Review: Sunrise Water Villas at the Conrad Maldives Rangali – worth it? (Part 2)

This is part 2 of Cat’s review of the Conrad Maldives Rangali, looking at the different room types as well as an in-depth look at the Sunrise Water Villas.

Part 1 of our Conrad Maldives Rangali review ran yesterday (click here), and it will conclude tomorrow with a review of the best restaurants at Conrad Maldives Rangali.

This resort is one of the most sought after hotel loyalty points redemptions, but does it live up to expectations?

The Conrad Maldives Rangali website is here.

Why you should stay in an overwater villa

Before I get to my review of the Sunrise Water Villa, I will say this – if you can stay in an overwater villa, I would.

Many people who are in a position to choose between an overwater and beach villa split their time – half of the nights in a beach villa, half in an overwater villa. I’d just stick to the overwater villas. There are many reasons for this:

• it’s not that difficult to find a lovely villa in a nice hotel, right on the beach. It’s always delightful staying in a beach villa, but how often do you get the chance to stay in a villa built on stilts right over the water? 
• the beach villa gardens and the stretch of beach on the house reef side are the places people tend to find themselves getting bitten by mosquitoes (and I can verify this, I don’t think I got bitten once on Rangali island, but was bothered by mosquitos every time we went snorkelling). I imagine Rangali management are, quite rightly, not keen on spraying insecticides near the reef.
• the deck of the water villa will have an infinity jacuzzi (unheated, but with jets) or an infinity pool right above the water, all you can see is miles and miles of water, and it is absolutely *glorious* 
• your deck has steps right into the sea. It’s fabulous. 
• your desk in the water villa has a glass bottom to it, so if you’re stuck having to do something resembling work one day, at least you might have a reef shark or two to cheer you up
• you can have a bath with a sea view
• seriously – who can be bothered with moving rooms?

If you have children with you and aren’t in a position to upgrade to a Grand Water Villa (these are located on Rangalifinolhu island, so children under the age of 16 can stay if you sign a parental disclaimer form – all other water villas are located on the adults-only quiet island) then choose between the beach villas, but in all other circumstances I would stay in an over water villa.

All rooms have been recently refurbished, to a high standard, and reopened in March 2022.

Sunrise Water Villas (86 m²)

We stayed in the Sunrise Water Villas, which are the entry level water villas. They are stunning, spacious, and they sleep two people, with an extra single bed if you need a twin setup. They feature a huge king-sized bed (very, very comfortable!) a living area, a deck with infinity whirlpool (no, it isn’t heated!), sun loungers and parasol.

The bathroom has a bath with stunning lagoon views, a rainfall shower, a double vanity and a toilet tucked away, just off the bathroom behind a door. Here is a PR photo:

There are all sorts of wonderful touches, like the glass-bottomed desk, a walk-in wardrobe, the steps directly into the lagoon and the water gun, for spraying the saltwater off when you come back from a swim and don’t want to leave saltwater streaks on everything.

The fences that separate the neighbouring villas give you a tremendous feeling of having your own private stretch of ocean, which is yours all the way to the horizon (photos never seem to show just how wide the gap between the fences and the edge of the deck is, but I think it’s about 2-3m from the edge of the deck to the fence on either side, so you really feel like you have this big, private space).

Sometimes we saw our neighbours swimming out from their villa, but it was rare.

The only other thing that interrupted the sense utter isolation is the fact that the Sunrise Water Villas are overlooked by the Grand Water Villas on Rangalifinolhu Island:

Much is made of this fact by some people, who express a preference for the Sunset Water Villas because they prefer their deck not being overlooked. Honestly – the Grand Water Villas are about 800m away. Unless you’re a minor celebrity and you’re worried about paparazzi, I don’t see the problem. 

Many people spend significant amounts of time devoted to worrying about whether or not they will get a complementary upgrade to a Sunset Water Villa, because they are Diamond, or because they are a returning guest. You almost certainly won’t, and if you’re really that fussed, pay for the upgrade.

To be honest, I wouldn’t bother though. The rooms are exactly the same, the only differences are what time of day the sky is prettiest, whether you have a whirlpool or a plunge pool (honestly, we preferred the whirlpool – the jets were awesome), and whether you can step straight from your villa into the lagoon, or the shallow water fringing the deeper blue of the ocean (it looks stunning either way). Oh, and the fact that the views of the ocean from the sunset water villas are entirely unobstructed. 

Toiletries are Shanghai Tang Mandarin Tea, but are packaged in refillable ceramic pump containers (be careful not to knock them over in the shower!) in order to cut down on single use plastic waste. 

Rooms come equipped with an ironing board, a safe, and a luggage rack that’s large enough for two cases (all in the walk-in wardrobe), lots of shelves and drawers for storage space, large mirrors in the bathroom and a full length mirror in the walk-in wardrobe.

There is the usual mini-bar (although the mini-bar prices are a new level of absurd), a Nespresso machine and separate kettle (a variety of teas and pods are left for you in your room. If you need more of any tea or Nespresso pod, or a particular tea that isn’t there, you can ask the person who comes to clean your room. Milk is provided in the fridge, but it is UHT milk only.

