This was either our 13th or 14th visit to the Conrad Maldives and the holiday this year was up there with the very best of our previous visits. Carla, (the GM), Nashid (Front of House Manager) ,Issam our trusty island host and the wider team were on hand to greet our seaplane and welcome us “back home!” After refreshing cold towels and fresh coconut milk in the cool (air conditioned) seaplane lounge, Isaam, our Island Host, quickly whisked us away to a wonderful newly refurbished superior water villa at the smaller ISLAND (Rangali) on the sunset side. The décor was great; superb views of the Indian Ocean were captivating from the start. Many things have, reassuringly, stayed the same; a welcome card from Carla (GM), a bottle of champagne, a splendid fruit basket, handmade chocolates and sweet treats were there to thank us for our Diamond status. There have also been some selected improvements and the refurbishment of the villa with its private infinity pool made a big difference to the experience. For peace, tranquillity and sheer beauty, we highly recommend these particular water villas. What also helped make this magic was the great efforts of our housekeepers Saffan and Shujan. On arrival, we were welcomed with garlands of heavenly scented frangipani flowers and our bedroom was decorated with a “Welcome Home” message and a beautiful display of mantas and dolphins. Saffan and Shujan kept our villa spotless and well stocked. One day they arranged the most romantic stunning rose petal bath, swan towel sculptures and floral display, a fantastic surprise. Returning to our villa on the final night, we found a gorgeous foliage manta and whale shark display on our bed with a hand written note and gift. Incredible service. We had booked all our restaurant visits before we arrived (a good tip is to email about two weeks before you arrive) so we enjoyed a great selection of dining experiences including Koko, Mandhoo, Vilu , Champagne & Lobster on the beach and the Wine Cellar Dinner as well as a super dinner at Sunset where we sat overlooking the water. Riley and the Rangali Bar team dazzled us with cocktails and great humour. We also enjoyed the manager’s cocktail party on the beach. If you are lucky enough to have Hilton Diamond status the daily Diamond Happy Hour with canapés and cocktails at Vilu are a real treat. Having stayed at the Conrad Maldives many times we are blessed with our very own “Diamond palm tree”. We planted it in 2021. This time we annointed it with its own wooden plaque. It is on the path between Vilu and the Mediation Pavilion, please do nurture it if you pass by. If you are on the smaller island (Rangali) then we recommend staying there for the serenity and also for the most civilized breakfast ever at Vilu, care of Manager Shark and his team. PS The fresh grapefruit juice is worth the few seconds it takes to make! Special thanks also to Ashukan for sharing his Rangali turtle video with my wife. With Isaam off island for the second part of our stay, Naeem stepped in to help us book a “Turtle Safari” snorkelling trip He also helped us with a few well timed lifts in his buggy. Hawksbill turtles were duly seen on our boat trip which was very well run and organised and had a real focus on safety. Our tip is to work closely with your island hosts, whoever they are, as they will strive to make your trip truly memorable. At the end of our boat trip we talked to the Manager Andy and Ocean team about their coral planting project and they kindly agreed to ask Filipa Lopes, resident marine biologist, to come over to talk to us that afternoon. She explained the work they are doing and that guests can sponsor a coral planting and receive subsequent updates. Our coral is line 24 and we had a great time helping Filiopa seed a rope with coral buds and watching as scuba diver, Lucian, planted it close to the house reef. We felt honoured to give a small something back to the Maldives for all the joy they have given us and we hope to see progress in January 2024 when we next plan to go back. The bonus guided tour of the house reef which Filipa then gave us was a further example of the classic Conrad Maldives ethos of incredible customer service. Whilst my wife and I will continue to visit other places for holidays, we have yet to find anything that totally matches the excellence of the Conrad Maldives experience. Huge thanks to Carla and every team member at Conrad Maldives for yet another fantastic holiday. Good bye for now Conrad Maldives; see you in a year. …
We went into this trip thinking it was a once in a lifetime experience given the travel time from New York and left already planning our return visit. This resort exceeded every expectation which is really incredible considering how high our expectations were. From the resort grounds (pristine) to the staff (beyond amazing) and the villa (stunning) every moment of our first trip to the Maldives was perfect. I'm going to break the rest of the review into categories that will hopefully help anyone currently searching for the perfect resort. But seriously, stop searching now. The Conrad is it. We never stopped being amazed by everything. Even on the last day we were still saying “is this real?” Pre-Trip Communication I knew from the first email with a reservations agent that I had made the right decision in choosing the Conrad. I reached out immediately after booking the villa to inquire about seaplane, meal, spa & activity bookings. My inquiry was responded to almost immediately with such detail and a clear interest