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’d love to win the 3 Nights At The Stunning Athina Luxury Suites In Santorini because I’ve never been to Greece and santorini looks gorgeous.

    I’d want to stay at the Loama resort because I really want to go back to the Maldives and I really need to get away and unplug ASAP.

  3. I have always wanted to see the Dolomites. So I like the 3 night package at Hotel Ciasa Salares in the Dolomites, Italy.

  6. Loama villas look so great though. I’d love to be able to wake up on that blue water every morning

  7. I would love to stay at the Loama Resort for 2 reasons: first, it looks absolutely heavenly and second, I would route my flight through Colombo to visit a friend I made on a mileage run to Singapore!

  10. Loama resort looks amazing, and I’d love to what getting that far off the grid is like.

  11. I would stay at Loama Resort because it looks like the perfect place for some R&R and to unwind!

  12. Favourite auction item:

    4 nights at Capella Marigot Bay Resort and Marina St Lucia

    I’ve heard St. Lucia is wonderful.

  14. The Maldives is a great off the beaten path way to paradise. Staying at Loama Resort is the icing on the cake.

  15. I would love to stay at the Loama because as much as I love traveling the world in style and staying at the best hotels, I am way too cheap to pay $850 a night for a hotel, but the overwater villas are a DREAM of mine! Can’t wait to try these out and enjoy the Maldives!

  17. I would love to do the 8-night camping & hotel safari in Botswana through Luxury Travel, I can’t wait to return to Africa!

  18. I would stay at the Loama Resort because it is a gorgeous resort in the Maldives–why wouldn’t I stay there?

  19. I would bid on 1 night in a suite at Le Meridien Bangkok in Thailand for an upcoming 1 night stay as I transit from Bangkok.

  21. I would love to stay at the loama resort, to be able to take my wife somewhere nice for our 10 year anniversary!

  22. I would stay at Loama Resort to unwind and get away from the city noise in a luxurious sunny location.

  23. Oh goodness, I’ll go everywhere. 🙂 If pressed, I’d probably choose the Stylish Beachspoke Cottage Retreat in Cornwall, as Cornwall is very high on my list. But Loama looks AMAZING. Yes please.

  24. I would love to stay in the castle in Kent! We have always wanted to visit a castle. Staying in one wood be awesome!

  27. I would love to stay at the Loama with my girlfriend because we are in need of some time far far away from the world. What a fantastic looking property!

  28. I would like to stay at the Loama Resort because I have too much back hair to vacation at the Cheval Blanc Randheli.

  31. Maldives? Looks like paradise on earth. I’d love an opportunity to stay at the Loama resort. Beautiful resort to unplug and unwind

  32. I would love 3 day Kasbah&Trekking Lodge Full-Board Experience in Morocco and would do this if I were going to Morocco soon.

  36. My favorite auction item is the 4 nights at Capella Marigot Bay Resort and Marina St Lucia.

    Hope I win!

  37. My favourite auction item definitively is “4 Nights For 16 At Villa Campo Verde Near Rome, Italy”!

  38. My favorite item up for auction is the Hotel Eugene in Paris cause thats my favorite city!

  39. And the Loama resort? What a wonderful opportunity it would be to stay there with my wife in celebration of our 12.5-yr wedding anniversary! !

  46. I would stay at Loama because it looks like a romantic paradise, and I’ve already stayed at the Park Hyatt!

  48. My favorite auction item is 2 nights at Kruger in South Africa, as I’ve been there and it’s truly fabulous!

  50. I would love to surprise my wife for our 10 year anniversary next year to this beautiful place.
    A dream come true for both of us. amazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzing! amazzzzzzzzzzzzzing!

Comments are closed.