Tag Archives: Conrad Rangali

Hilton Deathmatch: Conrad Rangali vs. Hilton Bora Bora vs. Conrad Koh Samui

11 Saturday Jan 2014

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Mrs. Selfish and I recently completed a stay at the Conrad Rangali in the Maldives, back in November of last year. In the miles & points world, this was considered one of the most desirable Hilton properties in the world, up there with the Conrad Koh Samui and Hilton Bora Bora.

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Somehow we managed to stay at all three properties last year, so I thought I’d do a comparison post explaining their relative strengths and weaknesses.

While Mrs. Selfish and I like traveling in luxury, we’re actually tremendous cheapskates – so I’ll be rating each of the properties by what you get for your hard spent cash. Not necessarily who is the best, but who gives you the most bang for your buck.

Editor’s Note: If you’re deciding between the three properties it’s a decent read (or if you like pretty pictures of tropical locales), otherwise it is a loooong post.

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Our Brief Time in Malé, Maldives

10 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Food & Drinks, Hilton, The Maldives

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This is the last of six posts on the Maldives. Check out our other posts here:

Mr. Selfish was quite delighted that Cathay Pacific opened a new route between Hong Kong and Malé, which is the capital of the Maldives. However, there is only one flight in and one flight out of Malé per day. Due to the timing of these flights, we had to spend a little bit of time in Malé before arriving and after leaving the splendor that is the Conrad Rangali.

The Cathay flight from Hong Kong arrives in Malé at 9:20 pm. Mr. Selfish and I stayed the night at the Hotel Octave, which was clean and spacious. Plus, the hotel offers complimentary pick-up and drop-off to and from the airport, as well as free breakfast. If you’re on the Cathay flight and have a night to kill in Malé, I recommend the Hotel Octave.

Octave

The airport is on a separate island from Malé proper. You have to take a ferry that costs $1 USD per person and per way to travel between Malé and the airport.

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It’s a rather painless ferry ride, but the ferry doesn’t leave until it is full of passengers. The ride only takes between 15-20 minutes depending on whether you have the “fast” ferry or not.

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Trying to Eat Cheaply at the Conrad Rangali

09 Thursday Jan 2014

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This is the fifth of six posts on the Maldives. Check out our other posts here:

When it comes to dining, Mrs. Selfish and I don’t really do expensive. If anything, we usually opt for street food over a 3-star Michelin restaurant. Unfortunately, the Conrad Rangali is a resort-style property, which means you are trapped on an island and can ONLY eat food on said property. Which means the food is expensive.

While the Conrad has many fabulous restaurants to choose from, we ended up eschewing the majority of those options for the cheapest, most Maldivian food we could find.

Breakfast at the Vilu Bar

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As gold members, Mrs. Selfish and I ate complimentary breakfast at Vilu, which is located on the smaller of the two islands. Vilu is primarily a seafood restaurant in the evening, but in the morning they give you the choice of an entree and access to the continental buffet.

The location is spectacular. Since it’s on the quieter of the two islands, it’s mostly utilized by honeymooning couples and has a cozier, more intimate feel. The other breakfast option is at the Atoll Market on the other island, which we never made it to since Mrs. Selfish and I were far too lazy to cart ourselves over there in time for breakfast.

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You Can Swim with Whale Sharks in the Maldives!

08 Wednesday Jan 2014

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This is the fourth of six posts on the Maldives. Check out our other posts here:

Whale sharks are the biggest fish in the ocean, and the largest recorded one was over 41 feet long and over 47,000 lbs. However, whale sharks do not pose a threat to humans since they are filter feeding fish, which means that they primarily eat plankton. I’ve recently become a little obsessed with whale sharks.

Whale Shark

The reason that I’ve become quite fascinated with them is that the scientists in the world know very little about them. All knowledge about whale shark reproduction is based on one female whale shark that was captured in 1996. National Geographic even has a million dollar reward for anyone that can take a photograph of a whale shark giving birth.

So when I learned that the Maldives was one of the few places in the world that you could spot whale sharks year-round, I was pretty stoked. In fact, the Conrad Rangali supports the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme (MWSRP), which is a nonprofit based in the Maldives that focuses on whale shark research and conservation.

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Relaxing in Paradise: Activities at the Conrad Rangali

07 Tuesday Jan 2014

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This is the third of six posts on the Maldives. Check out our other posts here:

What’s there to do in paradise? Surprisingly lots at the Conrad Rangali in the Maldives.

Snorkeling Around the House Reef

First of all, the house reef is awesome. While Mr. Selfish and I haven’t mastered our GoPro camera yet, take our word for it – the house reef is full of fish and colorful coral.

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To get to the house reef, you should walk to Beach Villa #220 and start swimming straight out into the ocean. At that point, you’ll be swimming in between an opening in the reef. After a little while, there is a huge 60 feet drop, and you can see lots of marine life.

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3 Nights of Paradise at the Conrad Rangali

06 Monday Jan 2014

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This is the second of six posts on the Maldives. Check out our other posts here:

As much as I enjoy flying, Mrs. Selfish and I are less about the journey and more about the destination. After a grueling 20 hours of flying, and 36 hours of jetlag in Hong Kong, we had finally reached our destination: The Conrad Rangali.

The Conrad Rangali has been relentlessly hyped up over the years as one of the premiere destinations to reach on miles & points – and with good reason. While the Conrad Rangali is difficult to get to, it is without a doubt one of the most gorgeous places on earth.

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Getting to the Conrad Rangali in the Maldives

05 Sunday Jan 2014

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This is the first of six posts on the Maldives. Check out our other posts here:

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When Mrs. Selfish and I started talking about our Thanksgiving trip, I had originally planned on traveling to the Maldives to stay at the Conrad Rangali before the great Hilton devaluation. Unfortunately, Mrs. Selfish, sensing a large number of flights, axed the trip. I kept our reservation, however, secretly hoping something would change.

Fortunately, luck was on my side when Cathay Pacific announced the opening of their Hong Kong – Male route back in July 2013. The trip was on!

Others have covered the numerous ways one can get to the Maldives on points & miles, way better than I can, so this post will deal with the trip from Male to the Conrad Rangali itself.

Sea-planing to the Conrad Rangali

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The Conrad Rangali is in no way a cheap, or affordable hotel. While you can get a room for free with HHonors points the food, activities, and extras can add up very, very quickly.

Case in point, the sea plane. At roughly $450 per person, this sucker ain’t cheap. It is luxurious, however, as is the entire experience from beginning until end.

Mrs. Selfish and I ended up landing in Male around 9pm our first night in the Maldives, which was a good 4-5 hours after the last seaplane had left for the Conrad Rangali. Fortunately, I had booked us at the Hotel Octave, a small hotel in Male, which is a good 20 minutes by boat and car from the airport.

Transportation to and from the hotel was free, fast, and efficient. The next morning we were dropped back at the airport to the welcome counter for the Conrad Rangali.

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