brodielayne

Your schedule looks completely doable, and one I would likely follow. My wife on the other hand would be quite content with a bagel brought back on my return.

rjp123

When we went for our honeymoon in February 2018 we arrived at 3 PM via TG (IST). My thinking was I wasn't going to waste nearly a full day by checking in that night at the Conrad and instead booked a hotel not far from the airport (very reasonable price) and try for an early plane out to the Conrad so we could have a full day there.

We arrived at the Conrad around 11 AM the next day. The room wasn't ready but they took care of us and we had nearly a full day at the resort. Better than arriving at 5 PM and only having dinner and darkness (it gets dark early there compared to Canada in the summer [9 PM]).

Either-or, you're going to love the trip. My wife and I are itching to go back - we honestly think this is the best resort experience in the world. Nothing could ever come close, and I'm a non-credit-card Diamond so hopefully that means something (we stayed in a DWV and a DBV during our trip - we actually preferred the DBV when all was said and done and will be staying in the DBV when we return [hopefully 2019]).

Enjoy the trip!

rjp123

We did the hot pot at Ufaa and it was pretty darn good. My wife hates hot pot but the presentation with the coal cooker and the tower of food to cook along with the sauces - even she liked it. We live in a city with great Chinese food and have been to Asia and we both agreed the hot pot was a good dinner. Expensive for what it was - yes? It would have probably cost us 1/4 where we live, but in the Maldives...

Cannot comment on other dishes from Ufaa.

Fly2Where

The change begin on the 15th. The service there was extremely slowslow not full.... We waited for the 20 mins , so we go to get the snack yourself , but was stopped , and the server insisted to serve us .
Also , the cocktail snack used to be 4 pieces , after change , it's only 2 pieces .
​​​​
However , we we're not told the time was changed.. The host only tell us aftertea 4-5 , and cocktail the same place at vilu . We saw ppl able to get drinks after 5:30pm or closer to 6pm though .

Fly2Where

So we were lucky able to see this "underwater residence". First floor is still under construction, they are building a jet docking, as well as seaplane docking, so private seaplane is possible(most likely extra charge).
They have room to accommodate for 9 guests, plus you can bring your own maid or security.
The qualify downstairs were super, dark theme so no reflection from glass. They even build a shade to cover the whole area.... so you no longer need to worried about ppl staring at you in your room. Bathroom downstairs was cool! Except no heated floor.
the day we visit, the water was foggy, so we didn't see much except couple fishes when they came close to us.
they are working on package for now... so nothing solid, but price is not cheap. However it will be all inclusive (meal prepared in your residence), include excursions.
my wife was very excited and interested to give it a try. If I lure my sister, making this trip very doable. Can't wait!!

passionforhotels

I agree. Still don't see how getting to Rangali a day later 'gains' an extra day on the island. The two options as I understand it are:

-land late
-transfer to Rangali, arrive around 1am (about 4 hours after landing in the country)
-wake up at leisure and enjoy being on the island already. If you really can't make breakfast, then so what? Go for lunch/brunch or whatever. Or order room service.

or

-land late
-transfer to a hotel in Male, get in around 11pm
-wake up early for breakfast in Male because seaplane check in time is 7am
-arrive at Rangali mid-morning (around 12 - 14 hours after landing in the country): you've lost a morning of your holiday, had a few hours' sleep in an average hotel, had a boring breakfast but saved money.

It's worth considering getting to the island sooner, even if that means arriving at 1am and having only 6 hours' sleep that night, than staying overnight in Male (where they still only get around 6 hours' sleep) and lose much of the following morning in transfers when they could be enjoying the island already (or sleeping!). They save money by staying the first night in Male, but lose time on the island. Only they can do the cost/benefit analysis of that.

