Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Review: Two Islands, Ithaa and The Muraka

Visited by 360 Degree World in January 2017 · Updated October 2026

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is two islands joined by a 500-metre footbridge, which makes it one of the most spacious resorts in the Maldives and one of the most varied. It is also the home of Ithaa, the undersea restaurant, and The Muraka, a residence with a bedroom below the waterline. The reef is patchier than either of those suggests.

What stood out on the visit

The 360 Degree World team visited Conrad Maldives Rangali Island in January 2017, its second visit to the resort. The scale was the first impression: two islands linked by that long bridge, with a great deal of open space to wander and discover.

Dinner at Ithaa, with rays and reef sharks gliding over the glass above the table, was the highlight, and it remains one of the signature experiences of the Maldives. The snag was the bridge itself. Crossing it under the midday sun is more tiring than it looks. The team came away seeing the resort as a fit for active travellers who enjoy variety, space and a few genuine spectacles.

What the islands are like

The resort sits in South Ari Atoll, west of Malé. An atoll is a ring of coral reef with islands scattered around it, and South Ari is known above all for its whale sharks.

The two islands have distinct characters. Rangali-Finolhu is the larger, family island, with the main restaurants, the beach villas and the children's clubs. Rangali Island is quieter and adults-focused: children under sixteen cannot stay in its water villas. Paths are mostly packed sand, so shoes are optional, and buggies with drivers can be called when the distances, or the rain, get too much.

That split is the resort's real strength. Couples can spend the week almost entirely on the quieter island, while families have their own end of the resort and the facilities to go with it.

Arriving

The usual route is a seaplane from Velana International Airport in Malé, about 30 minutes. While you wait, there is a Conrad lounge at the seaplane terminal with showers and refreshments. Seaplanes in the Maldives fly in daylight only, so an evening landing from Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru cannot connect to one.

For late arrivals there is a second route: a short domestic flight on a small propeller plane, followed by a speedboat to the resort. Ask for it by name, because it is offered for evening arrivals rather than as the standard transfer.

The return leg needs the same thought. The last seaplanes leave in the afternoon, so a late flight home can mean several hours at the airport.

The villas

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island has more villa types than almost any resort in the country, from 86-square-metre water villas to beach suites of more than 600 square metres. The useful way to think about them is by island and by water.

Over the water, the entry villas face either sunrise or sunset, with glass floor panels and either a whirlpool or a small infinity pool. Larger water villas add space and a pool, and the Grand Water Villas sit out on their own, away from the main jetty. The two-bedroom Rangali Ocean Pavilion, at around 450 square metres, is the one water villa on the adults' island that takes children.

On the sand, the Beach Villas were renovated in 2023 and run to 150 square metres. The Deluxe Beach Villas with Pool double that. Family Beach Villas join two villas into one, and the three-bedroom Beach Suite has its own pools and a butler.

Then there is The Muraka. It is a two-level residence of around 550 square metres, with three bedrooms, its own pool, gym and jetty, and a master bedroom about five metres below the surface under a curved acrylic dome. It is a residence for a group or a family on a very special occasion, not a room for a night.

Eating and drinking

Around a dozen restaurants and bars spread across the two islands, and the range is the point.

Ithaa sits five metres below the surface, a glass tunnel seating fourteen at a time for lunch and dinner, with reef fish, rays and the occasional shark working the coral around you. It opened in 2005 and is still the meal people travel here for.

KOKO is the Japanese teppan grill, with chefs cooking in front of you and a long bar facing the ocean. Ufaa serves Chinese food with Maldivian touches, including dim sum at lunch. Sunset Grill does seafood and meat over the fire on terraces facing the sunset, Vilu is the Italian room beside the lagoon, and Atoll Market is the buffet, with live cooking stations and a sand floor. Mandhoo, at the spa, cooks lighter, plant-forward food.

