This is hedonism in all its indulgent, pleasurable glory — the Conrad Rangali Hilton Resort, the Maldives. From over-water spas with see-through floor views of the Indian Ocean , to seven world-class restaurants offering some of the globe’s finest cuisine. If it’s pampering you’re after, arriving in the Rangali is a bit like climbing the golden stairway to the Dolce Vita.

It’s no wonder A-list celebrities like Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Denise Van Outen and Katie Price make it their home-away-from-home. In fact, it’s where Katie and Peter chose to honeymoon, and ultimately where she chose for a retreat after their split.

For me it was a bit like being catapulted into a James Bond movie.

Only Daniel Craig wasn’t anywhere to be seen — unfortunately. But there was a barefoot pilot and his shoeless crew waiting to whisk us off to the utopia that is Rangali in a tiny golden seaplane. Not to mention the free back massages to boot on offer in the private waiting room.

And it just got better from there.

“Welcome to paradise,” shouted the pilot jovially, trying to make himself heard above the engine he’d just started. The 20 or so passengers, irritable with excitement, responded only with giggles and smiles which broadened as we neared our destination.

After an hour’s bumpy but beautiful journey over the South Ari Atoll we arrived — in one of the ‘world’s finest resorts’ — and it was everything I had imagined ‘paradise’ would be — and more.

A welcoming, tropical breeze blew across the wooden bridge that links the two private islands of Rangali, serving as a gentle reminder we had stepped into the Southern Hemisphere. I was left speechless by the view.

It’s hard to avoid the ‘white sand, turquoise sea’ cliché here because, well, Rangali is that living cliché. My first view of the islands was so cliché-perfect it was almost ethereal.

So, here I go with the clichés: white sand beaches as soft as sugar ring the island, melting into a warm clear blue Indian Ocean and hammocks hang happily, strung up between two palm trees. Inland the sand winds its way along meandering paths, bordered by tropical flowers, which lead to yet another beach, or one of the resort’s fine facilities.

There is little more to do here than relax, be pampered and wallow in self-indulgence. If you’re uncomfortable with hedonism, this really isn’t the place for you.

Sensing my state of awe, as I stood on the bridge enjoying the breeze which had now tousled my hair into a mess, a crew member, still shoeless, said: “Whale sharks pass through here every year. It’s one of the only places in the world you can swim with them — I did it last year and wow! It was one of the best experiences I have had in my life.”

Had I died and gone to heaven?

Unfortunately there was nothing permanent about this state of ecstasy which was rapidly taking a hold. My stay here was short and sweet — just two nights. But it was enough to experience a taste of what the Hilton resort has to offer.

To stay any longer can come with a hefty price-tag. Jordan had been here just the night before our arrival, staying at the £2,800-a-night villa where her and Peter spent their honeymoon — complete with a rotating remote-controlled circular bed which turns to face the setting sun, a glass floor beneath the dining table and an outdoor Jacuzzi.

Driven by some weird curiosity to delve into the private life of a celebrity, I did, of course, have to snap up the opportunity to visit that very villa and sit on that circular, rotating bed. “How the other half lives. It really doesn’t get more hedonistic than this!” I thought.

But you don’t have to be an A-list celebrity to get your foot in the door here. There is a range of accommodation, from Beach Villas with views of the ocean, private terraces and unique outdoor garden-bathrooms; to the kind of villa on stilts more akin to the superstar lifestyle — and wallet.

I stayed in a detached Spa Water Villa, one of a small collection of wooden villas up to 500 metres out to sea. Surrounded by water on all sides and with their own private treatment rooms and a decking area with private steps down into the ocean, they are the perfect place to stay if de-stressing and retreating are top of the agenda.

The sound of water lapping underneath your feet and all around you — and with glimpses of sunrises, sunsets and the Indian Ocean from every corner of your bathroom, bedroom, dressing room and decking area — staying in the villas is therapy in itself.

But if you need that little bit more to wind down, the Spa Water Villas jut gracefully off a boardwalk linked to the magical Spa Retreat, forming part of a holiday destination in itself.

Set on stilts over the lagoon at the tip of the main island, Destination Spa offers a holistic spa experience that combines therapies, cuisine and holistic and lifestyle classes. It’s a favourite with Kate Moss, apparently.

Guests can choose from weekly wellness programs which combine daily treatments, fitness and wellness activities in conjunction with nutrition and naturopathic consultations.

In addition the Spa Retreat hosts regular retreats with visiting specialists and instructors from around the globe — from Neuromuscular Massage Therapy to Inspiring Yoga and Detoxification.

If that isn’t enough, there is a spa experience on the other island, in a location fit enough to rival any other spa setting in the world: The Over Water Spa.

This epitomises barefoot luxury and the ultimate island hideaway — with three of the suites boasting glass-bottomed floors. I had a lethargy-inducing hot stone massage as I drifted off to somewhere that felt like sleep, while gazing through the glass floor at tropical marine life, happily swimming in the waters beneath the therapists bare feet.

They say it’s quite easy to get busy doing nothing, and I became a professional at doing just that within 24 hours. It’s also quite surprising how relaxation and tropical breezes can whip up such an appetite.

But with seven world-class restaurants and award-winning executive chef David Laval at the helm, it’s a food-lovers dream to satiate the largest of hungers; not to mention the 10,000 bottles of wine in the underground Wine Cellar and the resort’s resident sommelier, Michael Arcena which makes it an Eden for wine connoisseurs.

There is also the Ithaa restaurant — the world’s first underwater eatery set five metres below sea-level with 180 degrees panoramic views; the Wine Bar where you can sample 101 different cheeses; the relaxed Atoll Market restaurant; and Vilu with its Martini bar featuring 80 different types of designer Martini cocktails.

We, of course, had to sample the James Bond cocktail — nothing could be more fitting. And that was how we spent our last night in Rangali: barefoot but in dinner dresses; sipping James Bond cocktails and marvelling at the sunset and the natural beauty of this place — a stunningly beautiful archipelago which, if some forecasts predict correctly, could sadly be completely underwater within a decade.

It’s something of a paradox, that only money can buy you time in Rangali as a guest, when the real beauty of the place could come for free — the picture-postcard scenery, addictive climate and jaw-dropping marine life which are all nature’s own.

But if you have about £2,000 each to spare on a holiday and seven nights free, then I couldn’t think of a better way to invest in an experience, especially when time is ticking on how accessible or visible these islands are going to be in the coming years.

FACTS

Sri Lankan Airlines are the only scheduled airline to offer direct flights from London to the Maldives .

The Airline fly four times a week from London Heathrow to Male.

Fares start at £560 plus tax per person.

Flight Times: 11 hours 15 minutes

Kuoni offers seven-nights in a Beach Villa at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island including breakfast, return flights with Sri Lankan Airlines from Heathrow, seaplane transfers in resort, access to the VIP lounge in Male airport on departure and an airport lounge in the UK from £2079 per person based on two sharing travelling in June 2010.

Conrad Maldives Rangali

Find other places to stay on the Maldives

27 April 2010