Hilton HHonors - Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Trip Reports and Reviews

I just returned Sunday from this hotel and it was absolutely one of my best hotel experiences! The resort is amazing and even if you stay in a regular beach villa it is an unbelievable value for the points. It's worth every minute of travel in my opinion and I'm still missing the resort today.

They do now honor the elite benefits as outlined on the website even on award stays. There was confusion prior to the formal implementation of a formal policy, but do think they have now worked out some of the issues regarding this matter. You will receive an email prior to arriving and I provided them with my choice at that time. Although, some may consider these token benefits they would have been an additional $650+ with service charges during our visit. Thus, it was a measureable benefit to us.

Paid upgrades were available upon arrival to other couples we met that were also on award stays. I had booked my reservation 6 months prior to the change in the policy in March, so they provided us an upgrade on this basis without us having to request further. I had tried for two years to get the reservation and had pre-booked all excursions and special dinners which I'm sure helped assure that we would be generating plenty of revenue for the hotel.

So without question it would still be an amazing trip even in a standard beach villa, as it is one of the most beautiful and unique experiences in the world! If you can afford to do the paid upgrade then it's worth it to do it and I would probably do so if I returned again in the future under the new policy, but I wouldn't have to work nearly as hard as I did to get the reward! I don't think our experience would have been lessened substantially without the upgrade. It's hard to match the sheer beauty of the sunny Maldives!

We stayed for 9 nights this past June (see previous posts, reviews, comments, etc.) and were absolutely impressed with the resort, experience, and value for approximately 200k Hilton points. As I mentioned in a previous post, and just mentioned a few posts earlier, don't consider the resort or elite benefits worthless of there are better villas at the resort....there will always be better places at this resort.

Lesson learned from the trip....over the last two years I have stayed at a Hilton for over 400+ nights, most in pricey NYC hotels. I consider myself a valued customer of Hilton and "expected" to be upgraded and treated like royalty at this resort. We arrive, are treated exceptionally well, but not as well as other folks there....because they are paying guests, guests staying for 20-30-40 days, guests staying in the 6-7k/night sunset water villa, guests who ARE royalty or heavy hitters. This place is very exclusive....hence there will be guests dropping $$$$$ for a great stay and they will get treated based on what they are paying for....no different than frequent guests like you and me who are redeeming a few points for very expensive rooms.

End of the day.....great place, expect to spend some $$$ to do the things that are special at the resort and in the Maldives (this will make the trip more memorable)--like diving, excursions, and some dining, and don't expect Diamond status to get you the sunset water villa.....someone is willing to pay for many of the upgraded villas.

No matter where you stay you will be happy including the basic beach villas.

Truly a unique place and we would jump at any chance to go back....to anyone who goes...enjoy, relax, and appreciate where some nights in a Hampton Inn can get you.

Stayed here in July, and it was easily one of the best vacation experiences I've had. Normally I like much more "active" vacations than the sit-on-the-beach experience, but have been forced to re-examine this after my stay.

I was not upgraded initially, but did ask for a very specific range of unites (avoiding the ones people had complained about). This proved no problem at all. There were three of us in our party, and despite my concerns they waived all the third persons costs (~$125/nt + 3rd breakfast), though it probably helped that all three of us were diamonds.

Gave us three higher-priced excursions than the official benefit, and while I didn't feel overly "special" as a diamond member, neither did I ever feel like I was being treated any differently than most other guests because I was there on an award.

The standard villa was fantastic! Plenty of space, private, but easy access to the beach. After the first four nights I joked around with our island host about how nice the spa water villas looked and how it'd be great to spend the last few nights in one. She found me by the pool a little later to tell me that, if it was ok with me, she'd send porters to the room to move our stuff to our new upgraded unit. Personally, though there were elements to the spa water villa that were amazing, we actually preferred the standard villa. Go figure.

Prices were high, but in the end not nearly as bad as we feared (mostly due to late breakfasts and early dinners making lunch completely unnecessary). Highly recommend the wine/cheese bar -- from talking with other guests and employees this is one of the frequently overlooked gems of the place.

Overall I will definitely be going back to this hotel, and would even pay the sticker price if needed! (which is shocking if you know me). Granted there are some diamond benefits you get used to that you don't here, but overall it's a fantastic value and a great experience.

My wife and I did the "dream island" on our honeymoon! Very romantic and private^
Sunset private dinner was our highlight since my wife didn't know in advance we would be all by ourselves under stars having a candlelight dinner until she saw only one table.
We did the underwater cocktail at 11am before they opened for lunch. Most people left in the first 30 minutes and we had the whole place by ourselves in the last 30 minutes:D
We also had a good time on the sunset fishing trip.
I arranged all my special dinners/ excursions exactly 2 weeks in advance and with some luck, so I got all my first choices.

We enjoyed:

1) The spa treatment.
2) The walk-off snorkeling. We mentioned our desire to snorkel and they put us in a villa near one of the reefs.
3) We enjoyed the trip to the fishing village. It was a great way to see the native culture.
4) We also enjoyed hanging out in the wine bar.

The fauna is simply amazing right off of the property, including huge fruit bats, baby sharks, rays, mantas and a rainbow of fish.

I just wrapped up a nice reward stay at the Conrad Maldives. Rather than add to the two existing Maldive threads that have somewhat outdated information, I thought it'd be best to start a new, current thread.

My trip was a bit spontaneous; over Christmas, I thought "I should really head to the Maldives in January." A quick call to the Diamond desk made it possible. I did need to shift my travel plans by a day --the resort didn't have reward availability on a day I wanted (then again, it was also impossible to book a revenue stay for that night too, so I don't fault them there.) Really no problems redeeming the award.

Based on the advice here, I sent them an email about a week beforehand with my travel details flying in/out of Male. Within 12 hours (there's 11 hours difference between them and east coast time), they replied with their standard form email with the transfer details. They offered up a deluxe room at the Hulhule Airport hotel for $305 + 10% service and round-trip seaplane transfers for $400 + 10% service. They also offered up a cheaper hotel on the island of Male, but I opted to stay on the airport island. I took the late Singapore Airlines flights, so overnighting there was necessary.

Once that was set, I started another email thread with them reviewing my Diamond status perks. And as shared here, you pretty much have a choice of taking a complimentary breakfast or daily cocktail hour.

When I landed at Male and cleared their customs/immigration process (or lack thereof), there was a Conrad representative waiting for me right there. He grabbed my bags and took me to an air conditioned van where a cool hand towel and bottle of water were waiting for me. On the way over he explained to me that the resort will have my room early so I can take a 9am seaplane ride out.

He walked me into the Hulhule hotel, had me sit in their lobby... and then he went to get my room keys from the front desk. He then escorted me and took my bags to my room. The room was good --comparable to any US Hilton on the water. My room had a small balcony/deck with steps out to the beach. I was exhausted from travel, so didn't have much time to use it. I slept and woke to Conrad's 8am wake-up call and went to the lobby for my ride to the seaplane port. The transfers were seemless/painless ...I didn't whip out a credit card or sign anything ...Conrad took care of everything.

At the seaplane port, they escorted me to their private lounge there. They were serving a variety of soft drinks, water, and fruit juices. I opted for the guava juice -Mmmm freshly squeezed. They also had a continental breakfast set-up there with assorted carbs: croissants, pastries, donuts. They'd frequently come through with cold face/hand towels. And while waiting for the seaplane, they provided a complimentary 20 minute back/neck massage. The massage therapists there also gave me a voucher good for a $50 discount on a particular 60-minute therapy/treatment at their spa. Once that was set, one of the hosts in that lounge had me fill out a basic form that confirmed my name/address/travel details …along with capturing my credit card information. There, they charged me their standard $2,500 deposit.
Before I knew it, me and a handful of other guests went over to the seaplane painted in gold Conrad livery. On the way out, they gave us little cloth bags with a bottle of water, earplugs, and a wrapped, cold, scented towel for the flight over.

The flight to the resort was great…and about 25-30 minutes. We splashed down in the resort’s lagoon and made our way to the middle of the bridge that’s featured in the pictures of their website. As we pulled up to the bridge, there were a handful of Island Hosts waiting for us. Mine walked over to me, introduced herself, grabbed my notebook bag, and off we went to the main reception area of the resort.

On the walk over, she gave a little background on her …while also seeking information out of me (i.e.: what are some things I’d like to do on the trip, am I looking for an active trip or a relaxing one, etc.) We sat down in the open air reception area to review the resort map, the dining and activity options, and then onto my room details. I had asked at the seaplane lounge about upgrades and the hosts there said to speak with my Island Host. So when it was time to review room details, I asked about upgrades.
She said they had a promotion for Diamonds in which I could upgrade my standard Beach Villa to a Deluxe Beach villa for $100/night …or upgrade to either a Superior Water Villa or Spa Water Villa for $200/night. I decided to do the Deluxe Beach Villa and Superior Water Villa. I passed on the Spa Water Villa because they were so far away from the rest of the resort… and because they didn’t have an outdoor Jacuzzi. I was extremely happy with my upgrade –and I’m extremely happy that I chose to do both a beach and over-water option rather than stick with one.