in ensuring that my vacation was perfect. I was able to get all dining, spa & activity bookings settled in advance which was a big help. Arrival From the moment we exited the baggage claim in Male to the moment we took our luggage back to check in for our return to the US, we literally didn't have to lift a finger. Upon exiting baggage claim we were greeted by a Conrad employee who whisked us to a van and off to the Conrad lounge in the seaplane terminal. We only had to wait about 20 minutes and then were off to seaplane. Landing/arrival at the Conrad was surreal because the beauty of this place can simply not be fully understood in photos. Our host (Meriem) was waiting for us on the dock and quickly got us checked in and to our villa. Meriem was wonderful and if it's possible to request your host on return visits we will most certainly be doing that! Villa I was speechless as we landed and speechless again as we approached and entered our Deluxe Water Villa with pool. It was absolutely pristine, stunning and bigger than many NYC apartments! We ended up spending a lot of time in the villa since we had a pool and the ocean right there Food I’ll start by saying, every single meal at the Conrad was fantastic. My friend and I are both very discerning when it comes to food as we can get some of the best food in the world right in our own backyards. I didn’t go into the trip expecting the level of food that we ended up having and that was a really pleasant surprise. We were able to eat at almost every restaurant (didn’t get to UFAA or Mandhoo) and, while they were all incredible our favorites were Ithaa and Koko Grill. If it’s in your budget to do both of these tasting menus, I highly recommend it. Ithaa was a “must do” for us given the setting and it did not disappoint. That said, Koko Grill was both of our favorites. The setting, although not underwater, was stunning and the food was next level. Absolutely a top 5 meal of our lives. Watching the chef artfully prepare each course really pushed Koko over the edge for us. It was so clear that he put his absolute all into ensuring that every dish was perfect…and he succeeded. As far as breakfast, we opted to do the Atoll Market buffet each morning and it certainly did not disappoint. There is absolutely something for everyone at this expansive spread. Big shout out to Gopi for remembering my name and omelette order as of day two! He was full of such joy, which was such a lovely start to each day. Facilities (Pools, Spas, Activities etc) While we had a pool in our villa, we ended up spending the majority of our time at the stunning pool on the main island. I don’t know if we were there during a quiet week, but the pool was never crowded. You could arrive at any time and get a chair without a problem. A lovely young man named Acid was there every day serving infused water and taking drink & lunch orders. He, like all of the other staff members, so clearly loves his job and takes providing a high level of service very seriously. We experienced both the overwater spa and the spa retreat and both were spectacular. The only thing I would do differently next time is add another spa treatment! As far as activities, that wasn’t the main focus of this trip but I didn’t participate in the Turtle Safari which was super fun. One thing to keep in mind is that there are minimums on most activities/excursions (it seemed that most required 4 participants in order to run). If you’re traveling in a small group (3 or less) you’ll frequently be at the mercy of other people signing up in order for the activity to take place. I absolutely understand why this is the requirement but want to make sure people are fully aware so there isn’t too much disappointment if something gets canceled! …
TAR-CHR On 21st Jan 2023 We (Mahendra & family) arrived @ Male airport: we were greeted & welcomed by Conrad Airport Manager Haishal who is well organized & quickly escorted us to seaplane terminal, @ Conrad Airport lounge which is truly luxurious experience & is must for everyone whoever is travelling to Southern tip of Maldives. The Conrad lounge team is well experienced to meet Luxury quotient. Escort to seaplane was efficient. At Conrad arrival entire team greeted & offered refreshing coconut water. We stayed @ Grand Beach villa which has all luxuries to offer. It’s perfect paradise to experience with complete privacy honored. Arshad decorated our villa which we could never ever experience till date, across hospitality: no doubt he is best and (Maldives country villa bed decoration awardee) who truly deserves world class accolades as he is instrumental in creating wonderful memories towards anyone’s stay. Lunch at Mandhoo spa restaurant is strongly recommended: organic food with healthy cuisines with awesome view of sea water around us. Then we experienced Rangali bar beside pool wherein mocktails are refreshing. Sunset grill we had dinner while viewing wonderful sunset with delicious dinner. Next day we had breakfast at Atoll while viewing sunrise. We had mesmerising experience of dining at Ithaa which is world’s first underwater restaurant and is must lifetime experience. Seaplane return to Male we were offered fond farewell & swift drive till Male airport by Haishal and team. Once again truly worth visiting Hilton Conrad Rangali. We would like to mention Stalwarts to make this happen are from Management to team members: Karla, Eva, Reena, Nasheed, Farhan, Arshad, Zameen, Shiva, Imaan, Raj. Best Regards, Mahendra…