MaldivesFreak

It's not an army camp. It's a holiday. You're there to relax not screw with your sleep cycle and rush around unclean. And everybody is different. MLF is so slow at doing everything. It's her personality. Why would you want to rush everything and feel uncomfortable on holiday because you are rushing everything. Plus she has an unbelievable head of hair which she has to wash and dry. That takes an hour all by itself. Yeah, she could choose not to wash her hair but after a day on the road and sweating in a tropical climate both at home and en route it gets dirty quickly and she feels uncomfortable when it gets dirty so washing it is a must. As for priorities, yes, it's a personal hygeine priority. Being on another schedule would be like saying "dont brush your teeth because it's a waste of time". Then there's makeup application / removal. Then there's this cream for this part of the face and that cream for that part etc etc. It's unbelievable but I'm not going to say "Hey, stop being a woman!" and leave her behind and go to breakfast by myself.

:? How do you mean, exactly? We have spent an extra 3 days at the resort (actually it's closer to 4; 6 x15 or 16hrs). In 6 trips we haven't spent anywhere near 72hrs extra in Male due to overnighting there.
Or do you mean add an extra night? If I do that I'm only throwing most of my cash or points down the toilet because I will be there for 8 hours out of a possible 24 for that particular 95K or however much it costs in cash. So I get only 1/3 of what I pay for. What a waste.

gnomey

MaldivesFreak

The idea is to arrive on the morning of your first day at Rangali. If you overnight in MLE, yes, you are effectively adding one night to your itinerary but you are going to arrive very early at around, on average, 10 - 10:30AM island time, which means 15 or 16 hours more than someone who arrives at 1 or 2AM on their first day at the resort. If you check in so late you are paying for the whole day but you are there for a lot less than half of it.

If you arrive into MLE late and don't overnight there you are throwing a good portion of your cash or points down the toilet. Fact. The later you arrive, the more you lose out. Keeping in mind that check-out is at 12 noon, how is being there for 10 or 11 hours out of a possible 24 for that particular 76,000 or 95,000 points or $550 (low season) or, in high or Festive Season, possibly thousands of dollars in cash, ? It isn't worth it. You get less than half of what you pay for. An emphatic waste.

The bottom line is this: If your flight arrives late into MLE, you sacrifice $100 - $125 for a decent hotel and roughly 7 - 8 hours of time to gain an extra 2/3 of a day in paradise (compared to someone who takes the domestic flight then speedboat). It's a no-brainer. And as for working out the value of it, the later your flight arrives in MLE, the less time you waste overnighting and you have a guarantee of getting to the resort first thing the next day. In addition to the fact that you're in heaven, there are the other advantages that no-one, for some silly reason, talks about;
* free massage at the Conrad Lounge
* free breakfast at the Conrad Lounge
* option to get spa discount if you book while in the lounge
* possible breakfast at Rangali (so, technically you get two breakfasts for your first paid night. Twice we've gotten on the seaplane early enough and in a rush so that we've been given breakfast on arrival at the resort, rather than at the lounge)
* possible early check-in. Remember check-in is at 2PM and no property is obliged to give you the room until that time. We've been able to check in early on 3 out of 5 visits. On one occasion we had our bags taken to the room at 0930 while we ate a relaxed breakfast and then did check-in formalities after we finished eating
* zero chance to miss the domestic flight and speedboat. Remember that if your flight arriving into Male in the evening is late, it's easy to miss the transportation to the resort and you have wasted one night at Rangali
* As FT user Splotly mentions here, you will, quote "miss the experience of the daytime seaplane (if you’re coming for the first time then consider that carefully - it really is quite something and shows you exactly where you are in the world and adds tremendously to the feeling when you are on the island)."

The problem here is that most people treat this overnighting vs. post-midnight check-in consideration as they would for any hotel which is the wrong way to go about it. This is the Maldives. Most people have to fly halfway round the world to get there and it's heaven for crying out loud. Why wouldn't you want to maximize your time there?! This is especially true if it's your first time there or if you aren't a millionnaire and don't spend weeks there every year. There's an American guy who spends 45 days straight there every single year. If you're him then who cares, right? But if you're only there for 5 nights why the hell lose hundreds or thousands of dollars, or tens of thousands of points, and 13% of your total time at your dream destination in paradise by checking in at 1 or 2AM. - yes, that's right folks, work it out .....13%! Pure madness!

