Maldives Honeymoon Trip: Itinerary, Flights, Hotel, and Points/Cost

Itinerary

QR730 (Dallas to Doha): November 11th 2020

QR672 (Doha to Male): November 12th 2020

Seaplane from Male to Rangali Island: November 12th

Conrad Maldives: November 12th to 20th

Seaplane from Rangali Island to Male: November 20th

QR673 (Male to Doha): November 20th

QR729 (Doha to DFW): November 21st

Qsuites: DFW to Doha

We started our honeymoon out of DFW our home airport in Dallas. We were flying Qatar Airways in business class which is also known as Qsuites. Qsuites have been voted the top business class in aviation for years and even though other airlines are finally starting to catch up, I would still rate them as the best or second best product in the world. We paid 280,000 American Airline miles and $222.20 in taxes and fees for two round trip tickets from Dallas to Male with a 7 hour layover in Doha. We had the 280,000 miles from opening 3 American Airlines credit cards combined with a prior stash of points from my work travel. We checked in at Terminal D which is the international terminal at DFW. We had access to the Club due to our business class tickets. Most international business class tickets give you some sort of lounge access. We also have access to the Centurion lounge due to my American Express Platinum card. Normally I prefer the Centurion Lounge over the Club, but the Centurion Lounge was closed due to Covid. The Club is an average lounge. It didn’t have any hot food, but it did have an assortment of snacks and alcohol. That was fine for us as we both got a drink and waited for our flight.

Most people would be dreading a 14 hour and 50 minute flight, but we were quite excited to experience our first Qsuites experience. Anna and I had taken a similar length flight in economy to Australia a few years back and it was pretty miserable. Due to covid, we did have to wear a mask and face shield as we boarded the plane. We selected seats 3E and 3F. These seats are ideal for couples because you’re side by side. Other seats that are good for couples are seats 5E/5F, 7E/7F, 9E/9F, and 11E/11F. Once we were seated in our “suite” they allowed us to take our masks off. This was a godsend as even Qsuites would be pretty rough for 15 hours of masking. As soon as we boarded the flight, the flight attendant introduced himself and said he would be taking care of us. He provided us with menus, offered us some champagne and warm nuts, and took our drink orders. It was a great way to start the flight. Due to the configuration of the Qsuites, we were actually facing the tail of the plane. It was a really unique feeling as we took off. The seats are 21.5 inches wide and 79 inches long which is above average for a business class seat. They go fully flat and the crew will do turndown service when you are ready to go to bed. They put a cushion in-between the seats so it basically turns into a double bed. They also put a quilted mattress pad over the seat. I was able to sleep for 8 hours without issue. Additionally they provide pajamas and a very nice BRIC’s amenity kit. The television screen is 22 inches which is a very good size for an airline seat.

Due to writing this review retroactively, I do not have photos of the menu. The good news is that I do have pictures of the food and it was all delicious! The flight attendants will wait on you hand and foot and respond within seconds if you ring the bell. Normally in economy, I always wait for the flight attendant to walk by to ask for something, but business is staffed at much higher ratios so I don’t feel bad about ringing the service bell if I need anything. Once we were in the air they brought our drink orders and asked if we’d like to start our food service. Qatar business class has dine on demand. This lets you choose when you eat your meals. As the flight is almost 15 hours, some people like to start dining later in the flight if they had just eaten at the airport. Due to the lounge not having hot food, we were ready to eat right away. We both chose the curried prawns as our appetizers. They were large, plump, and hit the spot.

We chose the curried prawns as an appetizer.

For our main meal, I chose the seared beef tenderloin with pan jus, potatoes, and fresh squash. The desert was a chocolate mousse covered with caramel. It was light, fluffy, and a perfect end to our dinner. I was very impressed with the meal and would say it was on par with restaurant quality food which is very impressive on an airplane.

Once we finished our meal, we got some drinks and started a movie. Anna and I like to watch the same movie when we fly, so we make sure we start the films at the exact same time. We watched Han Solo: A Star Wars Story which we never saw in the theaters. It was definitely entertaining even if it wasn’t groundbreaking. The drink menu for Qsuites is extensive and of high quality. While it doesn’t have any $500 champagnes or $1,000 whiskeys like international first class, you can get Belvedere vodka, Jack Daniels whiskey, 15 year Glennfiddich scotch whiskey, Bombay Sapphire gin, and Barcardi Carta Blanca white rum to name a few options. After the movie we received the turndown service and put our pajamas on. You need to ask the flight attendant for turndown service so don’t forget! It’s much more comfortable than a normal seat. Anna and I were both able to sleep for 7-8 hours, which is pretty impressive on a flight. When we woke up it was breakfast time!

