Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

This was our 2nd time to the Conrad Rangali Island and this will not be our last. We first visited in March of 2024 for 5 nights. We immediately came home and booked our second trip for March of 2025 for 13 nights. We live in Florida and are used to heat and humidity. While we love good food, we are not “foodies” so we didn’t opt to partake in any of the special dinner events, under sea restaurant, or the wine cellar. We planned this trip with the concept that we could spend as much time on excursions as we wanted to while having some days of freedom to roam, snorkel on our own, and relax. We are also Hilton Diamond Members, so we did take advantage of some of the perks like the included breakfast and happy hour. Grand Water Villa: My husband and I stayed in a Grand Water Villa on the Main Island. The Villa was extremely spacious with breathtaking views of the ocean from every room. The living area had plenty of comfortable lounge furniture which was perfect for relaxing in the hotter parts of the day after snorkeling. We had some of the best sleep of our lives in our king bed after dozing off, staring at the abundance of Parrotfish, Surgeonfish, crabs, and even the occasional shark or ray attracted to the light off the stairs of our villa that lead into the ocean. The double vanity in the massive bathroom overlooks a glass floor, providing more unexpected encounters with our oceanic friends, turning even the most mundane things like brushing your teeth into an event you look forward to. There is also a huge area of wicker benches in the center of the bathroom, perfect for staging items like sunscreen, snorkel equipment, bathing suits, etc. And I would be remiss to not praise the level of Mojave Ghost scented products by Byredo in the bathroom and throughout the resort. They have ruined me for life. The in-room bar station offers a variety of snacks and beverage options, but we opted to bring our own snacks and requested as much still and sparkling water as possible (which is free in-room) as many of the options offered can be pricey and we wanted to save as much of our appetites as possible for the outstanding dinners each night. The back deck was glorious. We had 2 chaise loungers with umbrella, a hot tub, drying racks, a sprayer to rinse off your bathing suits, sandy snorkel gear and feet, along with a sofa and table in the shade, which worked out well for those times we needed to answer some work e-mails. TIP: **Check the closet for a beach bag you can use to carry your belongings around the resort.** Getting Around: Our Villa was located near the Mandhoo Restaurant and Spa which is quite a walk to the “main hub” which includes the reception area, Rangali Bar and Atoll Market, kid’s club, water sports center, dive center, Ufaa, Sunset Grill and Ithaa. If you choose to stay in a similar location, you will want to rely on buggy service for your transportation to and from the “main hub” area or plan for a 20ish-minute adventure on foot. We ordered our buggies as needed by calling guest services via the phone in the room, and factored in an extra 15-20 minutes for the buggy arrival during busier times of the day, like breakfast and dinner. All of our buggy drivers were very nice, and it was always a pleasure to see their faces every day, taking us off to our next incredible meal or adventure, asking about our stay and what we were enjoying most. Dining | Breakfast: During our previous stay in 2024, we ate breakfast at Vilu on our first morning there. The views and food at Vilu were great, but the selection at Atoll Market won us over. Their cold room features a variety of cheeses, cereals, fresh fruit, small tasting-size smoothies and yogurts, charcuterie, and even ice cream. Believe me when I tell you that their ice cream is the best ice cream we have ever had in our lives. We ended breakfast with 2 small scoops every morning. “Why not? We thought. “We’re on vacation!” I chose the more familiar things like the egg station, the endless selection of pastries, mini coconut pancakes with all the toppings you can imagine, roasted veggies, potatoes, and bacon. Protip: The egg station appears to only make omelets or whatever style of standard egg you would like, but if you ask, they will also make you a lovely Benedict, which had very flavorful hollandaise sauce that I enjoyed very much. My husband is an adventurous eater and opted for the international food stations consisting of Sri Lankan and Maldivian types of curry, grilled fish, steamed rice, fried rice, sushi, egg hoppers, ramen, and many other options, which rotate daily. That had a great selection of fresh juices, coffee, and tea as well. We are not a “3-meal-a-day” couple, so we skipped lunch. Breakfast was plenty filling to make it through the day, and the dinners were so delicious we wanted to save plenty of room for those. If we