Five Days Barefoot: Conrad Rangali Maldives

[yflyer]

My wife and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary earlier this month. With our two kids in tow, we headed to the Maldives for a short vacation.

Of course, we flew to Male via SQ, but that was only part of our journey to the resort, which also involved a domestic island hop on an ATR-42, followed by a speedboat transfer in pitch darkness, and a return to Male after our vacation on a DH-6 Twin Otter seaplane.

In between that: a short stay on that Paradise on Earth, the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island (Thank you, Hilton HHonors!).

A nice change from all those business trip TR's, don't you think?

Our fellow SQTalker, calvinoeh, has also posted a TR on his vacation to the Conrad Maldives Rangali...I'll try not to duplicate too much of the stuff he has posted.

calvinoeh: Thanks as well for responding to the question I had about the Conrad - it helped me with the decision to go ahead with this trip!



We kicked off this trip with an evening departure on SQ452 SIN-MLE.

[yflyer]

SQ452 to Male departs from Changi Airport T2. I seldom use T2 these days, but it is as efficient as ever. I also like what they have done with the aerobridges -- fancy carpeting and coloured lighting. I don't know how I would feel if I were heading for a business trip down this aerobridge, but walking down this cheerful passage, it felt like a great start to a vacation!



SQ flies Airbus A330's on this route, which is great, since you get the latest Y product, and the newest Krisworld, which kept both the wife and kids occupied the whole trip.



We took off into clear skies, and had a great view of night-time Singapore after take-off, including this view of Changi Airport. Hard to imagine this scene right now, with the haze blanketing Singapore, and the PSI hitting record levels.



Let us also get the peanut shot out of the way...

[yflyer]

SQ in-flight service was on top form...and not a suit or laptop in sight in the cabin! Must be nice working this route to a holiday destination, with everyone, both cabin crew and pax, quite relaxed and cheerful.



I wonder when SQ switched from Gordon's Gin to Bombay Sapphire Gin. A very positive step.

The choice of main course today was beef goulash or curry ayam.



I chose the chicken, which was great. It is hard to go wrong with a spicy curry dish in-flight...



Dessert was a chocolate coated ice cream bar...



We arrived on Male just over 4 hours later.



Like may other resort destinations, the International Airport terminal was fairly basic, with a disproportionate number of widebodies parked on the tarmac. It was a welcome novelty to use airstairs to climb down from the A330, then walk 50m across the tarmac to the terminal building.

[yflyer]

Most visitors to the Conrad have two-way seaplane transfers to and from Male, however our late night arrival meant that the Conrad arranged for domestic hop from Male to Maamigili, an island close to Rangali, where we would then be transferred via speedboat to the resort.

Given that it was a late night, the multiple transfers from international to domestic terminal, from Male to Maamigili, then to the speedboat to Rangali, were a little tiring. If possible, I would recommend a daytime arrival to Male. That said, it was a very well coordinated process, with the Conrad staff meeting and escorting you at each step of the way.

We waited at the domestic airport lounge for our connecting flight to Maamigili. This lounge had a convenient wall map of the Maldives, which showed just how spread out the Maldives were, dotted with many atolls and islands.



Our domestic connection was on a Flyme (Villa Air) ATR-42.



This was configured in a surprisingly comfortable and spacious 2-2 layout.



We were seated in the second row in front. One unique feature of the seating plan was 2 rearward facing seats in the first row, near the emergency exit.



Practically all the other passengers on this 17 minute flight appeared to be Maldivian locals (not foreign holidaymakers).



The flight itself was smooth, comfortable and well operated (as far as I can tell...), with the one cabin attendant conducting a very professional safety brief and pre-flight check of seatbelts etc before take-off and also before landing.



We did encounter some turbulence prior to descent (just a few bumps, nothing out of the ordinary), which caused several of the women passengers to scream very loudly. Not the most experienced flyers, I suspect.

It was then on to a 30 minute speedboat ride from Maamigili to Rangali itself, a rollicking, high speed ride in pitch darkness which I would not recommend to anyone who is prone to seasickness. No-one was seasick on board, but it felt a little like a theme park ride that went on way too long. Interestingly, my younger kid found the ride to be the "coolest ever".

[yflyer]

We arrived past midnight at the resort, and after a quick check-in process we were escorted to our beach villa, where we fell asleep soon after.

One nice thing about a late night arrival is that you don't really get a sense of the place at all in the evening, and you get your first glimpse of the place in the morning after a good night's sleep.

I awoke with sunlight already streaming into the villa, and stepped out through the deck and patio towards the beach.