The first course was cereal, fruit, and a croissant. They then brought pancakes as the main dish. The breakfast wasn’t as good as the dinner, but it was still very solid. Anna and I watched one more movie before we landed in Doha.

Doha - Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge

A little extravagant for an airport, but definitely worth it!

While leaving the plane we had to put our masks and face shields back on. Once we got into the airport, we were able to take the face shields off. The Doha airport is very modern and impressive. It opened in 2014 and the most iconic landmark of the airport is a giant 23 foot tall bronze teddy bear in middle of it. We had a 9 hour and 15 minute layover which was plenty of time to explore the airport. However, once we entered the Al Mourjan Lounge, we really didn’t feel the need to go anywhere else. We received access to the lounge due to our Qatar Business class ticket, but if you have an economy ticket, you can buy access for 450 QAR or about 120 USD. If you have a 9 hour layover, I would definitely splurge for the lounge access even at the steep price.

The first thing you notice about the lounge is how massive it is. The lounge is two and a half acres long and two stories tall. It has a massive reflection pool as well. We were politely greeted at the entrance of the lounge and they asked if we needed a tour. Since this was our first time, we took them up on the offer. The lounge was pretty empty due to covid, so I’m not sure if this is customary or not (I’m guessing it’s not). There were actually just as many workers as passengers in the lounge. It was a pretty surreal experience. The main floor has hundreds of sitting spaces. It really is that massive! Additionally, there are multiple areas on the main floor with day beds. After our tour which showed us the business center, showers, kid’s room, and multiple refreshment stations, we headed upstairs to the restaurant. The restaurant had a full service bar and phenomenal buffet that had steak, chicken, fish, lamb, falafel, a desert bar, a cheese station, a sushi station, a pastry station, and basically anything else you could think of. You also have an option to order off their a la carte menu which also had extensive options. I tried everything, but their chicken was shockingly good. Normally I prefer steak, but the chef really outdid himself on the chicken. Our waiter found out it was our honeymoon and brought us out three specialty cakes that weren’t on the menu or at the desert bar. They were all delicious, but we felt a little bad because they were so large and we were already filled up on food so we couldn’t finish them. They definitely went above and beyond from a hospitality standpoint though.

Once we finished our dinner, we went downstairs and headed to the backroom where the business center and some daybeds were located. There are actually multiple areas of the lounge that have day beds, but it seemed a little more quiet in the back room. The lounge attendants provided us pillows, blankets, ear plugs, and an eye mask. Once again, I’m not sure if this is standard or if it was due to being covid and no one being in the lounge. Either way we were very impressed. Anna and I were both able to get a few hours of sleep which was nice. Once we woke up it was around 11:00 PM. We decided to go check out the bar upstairs since we only had about 2 hours before our flight. We were able to try some desserts from the dessert table and I was able to have a glass or two of wine which was nice. Overall it was an extraordinary lounge and I would highly recommend coming back. Anna actually has me schedule a longer layover in Doha if there are two options and one has a layover of under 3 hours.

Qsuites: Doha to Male

It was around 1:15 AM when we boarded our next flight to Male. Our sleep cycles were a little off at this point since we were half way around the world and had taken multiple naps on the prior flight and in the lounge. We once again were in Qsuites and had the honeymoon seats. This flight was much shorter than our prior flight and came in at 4 hours and 50 minutes, but we still received an amenity kit, blanket, and pillow (we didn’t get pajamas this time though). For the main dish I selected the prawns. Unlike our prior prawns which were a cold appetizer, these were warm. They were once again delicious. Due to doing this review retrospectively, I didn’t take as many pictures as I would have liked. After our meal, I ordered a drink and Anna and I picked a movie to watch. We selected The Corpse Bride, which Anna had never seen, and I hadn’t seen since it came out in 2005. I actually remember seeing it my freshman year of college which is kind of cool. The movie was short and sweet. Once it was over, I asked for turn down service. However, they actually don’t do turn down service or provide pajamas for Qsuite flights unless they are over 7 hours. For non Qsuite flights they will only do turndown service if the flight is over 12 hours. It wasn’t the end of the world since we only had about 2.5 hours left. I was still able to sleep soundly with the blanket and pillow they provided. We finally landed in Male and it was bright and beautiful outside.