During the on-island registration process, they delivered fresh fruit juice, a lemon ice, some bottled water, and a scented, chilled hand/face towel. (All the towels are scented with mint and lavender –quite the delight!)
I read the posts in the forum to stay away from 114/115 (I was originally assigned 123). I went to that area to see what the fuss was. There is no service barge or dock near there, but there does seem to be some back-up generators located in the service “inner island” by those rooms. I suppose if they’re on, they would make some noise and some smell (of diesel burning.) I suppose if I had a choice, I would stay away from those rooms… but even so, while those rooms are closest to the service area, it’s not like having a room next to a mechanical/laundry/elevator room in a mainland hotel.
While my original standard Beach Villa was ready on arrival, housekeeping needed some time to get my new Deluxe Beach Villa ready. As such, I waited at the main bar on the main island –the wait lasted about 30 minutes.
After the wait, an Island Host (which is really like a concierge that roams the resort with you) brought me to my room. And what a room it was! Even with the $100 supplement, this was by far the best room I’ve ever had in the HHonors system. While I’ve been provided presidential suite upgrades in other HHonors hotels, and even grand suite upgrades in Hilton’s Waikoloa Village, this Deluxe Beach Villa had “wow” written all over it. Once you enter the main door of your villa, you’re in an open air courtyard complete with bubbling water fountain. Straight ahead on a small footpath is the start of your bathroom; two huge sinks stretched across a large area with mirrors. To the left of fountain was a pathway which lead to some steps up into a bath “hut”; there, a huge bathtub surrounded by trees and flowers was perched beneath a grass-roofed structure. A small path away was also the outdoor shower, a decadent rain shower that always offered instant access to the most perfect temperature. What a delight it was to shower under the sun… under the stars… and even in the rain. And then to the right of the bubbling fountain was the master bedroom room. This was a huge room with high ceilings and glass walls/windows/doors all around. A large desk area was in the rear while a couch/chairs was in the front. (along with a flat-panel TV.) In the middle was a deliciously comfortable king size bed with linens that were just right. The bedroom was flanked by a walk-in closet on one side, and a ½ bath on the other. Sitting at the desk or laying in the bed provided you an awesome view of the “backyard” and ocean. A stunning delight to the senses!

Through the huge sliding glass door/walls I could walk out onto a patio area. Two chairs and a table and two lounge chairs were there. This area was partially protected by a grass-roofed structure, providing just the right amount of shade if you wanted to stay cool …or just the right amount of full sun if you wanted to sunbathe. While pictures online show a plunge pool located off the back patio area, mine was actually nestled deeper into the rear yard against some tropical foliage. The pool was a good sized; I could probably comfortably fit about 8-10 people in it. Somewhat kidney shaped, the pool had two shallow sides to sit and relax in (and enjoy the jets) and a deeper middle section for a true plunge. The pool was cool but not cold –the right temperature to cool off after a hot day at the beach.

Beyond the pool was a short sandy walkway to the beach; all told, the Indian Ocean was probably about 10-15 yards from my bed. There, at the beach were two lounge chairs in the sand... and an additional two lounge chairs under a permanent umbrella (made of grass/concrete) of sorts. And then there was the lapping surf… which on the worst weather day, produced waves of about 2’ tall (which you could hear from the bedroom, even with the windows/doors closed.) On the beach, an attendant would roam by from time to time providing complimentary bottled water, refreshing cool towels, and fresh fruit.

The experience of the room was like having my own private beach house set on my own private beach. Most of my stay, I hardly saw or heard anyone on the beach other than the attendants. Once in a blue moon I’d see another guest surface to take a dip in the water, but for the most part it was peaceful and quiet.

The room was serviced by a very friendly housekeeper who would bend over backwards to make sure everything was perfect in the room. In addition to morning clean-up and evening turn-down, he was on call should I need anything. There were always plenty of beach and bath towels. Each day, he’d deliver fresh fruit –each day was something different… ranging from pears and nectarines to exotic local fruits like rambutans. He’d also deliver a small stuffed animal each evening representing different sea creatures. Tagged with the Conrad name, these cool little crabs, fish, and even octopus will make for great gifts for kids on the mainland. He also brought plenty of water to the room. Drinking water comes in recycled 2 liter glass bottles; each day they’d take my empty bottles and replace them with fresh ones. You’ll never run out of water here –I got 2 fresh bottles in the morning and another 2 in the evening.

On the first evening I was invited to a welcome reception thrown by the General Manager. On the main beach, they served a variety of delicious local foods (finger foods), wine and champagne, and freshly made fruit juice. At the reception were various island hosts taking questions about the resort / about the Maldives in general. And there were representatives from the spa on-hand …providing complimentary back/neck massages while explaining what was what at the resort’s two spas. There were about 20-30 people here for this reception, the most people I’ve ever seen on the islands in my entire stay. On the most “crowded” evening in the Atoll Market I counted about 20 guests. At the pool, you’d be lucky to see more than 6-8 people. At breakfast, it was usually me and 2-3 other couples. In the evening at the bars, it was about 3-6. I was shocked to learn that occupancy at the lowest point in my stay was 250 guests –I guess most people just hide out in their villas the entire time and do room service.

Most guests were Russian; I’d say probably 70%. The rest was a mix of Europeans with a handful of Arabs. I was the only guest from the Americas and both my host and my housekeeper said that “once in blue moon, we’ll see an American.” My housekeeper even remarked that “3 or 4 months ago, he took care of a couple from America. They were good people.”

In the email threads with the hotel before arrival, they promoted their ½ board option (which was about $75/day.) I declined it …and I am glad I did. On days I was hungry I signed up for their special meals…other days, I simply passed on dinner (from either having a late lunch or just not being hungry.) I don’t see the benefit of signing up for the half-board option; it provides no real discount to their other prices and if you eat one of their special meals, the cost of the half-board doesn’t make up for the “discount” they provide on the special meals.

Food / meals were expensive …special meals were outrageously expensive… and cocktails / wine selections were typical of resort pricing elsewhere in the HHonors system. Soda was around $6/glass… cocktails were around $12-20/each… and wine was priced from $20+/glass to $75+/bottle. Food items ranged from $15 for salads to high $20s for a burger to mid $30s for a basic entrée. As an example, I had a plain hamburger with French fries and Coke for about $40. I had a dinner at their Atoll Market; for buffet, a small bottle of water, and one glass of $15 sake, my single meal cost $110 including service charge. On another night I had room service: a tomato & mozzarella salad and a sandwich: including service charge and $15 delivery fee, that meal came to $65.

For breakfast, I ate all but one morning in the Atoll Market buffet. There, I could have fruit, salads, meats, waffles, made-to-order eggs and omelets, and breakfast pastries ….along with all the fresh fruit juice I could consume. I assumed breakfast was complimentary to everyone, but I did chat with some Europeans who were charged an additional US $35 for the privilege of eating there. The staff there (and everywhere for that matter) never asked me for my room number… but I was the only American on the resort, and everywhere I went they welcomed me by name. I had one breakfast at Vilu which had most of the same offerings of the Atoll Market, just table-served / ordered ala carte, and there I did hear them asking other guests for their room numbers and assumed some guests needed to pay to eat there.
Another option which I never used was in-room dining for breakfast. For a $15 fee, they’d deliver anything you’d want to your room. At Atoll and Vilu, there was no limit of what you could eat/order. There was a couple next to me at Vilu who must have ordered everything in the menu to their table.

After reading of the poor meals here at Ithaa the “undersea restarant”, I opted to simply go there for an afternoon cocktail. For $50 they take you down to the restarant and let you take in the sites for an hour. The $50 includes a single glass of champagne or a non-alcoholic drink of your choice. While under-water, they served a few little canapés. Outrageously expensive but not quite as expensive as the $320 + 10% service they charge for what others have reported to be a poor dinner. For me, it was a nice experience and even though it was $50, I’m glad I did it to say I was there.

While at the resort, I also did the Koko Grill (the outdoor Japanese Teppanyaki-style eatery) and the Wine Cellar dinner. Both weren’t cheap either –the Japanese dinner was $230 + 10% service and only included still or bottled water. The wine dinner, my best of my trip, was $286 but included an incredible amount of champagne and wine. The wine dinner was held in their underground wine cellar; the island now boasts over 30,000 bottles, many of which are stored in that cool room. They cautioned me to arrive in slacks and shoes to stay warm… but after a day in the sun, I ignored their advice and showed up in shorts. And I’m glad I did –others did too… and I was perfectly comfortable. For the Koko Grill, they insisted on me wearing pants “in case something from the grill were to splatter into your lap”. I wore pants there, but was one of the few gentlemen that actually did. (And if I were to do it again, I’d probably go to that in shorts too.) I liked both these dinners because they were small and intimate and gave me the chance to make friends with some other guests from around the world.

