Review: Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

_Location: Split across two islands connected by a bridge, this iconic resort sits in the South Ari Atoll and is accessed by a 30-minute seaplane flight from Malé.

Its westerly position means it’s a hotspot for whale sharks, which can be spotted every day of the year, while a coral reef acts as a barrier sheltering the lagoon from the waves.

_{First impressions:} Stepping off the seaplane, it’s the colours that hit me first – a pool-blue sky stretches over the ocean, with water so strikingly turquoise it’s like seeing it through a filter.

We’re greeted with a drum performance and whisked along white-sand jungle trails to reach our home for the next few nights – a perfectly-polished overwater villa perched above the lagoon, with a private deck and steps that lead straight into the sea.

_{The facts:} Conrad Maldives bills itself as the “island of firsts” and it’s not hard to see why.

It was the first international resort in the Maldives when it opened as Hilton Rangali in 1997 and it’s continued to create a number of firsts ever since, from the world’s first underwater restaurant in 2005 to unveiling the Maldives’ first underwater bedroom in 2018.

Its 150 beach and overwater villas are spread across an adult-only and a family-friendly island, with several two-bedroom options available for those travelling with children.

The resort had a ‘grand relaunch’ in February after a multi-year, multimillion-dollar renovation and now boasts a new, wood-beamed gym overlooking the lagoon as well as a new Teens Club, an enhanced kids’ club, redesigned overwater villas and a refreshed spa.

_Explore: It’s all about the water here, with kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, jetskiing, windsurfing and more available from the watersports club, snorkelling available on the house reef and a dive centre offering courses as well as ‘bubble’ diving for children.

Excursions are also available for those wanting to explore beyond the pearl-sand beaches; we embarked on a sunset cruise and found ourselves surrounded by pods of spinner dolphins jumping and flipping above waters bathed in gold, and tried our hands at coral planting to help restore the surrounding reef.

But my highlight had to be the whale shark tour, which saw me snorkelling metres above a gentle giant three times my size, its huge head covered in polka dots and its graceful tail swishing behind in a scene that was utterly mesmerising.

_{Ideal for:} Couples who want a secluded retreat on the adult-only Rangali Island and families wanting an action-packed stay that’s all about the water on Rangali-Finolhu.

_Wow: It’s hard to beat swimming alongside the world’s biggest fish, but the moment I stepped into The Muraka – a two-floor suite home to the Maldives’ first underwater bedroom – it was a close rival, with reef sharks, parrotfish and turtles swimming above the bed like something from a cartoon reel.

The food blew me away too, from a six-course Japanese tasting menu on the beach to the Ithaa underwater restaurant, where we tucked into wagyu tartar and truffled black cod as reef sharks darted by in a spectacle that, like the resort itself, will long stay with me.