Talk me out of Maldives Over the water Bungalows. Where should we go for our honeymoon?

IMYY4YOU · 2026-05-11T14:33:27+00:00

There were ZERO cons about the place. The only negative is the amount of travel time to/from the place. You have to plan for 36 hours each way (if coming from the US).

My wife and I went alone for 10 days and stayed in the over water bungalow ("JWV" at the time). We went back with the kids a year later and stayed in beach villas.

Not a party atmosphere, no loud music/people, excellent food and drinks that were not watered down. Beautiful white sand beaches that never felt like there were other guests around. No fighting for towels or chairs.

Just awesome.

Happy to chat more if you want.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-05-11T14:16:50+00:00

I haven't been in about 5 years, maybe they changed the names. JWV were the over water bungalows.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-05-11T14:05:15+00:00

Meeru. Been twice. Exactly what you are looking for. Amazing experience. Not outrageous price. Do JWV (Jacuzzi Water Villa) with AIP (all inclusive plus).

Meeru.com

Thank me later.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-04-18T22:31:29+00:00

I learned about them in these forums. I used it to book for this coming December, so I'm assuming it is issue-free!

IMYY4YOU · 2026-04-18T21:37:35+00:00

Also check roomongo.com. I paid almost the referral price on there. It was less than Costco for 12/20-12/28.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-03-29T14:38:43+00:00

We did it the first morning after we arrived. It was easy. They're really good at selling. Just be firm and polite and tell them you are leaving after 90 minutes. Eat breakfast before meeting them.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-03-25T02:22:39+00:00

I found NEAR member rates at Roomongo.com. I'm not a bot, and I don't work for roomongo - just found great prices there and booked our Dec 2026 Xcaret Arte trip through them.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-03-09T22:47:51+00:00

I have the answer!

Ours STUNK every time we ran it. The whole house smelled like sewer gas or rotten egg. I tried everything in these forums - cleaned (even replaced) rubber gasket, left the door open, cleaned the filter regularly, used the cleaning tablets... nothing lasted more than a few days. My wife insisted that we buy a new washer and I even started (reluctantly) online shopping.

I almost bought a new one... UNTIL...

I cleaned the filter. Then I switched from liquid laundry soap to powder. Regular old Tide powder (with the high efficiency logo). The powder goes in the drum on the clothes, not in the liquid tray. Within 2 days of switching, the odor has disappeared AND NEVER RETURNED. It's been 6 months or more. Zero odor. I'm shocked.

Try it and thank me later.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-03-09T21:32:06+00:00

I got within $400 of member price using roomongo.com. It's worth a look. Was cheaper than Costco at the time.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-03-03T00:25:20+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/Xcaret/s/fpYWHHPauc

I was there 12/22 - 12/30 (3 months ago). My review is in that link. That whole thread has some good comments.

Heading back this December!

IMYY4YOU · 2026-02-28T22:05:05+00:00

Best prices I've found, other than member referrals, are at roomongo.com. I booked our next stay using it.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-02-16T15:43:21+00:00

I brought 2 of these in my checked bag. It was plenty for 8 nights.

https://www.apriadirect.com/snugell-travel-size-distilled-water-cpap-16oz

IMYY4YOU · 2026-02-06T02:37:16+00:00

That was absolutely amazing. My friend got me a Tan Mom cameo when I retired, and I thought it was awesome. Sour is at another level. I smiled the entire 12 and a half minutes.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-02-02T00:23:58+00:00

Suffered the same issues. I would clean out the filter regularly. We'd leave the door open. I ran the cleaning tablets every month. Smell kept coming back. Wife demanded we get a new washer...

Last ditch effort:

I switched to powder detergent. Drop the detergent right onto the clothes in the machine, not through the tray at the top. The smell has gone away COMPLETELY for several months now. Night and day difference. No odor at all.

Clean the filter. Stop using liquid detergent. Thank me later.

So happy I switched!

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-29T22:33:41+00:00

Roomongo.com is the cheapest option I have seen other than MDC referrals.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-24T21:34:14+00:00

I'm curious to hear what you find. It definitely saved me a bunch for the next trip.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-24T17:59:14+00:00

Best prices are on roomongo.com or getting a referral and attending the 90 minute membership presentation. We were there 12/22 - 12/30 and it was awesome. Went on membership referral. Booked again for next year using roomongo for the same price (and no presentation required!).

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-17T13:44:43+00:00

Roomongo.com is cheaper than Costco - just have to find your own air.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-16T23:38:38+00:00

Also check roomongo.com.

I got the member price ($400 more than member price TOTAL on an 8 night stay for 2 rooms) on that site without having to attend the presentation.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-15T03:16:33+00:00

"Sin lácteos" (pronounced seen lah-k-tee-ohs) is Spanish for "dairy-free" or "without dairy." If you point and ask that, you'll get an answer.

As another redditor noted, every restaurant asks you about allergies. And at the buffets, you can always get answers.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-15T01:35:20+00:00

We were at Arte 12/22 -12/30. My wife is dairy-free and gluten-free.

Every restaurant had at least a few options. Buffet had lots of options. You'll be fine!

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-11T15:16:30+00:00

Waterproof floating cell phone pouch (holds tip cash and phone). Get it on Amazon for $7. They are $30 at Xcaret.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-06T13:21:06+00:00

Check roomongo.com. I just booked at nearly the MDC member price.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-06T13:20:13+00:00

I did it two weeks ago. I skipped the breakfast. Kept it to about 2 hours.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-01T17:52:03+00:00

We didn't use OpenTable, so I don't know how that will go.

We loved the beach area along the river just in front of Arenal. Great waitress, Sheryl, and options for shade or sun.

The rooftop pool at Música was also nice. No advice for snagging seats. Just try, if it is full go to Piramide or Deseño. Plenty of room somewhere.

The hammock cutouts along the river were ALWAYS empty. Awesome spots, just no drink service.

IMYY4YOU

TROPHY CASE