There was fairly thick foliage in front of the villa, which gave it a measure of privacy, but literally a few steps in front of the villa was the beach and the water -- and what an expanse of clean white sand, and clear water it was!

[yflyer]

The villa itself was remarkably spacious and comfortable.



There was a king bed, and they had setup a separate sofa bed and small single bed for my kids.



There was a flat screen display, blu-ray player and surprisingly good wifi connectivity in the room, and also in public areas across the resort.



The shower area was outdoors (no indoor option!) and a pathway led to a large bathtub under a gazebo.



I found all of this a little disorientating at first ("Outdoor shower? You got to be kidding! Rain how?"), but now I think it is a really inspired design, and it really helped me shed a lot of mental baggage about work, and get into the mood of the holiday.



The other thing that really put me well and truly into holiday mood was the fact that this resort is really setup for you to spend the entire vacation without footwear! Everything, beach, lobby, even many dining areas, are covered in sand.



Pathways are wooden or densely packed sand...with no hot asphalt or pavement in sight.



The colours of the sea and sky were stunning, in brilliant colours and multiple hues seldom seen elsewhere. No Photoshop required, it was as if real life was photoshopped...



Even in restaurants footwear was optional. I could have locked my shoes and slippers up when I arrived, and not put them on until I arrived back in Male after the vacation. Many folks wore slippers around of course, but there was a significant barefoot brigade, including yours truly. How liberating!

[yflyer]

We spent a lot of time on the first day exploring the resort, which is on two islands, connected by a long bridge, with the seaplane jetty in the middle of the bridge.



There were a range of watersports available and a dive center, as well as various excursions (snorkelling around the house reef, scuba diving, whaleshark spotting, even a mini submarine which we didn't see anyone use while we were there).



There was a waterfront infinity pool, but why would anyone would swim there when you were surrounded by such perfect waters?



There were many wedding couples and honeymooners on the resort.



The reception, beach villas, spa, retreat water villas and several restaurants are on the main, larger island.

The other, smaller, island comprises mainly beach villas, an adults-only quiet zone with its own pool, and a bar and restaurant.

This is a picture of the smaller island.



This is the infinity pool in the quiet zone.



If you don't want to use the bridge to walk between islands, there is a boat that ferries guests across at 15 minute intervals, with the ride taking not more than 7 minutes each way.



For part of the day, the boat used has a rooftop accessible to guests. Climbing the ladder and sitting on top (barefoot, no footwear allowed up top!) was a great way to get between the two islands!

[yflyer]

The main dining and breakfast area was the Atoll restaurant.

You could sit outdoors (in the sand)...



Or indoors (also in the sand!)...



The buffet selection was impressive, with both Western and local selections.

A nice touch was the free-flow of sparkling wine at breakfast.



You also had a good selection of sushi (and on some days sashimi) at breakfast. I am usually wary of eating sushi in hotel buffets, as these typically are not the same quality as in proper Japanese sushi joints. The rice for the sushi here was mediocre, but the quality and freshness of the fish was spectacular.



You had the obligatory egg station, with one important additional ingredient...



...green chilli!



This gave your omelette an incredible kick that was quite addictive. I usually ordered the omelette with green chilli (sometimes extra chilli), onion, and cheese. Perhaps a little bacon on some days for additional flavour.



Superb!

[yflyer]

There are several restaurants spread out across the resort, but perhaps the best known is Ithaa, the underwater restaurant.

We had lunch there with the kids (children are allowed for lunch but not dinner.)



You enter the wooden structure above sea-level, take off your footwear then descend a staircase to the undersea dining room, which appears to seat less than 20.



The restaurant is stunning, and the sense of awe does not really wear off because there is an endless variety of seafood, oops I mean fish, swimming by.



Kids get a children's menu at half price, and the chefs were able to tailor the menu to some extent to the kid's preferences as well.



The lunch set for the day:



The cuisine and service were very good...as long as you remember where you are and don't expect a Michelin starred restaurant experience in the middle of the ocean.

Green pea soup and capellini:



Scallops:



For the main, you had a choice of reef fish or lamb loin. My wife chose the fish, which was delicious.



I chose the lamb loin, which was good as well, but in retrospect, no different from lamb you get anywhere else.



Dessert was dark chocolate mouse.



In all, a unique and memorable experience, although one meal there is probably enough for the entire trip.

[yflyer]

At one end of the main island was the spa, Mandhoo restaurant, and retreat water villas.



The clear shallow waters on that part of the atoll, just way from the waves crashing on the reef in the distance, were quite spectacular. This part of the resort had a uniquely serene and peaceful feel to it.



