Conrad maldives review
By Aaron Anderson
Maldives!
Tough decisions…..where to go on our next vacation? This is what my wife and I were asking ourselves almost a year ago. We were torn between Bali, Machu Picchu, Phuket, Bora Bora, and a bunch of other amazing places around the world that would make most people gush at the thought of visiting. That’s how we felt at least. And it makes it so much sweeter knowing that these trips are nearly free when we book with points and miles. We decided to go BIG. We decided to splurge for the Maldives.
Jill and I visited the Maldives last May (2019) and what a TRIP. We decided to stay at the Conrad Maldives for a few reasons.
- I have Diamond Status with Hilton which means two very important things: *1* FREE breakfast every morning for me and one other guest and *2* FREE room upgrade to a SUITE so long as it is available upon check-in.
- It has the world’s first undersea restaurant (Ithaa)
- Conrad Maldives has twice been voted the best hotel in the world
Getting straight to the point: This property is INCREDIBLE. It is an island of luxury.
Booking
Duration of our stay: 5 days/4 nights.
We booked a standard room for 95,000 Hilton honors points per night for three nights; for a total of 285,000 points. We also used my free weekend night certificate that I get each year just by having the American Express Hilton Aspire credit card. So we stayed a total of 5 days and 4 nights. The thing that I love about the Conrad Maldives is that you can book an overwater bungalow at the “standard room” rate. Which is fantastic, because the free weekend night certificate is only good for a “standard room” redemption. So we booked an overwater villa for all four nights. We were given complimentary upgrades for two nights to a supreme water villa and two nights to a retreat water villa (which is now called “grand water villa.” When you book Hilton properties with points, you don’t have to pay any taxes and service charges—it’s included when you pay with points. How great is that!?
Here’s what we would have paid in cash for these rooms (includes 10% mandatory service charge and 12% tax on cash rates).
Superior Water Villa for 2 nights: $2,377.44
Retreat Water Villa for 2 nights: $2,820.96
Savings: $5,198.40
When we booked our stay, we only had about three weeks until our trip. All we had to do at this point was wait patiently while we daydreamed about turquoise clear ocean waters, white sandy beaches, and comfortable lounge chairs and infinity pools. Ahhhh…
Getting There
Getting to the Maldives takes a while. So I would recommend flying business or first class so you can fly in comfort. We booked our business class itinerary with 70,000 American Airline miles, which we each earned by signing up for the AA Citi Business card. Even though we used American Airline miles to book, we flew most of the way on Etihad. We took a one hour flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles on AA. We hung out in Etihad’s lounge for about an hour so we could relax and grab some food. Then we took a 16 hour flight from Los Angeles to Abu Dhabi on Etihad. We had a 10 hour layover in Abu Dhabi in the middle of the night, so we decided to stay put in the airport and checkout a couple of Etihad’s lounges. First, we went to the arrivals lounge. It was small, but very nice. We took showers and grabbed a couple snacks. From there, we went up to the premium business class lounge in Terminal 3. It was easy enough to spend a lot of time in this lounge for a few reasons:
- there was a spa—which we both took advantage of by getting massages and using the showers
- comfortable seating
- incredible food
- free wifi
After our lounge experience in Abu Dhabi, we were off to the Maldives. We made a stop at the Male airport first so we could transfer to our seaplane. While waiting for our seaplane transfer, we were escorted to the Conrad lounge at the Male airport. This was another fantastic experience. We each got a free 15 minute massage and we were served food and drink and were given the opportunity to take showers if we wanted to. After our time in the Conrad lounge, we were escorted down to our seaplane. This was a new experience for me and I LOVED it. Flying over the little atolls in the middle of the Indian Ocean was quite the experience. The experience was fun, but the price of the seaplane was not…each person pays $590 dollars (inclusive of taxes) for a roundtrip ticket. It’s painful to pay the full price of a seaplane ticket after getting such incredible value booking business class flights and a 5 star hotel for so little. I guess I’ve spoiled myself by getting used to traveling on points and miles.
First impressions and checking in
The resort assigns a host to show you around the property and answer any questions you might have. The host will also escort you to your room and help you with any dining or activity reservations you would like to make during your stay. Our host was extremely pleasant and very kind. Before check-in and while we wait for passengers luggage from the seaplane to be sorted, you are invited to spend a few minutes in the waiting room. While waiting, your host gives you information about the property and serves you a welcome drink, or in our case, a slushy. Check-in was simple and fun. We learned quickly that you don’t have to wear shoes or sandals anywhere on the property. The floor of the reception center is SAND! At check-in we were given a room upgrade to a Superior Overwater Villa.
