Business Traveller (Middle East)
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If you’re looking for land and water attractions – along with different hospitality experiences – then head to the Conrad Rangali Maldives, reports Dominic Ellis
If you’re looking for land and water attractions – along with different hospitality experiences – then head to the Conrad Rangali Maldives, reports Dominic Ellis
It’s a short walk from Deluxe Beach Villa 221 to the beach at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island and as I’m sitting marvelling at the seaview from one of many loungers, a small black-tip reef shark glides up and down the shoreline. When I next look up, one has become two.
You don’t have to go far to see majestic marine sights in the Maldives. Yesterday lunchtime considerably bigger sharks and fish eagerly feasted on tossed-in tuna from the Mandhoo Spa restaurant, and the day before, catching the traditional dhoni between the resort’s two islands, an eagle ray gracefully glided under the platform.
But you can venture out of course; we took a boat half an hour off the island to a turtle reef where we gazed at an adult Hawksbill using flippers to unearth coral and a junior playfully swam with us, periodically dropping like a stone to the bottom of the reef. We saw a grey reef shark fleetingly here too, even if it wasn’t quite as large as the one the group saw the previous day, but unfortunately no whale sharks on account of the tides. On a sunset cruise we also saw a pod of dolphins, just as we were giving up in fading light, and reeled in halfa-dozen fish on an evening fishing trip (the beauty of GoPro cameras is that I could share one of the group’s photos easily onto my iPhone).
Emboldened by several snorkel trips around the resort, on the last one I went out as far as a buoy, where the coral was thicker and water deeper. Passing a large crystal-clear shoal of Blue Surgeonfish, the startling sights came thick and fast, including an enormous brown moray eel, which looked like something out of Anaconda. But the joy of snorkelling is stumbling upon the tiny as well, such as a solitary scribbled pipefish or junior barracuda; in a world of non-stop communication, there’s something wonderfully restorative about soaking up the natural underwater canvas and hearing nothing
but your own breath and fish crunching on coral.
Back on terra firma, the beauty of this particular resort, located a half-hour flight from Male, is it’s a two-in-one offering; couples and those looking for a generally more low-key and discreet stay turn left off the seaplane to the over-water villas on Rangali Island (where I stayed the first two nights), while those with families tend to head right to Rangalifinolhu Island, where the bulk of the F&B and water activities are located. The long platform, a magnet for mantarays when it’s illuminated at night, connects the two islands and allows guests to sample the other side when they fancy a change of scene. The resort is investing $3.2 million in upgrades which will see the full renovation of the 34 beach villas and bathrooms, and bedrooms will be enlarged from 29sqm to 36sqm.
General Manager Stefano Ruzza, who speaks five languages and was previously working at Conrad Koh Samui, talks to me in the busy Rangali bar and then effortlessly mingles with a European guest. Bare footed, he looks as relaxed as the vacationers.
“Guests want to be pampered and feel the light and warmth of hospitality,” he says. Around 36 per cent of guests are repeat which is an impressive rate; during the course of the stay we’re told one woman has come more than 30 times and each time books the ultra-exclusive Sunset Water Villa set in its own private area within the lagoon (it features a circular rotating bed in the master bedroom enabling guests to have a 270-degrees view of the ocean).
Each island offers different unwinding experiences. Taking the buggy through lush vegetation on the beach villa side, the space suddenly opens up as you approach The Spa Retreat, an expansive area with private treatment areas and 21 villas beyond. Once inside, past a bubbling fountain and plush reception area, I was escorted to one of nine couple’s treatment rooms and treated to a 90-minute treatment in which warm coconut sticks were applied, rolling-pin style, to my calves and back. Other novelties include the
Those staying on Rangali island can wander to the over-water spa whose discreet treatment areas offer direct water views as you face down from your couch and outside is possibly the world’s best Jacuzzi with unbroken ocean views.
outdoor shower and toilet – the design ensures total privacy, and there was an outdoor shower at the beach villa too – which is one of those quintessential Indian Ocean experiences; your first time feels unnatural but by day five it’s second nature.
Those staying on Rangali island can wander to the over-water spa whose discreet treatment areas offer direct water views as you face down from your couch and outside is possibly the world’s best Jacuzzi with unbroken ocean views. The entrance to this island also has a Yoga Pavilion where we had a short session before dinner, the tranquillity briefly interrupted by an arriving seaplane.
I found the over-water villa more peaceful than the beach villa which had some background noise. A small heron (‘Georgina’) greeted me by the Jacuzzi pool on each afternoon, and a larger heron (‘George’) strolled along the back, its large footprints caressing the soft white sand. Walking down the steps into the ocean, I saw sizeable black crabs scaling the support beams and naturally, more fish, and walking along you’ll occasionally hear rustling leaves as lizards dash in and out. On the clearest first night, the sky was lit up with stars. The F&B was universally impressive, though with price tags to fit the setting, and the 10-venue breadth is another major attribute, particularly for long-stay guests. My favourite meal was probably the simplest, the Mandhoo Spa lunch, whose menu is built around the five elements. Small bowls of exquisitely fresh salad were followed by a faultless seabass; understandably it’s a great place for seafood and there can’t be many breakfast venues serving up baked salmon, which I enjoyed at Atoll Market, and symptomatic of the wider quality. Ufaa by Jereme Leung features a wide range
of Asian dishes – the iPad menus contain photos of each dish – and we tried our hands making dim sums and dumplings in a culinary class.
Vinu restaurant, on Rangali island, serves a smaller selection than Atoll Market but its views are better, and its stand-out attraction is a stunning wine cellar in which guests receive iPads as the sommelier talks through the pairings. In another memorable dinner nearby we sat right next to the waves, with stations and grills scattered around the sand, and were served a range of Maldivian-flavoured salads and curries on the last evening. The resort prides itself on sustainability and we visited a herb and lettuce garden, on the staff island.
On the final morning, we took the 33 steps down to Ithaa underwater restaurant, set five metres under the ocean, for a one-hour cocktail reception (one champagne or mocktail and one small canapé) which costs $75 – but that’s your only chance of going in unless you book lunch ($210) or dinner ($325). To get to Ithaa, you pass Sunset Grill, with its attractive over-water table design.
Flying out on the seaplane, there was one last chance to see the neighbouring islands and atolls, splashes of green paint sprayed on a deep-blue canvas. The Conrad has a comfortable lounge with showers and F&B close to the airport which comes in handy if you have a late flight (note the last seaplane leaves 5pm), and other high-end brands have facilities along this stretch.