mnredfox

Some things in life I'll never get to experience....

IvanCU

Here right now; first full day. Seems a bit quiet. Weather is clear but pretty hot and humid.

So far so good!

alp67

We did the local island tour back in Feb and it was absolutely worth it. One of the CR employees, who lives on Dhangethi, has shown us around. Interesting what he said about the police station there. He's seen the officers wearing uniforms twice. And they have been working there for about five years. So, it's pretty safe as well, I guess...

IvanCU

Here at the Conrad Rangali after second night of seven for first visit to the Maldives. Thought I would comment on a few of the topics that have been discussed recently, and offer up some other random thoughts.

I recently dropped to HHonors Gold after having been Diamond for a number of years (changes at work have reduced my travel). Originally booked seven nights in a WV using points. Was contacted via E-mail offering upgrades at additional cost; asked about upgrade to SWV and was offered it at $110.88 USD per night inclusive of tax. Was happy to accept as the additional privacy and space seemed well worth it, plus the smaller island sounded nice. Arrived and our host told us we had been upgraded to a RWV. In the back of my head I was thinking I might prefer the SWV based on the smaller island location, but the reviews of the RWV here had been good, so fine. We're almost at the end of the group of villas so it is a bit of hike out here, but the upside is the sea life viewing is great from the deck. It does seem pretty quiet here so I'm guessing upgrades might be coming easier this time of year.

The RWV is very nice, although I do wonder how many people get any use out of the second "spa" room. Seems like a waste of a beautiful space which would be really nice with a coffee table and a few more chairs. And maybe put the desk in there for us who like to do early morning typing while our spouse sleeps. From the room layouts it appears the SWV has more closet space than the RWV, but the bathroom and shower/bath area of the RWV are very spacious.

The only really annoying thing (at least for me) is the lack of accessible power outlets. I had to go on a "in search of" mission doing a lot of digging around under cabinets to find places to plug things in. Also, due to weight restrictions of the seaplane, I can vividly remember putting my usual extension cord/outlet strip aside and thinking "I won't need this"... well, I was wrong. Funny enough the spa room has two easily accessed outlets. There is one way under the desk in the bedroom that isn't being used but it is hard to access and only good for one item at a time. Maybe I'm a bit too used to business-oriented hotels, but on this trip I have two different camera battery chargers, a USB charger for phones and iPads, and a laptop charger. Not sure I'm a whole lot different than many travelers.

Air Conditioning in the room is fairly good. It is better in the spa room (larger split unit in the ceiling in that room). Figuring out the lighting and fan controls is a source of amusement, and not everything works the way you might expect. The bedroom fan has a variable control that essentially selects one speed. There is no separate AC in the bathroom so it can get a bit stuffy in there, and no exhaust fan in the shower room. I've found that keeping the door to the shower room closed when we're not using it helps keep things cooler in the bathroom and bedroom.

The lack of railing on the deck seems odd given the strange shape. Neither of us are heavy drinkers but I can only imagine how many people have tripped over the edge and either hit the villa support structure or the shallow water.

We used the room beach bag yesterday and found a cute stuffed whale in it that must have been placed there before checking in to the room. It is nice they included rain coats and umbrellas in the rooms; we'll remember that for our next visit as we figured rain coats were needed in case of heavy rains. I appreciated the fact that the robes and rain coats actually fit us. Considering the range of guests here I'm pretty sure they notify housekeeping as soon as you arrive and tell them your approximate size.

Everyone who works here is very nice. They seem to be mostly from the Maldives and India (maybe Pakistan too). Upon wandering around the island I spoke briefly to a man who I believe is the resort doctor. It looked like they had a small medical facility which makes sense as the resorts have to be totally self-sufficient. It is pretty amazing to think about the need to generate their own power, desalinate the water, etc. Anyway, everyone is friendly and nice although sometimes the manners seem a bit forced and abrupt but then again they're dealing with a very wide range of guests with varying expectations. We're much more used to a more casual attitude of Hawaii or the Caribbean and here I think some guests expect a more formal attitude from "the staff".

So far have only had the breakfast buffet and a dinner at the Sunset Grill. Dinner was nice and, yes, expensive for what you get. It is somewhat odd since the entree prices aren't that insane, although portions can be a bit small. Sides are not unusually priced, but appetizers and desserts seem much more expensive than what you might expect at a similar restaurant elsewhere. As others have mentioned the sides are pretty bland. I'm looking forward to trying Ufaa for dinner and hopefully that will be a bit better. The breakfast buffet isn't anything special for this type of resort, but the food and service are good. Everything does seem a bit bland in taste, although the Indian food in the breakfast buffet was good and surprisingly spicy. We missed the Maldavian night dinner buffet, but that was probably better than average.

