Conrad Hilton Rangali in the Maldives

This is our fourth visit to this paradise in the Maldives: 

Last time, before traveling to Australia, a bit more than two years ago, I had the pleasure of diving with big Manta rays, this time we had the pleasure of snorkeling with a juvenile Whale Shark – impressive creature!

Diving at Rangali is always amazing, crystal clear water and an abundance of colourful marine creatures. On one dive I even experienced a large school of large batfish circulating us as divers to play with our air bubbles. They actually came up so close that I could have touched them – obviously not afraid of divers – that really felt great.

The Conrad Hilton Rangali is as good as ever, that is infrastructure wise it is possibly even better, but it has become too pricy, thus I don’t feel I get the same value for my money as earlier as I cannot have a meal and a glass of wine for less than 100 dollars - and when I started to perceive a bottle of wine as cheap when they charge 100 dollars then even my mind has started to be infected. Also, we see more of meal packages being offered, like BBQ on the beach where you pay like 300 dollars to eat and drink cheap wine as much as you like – that suits Homer Simpson, not us!

When we came here the first time in 2006 we observed small electric golf cart vehicles that they used to transport luggage to the villas as well as stuff between restaurants - and they offered elderly and handicapped people to be transported - since then, for every visit, we have observed some doubling of the use of this means of transport - and now it is the exception if it transports elderly and/or handicapped, now it is mostly young people that does not bother to walk the few steps between their  villas and the restaurants- appalling!

To Conrad Hilton’s credit is that they have been even more successful in hiring and training local staff, it has become scares to find any services not being supplied by Maldivians, that’s great!

When we came here the first time in 2006, the resort stated in their brochures that the resort was not very suitable for children – now they have abandoned this constraint or warning and is now encouraging families with even small children, however, again to their credit, they have built a quiet zone for adults who don’t fancy mixing with families with small children. 

Also what is different is that there are many more Asian tourists, particularly young Japanese and Chinese honeymoon couples, thus the diversity has increased at the cost of having a specific profile, and thus it is no longer obvious whom they are targeting as their customers!? Probably not me!?