MaldivesFreak

There will hardly be a charge for the seaplane because it's not going to land there and then take off again to land yet again at the bridge jetty to drop everyone else off. A private seaplane charter will also not be charged extra.

But still not including alcohol.

Splotly

goliath

I think the topic of where to spend your first night after a late arrival into MLE got a bit ouf of hand now, so I promise this will be my last post on this.

Yes, I meant to add another night at Rangali, that's why I said:

and:
As both you and dein_gesicht have mentioned, your time away from the office / from the family is limited to x days. Say you can be away from home for a maximum of 8 full days, that will leave you with 6 full days between arriving in MLE and leaving from MLE again.

Now you can chose to either:

• Spend the full 6 days at Rangali, paying more and give up some of the benefits of the Conrad lounge and the seaplane transfer

OR

• Spend the first night on Hulhumale and then 5,5 days at Rangali, paying a bit less and getting the benefits of the Conrad lounge and the seaplane transfer

That's everybody's choice, as I said in my first post on the subject:

and later:
It's a personal preference. You see the first option as:

and think that:
while I would chose the second option. So I guess we will have to agree that we have different priorities.

I agree with you on this:

but by "there" I mean "at the resort" and not "somewhere on the Maldives" (i.e first on Hulhumale, then at the resort).

I agree, too. As I said earlier:


To sum up my view:

Most of us (myself included) have a set limit of time to spend beteween touching down in MLE and taking off from there again. The choice is ours.

Or to quote Gandalf in "The Fellowhip of the Ring":

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."@:-)

Majuki

For us, hot pot is the kind of meal you have on a cold, rainy day. The rainy part was there for one of the days we were there. Cold? Not so much. The food quality wasn't bad, but next time I think we'd look to spend more money on activities or perhaps an upgraded villa rather than food. I don't think there are any incorrect choices, and it's a matter of personal preference of what you want to prioritize, sort of like the decision to spend the first night in Malé or the resort.

Mrs. Majuki and I got back stateside Thursday afternoon, and now that I have reliable Internet access, I can make this post. We felt the departure was a little too much like a cruise ship with staff rushing people off to departing seaplanes. It felt like they were implicitly saying, "Yeah, we've already got your money, so we're going to do the bare minimum now." We were given bottles of water, but there was no towel service or slush drink like upon the arrival. That being said, we were given a late checkout without asking until 3 pm resort time, and our seaplane was punctual at 4:10 pm. By the time we got to the main reception, we already noticed others had been waiting for the return transfer. Half of these people got on the 3:30 pm seaplane, which was running about 20 minutes behind schedule. Furthermore, when we returned to the seaplane terminal, we noticed people who had departed on the earlier flight were waiting and took the same bus with us back to the terminal. All things considered, we preferred waiting things out at the resort rather than at the seaplane terminal.

Also, my one last request for the complete stuffed animal set went unfulfilled. We managed to get the dolphin and manta ray from our host, but I called the concierge asking if they still had the set. They said they typically only give one out to children, and, "the stuffed animals are not a common request," which was since every other Conrad where I've stayed either has left the stuffed animal upon check-in or gladly provided one upon request. Perhaps guests are unaware these are a feature of Conrad hotels?

Upon returning to the airport we initially opted to do the Malé tour. However, things were somewhat chaotic when we got back, so we decided to stay in the terminal. I got the impression that once the bus dumps you and your luggage off at the terminal, you're more or less on your own even if you've arranged a tour. We never considered the Conrad Lounge package since from reading here this used to be an elite benefit that they removed. While we wouldn't mind paying for a nice place to sit, the fact that it used to be a benefit left sort of a sore spot to ponying up the money. It would be like if they did away with the afternoon tea and started charging we would be unlikely to pay for it.

