item up for auction right now is 2 nights at Rhino River Lodge, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, because I really want to head to South Africa and see some rhinos.

  48. I have always wanted to go to the Maldives to enjoy some scuba and much needed relaxation. Loama looks perfect for that.

  50. I would love the auction for the 2 NIGHTS AT LUXURY ROCH CASTLE IN PEMBROKESHIRE WALES. It would be a great story to tell friends about the time you stayed in a castle.

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