Velidhu Island Resort

7 readers found this review helpful

Weather in maldives june 2008
Velidhu island is everything that the reviews on the internet describe. Being told it was the maldives winter I started to monitor the maldives metreological website for about a month before we ( a family)travelled. I was quite alarmed to note that storms and cloudy conditions were forecast virtually every day. Then on the same site I noticed a 'history' click that gave a measurement of rain the day before and found that on most days there was no rain or very little ( on one day the measurement was 0.2mm ) which would certainly go un-noticed in uk! We have been here for 2 weeks and had one rainshower that was over in a few minutes while we were at lunch and one shower that we spotted coming in from the sea and we all went into the sea to meet it., quite honestly I think that this is the best time of the year when a slight breeze keeps you cool. On days when it is not the sun is very strong and a touch too much for me but everyone has their own patch of beach and shade. on most days we had a complete lagoon to ourselves. The service on this island is quite incredible. Most staff have been employed with this management for many years and it is their first nature to please .nothing is too much trouble and we have taken many of them into our hearts. The food is faultless with so many choices its a problem making a selection. The cleaning of accommodation is also very good with cleaning taking place twice a day. A word of warning bring everything you will need with you as there is only one small shop on the island and all imported items are charged accordingly. Bring plenty of sun cream after sun and skin diving gear. Also reef shoes to protect your feet when walking out at sea. The marine life and coal reefs are well protected and are another reason to be here. We made friends with some of the fish who would come and say hello every day. Rays and reef sharks (baby) in all their glory would also parade the shallows. This is a quiet island where you can enjoy comfort and still be close to nature. Everyone is friendly but still understand your need for privacy. Dont come here if you expect night life it is not that kind of resort but it is a place to relax ands find some peace.I am writing this sitting in the shade watching the sea while thinking about my next sumptuous meal.

4 readers found this review helpful

Wow!! This island hotel was fantastic! We went for honeymoon over easter period and for the first few days of our stay the owner was John Keells... we then hit it lucky as the island vacated ready for the change over to the new owners to take over...For the last 6 days of our stay we shared the whole island with just 3 other couples and really got the deserted island feeling!
We met the new owner and his wife and grown up kids, as they too stayed on the island during the hand-over period. They were lovely and took time to talk to us etc. Most importantly, the island staff remained the same, (only 3 of the staff chose to leave the island after the change over)..and from what we saw everything remained the same...and the plan was to keep everything the same.
The standard of hygiene was second to none..everywhere was spotless, the roomboys cleaned our room 2 or 3 times per day. The food was excellent..more than enough choices for us 8 hoidaymakers.
The location was superb, clear, warm crystal blue waters, a house reef perfect for snorkelling and seeing a huge array of fish. It was all so idyllic.
All the staff were forever smiling, happy and very friendly. Hotel staff went with us on excursions (deep sea fishing, island hopping, manta safari and the night fishing...which is such good fun!) The staff were always so nice and ameniable. Trekking to get us young coconuts, so we could drink the milk from them, when we were on the uninhabited island (on the island hopping excursion)
The entertainment... well.. we made our own, of course!! They did have crab racing one evening(the rowdiest it got!) but apart from that leisurely drinks in the bar or on the beach until midnight. For us the whole holiday centred around long lazy days and nights. Pure rest and relaxation...and snorkelling!!
We did have an Adam & Eve (his n hers) massage for lovers in the Serena Spa... luxury!! and that was about as strenuous as it got!
The one and only for not wishing to stay for another couple of months (or until I got bored and had finisghed reading all the books in the library there)...was the mossies!! Had I stayed any longer I would have looked like a walking blob! I spray tanned myself all over with Insect repellent every night, left off all perfumes and smellies and still got 5 or 6 new bites every night. After the massage (with the oils) I must have been bitten 30 times... And it must have been in the bar in the evening.
Would we go back again?... Defintely... but not with the children. It isn't a place for young kids.. they just wouldn't appreciate its beauty. and they certainly wouldn't appreciate the long flight!! We went with QATAR airways...fab!! Great seat pitch, lovely meals , fantastic service..and we broke up the journey by stopping off at Doha.
As for the new owner...give him a chance.. I know a John Keells resort is fab but it won't/can't possibly change that much with the new owner. And he plans to keep it just as it is now.