got a little hungry, we had snacks in our room, which we brought with us and held us over until the happy hours started, where they served small trays of olives, nuts, and other snacks. Dining | Casual Dinner: On nights we did not have reservations at one of the other restaurants, we opted to eat at the Rangali Bar (open for both lunch and dinner). The burger, pizza, and club sandwich were all outstanding. They also rotated entertainment daily at various times, featuring a DJ and different bands that put an island twist on artists like Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Cranberries, Ed Sheeran, and Radiohead, just to name a few. The band and DJ were outstanding, and we were elated every time they showed up to perform. Dining | Reservations Required Dinner Locations: TIP: **Work with the Conrad staff to book your reservations before you arrive, as seating is very limited at most locations. They will provide you with a calendar of which restaurants are open on which days so you can plan accordingly. ** Dinner Location 1: Vilu - Dined 2 times Located on the Quiet Island Italian Cuisine with breathtaking views of the ocean and sunset. We had the Eggplant Lasagna both nights we ate there, and it was excellent. The beach just off the deck at Vilu comes alive at night with small crabs scurrying away from the water and digging out their crab holes. This is a must-see, and the waterhens are hilarious to watch roam about. Dinner Location 2: Sunset Grill - Dined 2 times Located on the Main Island Sunset Grill sits atop stilts over the water and serves fresh seafood and top-quality steaks. Since it is near Ithaa, the underwater restaurant, the lights attract a plethora of black tip reef sharks and nurse sharks that become your dinner guests as you dine in paradise. One night we ordered the Filet and another the Ribeye. It’s really difficult to come back to the US and order beef anywhere. The steaks in the Maldives are some of the best food we have ever had. The sides are all light and fresh. However, last year, we made the mistake of ordering multiple sides for each of us, not realizing the portion sizes were enough to split, so keep that in mind. Dinner Location 3: Mandhoo Spa Restaurant - Dined 3 times Located on the Main Island Mandhoo also sits atop stilts overlooking the ocean, with the downlights attracting more marine life. Day or night, this is the prime spot for shark watching. The menu offers a selection of wellness-oriented and sustainably sourced lighter fare, but as I said above, the meat was way too good to stay away from. We had the lamb and beef tenderloin, which were both outstanding and accompanied by lighter “sides” such as potato mousseline, sweet potato mousse, charred cauliflower, and pickled mushrooms. Happy Hours: TIP: ** Make sure to read the informational packet they give you when you arrive, as the happy hours are listed within that. We met many people during our stay who were not aware of this offer and wished they had known sooner.** During our stay, there were 2 half-priced happy hours offered. The first at Rangali Bar from 5 pm-6 pm and the second at the Quiet Zone bar from 6 pm-7 pm. We took full advantage of this and were able to hit both happy hours before dinner. You will need to either walk or take a buggy from the reception area located right next to the Rangali Bar to the Quiet Zone bar. The guest services staff was very helpful and we asked them to call buggies for us to maximize our time at both locations. The Quiet Zone bar is also able to request a buggy for you when you are ready to head back to the other island. After dinner we would head back to the Rangali Bar for the Hilton Diamond happy hour from 9 pm-10 pm. Last year it was from 4pm-5pm. We much preferred the change to a later time, so we were not as rushed before dinner and met up with others we met after their meals. Big shout out to Anuradha, Dilhan, Kavida, the best bartenders in the world who were so nice and served up some amazing cocktails! Ocean Group Dive Center & Watersports Center: TIP: **Stop into the dive center when you arrive to pick up your complementary snorkel gear complete with mask, snorkel, fins and bag to carry around the island.