You read reviews and you always think "can it be that good" or "can it be that bad"
The reviews on this hotel were great, so we were prepared to criticise as we have stayed at some great hotels in the past.
It was the best place we have stayed at and is on the list if we ever go back to the Maldives.
We were upgraded to deluxe beachside villa for the first 4 days. These villas are great, sunken grecian baths, outdoor showers, beach on your doorstep, huge rooms and bed. Great finishes and touches that makes the stay special.
The other 3 nights we had a Superior Deluxe Water Villa. Again amazing. Bath overlooking the atoll, steps down into the sea, outdoor hottub, widescreen tv and lovely furniture and fittings.
The whole stay was amazing, the staft were great. You get a personal staff member (ours was Jason) during your stay. They greet you when your plane arrives and say goodbye when you leave.
We ate at the buffet bar (Atoll Market) and never ventured to the other restaurants. The food was varied and really good. From sushi, pizza, indian and chinese nightly.

I could go on, but will stop here. Go to this place and you will not be dissapointed.

Conrad (or Hilton when i went) Rangali Island is an amazing place to go. its is absolutely beautiful, white sands, clear waters, amazing location. The staff are amazing, the food is excellent and there is lots to do with excursions booked through the hotel.

Basic villa's are quality with excellent facilities and only a few steps on to the beach. Gardens are well kept and great to stroll through to get around the island

The house reef is excellent and even has a manta ray and lots of reef sharks (tiny lil things).

There are lots of places to eat, and i do recommend Atoll Market and Sunset Grill. Lots of variety of food. in Atoll Market there is one particluar chef called Madhu who makes the best food, and if you have special dietary requirements they will make you something just for you.

The excursions are amazing, and very reasonably priced and in small groups. The great thing is it is very couply and if you want a romantic holiday or a honeymoon then you will find the atmosphere is perfect.

Strongly recommend this place.

My husband and I stayed at the Hilton Maldives for 7 nights on our honeymoon during April 2008.
On the whole we had a fantastic honeymoon. There is no denying that the island is paradise. Having travelled all over the world I can honestly say that you will find what must be the nicest beaches and turquoise waters in the world.
We found the staff to be attentive and the general service to be excellent.
We stayed in a beach villa (204) which we thought was very well located. It was in a quite spot and had access to a very wide section of beach.
I do have to say though that the floors in the beach villa get very slippery which is completely dangerous. I think this is caused from condensation that forms on the windows. We also had a problem with the condensation dripping on our clothes in our walk-in wardrobe. I really didn't like this, especially when the water on the floor becomes mixed with sand....which is just inevitable as you are constantly walking in the sand. Generally there was a damp feeling in the villa.
I didn't really like the open-air style bathroom either. The cleaning staff were leaving the door open and the heat during the day made the temperature in this section of the beach villa unbearable. By the 3rd day I began to pull across the glass door and turned up the air conditioning - this at least made the bathroom temperature more comfortable and stopped my make-up from melting!
I would also say that if you're staying in a beach villa you should be aware that you are amongst nature. We had a couple of large spiders in our room and you will see bats. This didn't really bother me, but at the same time it didn't create the luxurious feel I would expect from a 5* resort.
I am not one for complaining and usually only write positive reviews on trip advisor, but I feel that people need to be aware of these facts - as I would rather no what to expect in advance.
It may be that the water villas are the place to stay if you want real luxury, however the beach villas aren't cheap and I would say the Hilton need to start thinking about how to deal with the condensation problem in their accommodation.
The island itself is breathtaking and the food and choice of restaurants really are 10/10.
I hope this information is of use to people and dosen't just come accross as a moan.

My boyfrend and I spent 7 days at Rangali during April, over my birthday week. We can both honestly say that it felt - and was -pradise!

We found Trip Advisor extremely helpful before we went, so I owe it to the site to write a review for all the extremely lucky people who are still to go!

Upon arrival at Male airport everything was smooth sailing. Cold cloths, fresh fruit, excellent staff etc then off on the sea plane for what was an extremely memorable trip. Flying over the thousands of tiny little islands on the Maldives is an experience like no other, it literally took our breath away (remember to wear the ear plus provided)!

Upon arrival you are greeted by your new host for your stay and whisked off to you room (where your luggage will be taken), even check in was pleasurable with fresh fruits, sorbet and water. Your host is there fr every deatil of your stay and are hugely helpful.

There are two isands to choose from, my boyfriend and I opted for the quieter island with the water villas, my advice here would be to do the same. We stayed in the superior water villas with private sundeck and hot tub. I have travelled all over the world and can honestly say this is one of the most beautiful rooms I have stayed in. The deck looked right out to sea with our own private steps down, so you can snorkle right from your villa. If you are a quiet person you need never leave your villa! The other island houses all the beach villas. We heard from other guests that these were also stunning, however one couple did complain about bugs. My advice would be to go the whole hog and stay on the quiet island + there are no children on the water island, where as there were a few on the beach villa island.

Food and drink was to the highest standards. We decided to do everything and tried all the restaurants except the Atoll Market (which is a buffet). Here are our ratings:

Vilu Restaurant - one of the best tasting menus I have ever had. Eating on the beach: 10/10
Ithia (pronounded) ITA - this is a once in a life time experinece to eat under the sea and drink champage - GO! 10/10
KoKo Grill - Our favourite, what an experience. Easting sushi out of a glass igloo will be a lasting memory! 10/10
Sunset Grill - the signature dish of fish platter was the best I have ever seen (and the biggest). We did the candlelight champagne dinner outside for my birthday and it was exquisite! 10/10
Mandahoo - this is the healthier option at the 2nd spa, but still wonderful. All open looking over to the sea. Again - amazing sushi! 9/10
Wine Cellar - if you are into wine and food - GO! The chat was excellent as you are in with 5 other couples. Word of warning though - take a cardigan, it's cold in there!

There are also 2 bars - the Rangali and the Vilu. The Vilu was on our island so we went there more. The staff were exceptional, and there are over 40 martinis on the menu! Beware of those ;) My mouth is watering at the thought! The Rangali provided entertainment everynight if that is your thing. We liked to walk back over the bridge and watch the various mantas, sharks (small ones) and even sea turtles on the way to the Vilu. We would get a comfy sea seat and watch the Dohni boat - it was heaven.

You can get snorkeling gear for free from the diving centre when you get there for the duratioon of your stay. Definately do this as the coral and fish are some of the most exotic in the world.

The two spas are a MUST! They are extremely well trained and the treatments are second to none. Down to the finest detail - I don't habe the words to describe how amazing the locations, decor and staff were. Beware though, men have to wear paper pants! ha ha.

As I said it was my Birthday while there and they made it wonderful! I had a champagne breakfast, treatments at the over water spa, there was a cake in my room, there was messages for me in the restaurant, the staff gave me free champagne and my boyfriend had arranged for the bath to be filled with petals when we got back - there was also MORE champage, strawberries, bed decorations and even a CD for the 'mood' - that is dedication to detail!

The pace of life is relaxed and easy. There are 2 staff to every guest so you never have to lift a finger. There is even a man who comes round the beach to clean your sunglasses!

This was our dream holiday, we constantly thought we were going to wake from a dream. Yes, it's not cheap - but you know that thy say: you get what you pay for, and this case it's paradise.