There are USB charging sockets and British sockets dotted around the room in useful places. Staff come round every day for housekeeping and turndown service.

Sunset Water Villas (86 m²)

Sunset Water Villas are the same size as the Sunrise Villas, but these apparently allow you to sleep 3. Up until recently, both Sunrise and Sunset Water Villas fell under one category and were available as standard redemptions. People generally preferred the sunset side, and are upset that they now have to pay extra for them, rather than request them. 

Don’t get overly stressed about this – both are amazing. The Sunset Water Villas have plunge pools (slightly bigger, but without jets), unobstructed views of the ocean and rather lovely sunsets. 

Superior Water Villas with pool (76 m²)

Honestly, I’m not sure why anyone pays significant money to upgrade to these either. They are actually smaller and seem to have pretty much the same facilities. They do have a slightly bigger gap between villas and are angled such that the unobstructed views of the horizon are much wider, so the sense of having an enormous area all to yourself is greater. I suppose it comes down to the perception of private space vs actual private space.

Deluxe Water Villa with pool (115 m²)

I didn’t see this room in person, unfortunately, but the bathroom on the website looks amazing. For some the upgrade would be worth it, just for the bathtub alone (pictured above!)

Grand Water Villas (150 m²)

If you are travelling with children, and are desperate to stay in an overwater villa, you can stay in a Grand Water Villa as long as you sign a parental waiver. The sense of space, privacy and standard of decor of these villas is noticeably higher than the other room categories that I saw. Here is a PR photo:

The Grand Water Villas come with pool or whirlpool, and as one bedroom or two bedroom options. All looked absolutely lovely, and the bathrooms are divine.

Two Bedroom Rangali Ocean Pavilion with pool (451 m², sleeps 6)

A whirlpool and a really big pool (this one is big enough that you can actually swim in). A gorgeous sandbar pretty much all to yourself (well, you share it with the other two bedroom Rangali Ocean Pavillion). The pool comes with a resident heron (well, it didn’t seem to want to move while I was there ….) There is a kitchenette, and the Pavilion appears to come with its own a private chef. The views are glorious, and the decor is stunning. It’s lovely, and absurdly spacious.

This is the only accommodation on Rangali island that families with children under the age of 16 are permitted to stay in if you sign the parental waiver.

The Muraka Residence (652 m²– 102 of which is 5m underwater, sleeps 9, but only 6 adults)

This has three bedrooms, one of which is an underwater suite. The master bedroom is hemicylindrical in shape, with transparent acrylic curved sides, so that you can see the marine life surrounding the room:

The lounge, bathroom (shower only) and walk-in wardrobe also feature enormous windows, so that you can enjoy the incredible underwater views of the Indian ocean from any part of the master suite. Above water, the Muraka Residence features a sunrise deck and a sunset deck, an infinity pool, a lounge and dining area, a kitchen, two ensuite bedrooms (one with bath and shower, the other with just a shower) and its own gym. It also comes with a 24-hour butler service. Food is apparently included in the price.

I did request a tour of the Muraka, when it was empty, but apparently this is no longer allowed.

Beach Villa (150 m², sleeps 4)

This is the only room type that doesn’t come with its own pool. It features floor to ceiling windows, is mere metres from the water’s edge and has an outdoor bathroom with shower and open-air bathing pavilion.

Deluxe Beach Villa with Pool (300 m², sleeps 4)

You can request a rectangular, oval, or kidney-shaped pool. The room has both outdoor and indoor showers and a jetted bathtub. They feel spacious, and significantly more luxurious than the base level beach villas. The deluxe beach villa also comes as a 2 bedroom option, but with similar bathroom facilities and the same floor area.

Three Bedroom Beach Suite with Pool (668 m², sleeps 6)

Apparently, this comes with two pools and two bathrooms, as well as its own kitchenette. The main living area looks lovely and spacious, and it does look like a rather fabulous party pad.

Conclusion

I hope this gave you a good overview of your options at Conrad Maldives Rangali.

If you book the Conrad Rangali as a redemption – and frankly you’d be crazy not to, as it’s far cheaper to buy Hilton points in a points promotion and book a redemption than to pay cash – you have the choice of a Beach Villa or a Sunrise Water Villa.

Both of these options are available as Standard Room Reward redemptions for 120,000 points per night (or 96,000 if you have Hilton Honors Silver status or above, and book 5 nights for the price of 4). We were lucky enough to book before the redemption rates went up, and managed to book for 76,000 points per night (95,000 points per night, with 5 nights for the price of 4).

In Part 3 tomorrow we will look at the dining options available at Conrad Maldives Rangali – click here.

The Conrad Maldives Rangali website is here if you want to book or learn more.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

Did you know that the Virgin Atlantic credit cards are a great way of earning Hilton Honors points? Two Virgin Points can be converted into three Hilton Honors points. The Virgin Atlantic cards are the only Visa or Mastercard products in the UK which can indirectly earn Hilton Honors points and they come with generous sign-up bonuses. You can apply here.

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton points is 1:2.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)