** I can’t speak highly enough about the amazing individuals who run these operations at the Conrad. Since our trip last year, there hasn’t been a day that has gone by that I have not wished I were back out on the boat with Jess and the excursions team hunting for Manta Rays and Whale Sharks. They are knoledgeable and genuinely passionate about what they do. We repeated the same 3 excursions we booked on our trip in 2024, which speaks volumes to our level of satisfaction. Manta Ray Snorkel: 3.5 Hours This is by far the most spiritual experience I have ever had in my life. If you can only do one excursion, this is the one. We were very fortunate to get up close and personal with the mantas both last year and this year. They are extremely graceful creatures that want to show off their aerodynamic skills for you. Turtle Safari: 2.5 Hours We saw 2 sea turtles snacking away, blacktip reef sharks, and many other species of fish. This is a great excursion for beginner to intermediate snorkelers and makes for a great, more relaxed day out on the water. Whale Shark Snorkel: 4 Hours We were not as lucky this year as we were last year and were unable to successfully locate one. However, we did meet several people who had very successful attempts at getting that perfect shot for your social media to make friends and family jealous. Just be patient and go in with realistic expectations, and if you, like us, don’t have the opportunity to see one, please be nice to the kind crew on the boat. They have no control over the whale sharks and feel just as disappointed as you do if they can’t locate them. Dolphin Adventure Jet Ski: About 1 Hour We booked this on a whim after meeting the nice people at the Watersports Center to take out kayaks, which are free to all guests. It was just my husband and I on a jet ski, accompanied by a guide who took us far out in search of pods of dolphins. We spotted several and were even lucky enough to see a baby dolphin jumping and twirling in the air. We highly recommend this if you want to add a little speed and adventure to your otherwise leisurely days. House Reef: One of the main things that draws us to Rangli Island is the crystal clear water and variety of marine life at the house reef. If you do a quick Google search, you’ll find there are over 1,100 species of fish, and this reef is living proof. On days we did not have an excursion scheduled, we would eat breakfast and make our way to the house reef. We often lost track of time exploring the drop off and other areas that the very informative lifeguards directed us to. Spa: We booked 2 separate treatments at the Spa Retreat on the main island - the Essence of the Maldives and the Balinese Massage. The therapists truly work out any aches and pains you might have. The facilities are stunning, and being out over the water while indulging in their services will put you in a state of relaxation you have not yet experienced. On a final note: Thank you to our island host Caterina, for making our entire stay seamless! To all the staff of Conrad Rangli Island: Thank you so much for making our stay better than we could have imagined for a second time! One of the reasons we enjoy travelling so much is meeting new people. It doesn’t even feel right to use the word “staff” because we will always consider you family. You are truly appreciated. We can not wait to come back, and you are a very big reason for that. Some people say “nothing is ever perfect”. To them I say Conrad Rangali Island is. From the moment we arrived to the sad moments of heading back home, the entire trip was just that. It is paradise. You truly have to experience it yourself to understand that the beautiful screensaver on your computer, you stare at while daydreaming, is indeed real.

Literally Heaven on Earth. But it takes more than raw geographical beauty to make a stella holiday. The Conrad Rangali does not disappoint. Too many highpoints to write about. Service was amazing, the staff are genuinely super friendly and lovely to chat to; the whole place is impeccable. The restaurants all turn out stunning food. Even the simple bar lunches were divine. The Kids Club kept the little horror's all entertained when required. The family pool is lovely. The bar pours are extremely generous. We took to dancing most evenings with the ever talented DJ Mifu who plays chill, beach beats, cracking 80s up to extreme dance mixing and always new what we wanted. The excursions are all phenomenal. We had a number of large private events that the Resort handled with ease and utterly over delivered. Stunning sights like the beautiful sharks that frequent the resort and are amazing to see from the underwater restaurant (NB. they are only small and are no risk to humans). We were looked after by out butler Vasy and our organiser Pearl. We wanted for nothing. Literally cannot fault the place. Full marks Conrad Rangali.

Quite possibly the most magical place on earth. The beauty, the overwhelming friendliness of all the team (staff/employees feels way to formal for the level of friendship and service given), the incredible sea-life, the exceptional food, wow wow wow. I can’t imagine how one might improve on it. Team Conrad Rangali, thank you all again for the most amazing time, you truly do provide life long memories 🥰🥰🥰

One of famous and Iconic undeewater restaurant looks amazing and truly incredible. It was great experience even underwater house -Muraka not had time to stay but was excellent feature and lots of marine life around your bed and bathroom. Foods and services was excellent teams are with genuine smile always.

