Got a stash of Hilton Honors points? Or Hilton free night award certificates from credit cards like the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card or the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card? Here's your chance to book an overwater villa at a luxe resort in the Maldives.
Frequent Miler discovered weeks of standard award availability at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island bookable from mid-May all the way through September 2023. That means you can book for 120,000 Hilton points a night – and while that may not sound cheap, it's as good as it gets with a high-end property like this.
And it gets even better. Standard award availability means you can use a Hilton free night certificate, and this pricey property is a great way to use them – especially since they can now be used on any day of the week, not just weekends.
Plus, Hilton Honors members with Silver Status or higher can book five nights and only pay for four thanks to Hilton's fifth night free on award bookings. That means a five-night stay would cost you 480,000 Hilton Honors points or 96,000 points per night. Tack on a free night certificate, and you could cover nearly a week at the Conrad in the Maldives.
You can get Hilton Honors Silver Elite status just by holding the no annual fee Hilton Honors American Express Card (see rates & fees). Have The Platinum Card® from American Express? That comes with complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status, which also makes you eligible for the fifth night free on award booking benefit.
One thing to note: This award availability is in the middle of the low season in the Maldives. May through November or December is the rainy season, so you can expect rain roughly half of the days of those months. Cash rates during this time at the Conrad Maldives are generally lower, and going for about $500 to $600 a night for beach villas and about $700 to $900 per night for overwater bungalows.
Still, it's a great deal and one you should jump on quickly if you are interested. It's unlikely this award space will last long.
Here is everything you need to know if you are thinking about booking this deal.
How to Book the Conrad Maldives
- There is standard room award availability at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island every day from May 10 through the end of September 2023.
- This makes it possible to book free nights for 120,000 Hilton Honors points or apply free night certificates earned from certain Hilton credit cards.
- If you have Hilton Honors Silver status (or higher), you can book five consecutive nights and only pay for four (a 20% savings per night).
Current Conrad Maldives Award Availability
As of publication, standard room award availability – which prices out at 120,000 Hilton Honors points each night – starts on May 10, 2023, and runs through the end of September 2023.
During that time frame, every single night is bookable at the 120,000-point standard room rate. Here's a look at the award availability calendar as of publication.
Hilton Conrad Maldives Standard Rooms
Using 120,000 points per night is solid – especially if you are using Hilton free night certificates, the fifth-night free benefit, or some combination of both. But what exactly are you getting with a standard room type at the Conrad Maldives?
You'll have the option to book either a beach villa or a sunrise overwater bungalow villa – the rooms that have practically become synonymous with the Maldives. While the cash rates of the overwater villas are a bit more, they will price out the exact same when using points (or free night certificates).
The overwater villas are listed at 925 square feet while the beach villas are listed at just over 1,600 square feet, so you'd sacrifice some serious square footage for the overwater views. Both rooms get great reviews … and you may not have to choose. If you wanted to split your stay between both rooms to try them out, the property should be more than accommodating to try them out.
How to Search for Availability with the Calendar View
To find dates with standard room award availability at 120,000, the easiest way is to search with the calendar view. But that is easier said than done, as Hilton doesn't make searching for award nights very intuitive.
But there is a way to quickly pull up a calendar view that will show you all the nights with standard room award availability.
After doing a quick search on Hilton's site, I randomly threw in dates for a stay.
From here, you can click on the date (July 12), and it will pop open a full booking calendar. Make sure to select “My Dates are Flexible.” Once you've done that, hit “Update” and run the search.
From here, you'll see a calendar view. So long as you have the “Use Points & Money” box checked, it will display award rates for every day within a month.
Bottom Line
There is fantastic award availability at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island starting in mid-May all the way through the end of September. This is a great way to use some Hilton points, free night certificates, or both for a luxe stay in the Maldives.
But don't wait if you are thinking about booking! We don't know how long this award space will last.
All photos courtesy of the Hilton Conrad Maldives Rangali Island