Tag Archives: Maldives

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

11 Saturday Jan 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Hilton

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

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.

Map

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.

Continue reading →

Our Brief Time in Malé, Maldives

10 Friday Jan 2014

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

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

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.

Male 01Male 02Male 03

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.

Continue reading →

You Can Swim with Whale Sharks in the Maldives!

08 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Hilton, The Maldives

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

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.

Continue reading →

Relaxing in Paradise: Activities at the Conrad Rangali

07 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Hilton, The Maldives

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

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.

Activities 01Activities 02Activities 03Activities 04Activities 05Activities 06

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.

Continue reading →

Back on the Road: An Introduction

01 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Asia, China, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Japan, Marriott

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

Mrs. Selfish and I have been living in San Francisco for the last few months, exploring the city and the Bay Area. Well, “living”, might be more accurate.

While we’re physically in San Francisco, most of our stuff is still in a pod somewhere in Orlando, Florida, so we’re still living out of suitcases. Normally, I’d view this as a disadvantage, but after traveling for a year I’ve become pretty accustomed to the lifestyle. It’s nice to be able to leave and hop on a plane at the drop of a hat.

So it was with much anticipation, that Mrs. Selfish and I started our annual Thanksgiving trip. This year we decided to visit the Maldives, and Okinawa, Japan, stopping by Hong Kong, Fukuoka, and Tokyo along the way. An odd routing, to be sure, but we were in pursuit of an elusive beast.

The whale shark.

G0340135

More on this guy, in a few posts.

Continue reading →

I Need a Vacation!

27 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by in Accommodations, Asia, China, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Japan, Marriott

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

When we first started traveling abroad, I figured our year long wanderings would end one of two ways:

1) After traveling for a year we’d be so sick of it, that we’d immediately settle somewhere and never leave.

2) Our travel obsession would get worse and we’d have problems staying anywhere for longer than a month.

Unfortunately, it looks like it’s #2.

Mrs. Selfish and I have been settling into San Francisco for two weeks now, and I’m already starting to get antsy. While it’s nice to have a slightly more permanent home (at least for the next few months), I miss the call of the open road.

Fortunately, I anticipated this outcome and booked a new trip back in July. Come late November, we’re heading to the Maldives and Okinawa for scuba diving, by way of Hong Kong and Fukuoka, Japan!

The Maldives

Let’s see if the Maldives is everything it’s cracked up to be!

Okinawa

Okinawa, Japan’s Winter Paradise.

Continue reading →