Conrad Lounge and Sea Plane to Rangali

We landed in Male and were required to submit an electronic health declaration form before we went through customs due to covid. Overall it was an efficient and streamlined process. After customs, we were met by our representative from the hotel. He welcomed us and drove us over to the Conrad Lounge which is down the street from the main airport. We were told we would need to wait around an hour for our sea plane to be ready, but we were welcome to enjoy the lounge. Since it was breakfast at this time, Anna and I both enjoyed some cereal, eggs, toast, and mushrooms. It definitely hit the spot and helped tide us over until we arrived at the hotel. After breakfast we had a quick power nap and then it was time to go to our seaplane. Although we used points for pretty much the entire trip, there is no efficient way to use points to pay for the seaplane. They are all run by Trans Maldivian Airways and they have a monopoly. Each round trip ticket from the airport to Rangali cost $590 with all taxes and fees included. This is one of the big downsides of the Maldives and what makes it uneconomical to do a shorter trip here. There are yacht and boat options, but it’s a bit of an inconvenience and the yachts are going to be just as expensive as the seaplane. Additionally, some of the hotels don’t allow you to utilize third party boat operators.

Sea plane landing at Rangali island!!!

The sea plane stopped at a different resort before the Conrad. It was not nearly as nice as our hotel, so we were incredibly impressed when we arrived at our resort. The Maldives Conrad Rangali Island is actually two islands separated by a long wooden bridge with a reception area on the middle of the bridge . There is an additional third island, but this is only for staff. The plane docked at the reception area at the middle of the bridge. We were welcomed to the island by the general manager, our butler for our next 9 days, and two refreshing coconuts filled with coconut water. The general manager, Carla Puverel, was very friendly and was aware it was our honeymoon. They informed us that due to us being Hilton Diamond status and it being our honeymoon, they had upgraded us to a grand overwater villa. I was very surprised by this since we only had a beach villa and standard overwater villa booked for the trip. We decided to split the stay between the two since you can book both at the standard rate with points and we could see which one we liked better. The Grand Over Water Villas are a massive step up from the standard rooms and often go for $2000+ a night. I had also read on flyertalk that it is extremely rare to receive an upgrade at this resort (even for diamonds). Later on in the stay, I found out that no one was currently staying on the small island and they had everyone on the main island. Since the small island has all the standard overwater villas, sunset overwater villas, superior overwater villas, and deluxe overwater villas, this only left the grand overwater villas on the main island available to us unless they downgraded us to a standard beach villa. Although there are a ton of downsides to traveling during covid, this provided a once in a lifetime opportunity and was perfect for our honeymoon! After giving us a quick overview of the island, our butler had a golf cart ready for us and drove us to our grand overwater villa!

Grand Overwater Villa

We weaved through the thick brush on a sandy path over the island towards the overwater villas. Neither Anna or I have ever stayed in an overwater villa before, let alone a grand one, so we didn't know what to expect. We were definitely not disappointed…

Grand overwater villa!!!

The villa had a beautiful living room and waiting there were two bottle of champagne, chocolates, and fruit due to our Hilton Diamond status. Actually, the second bottle of champagne was a honeymoon gift from my college friends from Davidson which was a very nice gesture from them. The deck off the back of the villa had a plunge pool, beach chairs, and an umbrella. There was also a stairwell down to the ocean. Later in our stay there were actually manta rays at the foot of our stairs! The bathroom and bedroom were generously sized and there was a separate room attached to the bathroom with a giant bath in it with a beautiful ocean view. The highlight though was our happy honeymoon welcome!

The villa also had two smart televisions with a wide variety of channels. You could also log into your own accounts for viewing. An important tool of the television was the ability to see your bill for your stay. If you eat at a restaurant or do an excursion, it immediately goes on your virtual bill that you can access in your villa at any time. This is a nice tool to make sure you’re not spending too much money.