The wine dinner was a great, delicious treat that kicked off outside with some champagne at the beach by Vilu. Actually, it was more like a ton of champagne rather than just some –no joke, I think they served us each about ½ bottle. I was buzzed at the beginning of dinner …as were the other guests. After some canapés outside, we went down into the cellar. The dining table there, which fits about 12, features LCD screens that pop-up/down. As the sommelier was talking about the wines that were offered with each course, he ran a PowerPoint presentation of sorts that talked to the background of each wine. The food was excellent: chilled cucumber soup with sweet corn sorbet and zucchini ratatouille roulade, herbed mustard tiger prawns with tamarind, marinated green apple, and parma ham, pan-fried quails, seared foie gras, pear and green apple chutney, and for the main course, angus beef filet pan-roasted with penja white peppercorns, tomato “aigre-doux”, jus with honey, chocolate, and malt whisky. For dessert was a frozen mini gateau of berries, warm fruits in filo pastry, pearls of exotic fruits, with a touch of geranium essential oil. Eight wines were served with that food in addition to the champagne …and they kept pouring and pouring the wines. I probably had about 18 complete glasses of wine with my meal above/beyond the champagne to start. I’m not quite sure how I managed to get myself back to my villa after all that drinking, but I was definitely hung-over in the morning. Other guests I dined with were in the same boat –two had bad hangovers and one unfortunately got sick from over-drinking. It was a wonderful time and I’d drink just as much the next time I go back :)

The Koko Grill was nice but not as nice as the Wine Dinner …and not as nice as I had hoped. If I return to the resort, I probably wouldn’t do this dinner again. I love the simplicity of Teppanyaki cooking… but here, I found them to be assaulting the meals with heavy flavors and extraneous sauces. The 8 course dinner here included Sashimi in Kamakura (placed in a cool hollow ball of ice), a trio of sushi, kaisou salad, Gyuu No Tataki (a beef tataki served in a soy sauce), lobster teppanyaki, ten sabi temaki (hand rolled sushi), grilled wagyu steak (which probably was responsible for the steep price of the dinner), garlic rice maki, dobin mushi soup, and a delicious dessert consisting of exotic fruits and a gelee of sake with peach.

I decided to live it up and take in a spa treatment. I decided to get a little metrosexual and try out a facial for a first time. For a 90 minute back/neck/scalp massage and a 90 minute facial experience the fee was $250 plus service charge. (And I gave additional gratuity to my therapist.) I used the over-water spa so I could check out the fish through the glass bottom. At the welcome reception, I asked the spa hosts what the difference was between the two spas. They said the over-water spa was much smaller but had the glass floors… while the other spa was much much larger …although with wooden floors. They said each spa offers the identical treatments… but the over-water spa charges $20 more each. For a once in a lifetime experience, I was more than happy to pay the $20 surcharge for the view. Although there wasn’t much of a view… once in a blue moon I’d see a fish swim by, but for more than half of the spa visit, my eyes were closed anyway.

Non-motorized beach equipment was complimentary. I took a kayak for a spin from one island to the other and back again. It was a delightful way to spend an afternoon. There were a handful of others snorkeling, windsailing, jetskiing, and taking a raft/banana for a spin by being towed around by a speed boat.

The transition from my beach villa to my over-water villa was a painless one. They offered to pack for me, but I decided to pack …and right on schedule, they met me at one villa and drove me to the other with my bags. The over-water villa was small …although still grand when you compare it to a traditional HHonors family hotel room. Inside the square over-water structure was a bedroom with some cool, trendy furniture; the corner was made up of the large bathroom complete with large soaking tub (with a large window that looked out to the Ocean), a separate toilet room, and giant shower, and two sinks. The villa also had a walk-in closet. Two sides were sliding glass walls that led out onto your deck. My deck featured a table and two chairs, two lounge chairs, an umbrella… and a large Jacuzzi with unobstructed views of the Indian Ocean. The deck also featured stairs down into the reef; at low tide, the reef was about a foot and a half deep …at high tide, it was probably at about waist-high. My room attendant advised me to wear shoes/flip-flops while “walking” in the lagoon due to the sharp coral. There were crabs sunning themselves on my deck steps… and there was abundant fish swimming around my villa. It was like living in the middle of an aquarium. I dropped some French fries into the water outside of my villa and a feeding frenzy ensued; lots of colorful fish came out for a nibble… first tiny fish than larger fish. Eventually, small sharks circled around and ate whatever they could. The villa …and the deck out back, were delightful and private. While there, I never really left… and spent the time hanging out in the Jacuzzi/deck out back while treating myself to room service. The room was much much smaller than the deluxe beach villa, but still it was so unique and special. If I were to return to this resort, I’d do the same and split my stay between the two.

For excursions, I only did one –which was a free Diamond benefit. I did the Mandhoo Island Tour –and I definitely recommend it for everyone, free or not! For that tour, we boarded a larger dhoni and sailed about 35-40 minutes to Mandhoo Island. On-board they served complimentary water and soda. When we arrived, we toured the tiny island. Mandhoo is ½ owned by the Conrad and the other ½ is populated by Maldivians. The Conrad compound is where they grow all the produce and flowers/trees for the resort. They explained to us that while they import meats, pineapples, and salad greens, all other stuff is grown right there. We toured their acres and acres of gardens where they were growing everything from orchids for the guest rooms to pumpkins for the kitchen. Along the way, we smelled the flowers, crushed some fresh herbs to taste the fresh mint, and grabbed some fresh tropical fruit to nibble on. The tour featured two snack breaks: the first was a fresh coconut. They poked them open and we drank the juice; when we were done with the juice, they cracked them open so we could eat the meat inside. Delicious!! On the second snack break, they served cut fruits from their gardens –so amazingly delicious! They also provided chilled towels and bottles of water along the way. They said there were mosquitoes on the island… and they offered repellent to those that wanted some. (I took some and had no bug bites. Then again, I also didn’t see any either.) They did have jumping ants there… which they said were harmless. As we walked around, they’d jump up onto our calves/legs and jump off. They didn’t bite… and they didn’t stick around long –it was actually a cool experience. After we visited the Conrad compound (which included additional housing for resort employees, a water plant where they produce fresh water from the sea (their gardens use 70,000 liters/day!), crew rest/relaxation areas, and even an employee gym that would rival most sporting clubs on the mainland) we roamed around the non-resort side of the island. There, we saw the simple homes and people of the island which was great –it was great to see what real Maldivians live like when not on a $1.5k/night resort island. There we interacted with the friendly locals and learned about their way of life, their Muslim faith, and their recently-turned democratic government. Fascinating!

Weather on the island was obviously tropical. It was sunny and very warm on all days but for one; on the one bad weather day, it was cloudy with occasional showers… followed by a night of incredibly heavy rain. And I mean heavy!! For hours at night, it rained so heavy and so hard that I could barely sleep –fortunately, I was in my beach villa then. I think it would have sounded/felt much worse being exposed in the over-water villa. The equatorial sun is hot though …and I was sure to slather myself up from head to toe in sunscreen each day.

One night while I was on the island they fogged the island for insects. For a two hour window one evening, they encouraged guests to stay indoors or inside resort facilities. The time/day they selected for the spraying was fine …and didn’t impact my visit. Speaking of bugs, the fogging must work –there’s very little in the way of bugs on the island. There are harmless ants everywhere (your run of the mill ant ..not a fireant or anything harmful.) I think maybe I saw a fly or two over my stay…and maybe a few bee-like flying bugs. Outside of that, there were no other pests and I didn’t see the need to use any insect repellent. For animals, they have small lizards like geckos running around at night… but again, they kept to themselves too. The islands have fruit bats… so after you’re startled after seeing your first one, you really don’t notice them much. They fly around at dusk and perch themselves in the palm trees during the day. If it wasn’t for their signature furry face or peculiar shaped wings, you’d think it was just some large birds flying around.

When I wasn’t doing something (or nothing as was often the case on this trip), I would take walks around the islands. The resort is really small. It took about 10 minutes to walk the length of each island and about 5-10 minutes to walk across the bridge that connects the two islands. They have dhonis traveling during the day and much of the night between the two islands; that boat ride was about 5 minutes long. The islands are dark at night …but there’s just enough light to figure out your way back to your villa.
Barefoot living is the thing to do here: no where are shoes required. In many places, like Ithaa, they’re actually banned. I spent most of the last week without shoes on which was a unique experience in its own. (Although now my feet are a bit sore from walking around unsupported.) It feels good to be in sneakers again! It was weird eating at a buffet barefoot, but after the second day of being free of footware, you do get used to it. It added to the overall uniqueness of the visit.

Check-out was just as painless as check-in. I had a late departure from Male –11pm, so I knew I’d be stuck there for a while since the last seaplane leaves the resort in the late afternoon hours. The day before departure my Island Host filled me in on my departure plans: I was slated to be on a 3:45p departure and had the use of my villa through that time. Fortunately, my seaplane had a mechanical issue… and was delayed until 6pm. Around 1pm my Island Host told me about the mechanical issue and said I could stay in my villa until departure time –what a treat! The seaplane took off around 6pm and arrived in Male around 5:30pm. (It’s a 30 minute flight and Male is an hour behind the resort.) Once we arrived at the seaplane port, a Conrad representative explained to me I had a few options there. Over another chilled hand/face towel and bottle of water, they said I could take watch my bags for me while I take a $1 water taxi to Male ….or I could hang out at the Hulhule Airport hotel and have my bags stored there for a $5 fee.. or I could simply wait it out for the airport until my airline accepted passengers for check-in. I opted to stay on the island, so I went to the airport hotel. Conrad drove me there (and back when it was time to go.) There, I had a nice dinner and surfed the web with their complimentary high speed internet connection. About 2.5 hours before my flight time, Conrad scooped me up and brought me and my bags back to the airport for check-in. Another painless process.

Overall, this trip was wonderful. The accommodations are top-notch and the service equally impressive. Food quality was great, with some meals better than others. The resort is definitely not cheap –and if you’re looking for a cheap getaway, this is definitely not the place to do it. My stay for the week came in at about $3k just for myself, even with the reward covering the base room charge. But if you’re looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience at what is most likely the most luxurious resort location in the HHonors system, this place is perfect. For the points spent, this has to be the best use of points anywhere. I had talked to some guests at this resort who recently stayed at the Seychelles Hilton …and while they say that resort is top-notch, they said the Conrad Maldives provides a more extravagant experience than the Hilton there. Compared to resorts in the U.S. like the Hilton Waikoloa Village or Grand Wailea, or even W=A properties like La Quinta, this is undoubtedly far superior to them.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask :)

I took about 750 pictures of my visit to the Conrad Maldives...and a few low-res videos, a handful of which can be seen on my Facebook. If you add me as a friend there (I'm "Weatherboy Weather") you can check out the images/videos.

