itsj0nathan

What does this mean for the Hilton side of things?

konaflyer

Same question as itsjOnathan.
@MaldivesFreak- We are arriving on Etihad into MLE at 2 PM on March 3rd. How late in the day do the seaplanes fly at that time of the year? Im just concerned in case the flight were delayed a bit. I read your wiki on the seaplane info but it didn't seem to talk more about how early in the day they fly.

Can you or anyone else comment on how the Conrad compares with the St Regis and the W as far as the water villas and their privacy and quiet (from neighbors' noise), ease of getting a sunset facing room, the quality of the snorkeling and reefs, likelihood of seeing whale sharks on an excursion, rating of the beach and softness of the sand, etc. The Maldives are a long way from Hawaii where we live. This is our first trip there.

MaldivesFreak

Worst case scenario the new owners boot Hilton like they did with Iru Fushi.


No differences based on time of year. The post's FAQ has a question "Q: What time is the earliest seaplane flight to Rangali and what time is the last seaplane flight back to Malé?" which gives times for the earliest flights. I advise you to overnight in Male, both for peace of mind and to maximize your time at Rangali.

goliath

Today, I've finally found the time to go through the pictures taken during our stay in October this year. During our stay, we were taken on a tour to see some of the villa types we haven't stayed in before.

I will start with these today:

Renovated DBV (Deluxe Beach Villa)

All these pictures are of the one villa (#140 - the one at the very to of Rangalifinolhu Island) that was done as a mock-up before renovation of all the other DBVs started. Some things have been changed in the process, so things may not look exactly the same in the ones that have been renovated now. If I remember correctly, some of the furniture was replaced by smaller items in the "actual" renovated DBVs. They also let some regular guests stay in #140 to get their feedback before they started redoing all the others.

These are all the pics I have - click on a picture for a larger view:

Entrance

The glass door on the left is the main door to get into the villa:



(there is a second door outside of this one)


Main / Bedroom

Sorry for the blurry pic, it's the only one I have. The door to the left leads into the "powder room", straight ahead is the entrance, the door on the right leads to the bathroom and then to the outdoor shower and from there to the day bed / outdoor bath area:



View out towards the pool:




"Powder room"

Between the bedroom and the entance - in the mirror you can see the back of the bed headboard and the storage / luggage room:




Patio and pool

The floor as well as the pool has been re-tiled:



Bathroom

All of the bathroom area is no within the AC environment. To the right, the storage / luggage room:



View back into the villa, new indoor shower on the left, the toilet (with electronic bidet / washlet, if I remember correctly) on the right:







Outdoor shower

When you step outside, you still have the outdoor shower on your right:



and straight ahead, you see the

Daybed / outdoor bath

Based on guest feedback, many (most?) of the DBVs will feature a daybed instead of an outdoor bath in this area. Only some (few?) of the DBV will have the outdoor bath as pictured here:






We were told that not all the DBVs have been renovated by now and that the second wave of renovations will not start until sometime next year.

Until renovations are completed, renovated DBVs can not be confirmed by the reservations department, even if requested.


My opinion

Personally, I think the upgrades are a huge improvement over the previous layout. I specially like that all of the indoors (including the bathroom) is now AC controlled and that you have a choice between outdoor and indoor shower. Before they were renovated, I preferred the renovated BVs over the DBVs, but now, I would definitely book the renovated DBV over the renovated BV if given the choice.


If you have any questions, let me know!

goliath

Maps of both islands

I posted the first one a while ago, now I can add the second one as well - - click on a picture for a larger view:

1) Rangalifinolhu (Main) Island



(you can see the size and shape of the DBV pools here, that's what the small circles and squares in front of the DBVs are)


2) Rangali (Water Villa) Island



(this one gives you a good idea of the space between individual villas as well as the orientation of the decks)

MaldivesFreak

Thanks a bunch for the pics! Interesting that they are not keeping the back yards uniform (with some having the bath and others not).

pineapple_09

konaflyer

@MaldivesFreak: Thank you for your quick reply! I didn't ask my question correctly. I meant when is the latest seaplane flight from MLE? We would prefer to get to the Conrad after landing at MLE at 2 PM because none of the hotels on the airport island look appealing. We have been in Male a few years ago so don't need to tour it again. However, I don't want to have paid for our first night (albeit using points) and not be able to get there if there were a flight delay. Or need to scramble for a guest house res if we were delayed. How much time do we need to get through MLE airport (baggage pickup and immigration) and get to the Conrad lounge or the seaplane checkin area? It is possible that we could get by with just a carryon suitcase & handbag or backpack. Would that save us sufficient time to make it worthwhile? If we have to overnight in MLE, I'd need to change my res ASAP while they still have availability on points.

brodielayne

The wiki at the top of the thread has this information. According to the wiki, you will have no issue getting a seaplane to the resort the day you arrive. I would not stay in MLE on arrival and would head straight to the resort. A few weeks ago I went from airplane seat to Conrad rep in about 20-30 minutes, and was at the seaplane terminal under an hour. Mileage may vary........
See below:

"Time Info (to the resort):
• Guests arriving in Malé on an international flight between 06.00 and 16.00 will transfer to Conrad Maldives by seaplane
• Because seaplanes can only fly during daylight hours, guests arriving in Malé on an international flight between 16.00 and 22.00 will transfer to Conrad Maldives by domestic flight and speedboat
• Guests arriving in Malé on an international flight after 22.00 will require overnight accommodation in Malé and a seaplane transfer will be arranged for them the following morning. The resort can book a hotel for you if requested and add the charges to your room bill at Conrad Maldives. (See the bottom of the wiki for recommended hotels in Malé and ones the resort can book for you)"

mikewhyatt

[QUOTE=MaldivesFreak;30490264]Worst case scenario the new owners boot Hilton like they did with Iru Fushi.

Ugh this is seriously concerning. I'm working through the CCs to plan for my honeymoon, I wont be able to book until Feb for Sep 2019 travel. Hopefully this doesnt throw a massive wrench into our plans.

alanslegal

And not honor existing reservations; Hilton might have to "walk" me to a comparable resort in the Hilton portfolio such as the Waldorf Astoria (and pay for our transfer) ...... or is that wishful thinking?

Majuki

Typically when properties lose their affiliation to a rewards program they will announce the change before the booking window opens for current reservations. At the very least, current reservations are honored.

lhrhappy

If the worst happens, maybe consider Koh Samui or Bora Bora?

Doubt it. If the new owners don't want to honor your reservation, they would just cancel it in advance.

konaflyer

@brodielayne. Thanks so much for the info the guests arriving on international flight until16.00 can get on the seaplane. I much prefer to go straight to th Conrad Maldives. MaldivesFreak had responded to my initial post by telling me to overnight in MLE. I don't know if he was just thinking of the most efficient way to go by getting there very early. I'd prefer to get there in the late afternoon and start my Maldives vacation especially because I have 7 days. Which carrier did you fy in on and what time did you arrive. One hour from airplane seat to the seaplane terminal seems amazing and the fruits of good karma.

konaflyer

@brodielayne. I forgot to ask if you had checked bags or just carryon?