Ithaa Underwater Restaurant

Conrad Maldives is known to be quite the foodie spot. Unlike some resorts that maybe have 3 or 4 restaurants, Conrad Maldives has 12 different restaurants! Considering the islands only have 150 villas total, the resort rotates which restaurants are open each night. Maybe I’ll do an individual review of each restaurant in the future, but I wanted to highlight one of the main attractions of Conrad Maldives, Ithaa Undersea Restaurant. It is a completely submerged restaurant made entirely of glass. There are three options to experience the restaurant. You can have lunch, dinner, or a cocktail hour. This is by far the most expensive restaurant on the island. Dinner costs $390 per person. Lunch costs $238 per person. While the cocktail hour costs $85 per person. A glass of champagne is included with each option, but additional drinks are not in included. Considering the price, we opted for the cocktail hour which is from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Due to covid, we were the only ones who signed up for the cocktail hour. We got the entire restaurant to ourselves!

Ithaa Underwater Restaurant!!!

For the cocktail hour, we received a glass of champagne, a canapé, and a prawn. They were nice, but nothing spectacular. I can’t judge on the dinner or lunch, but you definitely seem to be paying for the photos and experience. Maybe the full meals are nicer, but I’m not sure I’d be willing to risk it for the price.

The two waiters were very friendly and offered to take as many photos as we wanted. We probably took over 100 (gotta get your money’s worth). They also recommended different angles and views for the photos. Once the appetizer was served, they did a feeding above the restaurant. This attracted a ton of sharks to the area and set up some really cool pictures. I’m not sure we would do this experience again if we came back, but it’s definitely a must do if you’ve never been before.

Excursions

Being in the middle of the Indian Ocean on an island that is a self contained resort definitely limits your excursion options, but there are plenty of water activities available. The main island has a nice house reef that you can access from the beach. The diving shop will give you snorkeling gear for free. You just need to make sure you return it before the end of your stay. The island also has a nice gym and tennis court that we got to experience. When they set up the tennis court, they brought you a cooler with water and balls. All of this was complimentary which I thought was a nice when things are normally so expensive on the island. One of the main excursions we did was snorkeling with whale sharks. Disclaimer, there is a bit of luck involved with this endeavor. There is a general area where the whale sharks hang out, but you usually only have about a 50% chance of seeing one. We took the boat out to the spot and we were the only ones there initially. When we dove in, we immediately saw a whale shark! It was a junvenile, so it was smaller than adults but it was still very large! After our first snorkel, we got back in the boat and went searching for another. We probably looked for a good 2 hours, but had no more luck. More and more boats kept showing up, so we might have been the only ones that day that actually got to swim with a whale shark. Super lucky for us!

Jumping Into the Water (Camera accidently went off)

Long Video of Whale Shark

The other activity I did was flyboarding. It’s basically a jetpack on your feet. I was supposed to have it for 45 minutes, but they let me go for as long as I wanted. This might have been because of COVID and the place being relatively empty. I definitely crashed a lot at first, but I eventually got the hang of it. It’s the closest thing to feeling like Iron Man you’ll ever do!

Learning to Fly (and Crash)

Finally not crashing

Anna also received a massage at the onsite spa on the island and enjoyed it. She will eventually be writing her article on spas and massages around the world!

Summary and Overall Impressions

Anna and I felt we had the perfect honeymoon and that the Conrad Maldives was the perfect spot for us. We are not traditionally 5 star hotel people and haven’t stayed in the Maldives before so our comparisons are somewhat limited. There were some minor limitations due to COVID, but we also received an amazing upgrade due to COVID. Combined with Qatar Airways Qsuites, it was the ultimate luxury experience and a once in a life time trip. It’s a very long trip to the Maldives at 20+ hours of traveling. The biggest question for most people will be is if the cost and travel time is worth the effort compared to the Caribbean or even French Polynesia. For a once in a lifetime trip like your honeymoon, I would definitely say yes, but if it’s a yearly trip, that’s a lot of travel and cost for a relatively similar experience to other locations. We were fortunate enough to do our trip on points, but paying for the trip in cash would have been close to $10,000 which is just too much in my opinion. Anna and I will probably start saving up points to come back to the Conrad again or try out the new Waldorf Astoria Maldives in a few years. It’s not an every year trip, but I would say a once in 5 or 10 year trip. Anna is willing to go back whenever we can. She loved it!

Points/Cost Summary

Two Qatar business class flights from DFW to Male: 280,000 American Airlines points and $222.20 in taxes and fees.

Two roundtrip seaplane flights from Male to Rangali Island: $1180

8 nights at Conrad Maldives: 380,000 Hilton points and 3 weekend night certificates

Total Cost: 280,000 American airlines points, 380,000 Hilton points, 3 weekend night certificates, and $1,402.20.