It was an endearing stay at this outerworldly beautiful place. I can say the latter because in the past year I had visited two other nice Maldivian resorts. Windy weather at beginning and at the end and perfect weather for a few days in between. It was also good to stay in a new room type, the renovated sunset water villa. I did not think before but the pool is better than the former jaccuzzi. The interior is new but for me not necessarily better or worse. One caveat: There is not much you can do in the water in front of the villa except enjoy it and the coolness of the view. The reef is far away and water is mostly very shallow. There are a few nice coral blocks 100 or 200 m towards the reef, though. Concerning that, villa 315 is a bit better than villa 330 (those two are the first and last of the sunset water villas. 330 is the one closest to the spa). Good things I remember: - Buggy service much improved. Nearly no waiting times. Very happy about that. - Food quality perfect. - Prices are now net. A big applause to that !! - House reef corals suffered even more but animal life is gorgeous. - It really shows that the well-being/feeling of the guest comes first. Not so good things (minor) I remember: - Complimentary prosecco upon arrival has been changed to New Zealand wine. Maybe a temporary shortage ? (Price level should be similar) - Some (not all) things that I felt were already at the limit had a big jump in price. Visiting Ithaa (I did not, this time) and the sea plane, for example.…
As our adventure is coming to and end, I decided to take a minute and write a few words about Conrad Maldives. What a wonderful place! Since the moment we got off the seaplane till the time we got back to Male airport, our stay was flawless. I wanted to say thank you to Jana, Raheem and Ahmed, who made our stay at Conrad Maldives unforgettable. Special thank you to Andy, the dive shop manager and scuba instructor and his entire team. Upon arrival we were upgraded to an ocean front villa with a plunge pool. We received a complimentary fruit basket, chocolates and a bottle of Prosecco. If you are planning on visiting Conrad Maldives, leave your fancy shoes behind. Even hotel lobby has sand instead of traditional floors. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that every day from 4 to 5 pm one of the bars had a happy hour for Hilton Honors members, where drinks are completely free. Nice little touch. Along with fine dining restaurants, guests are offered a buffet and room service. During our stay we dined at Ithaa (the first underwater restaurant), we had a specialty seafood buffet on the beach, for Chinese New Year we went to Ufaa. Our first dinner was at the Sunset Grill, an over the water restaurant. There is a wine cellar restaurant that offers wine pairing dinner; we tried that and really enjoyed it. The restaurant can accommodate only 10 people, so one should plan accordingly. Our last night at the resort, we tried Koko Grill. It is a Japanese restaurant that serves 6 course preset menu. Turned out to be our favourite. With life music, water sports and a dive center on cite, there is plenty of entertainment for everyone. What a great stay!…
Returned here for our 15 year anniversary and if anything, they've stepped up their game. Top notch service, food, location as before, but they've added a lot of ocean activities and the spa is about three times larger. I think the service from the personnel was even better (and it was fantastic before). Wifi was pretty good on most of the island with only a few bad spots. Cell service there now as well. My only minor quibble is that they were told this was our 15 year anniversary (we were married there 15 years ago) and aside from spelling "Happy Anniversary" on the bed they didn't do anything special, which was a little bit of a letdown.
Excellent trip with the family.. Food, service and spa amazing. Highlight if the trip was swimming with whale sharks, it’s a once in a lifetime experience which everyone staying here should do. We saw 5 whale sharks. Our team were incredible. Shajan, Faiz, Liushan & Ali rilwan!! Service and professionalism was the best. You made our holiday such a memorable experience.
From the arrival til departure our personal Guest Relation Manager Svea from Germany took care of us and made our vacation even more fantastic. Thanks Svea :) The resort with its amenities and service is by far the best I ever experienced! And I have seen a lot of luxury Hilton properties since I have been a Hilton Elite Member for 20 years. You cannot go wrong with this resort. You will get spoiled here! We will come back this year :) Rouven
You cannot fault this place. It is beyond amazing in everything. Most importantly service!! Staff are just amazing helpful. Probably some of the best dining experiences of our lives. Quality and quantity are both amazing.
Perfect in every way really. Very friendly and professional welcome from the start. Very personal shown to the villa and offered an upgrade which they drove us to view as well so we could pick which one we preferred. Villa and islands are spotless and well maintained. Everyone you meet is polite and friendly. Our host had made a provisional itinerary of restaurant bookings for us following a few emails before arrival which we gladly accepted and he was correct in his advice on times and order to make the most of each venue. Water sports are excellent Infinity pool the perfect quiet relaxation. Unspoilt by DJs or anything interfering. Just lovely. Highly recommended.
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