[ARCHIVE 2018 to 2019] Conrad Maldives Rangali Island {MDV}
#4246
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 179
Didn't mean that at all in terms of the "quality of guests" but really the quantity of guests. I prefer going to destinations during low season even if the weather is worse simply to stay away from crowds. Hopefully this doesn't cause a huge influx of guests that's all.
#4247
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Back in Hell
Posts: 4,178
Some people do think it's going to be Ibiza, Maldives style, though.....or maybe The Horde: Revisited, or something in between.
#4248
Join Date: Feb 2009
Programs: HH Diamond, BAEC
Posts: 1,341
Honestly mike, I think youve nothing to worry about. It certainly cant be crowded because even at almost 100% capacity, I have found the place empty. And also, many of the DBVs are closed due to the renovation so its not like they would be at normal 100% capacity anyway. Its not like they can accept guests without having a villa to put them in.
#4249
Join Date: Feb 2009
Programs: HH Diamond, BAEC
Posts: 1,341
I still havent written my review as have been so busy but I just needed to mention that one day at the main pool there was a *gasp* giant adult sized unicorn inflatable. Maldives Freak, you would have died at the sight of it. I was laughing to myself because I knew your reaction would have been pure horror and outrage My daughter was very unimpressed with it but not for the same reasons as you - she was not happy because that inflatable was about 10x bigger than her little kid size unicorn inflatable LOL and there was serious inflatable envy going on.
Has anyone seen the movie The Fog by the way? We experienced that many days when they were fogging the island - we thought there was a fire the first day because the whole place was covered in grey smoke! They were fogging A LOT.
Has anyone seen the movie The Fog by the way? We experienced that many days when they were fogging the island - we thought there was a fire the first day because the whole place was covered in grey smoke! They were fogging A LOT.
#4250
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CT/ Germany - Ich spreche deutsch
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy LTTE, HH Dia, HY Expl
Posts: 4,648
Probably put there by some idiot planning an Instagram photo shoot with it! Seriously I am so sick and tired of people taking over places to create content and bothering others. On our recent LH flight from JFK to FRA there was a girl with her mother in business class with us that changed her outfit 4 times and then posed for pictures and was moving all around the cabin to get the shots she wanted.
#4251
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Back in Hell
Posts: 4,178
I still havent written my review as have been so busy but I just needed to mention that one day at the main pool there was a *gasp* giant adult sized unicorn inflatable. Maldives Freak, you would have died at the sight of it. I was laughing to myself because I knew your reaction would have been pure horror and outrage My daughter was very unimpressed with it but not for the same reasons as you - she was not happy because that inflatable was about 10x bigger than her little kid size unicorn inflatable LOL and there was serious inflatable envy going on.
Probably put there by some idiot planning an Instagram photo shoot with it! Seriously I am so sick and tired of people taking over places to create content and bothering others. On our recent LH flight from JFK to FRA there was a girl with her mother in business class with us that changed her outfit 4 times and then posed for pictures and was moving all around the cabin to get the shots she wanted.
#4252
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: New York City
Programs: TK E/*G, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 151
Booked March 29-April 3 2020 into a water villa. Just a data point, I know the wiki states the current rate for the seaplane is $526+ pp, but my reservation quoted it as $500. Printed it for my records of course, but are they still honoring the lower price?
Thanks to everyone for the valuable feedback here, now to be patient and come back a little bit before the trip to ask MF and the other "vets" for dining/activity advice.
Thanks to everyone for the valuable feedback here, now to be patient and come back a little bit before the trip to ask MF and the other "vets" for dining/activity advice.
#4254
Join Date: May 2013
Location: GVA, BSL, ZRH
Programs: A3*, HH, club carlson: all gold and bonvoy plat
Posts: 466
Comparison between St Regis Vommuli and Conrad Rangali, with toddlers
Maybe this comparison report will help some of you who have kids below 6 y.o. ! This is my personnel point of view of the different aspects. So, please be kind about my first report, sort of!
Anyway, we did a 5 night stay at St Regis Vommuli and went directly afterwards to the conrad rangali for a 5 night stay again. We were 5 (2 adults + 3 kids 5yo, 3 yo and yo). Concerning the villa, our main point was to book a beach villa since
1. playing with the sand on the beach in front of the villa is a real advantage with 3 and 5 y.o. toddlers. And meanwhile having the baby resting in a temp. controlled room nearby (supervised with a babyphone).