Opposite the overwater spa, the Mandhoo restaurant served dinner, as well as complimentary tea and biscuits between 4pm-5pm each day.



You sat at tables close to open full length windows, close to the waves.



For the last 2 days of our stay, we had arranged to move to the Retreat Water Villas.



We were so happy and comfortable in our beach villa, where we stayed for 3 nights, that we almost did not feel like moving, and were almost apprehensive that the water villas would not be as wonderful, but as it turned out, these water villas were stunning, and exceeded our expectations.



Set over the water, these villas were spacious with great indoor views of the sea through full length windows, as well as an open deck with a jacuzzi and steps into the clear shallow waters below.



Our room was setup for 4. Two on the king bed in the main living area, and another 2 in a separate bedroom.



The bathroom (with an indoor shower this time) had a huge bathtub overlooking the water.



There was a large outer bathroom area with sinks, wardrobes and a day bed.



There was also a separate spa treatment room connected by a passage, which could also be converted to a bedroom, which was done to accomodate our kids. This separate room had stunning full length views of the water as well.

[yflyer]

The outdoor deck and jacuzzi were spectacular during the day...





...and at dusk...



When the tides were low, and when the current was not too strong, it was possible to descend the steps to swim or snorkel in the shallow waters of the atoll.







Apart from a variety of small and large fish, you occasionally had larger visitors, like this stingray, which must have measured more than 1 meter across...



We saw two different stingrays on different days in the waters around our villa. This one had two brightly coloured blue fish swimming above it.

[yflyer]

Across on the smaller island, the Vilu restaurant served both dinner and a semi-buffet breakfast, which was a nice change from the Atoll restaurant breakfast buffet.

Most menus at the resort were on iPads.



If you were a Hilton HHonors Diamond member, you were also invited to the bar at Vilu each day, between 5pm-6pm, for complimentary beverages, including a free flow of house red/white wine, beer and the daily cocktail (unlimited pours of the cocktail of the day, a martini style drink, which changed daily).





This became a daily routine for us, to head to the Vilu bar between 5 and 6pm each evening, where we could get, on a complimentary basis, our recommended nutritional daily intake of wine and cocktails...

[yflyer]

Weather was generally very good when we were there. There were sunny days, and a couple of overcast days, as well as one overnight thunderstorm, and one rainstorm that soaked the island in a torrential downpour that lasted around half an hour in the late afternoon, before moving on and leaving the island dry for the rest of the day.



We ended our stay with dinner at the Sunset Grill, an overwater restaurant on main island...



...where we sampled the local Maldivian lobster.

[yflyer]

We spent the last day on the beach, and in the water down the stairs from the water villa, before packing our bags to catch our seaplane back to Male.



This is what counts as a taxi in the Maldives...the Maldivian Air Taxi! There were countless seaplane flights each day ferrying guests to and from this resort.

Isn't it great to show up for work each day in this uniform?



This was my first flight in a DH-6 Twin Otter seaplane, and I had my camera ready.



These planes take-off and fly really smoothly, but are quite noisy. We were given 3M foam earplugs to use, and I had mine on the whole flight. Many other pax didn't wear earplugs...probably no permanent hearing damage, given the short 35 minute flight to Male, mostly flown at a fairly low level (a couple of thousand feet?).



All along the way, you had incredible views of other atolls and resorts.



Notice that the barefoot theme even carries forward to the pilot...probably you can feel the rudder pedals better...



Here is a picture of one of the many resorts (not the Conrad) we flew over on the way to Male...we got the sense that many of these resorts were similar...stunning atolls with beach villas and overwater villas. I think the Conrad was fairly unique, though, with two islands connected by a bridge, which somehow made the resort feel quite varied in atmosphere, and made it interesting to explore.



As we approached to land, we caught our only glimpse of Male itself, which was built up right to the edges of the island.



Landing was on a body of water close to the international airport.





After that, it was a short bus ride around the airport to the international terminal for our afternoon SQ flight back home.

[yflyer]

After that, writing about the SQ flight from Male to Singapore would be anti-climatic. It was a good flight, and we arrived back in SIN just as the haze was worsening. Perhaps we should have stayed on at the Conrad a few days longer

Overall impressions? I was completely bowled over by both the Maldives and the Conrad. From what I read about the Conrad and the Maldives from reviews etc, I knew it would be a good vacation, but my expectations were surpassed in almost every way.

My elder daughter's parting comment: "I want to come back...", and shouldn't we all feel that way after a great experience.

There are few places in the world like the Maldives, and I think the memories of this trip will always remain special.



Thanks for reading!