One thing I failed to mention in my trip report was the internet access.

Each villa had its own wireless hotspot... so if you're in villa 305, you'd connect to hotspot "305". Wireless access worked well around the villa... and in the deluxe beach villa, worked well outside towards the plunge pool.

But, and this is a big but, the broadband connection to the Resort is only 2Mbps. If you had more than a few people online at any moment, the connection crawled to a snail's pace. It took me about 20 minutes to upload 10 pictures and 4 and 1/2 hours to upload a 30 second video to Facebook. I found best speeds early in the morning (like 5-7am when most guests were sleeping and/or the resort staffers were offline.) The connection worked wonderful for sending text emails and doing things like Facebook status updates. But for anything more, like attempting to watch/listen to streaming media ...or upload any files of substance, forget it.

As far as electrical connections, each room did come equipped with an adapter to accept U.S. two-prong plugs. My notebook, however, uses a 3-prong plug.... and it took the resort staff some extra time to track down the right adapter for me since it isn't standard. If you're bringing devices that use 3-prong plugs, I'd suggest you pick up your own adapter (they're like $3 in US stores). If your devices use just a regular 2-prong plug (like my cell phone charger) you'll be fine though.

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Excellent report! Makes me want to be there right now.
I'll echo mikeparis75's question.

You didn't say how long you stayed for. Did you get a look at what a standard reward room looked like? It seems about half of your $3,000 expense might be in upgrading for $100 and $200 a night charges. Would this be about right?

Brilliant report! Thanks for sharing.

awesome report. thank you so much for such a detailed report.....is there anyway to access the pics without facebook? maybe create a trip report on flickr?

Fantastic report. It takes me back to our wonderful visit of 2 years ago. A couple things I've noted from your report that are different: we were unaware of any Russians when we stayed there. Russians are THE new tourists around the world, and truly where a lot of hotels need to promote themselves. I'm amazed at the dominance of Russian travelers in certain areas of the world, where just five years ago, I never spotted them.

And the other difference - the complimentary back/shoulder massages at the Male air terminal and your GM reception. I think it's very smart of them - give away a sample in hopes of getting you to make a paid booking.

Thanks for the great post. What an impressive stay!

Tricky question: is there a way of having a great experience there without spending $3k? (I know the $3k are well worth it, all I am asking is if there is a way to be stay there "on a budget"). For example: you mention that the half board option is not worth it when you go for the special meals. Can you elaborate on it?

Once again, I understand that spending $$$ is really worth it over there (wished I could do it); all I am trying to ascertain is whether doing it on a budget can be done (and I do understand that it is likely to affect my experience there too).

Thanks!

The biggest expense for my trip were my meals/drinks moreso than the upgrade.

I don't get the value of the half-board option --it's not really a savings, but moreso a pre-payment of their Atoll dinner buffet. The half-board option was $70 and gets you dinner at the Atoll buffet -or- a 25% discount on a special meal. But with special meals averaging $260/person , the max discount you'd get is about $63 --which means you're paying $70 for a $63 discount. The dinner at Atoll is the same price whether you pay as you go or you pre-pay through the half-board option.

During my stay, I only felt like eating dinner there once... so had I gone the half-board route, I would have been wasting a lot of money.

The best way to save money on this trip though is to stick with Atoll Market and skip all the special meals. The buffet food is nice ...although if it were to be offered on the US mainland, it'd probably be priced closer to $35. If you go the route of a big complimentary breakfast, an afternoon poolside cocktail, and the Atoll market, you could probably skate by with about $100/day on food-drink.

But the Maldives are really paradise...so I'd recommend people to go only if they can splurge. Or at least splurge on at least one night (like do the Wine Cellar Dinner and stick to the buffet the rest of the nights.)

I considered myself on a fairly strict budget and didn't want to spend huge amounts of money on the trip. I was willing to spend $300-500/night for an upgrade, so when the upgrade was only a fraction of that, I did re-invest that money into the spa visit and special dinners.

Excellent report! Makes me want to be there right now.
I'll echo mikeparis75's question.

You didn't say how long you stayed for. Did you get a look at what a standard reward room looked like? It seems about half of your $3,000 expense might be in upgrading for $100 and $200 a night charges. Would this be about right?

I stayed one night in Hulhule and 6 at the Conrad. Meals were the biggest chunk of my expense.

I didn't get a chance to see the standard room in person, but in the Resort Guide in the room there were floorplans to scale of all the rooms. With the standard room, you loose the privacy of having an individual, detached unit, loose the plunge pool, and loose about 1/2 the square footage of the deluxe unit.

When I typically vacation, I usually use my hotel room as a place to get sleep and that's about it. So as much as I enjoy upgrades elsewhere, they don't make/break a trip. But at this resort, I spent more than 1/2 my time in my villa (and in the over-water villa, I hardly ever left.) With my own pool and beach, there really was no reason to leave. And because of that, I really valued the room upgrade. If you're the kind of person that would prefer to lounge about the "public" pool or primary beach and spend little time in your room, I think the standard award room would be just fine. Plus the standard rooms have the same outdoor bathroom concept as the deluxe beach villas, just on a smaller scale, so you're getting the same experience there without the need for supplemental cash.

If you do just get the standard room here, you're still getting a room far superior to any other HHonors offering in the US. The room plus resort grounds and service are so amazing that you shouldn't feel like you're getting a bad room if you don't upgrade. But if you have the means to upgrade, do it!

awesome report. thank you so much for such a detailed report.....is there anyway to access the pics without facebook? maybe create a trip report on flickr?

No :) I've posted pictures/videos on my MySpace (see theWeatherboy there) and my 2 Facebook accounts (my personal one and my Weatherboy Weather one.) It's easy to sign up for both sites, so it should be painless to get to the pictures without me having to upload them a 4th time :)

Fantastic report. It takes me back to our wonderful visit of 2 years ago. A couple things I've noted from your report that are different: we were unaware of any Russians when we stayed there. Russians are THE new tourists around the world, and truly where a lot of hotels need to promote themselves. I'm amazed at the dominance of Russian travelers in certain areas of the world, where just five years ago, I never spotted them.

And the other difference - the complimentary back/shoulder massages at the Male air terminal and your GM reception. I think it's very smart of them - give away a sample in hopes of getting you to make a paid booking.

The Russians are everywhere. I spoke with Europeans at the resort who said in the 90's it was about Americans everywhere. Now they said its the Russians that are everywhere. And considering my recent trips (Maldives, Hawaii, Micronesia, Guam/Saipan) I'd have to agree. I have Russian in my blood and the first question people ask me on these travels is if I'm Russian. (In Saipan, they were disappointed to learn that I wasn't --apparently the Russians drop large amounts of cash and are heavy tippers.)

The Conrad Maldives staff seemed to be fluent in Russian...which made sense since the Russians were the dominant tourist type.

Would you minde sharing how did you get to Maldives and what was the cost of the travel there?

Wonderful report - made me go nag the other half for a honeymoon!:D

The Russians are everywhere.

When I visited Conrad Maldives last year, I noticed that too. There were a lot of Russians. The resort had far more Europeans than North Americans. There was also a sizeable number of Asians, presumably from Japan and Korea. One of the Russians really stood out, although I don't recognize his name, he seemed like a well known Russian actor or something, extremly good looking and an amazing body. I stayed at a Spa Water Villa so I past by the Spa reception daily, including treatment appointments. One day, I noticed all the ladies (staff, they are all Thai) in the Spa reception giggling in amazement among themselves. Not sure why at first until I saw that Russian man came out, in towel - and then he left after tipping them. You got to see the face of those women. I think they were really envious of the girl who just had the chance to massage him. ;)

The biggest expense for my trip were my meals/drinks moreso than the upgrade.

I don't get the value of the half-board option --it's not really a savings, but moreso a pre-payment of their Atoll dinner buffet. The half-board option was $70 and gets you dinner at the Atoll buffet -or- a 25% discount on a special meal. But with special meals averaging $260/person , the max discount you'd get is about $63 --which means you're paying $70 for a $63 discount. The dinner at Atoll is the same price whether you pay as you go or you pre-pay through the half-board option.

During my stay, I only felt like eating dinner there once... so had I gone the half-board route, I would have been wasting a lot of money.

The best way to save money on this trip though is to stick with Atoll Market and skip all the special meals. The buffet food is nice ...although if it were to be offered on the US mainland, it'd probably be priced closer to $35. If you go the route of a big complimentary breakfast, an afternoon poolside cocktail, and the Atoll market, you could probably skate by with about $100/day on food-drink.

But the Maldives are really paradise...so I'd recommend people to go only if they can splurge. Or at least splurge on at least one night (like do the Wine Cellar Dinner and stick to the buffet the rest of the nights.)

I considered myself on a fairly strict budget and didn't want to spend huge amounts of money on the trip. I was willing to spend $300-500/night for an upgrade, so when the upgrade was only a fraction of that, I did re-invest that money into the spa visit and special dinners.

Thank you very much for your response and your very helpful tips.

Would you minde sharing how did you get to Maldives and what was the cost of the travel there?