Looks like another beautiful day in Paradise, so off to breakfast and more R&R for now.

P.S. - We're from the USA and have AT&T and Verizon phones. Neither of us can get a roaming signal. There were a couple of places at the airport that sold SIM cards so that might be the way to go if you need to stay connected. Otherwise, the island WiFi is a bit spotty and can be slow at times.

gnomey

Thanks for the review, IvanCU!

I think the outlet issue is my main grouse for all the hotels i stayed at, haha!
I think only newer construction takes into account the fact that most people these days have multiple devices at a time.

By the way, am I right that the Maldivian Nights is only held once a week, and it is on every Monday? I seem to have read abt this event before, but now I cannot find the link to it.

Thanks

IvanCU

Yes, Maldivian night is on Monday.

Definitely would check ahead of your trip though as there seems to be a bit of juggling of some other events and locations.

flyingmusicianlax

We did the Maldivian nights and it was awesome. More Maldivian food than you could shake a stick at, and probably one of the cheapest meals you can have at Rangali. They also bring in a few mothers to make some of the food, including fresh tuna salad (amazing), and chicken with this Maldivian sauce. We asked one of the staff with whom we had become friendly if this was authentic and they said it was, though significantly less spicy. Having sampled a few snacks at Dhangethi earlier that day, I find that easy to believe.

Loved our RWV (416), VERY private and secluded, didn't mind the extra walk to help make room for dinner. Asked for 421 originally, but that seemed to be grabbed by repeaters the whole week we were there. Still, 416 was great. The extra spa room did seem a waste, so we asked to have our Tour de Spa package (2 75 minute massages + lunch) moved to our room, which they did gratis. It was pretty nice having a massage in the privacy of your own "home."

StephenW

How much was the Maldivian night? I saw up thread that it was either $115++ or $150++.

gnomey

Interested to know as well (the latest price info on this).

Is it "buffet style" - eat as much or as little as you want?

flyingmusicianlax

$115++ per person, buffet style! So good.

gnomey

Thank you!



what is the earliest seaplane flight to Conrad Maldives each day ? And earliest you need to be at the departure lounge. ?

curious cos would like to have some time to get some things done in Male in the morning before leaving for the Conrad lounge

IvanCU

I'm still confused about tipping practice here for things like having someone pick you up in the golf cart, breakfast at Vilu, etc. Typically I'm more used to tips before departing the resort, but I'm not sure what is a good policy if you're appreciative of the service. At other resorts that I've been to you have the same wait staff the whole week but here they seem to mix things up a bit.

On another note, our complementary honeymoon dinner at Mandhoo was very nice; I think the food was better than the Sunset Grill. But dinner at Ufaa was really great. Going to have to try Dim Sum lunch there too.

And as others have said Vilu is the place to go for breakfast. Such a beautiful setting.

flyingmusicianlax

The seaplane schedule is set by Trans Maldivian Airways the day before your flight, so it could be anytime. The only guarantee is that it will be within three hours of your arrival. In our case, we arrived on a QR flight at 9:00 am and we left for the seaplane right around noon.

flyingmusicianlax

We tipped at departure, you can just ask the front desk to add it to your bill. I don't think any of the resort staff expect you to tip in cash - that's sort of the beauty of it: I'd leave the room and all I'd have on my person was my cell phone for pictures and my room key. Everything else was kept in the safe for the entire time.

Also, there was a mention much farther upthread about a poster who tipped their host generously right at the beginning of their stay and then s/he disappeared. That poster implied that it was sort of a lazy move but, now having been there, I'm not entirely convinced it wasn't the host thinking it was "leave us alone during our stay, please" money. Regardless, I think the expectation is that any gratuity added outside of meals and activities will be done at the end of your stay.

IvanCU

Thanks; that's how I've done it at the past at some Hawaiian and Caribbean resorts, and the Conrad Bali. But those places were a bit more consistent in your seeing the same people every time time. We just got back from the Local Island excursion and we were able to tip for that when signing the trip receipt for the hotel.

I agree it is nice not having to think about anything during your stay. This morning when we got the cart there was a family picked up as well who seem to be regulars, and I noticed they tipped the cart driver. And we did our first breakfast at Vilu today and there the staff is doing a bit more since you're ordering ala carte. Not a huge issue, I'm just curious what others have found since it is our first time here, and we plan on coming back.