2. Less risk for the kids of falling into the water (+ less supervision for the parents ;-) )
3. Leave the OW villa for couples or families with older kids.
The Villa Beach:
1) Sand quality
-St Regis (SR) : 8/10 (bigger grain, I guess there was some coral residues mixt to it which make it less comfi to play with and to walk on, but still great sand)
-Conrad (CO) : 10/10
2) Beach shore angle
-SR: 6/10 (pretty soon the water was too deep for the kids and from that point the parents need shoes because the bottom is too uncomfortable and the coral reef is just after that point.
-CO: 10/10 (more playing in and with the water for the kids and no shoes needed for the parents)
3) Shade on the beach for sand castles
-SR: 6/10, a tiny bit of shade from the villa in the morning
-CO: 5/10 no shade
The main beach:
1) Sand quality
-SR : 9/10 (also bigger grain at the alba beach, but from the restaurants point of view, the right side of the beach has a better and nice grain size)
-CO : 10/10
2) Beach shore angle
-SR: 10/10 (great low angle of penetration)
-CO: 10/10 (great low angle of penetration)
3) Shade on the beach for sand castles
-SR: 5/10 none
-CO: 10/10 great in the afternoon/evening on the 200s villa side (+coral reef)
Marine life observation:
-SR: 7/10 nice, but not as nice as in CO.
Ideas with toddlers, rent a glass bottom kayak.
-CO: 9/10 great!
Ideas with toddlers, watch it from the main bridge by night or at the mandooh at 13:30 (official fishfeeding) or at the Ithaa at about 19:00 (non-official fishfeeding) (also at around 11:30 but much less feeding).
N.B.: my 5 y.o. really enjoyed snorkeling around the coral reefs, but sand playing was more interesting for my 3 yo.
Moskitos:
-SR: 10/10: 1 bite in total for 5 people during 5 nights
-CO: 10/10: 5-6 bites in total
Nothing to worry about for both resorts, and we stayed during the rainy season. Unfortunately, we dont know (and guess dont want to know) how much insecticide we inhaled.
Villa privacy:
-SR: 10/10
-CO: 6/10 bit less privacy and much less soundproof protection (baby cries ;-) )
Kids club:
Activities
-SR: 9/10 (great but CO does it better), not much kids in both resorts in July and since SR is more exclusive it has very few kids at that time of the year.
-CO: 10/10 (with pirate cruises, dauphins watching, )
Toys given
-SR: 10/10 received hats, t-shirts, sand castle building tools, They also had kid sized bike to ride for our stay
-CO: 9/10 received as well hats, t-shirts, but no sand castle tools!
Restaurants with kids:
-SR: 9/10
-CO: 10/10 kids ate for free except at the in-room dining
With young kids it is not possible to book a table for the fondue or the tapas which is normal and I respect that. But especially during low season, you may book a table there if no other guest has a reservation. I didnt work for us on the fondue evening, but on the tapas evening it worked. We were the only guest and instead of the tapas we were able to get the fondue.
By the way goliath and Cynicor, the third cheese in the fondue was the Beaufort from France. Cynicor, it is possible to customise your cheese selection, but it has to be done at the reservation.
And I agree with you goliath,
, the texture could have been better, but the context makes us forgive that!
PS to Maldivesfreaks: in July I wouldnt recommend having the sunset grill at the very last night, we were very lucky we did it earlier because it was raining on our last night. My advice for in July would be to book it on a nice and a tiny bit cloudy evening (most of the evenings were like that though).
Tea-time/coktails/fruits/snacks.:
-SR: 5/10 or 10/10 if you request the fruit basket and the tea time!
Nb: during my stay no revolving fruit basket and no tea time was offered until Ive read about it in this thread in the middle of my stay. Asked my butler about that, he answered me it is only on request. Was kind of pissed since other FT received it without any request and during all their stay. Told him he could have at least let me know about this possibility of request. Will change that in the wiki, since not all butlers are equal!
-CO: 7/10 tea time and cocktails were not my favorites. Not much choice for the toddlers (and not much more for the adults).
Secret Nb: Ive nicely asked my butler if he could get some snacks for my kids from the employee market. He took pictures of the different snacks so I could choose from it. The price was really correct.
Overall I cant really tell which one was best. Probably the kids enjoyed it a bit more at CO because the island was bigger (= more things to see and for the parents = more places to hide if the kids misbehave, cry, etc). And for the parents, it is probably the SR which wins because of its exclusivity.