Wonderful report - made me go nag the other half for a honeymoon!:D

I used a Star Alliance award to fly there; the routing was a little crazy. I wanted to depart from Newark or Philly, but the only way I could sit up front was this: Philly-LA-Bangkok-Singapore-Male and Male-Singapore-Tokyo-Chicago-Philly on the way back.

My fare priced out to about $16,500. Other First Class / Business Class fares from Philly were in the $14,000-$19,000 range and fares from New York were in the $9,000-$15,000 range.

If I were to do it again, I'd probably go the other way around the world, going through Dubai or Qatar with a possible stopover in Europe. When I toyed around with some dates with that routing, prices came in at $8,500-$18,000.

Thanks for the great report, it is so insightfull, my wife and I are going in September and this just made us 1000% more excited then we already are. Many many thanks. ^^^

One thing I failed to mention in my trip report was the internet access.

Each villa had its own wireless hotspot... so if you're in villa 305, you'd connect to hotspot "305". Wireless access worked well around the villa... and in the deluxe beach villa, worked well outside towards the plunge pool.

But, and this is a big but, the broadband connection to the Resort is only 2Mbps. If you had more than a few people online at any moment, the connection crawled to a snail's pace. It took me about 20 minutes to upload 10 pictures and 4 and 1/2 hours to upload a 30 second video to Facebook. I found best speeds early in the morning (like 5-7am when most guests were sleeping and/or the resort staffers were offline.) The connection worked wonderful for sending text emails and doing things like Facebook status updates. But for anything more, like attempting to watch/listen to streaming media ...or upload any files of substance, forget it.

As far as electrical connections, each room did come equipped with an adapter to accept U.S. two-prong plugs. My notebook, however, uses a 3-prong plug.... and it took the resort staff some extra time to track down the right adapter for me since it isn't standard. If you're bringing devices that use 3-prong plugs, I'd suggest you pick up your own adapter (they're like $3 in US stores). If your devices use just a regular 2-prong plug (like my cell phone charger) you'll be fine though.

Was internet free or did it cost?

I used a Star Alliance award to fly there; the routing was a little crazy. I wanted to depart from Newark or Philly, but the only way I could sit up front was this: Philly-LA-Bangkok-Singapore-Male and Male-Singapore-Tokyo-Chicago-Philly on the way back.

My fare priced out to about $16,500. Other First Class / Business Class fares from Philly were in the $14,000-$19,000 range and fares from New York were in the $9,000-$15,000 range.

If I were to do it again, I'd probably go the other way around the world, going through Dubai or Qatar with a possible stopover in Europe. When I toyed around with some dates with that routing, prices came in at $8,500-$18,000.


Have to ask, it sounds like you booked this in December was it hard for you to find award travel for January. Also what carriers did you fly on and what portions on each carrier? I'm guessing US,Thai,SQ and UA. How was the service etc.

Thanks

Thanks for the great report, it is so insightfull, my wife and I are going in September and this just made us 1000% more excited then we already are. Many many thanks. ^^^
Was internet free or did it cost?
Have to ask, it sounds like you booked this in December was it hard for you to find award travel for January. Also what carriers did you fly on and what portions on each carrier? I'm guessing US,Thai,SQ and UA. How was the service etc.
Thanks

Internet is complimentary throughout the resort. It's a shame it's not faster, but you're on a remote tropical island, so I guess with that being said, it's OK.

I flew US, TG, NH, and SQ. US is horrible domestic first class service (as expected) but the others provide great service and meals up-front. I had no problems booking my travel a few weeks prior to the trip. TG had the nicest cabin, SQ had the best foods, NH had the best service.

Going then too, hopefully we'll see you there. ^

Question to Weatherboy:

When they take the $2500 is it an actual prepayment, or just an authorization for $2500? We ask b/c our HH CC's closing date will be during the middle of our stay. $2500 on check-in and we'll be billed b/4 we get home (in which case I guess we'll have to prepay a bunch on the card)as we'll still be traveling for a few weeks. $2500 at check-out and we'd be golden, however.

The $2,500 was an all-out charge and was not an authorization.

Thank you so much for such a detailed report!!!!!^ It's going to be so helpful for our trip! One quick question that I have is did you do any laundry while you were there? If so, do you happen to remember how expensive it was?? Thanks so much!

I do everything possible to avoid laundry while I travel and this trip was no exception.

The resort does not do any dry cleaning due to environmental concerns, so if you're planning to have something cleaned, make sure its washable. I did scan the laundry slip and didn't think any prices jumped out --they were just as expensive as any major resort in the U.S. mainland. But I don't recall any specific prices.

This was the lightest I've ever packed for a long trip ...I think my luggage there was about 20 pounds total. Just a bunch of light shirts and shorts. Without the need for dressing up, I left dressier clothes (and things like dress slacks / shoes) home. For bathing suits, I would dry them out in the sun and re-wear them a few times over my stay.

Thanks for the great report, it is so insightfull, my wife and I are going in September and this just made us 1000% more excited then we already are. Many many thanks. ^^^


Going then too, hopefully we'll see you there. ^

Question to Weatherboy:

When they take the $2500 is it an actual prepayment, or just an authorization for $2500? We ask b/c our HH CC's closing date will be during the middle of our stay. $2500 on check-in and we'll be billed b/4 we get home (in which case I guess we'll have to prepay a bunch on the card)as we'll still be traveling for a few weeks. $2500 at check-out and we'd be golden, however.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask :)

Thank you so much for such a detailed report!!!!!^ It's going to be so helpful for our trip! One quick question that I have is did you do any laundry while you were there? If so, do you happen to remember how expensive it was?? Thanks so much!

The $2,500 was an all-out charge and was not an authorization.

:(

Oh well, just gotta pre-pay the CC. Thanks!

:(

Oh well, just gotta pre-pay the CC. Thanks!

Or pay online while you are there. Or set up a future payment online prior to departing.

We just got back from a 9-night stay and absolutely loved it. In fact, my girlfriend and I concur that this was the nicest vacation we've ever taken.

We were there on an award, but upgraded to a Water Villa for 4 nights (for USD 250 per night). After 3 nights in the Beach Villa, we were upgraded to a Spa Water Villa for 4 nights and then spent the last 2 nights in a Premier Water Villa. The Premier Water Villa is just great, but quite expensive if you actually want to pay for the upgrade...

Occupancy in the Spa Villas didn't seem to be very high. The location and villas are very nice, but I didn't understand why they charge you USD 100 call-out fee for having a spa treatment in your own villa treatment room (why have the room in the first place ?).

We chose the breakfast benefit and thought we fared very well (it's USD 30 if you pay for it). They now do ask for your room number... If you stay in any of the Water Villas, there is a complementary Happy Hour at Vilu Bar from 5-6pm and you can choose free drinks from a special list (1 cocktail of the day, beers, white and red wine, soft drinks, juices). In addition, they have a separate Happy Hour at Vilu Bar and Rangali Bar from 9-10pm for all guests with all drinks being 50% off. We thought the best use of the Diamond package was to take the breakfast (which will last you until dinner if you don't eat too early) and then take advantage of the 9-10pm Happy Hour.

In terms of restaurant, our favorite was Mandhoo Spa Restaurant. The cuisine is very imaginative and never too heavy. We also did have no complaints about Atoll Market, except for a lack of atmosphere. Sunset Grill was OK, but not great. We did the champagne cocktails at Ithaa and were glad we didn't book dinner there, as the sensation wears off after a while (we ate at Al Mahara at the Burj-al-Arab, same thing there...). I can definitely recommend the Wine Cellar dinner. The food is great and the sommelier Michael is very good at explaining food-wine pairings, grape varieties etc.

I can also recommend the PADI dive center, even though there was a bit of a misunderstanding about deco stops once... The center is run very professionally, but the prices are not cheap. I was a bit disappointed by the underwater world, because the last time I had been diving in the Maldives was 16 years ago. Apparently, El Nino killed almost all corals 10 years ago and they are still in the process of growing back. The number of sharks has also decreased dramatically due to the demand for sharks fin in certain Asian countries...

We did the Dream Island trip, which is 5 or so hours alone on a deserted island with a picnic basket. This was very romantic, except that the island should be cleaned once in a while of thrown-away plastic bottles.

Happy to answer any questions, as I have also greatly profited from Weatherboy's advice.

Hi all

I wanted to write a review as I have used this thread to gain information which has been helpful to me, and so I wanted to put my slant on things and give something back. I will add some information which might be useful if you are thinking of travelling with a child(ren). A quick overview on myself... We went on a GLONP12 from 2nd - 14th June with wife and child (6yr old girl) while I am part owner of a 100 man company I am not financially at a level where I can come here for 12 nights and go wild. I set aside about $6k for the full cost of the holiday (excluding flights and points for stay) and was able to manage it so that we did things we wanted to do and were still able to stay in budget.

First important point if you are travelling with a child using points, points cover you and your partner you will pay ontop $100 plus $18 tax per child per night which for me on 12 nights added up to the amount of $1416 so with a couple of children you might even want to consider even using points as you will pay about $240 per night just for your kids assuming you have 2.

When we arrived we were greeted by our host, first thing that impressed was that she was german and allocated to us as we come from germany, I am Scottish but wife is german they assumed it would be more comfortable for us to speak in German so assigned someone who could talk in German. My german is reasonably fluent but she was bi-lingual and was able to talk to both of us in our own language which I thought was a nice touch. If English isnt your first language then you can ask prior to arrival if they have host who can speak your mother tongue...how many languages they support I dont know but there is no harm in asking. Japanese is definitely supported and there a number of hosts from different countries so I think they could cover a lot of languages.

