Judging the location of a Maldives resort can be tricky, but here’s my perspective. The 30-minute seaplane journey from Male to the Conrad Maldives island adds both time and expense, but I thoroughly enjoyed the flight—the distance from the main island created a wonderfully secluded atmosphere. It was my first time on the Maldives and it truly felt as amazing as I hoped for.

Situated in the South Ari Atoll, the Conrad Maldives spans two islands each offering different room categories but both islands equally beautiful.

While the house reef has some dead coral, snorkeling still reveals abundant marine life. For even more spectacular underwater experiences, you can book excursions to nearby sites.

Rating 8/10

The resort consists of two connected islands, each featuring its own restaurants, gym, and pool. Additional amenities are uniquely distributed—one island has a kids’ club, water sports equipment rental, and shops, while the other one houses a yoga pavilion for example. Everything is within walking distance, and you can travel between islands via a bridge, on-demand cart service, or boat. Though transportation options are availableand often times make your island life even more comfortable, I recommend walking when time permits. The restaurants showcase diverse cuisines and themes, including a famous and impressive underwater venue. Both gyms are well-equipped and have been pretty empty most of the times. I found it very convenient to have a gym on each island. Yoga classes as well as other course are offered daily.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with both the availability and quality of all facilities.

Rating 9/10

We were lucky and happy to experience three different room types during our stay: two beach villas on the main island with direct beach access, and one overwater villa with a pool and direct water access.

All three rooms featured beautiful interiors and generous space. While staying in an overwater villa is undoubtedly a quintessential Maldives experience, I actually preferred the beach villas.

Don’t get me wrong—the overwater villa was spectacular, with floor-to-ceiling windows flooding the space with natural light. However, at night, the gentle swaying and sound of waves (which I typically love, just not while trying to sleep) took some getting used to.

The beach villas at the Conrad Maldives offered even more spaciousness, and I particularly enjoyed their outdoor showers and direct beach access more than the overwater villa’s pool and ocean entry.

This is, of course, personal preference. Overall, the rooms were excellent, falling just shy of perfection.

Rating: 9/10

The Conrad Maldives offers two breakfast venues—a buffet-style restaurant on the main island and an à la carte option with a small buffet on the second island.

Though many guests recommended the à la carte restaurant for its quieter, child-free atmosphere, I found myself drawn to the buffet restaurant. With its relaxing beachside seating and surprisingly uncrowded environment, it became my preferred choice. The selection was impressive, featuring not only an extensive variety of hot and cold breakfast staples but also international specialties—from Asian dishes to various meat and fish options, plus local Maldivian delicacies.

Given the high cost of dining in the Maldives, we made the most of our complimentary breakfast and skipped lunch (normally a non-negotiable for me). The abundant breakfast options made this “compromise” work perfectly.

For dinner, we tried four of the resort’s restaurants, all delivering excellent meals. While each had its merits, the Sunset Grill stood out for its unique setting—dining above water while watching sharks swim below. Both food quality and portion sizes exceeded our expectations.

I opted for the more modest menu items (under or up to $50), as even these were quite expensive. Similarly, I passed on wine and other alcoholic beverages due to their high prices. So that’s a drawback I usually don’t like on a vacation but in the end I could totally live with it without feeling to have missed out on something.

Overall, I was very satisfied with the dining experience and had realistic expectations about the costs. The breakfast was exceptional, though I felt the dinner offerings had room for improvement.

Rating: 8/10

While the service is very good, it doesn’t quite reach 10/10. My comparison may be a bit unfair, as I’m measuring against luxury properties like Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Cabo, Mexico, and Amanyara in Turks & Caicos as my benchmark for 5-star resort service.

The service at Conrad Maldives is indeed excellent, with room for minor improvements. The staff was consistently friendly, and several team members impressed me with their exceptional attention and warmth.

Nothing to worry about if you want to visit – you’ll experience great service throughout your stay. I simply want to note that while it’s excellent, it falls slightly short of the industry’s absolute pinnacle.

Rating: 8/10

We booked four nights using Hilton Honors rewards points and received a fifth night free, only paying cash for two nights. From this perspective, the value was unbeatable. The cash rates we paid were also reasonable considering the Maldives location and the hotel’s offerings. Why not a perfect 10/10? I would have appreciated more flexibility with upgrades. While I understand these depend on availability, I felt the hotel was trying to generate additional revenue by actively offering us a different room category (at an extra cost) upon arrival than what we’d booked through Hilton Honors. Perhaps I’m reading too much into it, but it left a slight impression.

Rating: 9/10