The Wine Cellar is two metres underground and holds one of the larger collections in the Maldives, used for degustation dinners at a single table. The Cheese and Wine Bar has a floor of black volcanic sand. Rangali Bar by the main pool has entertainment most nights, and Rantheli Beach Club is the adults-only spot for lunch, dinner and a sunset drink.

The spas, the sport and the children

There are two spas. The Over Water Spa opened in 2004, one of the earliest overwater spas in the Maldives, and its glass-floored treatment suites still look down into the lagoon. The Spa Retreat is the larger of the two, with nine treatment rooms, steam rooms, saunas, an Ayurveda room and a salon.

For sport there is tennis and padel, a gym, beach yoga and the full spread of water sports, from jet skis and parasailing to catamarans and surfing trips.

Children are well looked after. Majaa Explorers Hub takes ages three to eleven, with an outdoor splash park, and Furaavaru, the teens' club, takes twelve to sixteen-year-olds for water sports, marine biology and cultural activities.

The water

A house reef is the coral reef you can swim to from the resort itself, without a boat. Here the main entry is from the beach on the family island, across a sandbar to the reef edge, which drops away steeply. It is not for weak swimmers. Guests in 2026 report sharks, eagle rays and good fish life, but others found the coral bleached in places in recent years, and the water villas mostly sit over sand rather than reef.

The bigger draw is offshore. South Ari Atoll's Marine Protected Area is one of the few places in the world where whale sharks are seen year-round, and the resort runs private trips by yacht or speedboat. Sightings are likely rather than certain, so treat it as a strong chance rather than a promise. The rules are strict: keep three metres from the body, do not touch, and no flash photography.

The dive centre is a PADI Eco Center, teaching from beginner level with a programme for children from eight. Manta snorkelling, turtle trips, dolphin cruises and fishing are all offered.

Where the compromises are

The reef is the first. Snorkelling from the shore means one entry point and a steep drop-off, and the coral has not fully recovered from past bleaching.

The second is distance. Two islands and a long bridge make for space and variety, but also a lot of walking in the heat, and guests on the adults' island cross to the main island for most of the restaurants.

The third is scale. With around 150 villas and a dozen restaurants, this is a large, busy resort rather than a quiet hideaway.

Who will love it, and who won't

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island suits couples and families who want variety, space and a few experiences that are hard to match: dinner at Ithaa, whale sharks a boat ride away, and a choice of restaurants that would take two weeks to exhaust. It suits keen reef snorkellers less well, and anyone after a small, quiet island should look elsewhere.

Common questions

How do you get to Conrad Maldives Rangali Island?

By seaplane from Malé, about 30 minutes, with a Conrad lounge at the seaplane terminal. Seaplanes fly in daylight only. For evening arrivals there is a short domestic flight followed by a speedboat. Ask for it by name, because the seaplane is the standard transfer.

What is Ithaa at Conrad Maldives?

An undersea restaurant five metres below the surface, opened in 2005, with a curved glass roof and walls. It seats fourteen at a time for lunch and dinner, with tasting menus, and reef fish, rays and sharks swim around it. Tables are few, so book well ahead.

What is The Muraka?

A two-level residence of around 550 square metres with three bedrooms, one of them about five metres below the surface under an acrylic dome. It has its own pool, gym, butler and jetty, and sleeps up to eight. It is a residence for a special occasion rather than a room.

Can you see whale sharks from Conrad Maldives Rangali Island?

Often. South Ari Atoll's Marine Protected Area is one of the few places where whale sharks are seen year-round, and the resort runs private trips by yacht or speedboat. Sightings are not guaranteed, and swimmers must keep three metres away without touching.

Is Conrad Maldives Rangali Island good for families?

Yes. Rangali-Finolhu is the family island, with Majaa Explorers Hub for ages three to eleven, a teens' club for twelve to sixteen, and beach villas that sleep families. The adults' island keeps its water villas for over-sixteens, so families stay on the larger island.