Anyway, we did a 5 night stay at St Regis Vommuli and went directly afterwards to the conrad rangali for a 5 night stay again. We were 5 (2 adults + 3 kids 5yo, 3 yo and yo). Concerning the villa, our main point was to book a beach villa since
1. playing with the sand on the beach in front of the villa is a real advantage with 3 and 5 y.o. toddlers. And meanwhile having the baby resting in a temp. controlled room nearby (supervised with a babyphone).
2. Less risk for the kids of falling into the water (+ less supervision for the parents ;-) )
3. Leave the OW villa for couples or families with older kids.
The Villa Beach:
1) Sand quality
-St Regis (SR) : 8/10 (bigger grain, I guess there was some coral residues mixt to it which make it less comfi to play with and to walk on, but still great sand)
-Conrad (CO) : 10/10
2) Beach shore angle
-SR: 6/10 (pretty soon the water was too deep for the kids and from that point the parents need shoes because the bottom is too uncomfortable and the coral reef is just after that point.
-CO: 10/10 (more playing in and with the water for the kids and no shoes needed for the parents)
3) Shade on the beach for sand castles
-SR: 6/10, a tiny bit of shade from the villa in the morning
-CO: 5/10 no shade
The main beach:
1) Sand quality
-SR : 9/10 (also bigger grain at the alba beach, but from the restaurants point of view, the right side of the beach has a better and nice grain size)
-CO : 10/10
2) Beach shore angle
-SR: 10/10 (great low angle of penetration)
-CO: 10/10 (great low angle of penetration)
3) Shade on the beach for sand castles
-SR: 5/10 none
-CO: 10/10 great in the afternoon/evening on the 200s villa side (+coral reef)
Marine life observation:
-SR: 7/10 nice, but not as nice as in CO.
Ideas with toddlers, rent a glass bottom kayak.
-CO: 9/10 great!
Ideas with toddlers, watch it from the main bridge by night or at the mandooh at 13:30 (official fishfeeding) or at the Ithaa at about 19:00 (non-official fishfeeding) (also at around 11:30 but much less feeding).
N.B.: my 5 y.o. really enjoyed snorkeling around the coral reefs, but sand playing was more interesting for my 3 yo.
Moskitos:
-SR: 10/10: 1 bite in total for 5 people during 5 nights
-CO: 10/10: 5-6 bites in total
Nothing to worry about for both resorts, and we stayed during the rainy season. Unfortunately, we dont know (and guess dont want to know) how much insecticide we inhaled.
Villa privacy:
-SR: 10/10
-CO: 6/10 bit less privacy and much less soundproof protection (baby cries ;-) )
Kids club:
Activities
-SR: 9/10 (great but CO does it better), not much kids in both resorts in July and since SR is more exclusive it has very few kids at that time of the year.
-CO: 10/10 (with pirate cruises, dauphins watching, )
Toys given
-SR: 10/10 received hats, t-shirts, sand castle building tools, They also had kid sized bike to ride for our stay
-CO: 9/10 received as well hats, t-shirts, but no sand castle tools!
Restaurants with kids:
-SR: 9/10
-CO: 10/10 kids ate for free except at the in-room dining
With young kids it is not possible to book a table for the fondue or the tapas which is normal and I respect that. But especially during low season, you may book a table there if no other guest has a reservation. I didnt work for us on the fondue evening, but on the tapas evening it worked. We were the only guest and instead of the tapas we were able to get the fondue.
And I agree with you goliath,
On both occasions I think the texture was not quite right and I can definitely make a better fondue at home. But for those that are not used to it from regularly making / eating it at home, it will definitively be an interesting novelty. The location / setting is really nice* and it I think the price is reasonable for what you get.
PS to Maldivesfreaks: in July I wouldnt recommend having the sunset grill at the very last night, we were very lucky we did it earlier because it was raining on our last night. My advice for in July would be to book it on a nice and a tiny bit cloudy evening (most of the evenings were like that though).
Tea-time/coktails/fruits/snacks.:
-SR: 5/10 or 10/10 if you request the fruit basket and the tea time!
Nb: during my stay no revolving fruit basket and no tea time was offered until Ive read about it in this thread in the middle of my stay. Asked my butler about that, he answered me it is only on request. Was kind of pissed since other FT received it without any request and during all their stay. Told him he could have at least let me know about this possibility of request. Will change that in the wiki, since not all butlers are equal!
