[ARCHIVE to 2013] Conrad Maldives Rangali Island {MDV}
 

Any recent experiences at this resort? Do they have an Executive Lounge that is provided to Gold/Diamond Members? Is it true that you can only reach the hotel before sunset?

Stayed there a year ago ... phenom place. The hotel is located on its own island, which is 30 minutes flying time from the int'l airport at Male. The "air taxi" flights only operate during daylight hours, so if you arrive on the SQ flight from SIN (arriving late evening in Male), you'll need to overnight in Male.

No specific exec club lounge at the hotel. It's a small, intimate hotel anyway and the hotel bar/lounge serves as the main focal point of activity. The overwater rooms are located on a small adjacent island, which does have a private lounge for guests staying in these rooms. Nothing fancy, though.

I would like to stay there on an award. What about food costs since you are captive there? And what type of food do they serve?

And what are the transfer costs on the air taxi? How is it booked, etc.

If I remember correctly, the air "taxi" to/from Male is somewhere in the neighborhood of US$175/roundtrip.

Most guests do the full meal plan, which I remember being about US$60 or US$70 per person per day. Meals are buffet style (really good food, too) in the main restaurant, with lots of options/variety.

Does the reward redemption includes the transfer?
Other than sea-plane, are there water taxi (to save some money)?

a few years ago I too was thinking of this but read the local paper and got scared off when I read that the plane that does this trip crashed and everyone aboard was killed http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif I'm afraid of small planes any way and this didn't help.

There are thousand's of uneventful inter-islands flights every year in the Maldives.

Take the air taxi. I Stayed in the water villas in 99 and loved it. Would return in a heartbeat. As for the Air Taxi. Go to the book store and get the current issue of Airways magazine with Continental on the cover, it has an article on the Maldives Air Taxi. These guys are who we flew with. The boat will take hours and you WILL be seasick if you don't spend alot of time on the water already.

BSL
The Airways Table of Contents.
http://www.airwaysmag.com/magazine/a64/index.tpl

Hilton Maldives - any advice??
 

has anyone stayed at the Hilton Naldives? I am planning a trip there soon. Thanks in advance. When is the best season to visit?

sxchan,

Check this thread, there is a short rec from a BSL on the Maldives: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum57/HTML/000679.html

another FT asks BSL to elaborate, but to date they have not. Hopefully here?

Don't know why, but this thread did not come up on my first search.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum57/HTML/001070.html

Anybody else been??????

Yep, I've been. In a word, GO!!

Contact details of Maldivian Air Taxi

http://www.mataxi.com

Did some checking while out in the Maldives last week and found that there has never been a fatal air accident with the Seaplane. There were two incidents a few years ago involving Helicopter's that resulted in fatalities. Since then the maldive Government have banned Helicopter's.

We did the Seaplane transfer to our resort (not the Hilton) and it was fantastic. The Pilots must have the best flying job around - t-shirt, shorts and bare feet!