Click here for an interactive map of the Conrad Hilton Rangali Island!
The Conrad Rangali Island is home to the Maldives’ first, and largest, wine cellar. Located 2 meters underground, the Conrad’s wine cellar holds 18,000 bottles of wine, including a first vintage Krug Clos d’Ambonnay (1995) and a bottle of 1990 Methuselah Cristal, costing more than $50,000 USD. It also holds a table seating 10 guests, and its absolutely stunning.
The table in the Wine Cellar.
On a recent trip to the Maldives, Dan and I spent a few days in Doha, Qatar en route. We selected Doha because (1) you have to connect when traveling to the Maldives from the New York area and (2) we have already been to Dubai and Abu Dhabi (the other two big connection spots in the Middle East – the other connection option is Europe). We enjoyed our weekend stay, but we are not in a rush to return to Doha, simply because we didn’t find too, too much to do, and it was very reminiscent of a less exciting Dubai. That being said, the people of Doha were lovely, we were treated very well in Doha, and I would have no problem stopping over in Doha again if the time/price was best (its just not the most exciting IMO). This post details what we did in Doha during our weekend getaway!
Souq Waqif in Doha, Qatar – one of Doha’s best activities for tourists.
I did not think my summer Tükiye trip would be one for wine tasting, particularly since alcohol is not big in Turkish culture and many restaurants, especially more traditional ones, don’t even serve wine. Knowing all this, I was quite surprised when I found a Turkish wine tour in Cappadocia. I immediately booked it.
Wine tasting in Cappadocia – surprise!
Dan and I spent a very fast two nights in Istanbul on our July trip to Türkiye last summer, only staying in Istanbul because we needed to fly out of the Istanbul airport. We have been to Istanbul previously, but we didn’t explore the Asian Side of Istanbul, so we stayed in a hotel on the Asian Side and also booked a food tour in a local, and adorable, neighborhood of Kadıköy. This article reviews our delicious food tour, which would be relatively easy to recreate on your own!
The first stop of the tour was for breakfast, at a small spot that our guide frequents with her friends after a big night out, LOL. Cay Tarlasi & Cafe is a family-owned restaurant that is open all day, every day, from 8 AM to midnight. We squeezed into a table on the second floor and were immediately served Turkish tea, which is basically black tea in a curved glass. Turkish Tea is common alll over Türkiye, and locals drink this tea all day in all weather (including the hot summers!). Turkish Tea is a bit bitter but not difficult to drink, especially if you add sugar. For breakfast, two large pans quickly graced the table. The first was filled with menemen – one of my favorites! Menemen is a traditional Turkish breakfast of eggs, peppers, and tomatoes mixed together with some spices (I had a great one at our hotel in Cappadocia). Think a mix between scrambled eggs with toppings and an omelette. In any case, menemen is great, and this version was particularly good, especially paired with the local bread. The second pan contained muhlama, which is another local dish consisting of cheese, butter, cornmeal, and water mixed together and cooked. The muhlama was also very tasty and reminded me a lot of our at-home Raclette machine, yet also of Southern grits. I preferred the menemen between the two dishes, but suggest trying both in Türkiye. We left Cay Tarlasi & Cafe stopping ourselves from eating more.
Menemen. This dish is easy to find in Turkey.
Muhlama. The consistency was like grits.
My plate with the black Turkish tea.
Storefront for those interested in visiting. The owners were welcoming and spoke English. Visitors may need to wait for a table.
Click here for an interactive map of the Conrad Hilton Rangali Island!
Dan and I returned to Rangali Island in the Maldives in November. We, again, stayed at the Hilton Conrad Rangali Island (and we rebooked for a third trip this upcoming November!). Since this was our second stay, I compiled 15 tips that I think many people visiting Rangali would want to know prior to visiting. These are not necessarily “budget” tips, but tips to make your trip more enjoyable!
Maldives!