Second thing on our arrival was that someone from the Majaa kids club was there with a goodie bag with T-shirt with my daughters name on it and some other bits and pieces... again a really nice touch and made my daughter really happy after long journey. the kids club is open from morning until about 10pm at night high season (6pm low season) so if you want to get some free time you can drop in any time, you will receive a pack with a schedule of events for each day, they do provide lunch and evening meal but you need to register for this prior and it costs about $12 per meal (they will ask you on arrival if you have any food allergies and so will tailor meals for you accordingly). My daughter is a little shy at first and takes her time to open up, however after about 10min there she was happy to stay and each day asked to go for a few hours which was great for us and for her. They really focus on kids and have a proper daily activity schedule, they dont just dump some paper and crayons its really them doing activities with your child which is why my daughter liked it so much. It did seem though that due to lack of kids the schedule for each day wasnt really adhered to as there arent enough kids to justify it but regardless they still have enough activities to keep even the busiest child happy.

a quick digress here at the kids club there were really only a few kids, this is because that right now its low season and they are suffering big time with only about 25-35% occupancy, so if you are thinking of going now is the time with points even if you have children its best as they will get more attention, how the kids club is with about 40 kids running around I cant say but for us it was perfect that resort was empty.

after our host explained the Island and dining options over some nice fruit juice and a sorbet. Then my credit card was swiped for about $4800 (as a pre-authorisation not an actual charge). I saw on the thread people being charged $2500 so I guess they make an estimate based on number of people and length of stay and you get the appropriate charge.

We were taken to our room, we got free upgrade to deluxe beach villa (number 210 on reef side), I guess mainly due to low occupancy I was dreading having to ask if upgrade was possible so it was nice they did it anyways. Children are not allowed on any water villas (except the 2 sunset ones) and I actually didnt want one anyway. The deluxe villa was perfect for us. they say its 300sqm but this is the total overall space, the room itself is about 60 or so, everything else is outside. they converted our sofa into bed for our daughter. shower is outside as are the sinks for washing face, teeth brushing, sunken bath is also outside in back. In front you have a patio with chairs/loungers it has a roof which provides shade and a mini plunge pool, the beach is right there and ocean is a short walk accross the beach. There is flat screen TV and stereo which has connector to plug into iPod headphone jack to be able to play your own music. (for kids there is Cartoon Network channel which if you have really small kids < 4yrs then its probably not ideal so I would bring portable DVD player or laptop and play your own DVDs for smaller kids).

if you are to stay in beach villa I recommend on the reef side, the ideal numbers would be from 220-225 as here is where reef starts and you can walk straight out and snorkel directly infront of your villa on the reef. Even if your kids cant swim there are some small rocks and corals in about 1M of water so they can just put on snorkel and stick their face in and will see fish. Other option is to take a life vest from the water centre and put that on, then they can float with you and look at all the fish as you head out to reef, my daughter can swim but is still a beginner so we took the life vest option and she loved heading out to main reef and I didnt have to constantly worry about her as with vest she cant go under but can still snorkel and see everything.

Please be aware in the beach villas you cannot block out light, its all windows with wooden blinds, so there is no way to stop light coming in, so at around 7am in your room its daylight even with all blinds closed, if this is an issue, bring a sleeping mask its the only way. Also nature is all around and there are some nice birds who like to start the day off with a few songs so again if you are light sleeper I recommend ear plugs as this will no doubt wake you. Also mosquitos are a problem so bring your own spray there is one in the minibar for about $15 incase you dont have it. They do fog island but this is to keep population to minimum so they are still there and in evenings are especially bad. On water villas I assume there isnt such a problem but in beach villas you are in midst of lots of vegetation.

Tuesday is the GM party from about 6:30 until 8 and is held just in front of reception area. There were plenty of hosts to chat to and ask questions all seemed very well informed. also there is free wine (red/white/prosecco) and some canapes and some nice mixed fruit juices which were really nice, each party has a slightly different theme and is there to promote the various restaurants and spa treatments.

Dining.... you could probably write a review just on this topic alone. as mentioned Weatherboy covered most of it, but I will add a few pieces of info which are different for low season. First biggest thing is that Atholl restaurant (for dinner) is not a full buffet any more, basically as there arent enough guests they changed it and so only starter is buffet and for main course and dessert its ala carte, with limited options of about 4 main course and 3 dessert options plus a kids menu. we went first night to try and I was really dissappointed about this as I had looked forward to just sampling different types of food. basically cost is $75 per adult and half for kids so it cost us $205 for us and we only drank water. Basically we never went back as the cost doesnt justify it at all, you can eat in any restaurant or at the bar for cheaper. Dont take half board option as it really is a waste of money.... I think Conrad should really rethink this to try to make it somehow an attractive option as for me its the equivalent of paying $25 for a $20 meal

Most nights we ate at bar and you can have main course, dessert with some drinks (about $130 for 3 of us) and its cheaper than Atholl with no drinks included, we did Mandhoo also which was ok, and most restaurants do have kids menu so dont worry about your children not having anything. The Rangali bar menu really has everything, standard salads, meat, seafood courses, pasta, Indian curries and really nice desserts. plus kids menu, portions on kids menu are more or less adult sized so dont worry about there being not enough food.

Dining with kids limits your options as ithaa, wine cellar, wine bar all dont allow children, plus all restaurants dont open until 7 so our daughter cant wait that long so using the bar you can eat anytime you want.

Breakfast is included if you are of HH status and you take that option and it has great selection. As we ate early at around 8:30 or so we took a small plate with some bread, cheese, cereal etc back to room and had a small lunch there also there is a steady supply of fruit and at night cookies so you can snack on those too, there is shop on the island for buying postcards,souvenirs etc but they also have chips, chocolate, cookies etc.

KoKo grill is closed right now so dont put it on your todo list unless you are coming later in high season. They are also building a pool right now on the water villa island as I think a lot of guests dont enjoy kids running around and so want a little privacy, as I mentioned during our stay the resort was empty so there were only a handful of kids about.

Trips

we did the following trips


Sunset fishing - great if you have kids a little older age 6+, you go out on Dhoni boat to some fishing spots approx 25min from Island...you get triditional handline (no fishing rods) and guys will bait your hooks and you drop over the side, we went to first spot and for 20min no one got a single bite, so we moved to another spot and within seconds fish were biting like crazy, I personally caught nothing but my wife and child both hooked small barracudas with nice sharp teeth. guys take care of taking fish off hooks and you can decide whether to keep (and eat) or throw them back chef will cook for you and serve next day. some soft drinks and chips were supplied. whole thing is about 2 hours and I recommend it for adults and kids alike (not really for small children though)


Mandhoo tip - trip was really enjoyable, the gardens are amazing and the fresh coconut and fruits were also very tasty. Our daughter enjoyed the gardens also and the attention she got from some of the employees at the garden. The biggest issue was the boat trip to the Island. Its about 35min and out in the channel it is quite choppy so my daughter suffered a little from sea sickness. If you have problems I would suggest to take something as the small dhoni gets thrown around a bit


Luxury dolphin - head out on the luxury cruiser, kind of a large speed boat with interior and double decker where we sat uptop with the captain, there are canapes and champagne served. Weather wasnt ideal so we were warned we might not see any dolphins but we actually saw plenty. a school of about 15-20 started swimming next to boat and jumping. My daughter really liked it, again its a bit bumpy so if you get seasick I recommend taking something to help. Sunset on way back was also amazing. There is the cheaper lucky dolphin trip on a dhoni but after having been on both boats I recommend the luxury trip its double the cost but worth it (assuming of course you get to see dolphins)


We also did the Ithaa cocktail at 11, I also recommend this if you want to take your child as there are so many fish and so many different varieties that it kept my daughter interested. The whole thing lasts about as long as you want it to (I guess the limit would be when lunch starts) but after about 30min looking at fish in a small restaurant it was enough for all of us. But I do recommend it just for the experience.

Service - I personally felt service was excellent, always hosts and people in restaurants were very polite, they took special attention with my daughter always calling her by her name and having some fun with her. I never was in a situation where I felt let down or mis-treated, maybe some of this was due to fact resort is empty and they are not so stressed with so many guests but in general everything was perfect.

As we were leaving we got info about changes in opening times of various restaurants so you might want to check ahead regarding bookings as it seems that they are not open every day (except the bar)

In summary I cant say enough things about Conrad Rangali, really everything was perfect and all the things we planned to do turned out to be fun, the kids club was great as usually we have to force our daughter to go to these things but here she went on her own for a few ours each day which gives you some time to yourselves. There are also plenty of things to do with snorkelling plus the watersports (all non motorised stuff is free) so your kids will never really be bored, even walking round Island on beaches looking at crabs, baby sharks, fish and collecting shells was a great way for us to spend evenings. Food is fantastic and there is huge variety even excluding all the places where children arent allowed. If you really want to go out at night there is babysitting service for $10 per hour which is reasonable, we personally never did it. Also I recommend that if you do come that you try to enjoy it, things are expensive but if you come with the idea of really trying to do things on the cheap then you wont enjoy it. Do some trips and go to a few restaurants, and also the spa its probably better to cut number of days and do more stuff than have a longer stay and not do anything.

after our host explained the Island and dining options over some nice fruit juice and a sorbet. Then my credit card was swiped for about $4800 (as a pre-authorisation not an actual charge). I saw on the thread people being charged $2500 so I guess they make an estimate based on number of people and length of stay and you get the appropriate charge.