Superior Water villa
The Superior Overwater Villa had more room than the standard overwater villa and we also got our own jacuzzi out on the deck. When we walked into our room, we saw that we were given a plate of fresh fruit, a box of chocolates, and a bottle of sparkling cider. The room was comfortable and spacious. It totaled 818 sq. ft and came with everything we needed and more.
Deluxe Overwater villa
After a couple of nights in the Superior Overwater Villa, we were offered another upgrade to stay in the Retreat water villa (the resort now calls this room the Grand Water Villa). This place was HUGE. It was 1614 sq. ft. and had two large decks with a jacuzzi. The room featured glass floors in the bathroom, which were small and located behind the sinks, but glass floors none-the-less. Our suite even included a separate room with massage tables, if we wanted to get massages in our room. WOW!
Amenities
The weight room had all of the weights and machines that you would need to get a nice workout. We used the weight room a couple of times while we were there. We also took advantage of the tennis court at night a couple of times. The court was lit up very well and was never crowded at night. The resort provides you with tennis rackets and tennis balls and you have to make a reservation to play.
The resort has two main swimming pools: the adult’s pool, located on the quiet island and the family pool, located on the main island. We really only used the adult pool because we didn’t have our kids with us. This pool was an infinity pool that looked out over the crystal clear waters.
Near the reception center, there was a water activities center where you could check out paddle boards, paddle boats, rent jet skis, and all sorts of other activities. The dive center has guides if you’d like to go for a dive and see the marine life in the Maldives. In my opinion, scuba diving is a must if you are going to the Maldives. You’ll see sharks, sea turtles, rays, and all kinds of fish. You can also checkout snorkeling gear at the dive center for your entire stay, free of charge.
Another cool aspect of the resort is that you are picked up in golf carts whenever you need to get from place to place on the property. You simply call the front desk and request a “buggy” and they will send one. It never took more than 10-15 minutes for a buggy to pick us up.
Aside from all the pools and activities, there were WHITE SAND beaches all over….lots of them. There was even a beach that lost its way and disappeared into the ocean…Almost every beech has a section of lounge chairs or hammocks. So you can relax and take a load off at almost any spot throughout the property.
food
How could you stay at the Conrad Maldives without the amazing and unique underwater dining experience? Maybe the most amazing dining experience I have ever had was at Ithaa: the world’s first undersea restaurant. I was lucky enough to be the first one down the stairs and got the first look before any other guests were seated at their tables. We had a five course lunch here and never really felt full, but we were definitely satisfied. The bill was a pretty penny, coming in at over $500 for both my wife and I. We primarily booked this reservation at Ithaa, not necessarily for the food (although it was very tasty, just not filling), but for the experience of dining under the ocean.
We had free breakfast every morning because I am a Diamond Status member. I get free Diamond Status every year just by holding the Amex Hilton Aspire credit card. This benefit saved us over $100 per day collectively. We ate breakfast most mornings at the Vilu Restaurant and bar. You can order a la cart or eat the buffet…or both. The food was very good and we tried it all. You also have the option of the breakfast buffet at the Atoll Market Restaurant—which had an abundance of options and were all very delicious. I would say my favorite restaurant for breakfast was the Vilu restaurant. While dining, you are sitting at the edge of the water and have the option for both buffet and a la cart.
For lunch most days we ate at the Mandoo Restaurant on the main island. Lunch options were mouth watering. I especially liked the pumpkin risotto and grilled chicken.
Because of my Diamond Status, we also enjoyed free drinks and appetizers during happy hour, which was served at the Mandhoo Restaurant. The Mandoo Restaurant was special because it was an “over water” restaurant. Yes, you read that right: it’s an “over water” restaurant. We frequently saw baby sharks swim by while we were eating our meals. It was heavenly.
Good for Kids?
Yes it is. The property has a playground area, a family swimming pool, and even a little pool for infants and toddlers. For a family with young kids, I would recommend booking a beach villa. Staying in an overwater villa with little kids might be scary because there is not a lot of protection around the edge of the decks. For older kids, overwater villas would be perfect and a lot of fun.
overall thoughts and impressions
Our experience in the Maldives was a dream. From the time the staff welcomed us on the island to the time they said goodbye-we honestly felt like Royalty there. The service was incredible, as they catered to our every need and request. The ONE complaint I have is that they were doing construction on the property while we were there, but even then, they kept things clean and quiet, and gave us a complimentary room upgrade because of it.
This property is one of a kind and top notch. Would I stay here again? ABSOLUTELY! Is this property good for couples? A resounding YES. Is this property good for families? 100% yes!—adding kids to the equation allows the possibility of leveraging the value of your points even more, all while helping you build memories with even more people you love. I cannot wait to go back.