-CO: 7/10 tea time and cocktails were not my favorites. Not much choice for the toddlers (and not much more for the adults).
Secret Nb: Ive nicely asked my butler if he could get some snacks for my kids from the employee market. He took pictures of the different snacks so I could choose from it. The price was really correct.
Overall I cant really tell which one was best. Probably the kids enjoyed it a bit more at CO because the island was bigger (= more things to see and for the parents = more places to hide if the kids misbehave, cry, etc). And for the parents, it is probably the SR which wins because of its exclusivity.
Last edited by Artemio; Jul 20, 2019 at 10:42 am
#4255
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Cote d'Ivoire
Programs: OW Emerald - HH Diamond
Posts: 3,404
Artemio, very interesting perspective on things. Enjoyed it!
#4256
Join Date: May 2013
Location: GVA, BSL, ZRH
Programs: A3*, HH, club carlson: all gold and bonvoy plat
Posts: 466
Thx Abidjan for the kind comment.
First negative side effect from our trip just occurred at the grandparents swimming pool. The kids initially didnt want to enter the pool because it was too cold!
It is at 26* C ! Ill seriously have to bring them back on earth as soon as possible!
First negative side effect from our trip just occurred at the grandparents swimming pool. The kids initially didnt want to enter the pool because it was too cold!
It is at 26* C ! Ill seriously have to bring them back on earth as soon as possible!
#4257
Join Date: Apr 2013
Programs: HHonors Diamond; Royal Ambassor
Posts: 466
What kind of transfer did you use to go from the St Regis to the Conrad?
#4258
Join Date: May 2013
Location: GVA, BSL, ZRH
Programs: A3*, HH, club carlson: all gold and bonvoy plat
Posts: 466
Had the same question asked to the hotels.
Answer from Conrad
Answer from st Regis
I've chosen the classic seaplane transfer via Male. The speedboat would have had too long of strong to very strong bumps for my 1/2 y.o. baby. Otherwise it could have been an option to study.
Answer from Conrad
The most economical option for transfer will be St Regis vommuli Airport Conrad by seaplane. St Regis is bit far from Conrad and a direct flight will be over USD8000 for one way and a speedboat will take too long.
Private Charter Seaplane Transfer Option
Standard Aircraft (14 standard seats) at approximately USD 7,500.00 (subject to 23.2% service charge & tax) per way.
* Kindly request you to advise us if you wish to pursue this option in order to obtain the exact seaplane charter price for your consideration.
Please find the attached images of the private charter seaplane options for your perusal.
Private Yacht Norma Azimuth 66 Flybridge
We are pleased to inform you that we are able to arrange our Private Yacht Norma Azimuth 66 Flybridge at USD 14,000.00 (subject to 23.2% service charge & tax) per way. The transfer by Norma is done at cruising speed and will take about 3 5 hours. Please find attached pictures of our Norma for your perusal.
Please be advised that transfer by Norma is strictly subject to weather conditions.
Kindly see the attached images of our private yacht for your perusal.
Private Speed Boat Transfer
We are pleased to inform you that we are able to offer the speed boat at USD 3,000.00 (subject to 23.2% service charge & tax) per way. The journey will take approximately 2 hours from our resort to Conrad Maldives.
Standard Aircraft (14 standard seats) at approximately USD 7,500.00 (subject to 23.2% service charge & tax) per way.
* Kindly request you to advise us if you wish to pursue this option in order to obtain the exact seaplane charter price for your consideration.
Please find the attached images of the private charter seaplane options for your perusal.
Private Yacht Norma Azimuth 66 Flybridge
We are pleased to inform you that we are able to arrange our Private Yacht Norma Azimuth 66 Flybridge at USD 14,000.00 (subject to 23.2% service charge & tax) per way. The transfer by Norma is done at cruising speed and will take about 3 5 hours. Please find attached pictures of our Norma for your perusal.
Please be advised that transfer by Norma is strictly subject to weather conditions.
Kindly see the attached images of our private yacht for your perusal.
Private Speed Boat Transfer
We are pleased to inform you that we are able to offer the speed boat at USD 3,000.00 (subject to 23.2% service charge & tax) per way. The journey will take approximately 2 hours from our resort to Conrad Maldives.
#4260
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Seattle
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, Delta Plat
Posts: 304
2 adult, 2 larger kids?
We would love to visit the Conrad with 11 and 13 year old kids; but almost all rooms say 3 people. Any advice? (Hoping to start with points and then upgrade). Thanks!