With every aspect of the trip I’ve outlined thus far, there were choices involved. We had to choose an airline, choose a hotel, etc. There were different alliances and loyalty programs to choose where we wanted to redeem our points, but in truth, the trip is based on ONE final destination. That destination is the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island. Note: all pictures in this post are courtesy of the Conrald Maldives Rangali Island. I’ll be there in under a month, and I’ll make sure to post my own then!
- Introduction
- Flights from San Francisco to Mauritius
- Lodging in Mauritius
- Flights from Mauritius to Luxor
- Egypt Lodging
- Flights from Cairo to the Maldives
- Maldives Lodging
- Flights from the Maldives back to San Francisco
The Maldives are often considered to be the most exotic beach destination in the world, and the Conrad Maldives, occupying two islands, is consistently ranked as one of the best luxury hotels in the world. This luxury doesn’t come cheap. Rates are often north of $1000 per night, but this is really where the Hilton Honors program shines. The award nights go for 50,000 points per night, which is a relative bargain. We’re staying for six nights, which would be 300,000 Hilton points. You may consider starying in Veli beach pool villa Maldives with a beachfront to call your own.
However, Hilton Honors elite members qualify for discounts on certain stays. These awards are typically referred to as GLON stays, and this flyertalk post can provide more information than I can. On stays of 6+ nights, GLON awards represent a 25% savings of points. We’re going to be staying there for six nights so our stay only ran us 225,000 points.
Now before you start jumping up and down about how cheap it is to go to the Conrad Maldives, this stay is going to be FAR from cheap. The only way to access the island is with a speed boat or seaplane. I’m not sure how much the boat costs, but the seaplane is $498.20 round-trip per adult. So that’s a grand out the door without even having our first meal. Being that we’ll be confined to a couple small islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean, I’m sure the food and activities will be quite expensive as well. After reading this long thread on Flyertalk, our expectations have been properly set that we will be spending quite a bit of cash here.
My wife is a Hilton Diamond member, and in terms of those benefits, they are unique to this property. They are pasted below.
Due to the very special nature of the accommodations at Conrad Maldives, we are unable to offer upgraded accommodations. However, as you are a valued Diamond, we are delighted to offer you the choice of one of the following VIP packages during your stay:
Package 1:
– Daily breakfast for you and one guest at either Atoll Market
or Vilu restaurant
– One bottle of wine*
– One half-day excursion for you and one guest (your choice of
Mandhoo Island Tour, Dhoni Sunset Cruise, or Snorkeling Safari)
– Deluxe fruit basket upon arrivalPackage 2:
– Daily happy hour beverages for you and one guest
(Vilu or Rangali Bar)*
– One bottle of wine*
– One half-day excursion for you and one guest (your choice of
Mandhoo Island Tour, Dhoni Sunset Cruise, or Snorkeling Safari)
– Conrad-branded merchandise upon departurePlease note that your choice of package applies for the full duration of your stay, and that package components are not interchangeable.
The elite benefits at the Conrad Maldives have been shuffled around recently a bit. I’m not sure what the current state of the benefits are, but as our stay was booked with the above benefits, this is what we will receive. I think we’ll go with package one.
The Conrad Maldives is, however, exempted from providing complimentary upgrades. The standard room looks pretty amazing here. The standard room is a king beach villa. There are also deluxe beach villas with slightly enhanced acommodations. The gems of the resort are, however, the overwater bungalows. My wife and I have never stayed in an overwater bungalow, and we contacted the resort to check upgrade fees. We were quoted a price of $250/night to move into the overwater bungalows, and we took the offer. We’ve heard of people getting offered upgrades for both lower and higher prices, but it just depends on the season, the availability, etc. I’m not going to included the $250×6 in “the damage report” below as this $250 is completely optional. I will include the seaplane fee. My logic is that someone could book this trip without the upgrade, but they could not book it without the seaplane.
These overwater bungalows all include step ladders to the hotel’s reef. Apparently this is FILLED with fish, reef sharks, and a variety of other wildlife. I am so excited to be able to wake up and just step off the balcony into some of the most beautiful water in the world. At 225,000 points, plus $996.40 for the Seaplane, plus $1500 for our upgraded acommodations, this isn’t going to be cheap, but it’s our honeymoon, and I couldn’t be more excited to check out this world famous resort! Michael Phelps paid it a visit after the olympics! To make this place even more unique, it is also home to Ithaa, a restaurant set 16 feet below sea level, the world’s first underwater all-glass restaurant. We will DEFINITELY be visiting!
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Points Type: Hilton Honors
Number of Points Used: 225,000
2 Passengers on Conrad Maldives Seaplane: $498.20 x 2 = $996.40