KoKo grill is closed right now so dont put it on your todo list unless you are coming later in high season. They are also building a pool right now on the water villa island as I think a lot of guests dont enjoy kids running around and so want a little privacy, as I mentioned during our stay the resort was empty so there were only a handful of kids about.
Thanks for the review, it was so informative! ^ It makes me want to go there even more now! It just sounds like the most perfect place on earth.

I wonder does the pre-authorisation take into account the accommodation cost and their estimate of food + entertainment OR is it just food and entertainment that the pre-auth charge covers, e.g. would it still be $4,800 if you had paid for the accom in advance?

Is KoKo grill closed because of the pool construction? You may have seen it already but I found on some website that it said pool construction would be from June 1st to August 31st ... were you speaking to your host anymore about it, are they under the same impression that it'll be finished by Aug 31st? I'm sure they are minimising noise anyway, regardless. I wonder if it's an infinity pool like on the main island?

Thanks again for your great review, glad you had a great trip!

Thanks for the report!

When your stay posts for incidentals could you please tell if you get credited (if they are still crediting) HH points, besides HH Amex spend for the seaplane transfer or stay in Male if you booked through the Conrad?

Thanks for the report!

When your stay posts for incidentals could you please tell if you get credited (if they are still crediting) HH points, besides HH Amex spend for the seaplane transfer or stay in Male if you booked through the Conrad?

I did not get HH points for tax or the seaplane transfers from my stay in March, which I believe is correct.

Thanks weatherboy, just looked at ur fb video. Im planning now :) Just gotta sort out what month I think the best weather will be.

We stayed at the Conrad Rangali Island from August 29th till September the 7th and it was breathtaking! As descriped in various posts it's truly a wonderful place with a great staff and perfect service.

The seaplane transfer is a very special but relaxing way of getting to your island, because everything is so well organised. They even took care of our lost luggage which Emirates managed to leave in Dubai. The missing bag was delivered the next day right to our room.

The whole concept really works great, from the 'Island host' who will pick you up at the seaplane pier,the housekeeping or the restaurant staff - everyone is friendly and tries to read your mind, so that everything is arranged to your needs.

As August/September is the low season they had only 25 % occupancy rate - something we really enjoyed, although not all restaurants were open every day.
Weather wise we were very lucky and had only one cloudy/rainy day otherwise we had wonderful sunshine and a light seabreeze...:)

We had an Deluxe Beach Villa which is simply wonderful and we would choose them over a Watervilla anytime because of the beach. We had the chance to have a look at one of the two 'Overwater Sunset Villas' - simply amazing. But at around USD 5000,-- per night for sure not on the cheap side...

Of course the prices are breathtaking, too - but if you went to the Conrad Rangali Island and are a frequent user of this board you know what to expect...;)

Just to answer some of the questions:

The resort rent out snorkel & diving equipments, so all I need to bring is the mouthpiece, correct?

-> Correct

As for the excursions, do I have to pre-book them, or is it relatively easy to arrange them after arrival?

-> If you stay in the low season it's easy to arrange them after arrival, but if you stay from November till April I would prebook them.

Is there a cancellation penalty for the special dinner?

-> Yes there is, if I remember it correctly it's 24 hours in advance without penalty and 50 % thereafter. But they will email you the details when you arrange the dinner in advance.

We'll go there again for sure!

Christoph

Assume you stayed on points. How did you end up staying in the Deluxe Beach Villa? Did you arrive and hope for the best with your Diamond status?

Did you advance confirm w/ the ~USD300/night upgrade fee? Did they offer paid upgrades upon arrival at lower upgrade rates?

Thanks.

We stayed at the Conrad Rangali Island from August 29th till September the 7th and it was breathtaking! As descriped in various posts it's truly a wonderful place with a great staff and perfect service.

The seaplane transfer is a very special but relaxing way of getting to your island, because everything is so well organised. They even took care of our lost luggage which Emirates managed to leave in Dubai. The missing bag was delivered the next day right to our room.

The whole concept really works great, from the 'Island host' who will pick you up at the seaplane pier,the housekeeping or the restaurant staff - everyone is friendly and tries to read your mind, so that everything is arranged to your needs.

As August/September is the low season they had only 25 % occupancy rate - something we really enjoyed, although not all restaurants were open every day.
Weather wise we were very lucky and had only one cloudy/rainy day otherwise we had wonderful sunshine and a light seabreeze...:)

We had an Deluxe Beach Villa which is simply wonderful and we would choose them over a Watervilla anytime because of the beach. We had the chance to have a look at one of the two 'Overwater Sunset Villas' - simply amazing. But at around USD 5000,-- per night for sure not on the cheap side...

Of course the prices are breathtaking, too - but if you went to the Conrad Rangali Island and are a frequent user of this board you know what to expect...;)

Just to answer some of the questions:

The resort rent out snorkel & diving equipments, so all I need to bring is the mouthpiece, correct?

-> Correct

As for the excursions, do I have to pre-book them, or is it relatively easy to arrange them after arrival?

-> If you stay in the low season it's easy to arrange them after arrival, but if you stay from November till April I would prebook them.

Is there a cancellation penalty for the special dinner?

-> Yes there is, if I remember it correctly it's 24 hours in advance without penalty and 50 % thereafter. But they will email you the details when you arrange the dinner in advance.

We'll go there again for sure!

Christoph

I stayed there in mid August on points and was given DBV 131. I thought it was spectacular. The down side being the proximity of the villas on either side. It was far enough down the island to feel remote and was much quieter on the beach than the 200 side at the time.

My concierge knew that I had requested the 200 side, but said that it was full. I am only a Gold member, and think the upgrade is standard practice, especially if occupancy was at 40% as my housekeeper estimated.
I could walk down thew beach to the lobby and would peek into some of the standard rooms closer to the lobby. These seemed to be blocked during my stay as they had mattresses on end and in a state of chaos. Spring cleaning time, I guess.

The difference between the standard room and DBV seems substantial and if I went back I would want to guarantee a DBV. I think I would chance it and if didn't receive a free upgrade, I would pay for one after arrival.
By the way, you don't have to rent snorkeling equipment, it is free of charge.

Also for you August travelers: it was overcast every day, but i didn't mind at all!

My wife and I were there in March and rented a Superior WV at full price :eek: to guarantee the on-deck Jacuzzi, which was fantastic. The up-side of paying was that we earned enough points for seven days in a BV next April :cool: , which we immediately upgraded to a SWV because we loved it so much last year and did not want to rely on a courtesy Diamond upgrade.

Regarding the BV or WV dilemma, the water villas may be smaller, but we love them and would never consider a BV in such a location. But then neither of us really like laying on the beach or by a shared pool and love the sea views and being able to slob out on our own deck with our own jacuzzi all day :).

Whatever you decide you will love it!

Thanks for all the advices, ideally I'd like to secure an UG prior to arrival, otherwise I'll try to negotiate the UG on-site.

Assume you stayed on points. How did you end up staying in the Deluxe Beach Villa? Did you arrive and hope for the best with your Diamond status?

Did you advance confirm w/ the ~USD300/night upgrade fee? Did they offer paid upgrades upon arrival at lower upgrade rates?

Sorry - yes you are correct - we stayed on points and secured the upgrade to the DBV in advance for the first four nights (paid ~ USD300/night). For the last four nights we could stay in the DBV at no additional cost.

It seems, that there's no general rule regarding the upgrade policy - but low occupancy and a polite request on the island to your Island host might help.

I'm working on getting pictures added, but this is the first time I've done that, so I thought I'd post first and slowly add my pictures.

The hotel from the sky
http://www2.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=2547149013/PictureID=103672089013/a=90631834_90631834/

Ok so it’s finally time for me to post some thoughts anecdotes about my 5th anniversary trip to the Conrad Maldives. I think it took me so long to write this, because I didn’t want to really think feel that the trip was over. My wife and I spent September 1st to the 9th at this AMAZING hotel. I guess really what I wanted to do here is post information that I found to be helpful to our stay and allowed us to enjoy the vacation and yes break the bank but at least not by as much as I thought or expected we would. I’m not a cheap person, but when you are paying $8 for a ½ liter of water, it’s nice to know how you can maximized your stay and still have a good time.

We used HH points for this trip so for 205k we got 8 nights, being a HH Diamond allowed us to use the discounted rate (GLON) and also the opportunity to pick from two amenity packages upon arrival. I won’t reiterate the packages here, unless someone asks for it later, but we choose the complimentary breakfast which included Atoll Market or Vilu. Even though ½ our stay was on the island that had Vilu, we ate every breakfast at Atoll, because the service, food and outside seating with views of the beach/pool was fabulous. Yes Vilu was over the water and had an amazing feel, we just got stuck in our schedule. Snorkeling, breakfast, and then the pool. It was a great way to live.

Atoll for Breakfast was great, it was one of the best buffets I’ve ever had and the variety of food was stunning. They had so many items to choose from here’s a short list:
Miso Soup
Rice
Indian Curry (it changed from day to day)
French Toast
Pancakes and waffles made to order
Eggs/omelets made to order
A huge pastry bar
Salad
Yoghurts/Cereal
Tropical fruit (mangosteen, guava, pineapple, apple) to name a few
Fresh juice maker
Sausages
Bacon
Baked tomatoes
And any kind of juice, I found the orange to be the BEST I’ve EVER had, I don’t know what the secret was, but it rocked!