We went to the food court to have some food and cold drinks. The Conrad representative who was on the bus with us back to the airport informed us of the Wellness Spa, which is before check-in and accepts Priority Pass (via a manual imprint!) for up to two hours. The Wellness Spa does have two showers whereas the Leeli Lounge, which is the contract lounge Cathay Pacific uses airside, does not. We didn't feel bad about not doing the Malé tour since we had booked one night at Hotel Jen on the outbound, and our seaplane transfer wasn't until later in the afternoon. We had enough time to walk around for a bit and visited the National Museum, which is worth a visit if you are interested in learning about the history of the country. (I know I'm in the minority here, and almost all of you prefer to maximize your resort time. )

While at the resort we sampled the following restaurants for dinner:

Koko: Lots of food and friendly, attentive staff; Mrs. Majuki found the experience underwhelming, but I enjoyed it.
Ufaa: Good quality food and nice location for dinner, and we found the area over there provides a nice breeze at night. However, unless we really had a longing for Chinese food, I think we would hold off until we got back to the Bay Area or Taiwan.
Ithaa: This was a highlight for us, and we had great staff and cuisine. It also helped that the restaurant was only half booked with 7 guests initially he evening we were down there. Another couple did arrive well into the meal, but for the first five courses we were the only people sitting on our side of the restaurant, which made for great photos. The restaurant didn't seem to enforce the dress code, and Mrs. Majuki and I were the only couple who both dressed up for the occasion. The other men were wearing jean shorts with two wearing t-shirts with another wearing a polo shirt. The women were all wearing dresses, however.
Sunset Grill: Great meal, and I think this would be one of our go to restaurants if we return to the resort in the future.

For breakfast, you can't go wrong with either Vilu or Atoll Market. We did Vilu the first morning only. The advantages of Vilu are that there are fewer people and one can order off of a menu, but we preferred the variety of the different buffet stations at Atoll Market. For our last three mornings, they didn't have the outside tables set up due to the weather. However, only on one of those three days did it actually rain during the time we were there for breakfast, and there was a bit of a wait to be seated. (They compensated by leaving the breakfast buffet open until almost 11 that day.)

For activities, we mostly waded in the ocean near our villa in the early mornings and used the small pool on our deck. We transitioned to the main pool or Quiet Zone pools for later in the morning and afternoon. One thing I was a bit surprised by was the fact that both pools close at 6 pm. I understand it's probably to create a better ambiance for the nearby diners at each location, but we felt like this was a bit of a limitation. In terms of other facilities, the fitness center is excellent, and the locker rooms on the upper level have showers and towel service. I was able to keep my gym shoes free of sand and stones and wear my water shoes everywhere else, not an easy feat considering the location! We did not sample the spa services this time around.

For the room, we were in villa 327. We didn't request any villa in particular, and after referencing the post by MaldivesFreak I was a bit concerned that we had gotten the equivalent of the room by the ice machine at the resort. (You know that at any hotel there is always that room that even management feels bad for the people who are staying there.) I think there were some concerns about the view and being able to see the other villas because of the angle. We actually enjoyed this location since it was an end unit for our cluster of villas, and aside from one day didn't actually see anyone swimming in the water and had unobstructed views from within the room. Here are some photos I took of the villa, which includes some from the deck to highlight the angle. Hopefully this provides a good data point to supplement the water villa selection post from MaldivesFreak.





















Finally, here is a video of me video of me on the Jetblade, courtesy of Mrs. Majuki:


She didn't get any videos or photos near the end of the session as I was able to get higher or the outtakes where I kept falling into the water at the beginning. (She said I did get many laughs from those watching on the beach though each time I fell into the water. )

Fly2Where

From what I was told, it's all packaged deals, so there will be extra charge for private seaplane. However, like you said, there will be no extra charge if you choose a package to join the mass. they will use cart to transport you, express immigration etc...

Furthermore, there will be a full bar inside the residence, 2 kinds of champaign is included (1 is actually Salon!!), also premium tea. So, it's true all inclusive. Again, it's just a plan...

I was told the same, shooting for first week of Nov to launch the product.

lhrhappy

At that price, I think I'd rather stay at the Four Seasons private island. Any ideas who they're expecting to book it?