A Trip To Paradise: Conrad Maldives
Last December, I visited the Maldives, staying at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, twice voted the 'Best Hotel in the World'. This hotel, a resort really, has been a trailblazer in Maldivian hospitality, featuring the first overwater villas, the world’s first underwater restaurant (Ithaa), the world’s first underwater villa (The Muraka). The Conrad has been operating since 1992. It is unique among other Maldivian resorts in that it is spread over two islands, Rangalifinolhu and Rangali, connected by a 400m causeway. Rangalifinolhu, the bigger island, features beach and overwater villas as well as a spa retreat. Rangali, which gives the name to the resort, is a smaller island where you will find exclusively overwater villas. To keep up with its status as a luxury hotel it constantly undergoes through renovations. In fact, I stayed at the Deluxe Beach Villa #127, the same villa where Brian Kelly, aka ThePointsGuy, stayed in 2015 before the renovation. The renovation turned the villa into an even more upscale lodging than before. You can judge for yourself by comparing my pictures below with Brian’s Youtube video review here. At the time of my visit, the hotel was finishing renovations of all the villas on the Rangali Island. You can read my review here.
On arrival at the Maldives’ Velana International Airport in Malé, its capital, you are taken to the Conrad Maldives lounge before the transfer to the Rangali Island by sea plane. In pre-COVID19 times, to which we’ll hopefully return soon, the lounge offered complimentary breakfast and dinner buffets, neck or shoulder massage, shower facility, kids’ play room, and Wi-Fi. At the time of my visit, which was in the afternoon, the buffet service was not functioning. However, I was offered soft drinks and hot sandwiches. Massage was not offered but shower facility was available.
Once the staff confirms your seaplane flight, which costs $590 roundtrip (50% discount for children under 12), you are taken to the Seaplane Terminal. The flight to the resort takes about 25-30 minutes, depending on whether the plane makes a stop at other resorts. Flying in a seaplane, which is quite rare today, will be one of your most memorable travel experiences. I believe it deserves a separate post, which I’m working on now.
Seaplane docked at the Conrad’s floating seaport.
As a hallmark of a true luxury resort, you will not have to deal with your luggage at all. On arrival at Male, you hand it over to Conrad’s reception desk at the airport who will take it to the Seaplane Terminal and load it on the seaplane. On arrival at the resort, it is unloaded and delivered to your villa by the staff. On departure, you leave it at your villa. The staff picks it up, delivers it to the seaport and loads it on the plane. As you might have guessed, it is unloaded by the Conrad staff and transferred from the Seaplane Terminal to the Velana International Airport Terminal. Depending on how many other resort guests are traveling with you, you may be lucky in that the stuff will handle it all the way to your airline registration desk.
Your next stop on arrival is at the registration desk. As you can see, it’s quite unique: In keeping with the beach resort motif it’s set on sand. In a true fashion of a luxury resort, you don’t have to deal with your luggage at all. It is unloaded on arrival and delivered to your villa by the staff. On departure, you leave it at your villa and the staff picks it up, delivers it to the seaport and loads it on the plane.
Deluxe Villa #127 where I stayed. The villa sits in the middle of a rather big compound which has four distinct areas - front garden with sitting area and an outside shower, living quarters, back porch with swimming pool & jacuzzi, and the beach.
Front garden with seating area, fountain, and an outdoor shower.
Living quarters. Somehow, I forgot to take photos of the bathroom.
Back porch with sitting area and swimming pool & jacuzzi surrounded by lush tropical bushes and palm trees. In the back, there is direct access to the beach.
A path behind the swimming pool leads directly to an almost private beach area. It is shared with only one villa, being bookended by two big bushes. All beach chaise lounges are marked with the villa number. So no one can come and crash on your lounge.
Resort offers multiple dining options. At the time of my stay, two restaurants were open for breakfast - Atoll Market on the Rangalifinolhu (the bigger) Island and Vilu Restaurant on the Rangali (smaller) Island. Atoll Market is a bigger restaurant with endless choice of buffet items, featuring cuisines from all over the world. Vilu is smaller with fewer buffet items but bigger a la carte menu. There are multiple options for lunch and dinner, including Ithaa, world’s first underwater restaurant. I will review them in a separate blog.
Atoll Market
Vilu Restaurant. Here you can meet George The Heron, Conrad’s de facto mascot. If you like dining in a less crowded environment or on a beach, Vilu is your choice.
Vilu features, perhaps, the world’s fanciest semi-outdoor restroom. It stays remarkably clean.
I simply had a terrific stay. Conrad’s management and stuff are doing a fantastic job to ensure that everyone enjoys theirs. It takes a lot, starting with everyday struggle to keep the islands afloat, so to speak. I will share my tips on how you could make your trip enjoyable in a separate blog.
That’s how the beaches are made and maintained.
Many of the staff go above and beyond their responsibilities. Sharif, my villa attendant, once treated me to an arrangement made out of frangipani tree flowers. These flowers are particularly fragrant in the evening and at night, which makes staying in the front garden all the more enjoyable.
When the time came to leave, all I could say with deep gratitude to Sharif and all the Conrad staff was…
Have you been to the Maldives? What are your memories of the visit? Which resort did you stay at? Would you recommend it over Conrad?