I could go on but I won’t the thing that made breakfast so wonderful was excellent service and a great variety of foods to choose from. So even after 8 days I still found something new to eat and I didn’t get tired of the choices. Unlike most “free” breakfasts, where after two or three days, I’m sick of the food. They have tables inside or outside all you needed to do was sit down and they would make the table if it was not made already. I don’t know the cost (I think $75pp), but as the free amenity it was not only wonderful but it saved us a ton of money. My wife doesn’t drink so the other option that included happy hour was not to appealing to us.

Other places we ate. My wife and I are really simple and we found the process of having to make a reservation to eat at anywhere other than Atoll or the Rangali Bar a pain. We were on vacation and frankly couldn’t plan further ahead than a few hours, there was no need to stress, so we actually never ate anywhere other than the Rangali Bar (dinner every night), Atoll or Mandhoo (lunch once). Plus the fact that not all places were open every night (the hotel was at best 30% full) so they had a staggered schedule for when places were open for lunch and dinner. And frankly the staff was not always 100% sure what was open. Besides the Rangali Bar had such awesome curry and fish that you could never go wrong there.

Dinners Rangali Bar
The menu was about 10 pages long and they had everything from pizza to pasta, fish, curry, Asian and almost anything in-between. I went from curry of the day (fish, chicken, beef) to the fish of the day (rainbow runner, green job, or something else). These meals were excellent and were large portions and tasted great. The curry came with pickle, raita, rice, chapatti and papadum. The fish came with two sides you pick em as well as salad and vegetables. All was excellent. The other reason we ate here for dinner was the view and the seats. We sat right on the beach had out feet in the sand, could hear the ocean and watch the crabs walk by. It was romantic, quiet and empty. We never saw more than one or two other tables being used. What was the point of paying 4 to 5x as much to have a private dinner when we could have it at Rangali Bar.

Fish of the day
http://www2.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=2547149013/PictureID=103672075013/a=90631834_90631834/

The hotel also offered a few snack and drink specials throughout the day. The thing is it was like a secret handshake or password, if you didn’t see it happening or were not in the right place at the right time you’d miss it. This was a gripe to me, a daily planer like on a cruise would have been so helpful. It would let us know what was open and what to do if you wanted to do something. I don’t expect them to keep announcing activities, but at least make it a little more obvious what’s going on each day.

Everyday around noon to 1 staff would pass out fresh fruit at the man pool, and anytime you’re at the pool they would bring by water. Keep in mind to this date I have not seen any other post that mentions this, but EVERY restaurant except Atoll, charges for water, there’s no such thing as complimentary water anywhere on the island. The only places you can get it is, your room (they will leave you bottles, Atoll, and the gym), otherwise you’re on your own.

Afternoon tea from 4-5PM at Rangali bar
A wide selection of finger sandwiches, cookies and fruit
Several hot teas to choose from

Happy hour 10-11 PM at the Rangali Bar. We stumbled upon this on our last night. If only I had know. All drinks were ½ off, which once the discount is taken makes the prices like any other normal place. Once again I’m not cheap, but I would have actually spent more money If I knew this existed. It was just a lack of advertising. Also every night had a theme at the bar, frankly rarely were we up that late at the main hotel, so it may never have mattered. They had a movie night, casino night a live band to name a few of the themed occasions. We only found out cause we saw a small sign in the corner of the bar, otherwise we never would have know.

Rooms: My points covered a standard beach villa, to upgrade was $300 for a deluxe and $400 for a water villa. This was all part of an email sent to us 2 weeks before arrival. We choose to roll the dice and see if we’d get automatically upgraded. We didn’t and were given #209 which is on the main island on the right side so it was not facing the other island. It was very nice, but we were hoping for more so we requested an upgrade once there and said we’d even pay. We saw a superior water villa $300/night and deluxe beach villa $200/night. We loved both and had requested the first 4 nights in a standard then we’d upgrade to the water villa. Our host said no problem. Later he came to us and told us he was mistaken and that the water villa was only available for the first 4 nights so if we wanted it we had to take it now. Man I didn’t want to have to “downgrade” to the beach villa after the luxury of the water villa, but “Oh well”. So we ended up staying in the water villa for the first 4 nights, but due to availability the last four nights they couldn’t put us in a standard beach villa so they ended giving us a complimentary upgrade to the deluxe beach villa. That was awesome, too bad I couldn’t pay the $100 difference per night to stay in the water villa the rest of the time. This was the one amazing thing the resort did for us, I thought it was a nice touch giving us the upgrade.

Standard Villa –Pictures #209
We did not stay here but it was nice. If I didn’t know any better I would have stayed here the entire trip. For what we paid to upgrade my wife and I could have had a spa treatment every day. But I must say that if I ever go back, cross my fingers we do for our 10 year anniversary, I want a water villa for the whole time.


This room had a fridge, Nspresso maker with capsules, hot water pitcher, flat screen tv, bose sound system and all the other amenities that the other rooms had.

Deluxe Beach Villa #225

Beautiful plunge pool, large day bed and table. This room also had a fridge, Nspresso maker with capsules, hot water pitcher, flat screen tv, bose sound system and all the other amenities that the other rooms had. What made this different than the standard villa? Location further from the main resort area, plunge pool, bigger outdoor bathtub, larger room and it’s completely separated from other units. Unlike the standard villas which are connected by a wall. The only issue I had was when you were outside in the pool or on the lanai too could see right into your neighbors backyard, so there really was not too much privacy outside. Also the mosquitoes were a HUGE problem, and in the patio you got eaten alive, it made us not use the plunge pool. BTW at room 225 is where you catch the path from the beach to the house reef, so this was a great location to stay at. What we found out after moving from the water villas to this side of the island where the best snorkeling is, is that you can’t cut across rooms to get to the reef you needed to walk/ride from the spa beach or the beach at the main hotel up to 225 and then hop in. Not an inconvenience, but since there are no throughways from the path to the beach you needed to go to the top or bottom of the resort to get here. Unless you stayed in a beach villa on this side. It was also slightly noisy because these rooms are on the path of the seaplanes, you could hear them landing and taking off, also the birds and animals did make it a little noisy. It was not a big deal at all, but when you moved from the absolute quite of the water villas to this, it was noisy. Don’t get me wrong it was still pretty quiet, but not silent.

http://www2.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=2547149013/PictureID=103672088013/a=90631834_90631834/



Superior Water Villa #339
This by far was the best room, it was private, quite and had an outstanding view. They are in clusters of three, but you only see your neighbors room from the front walkway, as far as I was concerned you were alone. Waking up to the sunrise/sunset was the best part of the trip. The hot tub/cold tub on the deck was decedent. I was so at peace out there, I felt like a king. You could see all kinds of wildlife swimming by, we say sharks, sting rays, butterfly fish to name a few just from out deck. The living space was the smallest of the three but still plenty of room. All shower/bathroom facilities are inside, on the deck was a table 2 chairs, loungers and the hot tub/cold tub. There are stairs to the ocean, but it was shallow and had a strong current so we stayed out of it here. The only complaint and not a big one would have been if you could really swim from the villa. Amenity wise what was different, hot tub, DVD player, sofa and large side chair.

Our SWV
http://www2.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=2547149013/PictureID=103672076013/a=90631834_90631834/

Sunset
http://www2.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=2547149013/PictureID=103672081013/a=90631834_90631834/

What to pack, yes we all know you don’t need much and we packed pretty light I think. But next time I’ll pack lighter here’s why, because all rooms provide the following:
Two umbrellas, and there are tons in stands across the island
2 windbreakers/rain jackets
Conrad Slippers
Beach Bag

What I would bring next time:
More snacks, stuff to nosh during the day when you’re too lazy to get food or call for room service. They had a hot water pot so ramen or cup of noodle would be perfect.
Loads of sun block, it was $48 for a 10 oz tube.
Water bottle- after spending $50 in a few days on water it got kinda expensive.
If you want to lounge at the pool a few books, magazines or eBooks were handy. Sunning by the pool can be exhausting and it’s nice to have some sort of distraction.

Other pluses of the resort:
Free wifi in rooms and at the Rangali Bar. We found the wifi in the beach villas far quicker than in the water villas.
Great staff, very knowledgeable and helpful. Always friendly and willing to do whatever you asked.
Great spa, in fact all the massage treatments included an extra ½ hour. So the prices were actually about what I’d pay in SF. Great location, ambiance and the treatments were top notch. I highly recommend the Thai massage, what a treat!

All in all a really great vacation, and we can’t wait to get back. I loved the fact that it was only 30% occupied, as it is this resort is quite but that made it quieter. We met lots of really nice people, and found that if you wanted to be alone it was easy and if you wanted to meet others that was easy too. The Rangali bar and pool were the hub of the resort, and if you were looking for something this was a good place to start. As a person that travels about 40% or the year and stays in hotels 100 plus nights a year this was a great respite from the hustle and bustle of a regular vacation. Most people we’ve talked too since just can’t grasp the fact that the resort was the vacation and that it really was about doing nothing.


There was a ton more I could have added, so if anyone has questions please PM me or just ask. Also thanks to everyone that's posted to this thread, it was so so helpful for our trip and made it extra special.

Thanks for this great review. I can't wait to go next June.

I'll be there end of Nov 2009 (really just ant to make a post so I can get daily email of posts - can't figure out any other way to get that other make a post.