Just returned this morning from a ten night stay from April 5th to 15th as a long term diamond Hilton member. Here are my thoughts. This was my second visit to Conrad Maldives and it was a bit of a mixed bag really. my first visit was in Oct 2021 just after Covid when Carla was the GM and we loved the resort and our first stay at Conrad Maldives very much, it was pretty much faultless. We had lots of minor issues during this stay that were not present during our first stay which tended to add up over time but they were handled well by Olga the guest relations manageress and by Akshat the current resort manager. I was shocked at the deterioration of the coral on the reef side of the main island, however we still saw a huge abundance of marine life including sharks, turtles, and manta rays. and many, many species of fish, i just loved snorkelling in the warm clear sea every day. The weather on the first few days was very changeable with heavy rain and thick clouds then the last 5 days we had cloudless skies and it was extremely hot. Conrad Maldives is the only Hilton / Conrad hotel i have ever stayed at that do not provide English breakfast tea in the rooms / villas as standard and it seems very strange to me. The hotel does provide TWG tea bags ( my favourite tea brand ) but only Earl Grey and Darjeeling which are not really to my taste. I did request some english breakfast tea and after a few reminders to reception 10 x Dilmah English breakfast tea bags were delivered to our villa. Thank you. Afternoon tea was from 4pm to 5pm daily for diamond members and this was quite poor in my opinion. Sandwiches were not great, dry bread with fillings that were were cut with a razor blade and not appetising at all. The cakes selection was not bad though and we also got one Dim Sum each brought to our table daily which was tasty. Evening cocktail hour is in The Rangali bar for elite members was from 9pm to 10pm daily and hardly anyone was there for it. During our last visit the cocktail hour was from 4pm to 5pm and it was a very popular event with probably 30 or more couples in attendance, it was a nice atmosphere and something we looked forward to as did other guests we met and spoke to. This time there were probably only a few couples presnt and it was way too late in my opinion and nowhere near as enjoyable. Last visit we also received sparkling wine in our room on arrival as a diamond member, however this time we received still white wine, we was informed that the sparkling wine was out of stock and it was not available at cocktail hour either for the first 4 or 5 days of our stay which was disappointing, then it was available until we departed yesterday on April 15th. We had dinner at Vilu and at Sunset grill and the food was ok but not great both restaurants were very expensive. I ordered the seafood pasta main at Vilu which was meant to contain clams and i only got one clam in my dinner. However the dish was tasty and it cost around $60 for the main. At Sunset grill we ordered the Grass fed chicken breast which was lovely and juicy and the rack of lamb which was dry and dissapointing. These mains were also around $75 each inc tax and service we also ordered some gratin potatoes and vegetables both around $20 for a very small plate we hoped to share these but nowhere near enough to do that. The two mains dishes came to just under $200 with no drinks. We was extended a free dessert so thank you for that. We also had pizza at Rangali bar which was around $55 inc tax and service and it was very nice and quite large, we shared it and it seemed reasonable value. The quiet island was as beautiful as i remembered and a real haven of solitude and beauty, it took my breath away. We did experience a group of 5 rowdy guests by the infinity pool causing a scene, shouting, swearing and drunk one day but security handled it well and the guests left the next day. Breakfast was very nice with a huge selection and great service by the waiters, especially Kosi who was a real character, we only ate at the main buffet restaurant and enjoyed it very much. It was nice chatting with Kosi about Sri Lanka where he was from and his family as my Dad lives in Sri Lanka too. We had some noisy guests in the adjacent beach villa playing very loud music and having a bit of a pool party which we reported and again security handled the matter very well and we never had any issues moving forwards with noise after that. There was some communication mixups with our hosts ( whom we communicated with via Whats App ) we had three different hosts during our 10 night stay and things did not flow very well. Confusion on which day we would move from a beach villa to a water villa, also issues with buggies / golf carts we had booked which never turned up. There was a managers cocktail hour on the quiet island and again our buggy never arrived and we had to walk, however this was a great fun event with a good turn out of guests and we got to meet some nice people, especially a lovely couple from the US on their first visit to Rangali island. There was free flowing Champagne and a variety of canapés. Akshat the resort manager wanted to meet us for a chat and what a nice guy he was, he spent nearly three hours talking with us at Rangali bar and provided us complimentary cocktails whilst we chatted, he was un rushed and took our feedback positively. Both Olga and Akshat were amazing and they kindly extended us a free dessert at Sunset grill and an hours free spa treatment ( deep tissue massage ) for all the problems we had experienced and that was very kind and much appreciated. i love a good massage and boy was it good ! Would i go back to Conrad Maldives, YES. YES, and YES ! It was not a faultless stay but the staff are amazing, everyone says hello even the gardeners. The guys driving by on the buggies usually stop and ask if you would like a lift. We was offered a late checkout in a day use beach villa number 101 near the reception which we could keep until 4pm which was great as we had the last seaplane out of island ( 4.30pm ) I am missing the place already it is pure paradise, fantastic snorkelling, friendly staff and nice accommodations. I really do hope the niggles we experienced throughout our stay are ironed out as Conrad Maldives Rangali island is a stunning resort and a real credit to the Hilton brand. Thank you to Thomas, Olga, Akshat, Nikolina, Kosi and all the island staff who work so hard for your guests 😀