1 reader found this review helpful

We stayed at Velidhu, for 2 weeks all inclusive & booked with Virgin.
We flew with Qatar airlines from Heathrow to Doha & Doha to Male. Qatar were great, the inflight entertainment system was excellent. Each person had their own screen & a choice of around 50 films, tv shows, documentaries, games etc etc.
We spent most of our time diving. The diving was amazing! Particularly enjoyed Maaya thila - lots of sharks! Nurse, Grey & white tips.
Euro Divers are great! Yuka, Winnie & Klass took care of us and we really enjoyed diving with them!
On one of our dives there were only 4 people and when the dive finished we noticed a big school of dolphins, about 20 odd not too far from the boat! So we grabbed our snorkels and swam out to them, they had babies so we made sure we kept our distance. It was an amazing experience and one I'll never forget! I loved listening to them chatting to each other, all the clicks and squeaks.
We also saw turtles, giant baracuda, cuttlefish, scorpion fish, lion fish and practically every fish you see in the guide books.
We took the Manta safari, luckily there were only 8 people the day we went, the day before there were 35! The mantas are so graceful, we saw 6 in total.
We didnt take any of the other day trips on offer, but spoke to other people who had. The night fishing is good if you are into fishing, the island hopping apparently isnt worth doing and they also do a dolphin safari - but you are not allowed to swim with the dolphins.
We stayed in a beach hut. We were in no 142 which looked straight out onto the beach, it was wonderful waking up to the torquiose indian ocean every morning!
The room was fine, the shower was awful, the water trickeled out, not good when your hair is as long as mine!
But the room was clean and comfortable.
The food was excellent. Buffet, with different themes each night. I liked italian it was nice to have a bit of pizza.
The Dhal curry was so good I had a bit of it almost every nite!!
And the desserts!!
We did the dinner on the beach - it was really lovely! I had a massive steak and my partner had an enormous lobster (thermidor) The food was excellent, it was very romantic sitting under the stars beside the sea. I think the dinner on the beach is a must it was so nice!
The wine list was good and the prices weren't too bad, Moet & Chandon $110, Madfish sauvignon $45. Most of the wine was around the $45 mark.
The beer was San Migel, Lion or steinburg, and they had all the regular brands of spirits.
There a couple of nice cocktails on the AI list and there were also sandwiches (nicer when toasted!)
The bar was cool, the staff are so friendly! There is different entertainment each nite which starts at 21.30. The crab racing was good fun - little tip - choose the smaller crabs they were much faster!
The wildlife on and around the island is unbelievable. Loads of baby black tipped reef sharks & rays swimming around in a few inches of water. Loads of lizards, cute little chicken birds & big fruit bats. There is a jetty that is lit up at night and there are just 100's of fish to watch. People had previously said there were loads of baby barracuda, but these are actually pipe fish.
There is a shop selling all sorts of souvenirs, crisps, chocolate & Hawaiin tropic sun lotion. There is also a jewlery shop, some of the jewlery was beautiful, but expensive.
I used the spa twice and had 2 lovely massages. The 1st a head, neck shoulder and the 2nd an aromotheraphy back massage. Lovely setting, nice staff and good prices.
All in all we had a fabulous time, but I would have been bored out of my mind if I hadnt been diving. I took 2 books and finished them both before the end of the 1st week.
I would reccomend Velidhu to everyone, its a beautiful island.

2 readers found this review helpful

My score would probably be higher but there were some quite serious problems due to a fall I had. I suspect this is not the only island that might suffer from them. This was my fifth visit to the Maldives and the first to Velidhu. Please bear in mind this review relates to Jan 2004.
Negatives:
1. Tiled floors are really slippy. Take care moving from the shower to loo to washing area. There is a lip and it is so easy to fall over (if you need to retrieve anything from the shower). I slipped, banged and cut my head. Then I slipped a week later and broke my wrist. So there you have it!
2. There is a wheel chair but none of the staff seemed to realise this existed. No first aiders, and I had to explain that pea sticks won't work as a splint and how to organise finding a medically-trained person (i.e. visitor) on the island (i.e. check anyone with 'dr' on their name and ask around at dinner - that worked.)
3. The dive school did not want to help although they have first aid trained staff.
4. I did nearly have a run in with the Sri Lankan visiting managerial staff member who was really could not take on board some of the issues with the lack of first aid training and lack of use of equipment.
Having said that the local staff got me to a hospital in Male - and if you go somewhere like this you should be aware that the local medical treatment in a private hospital may not be particularly good but it will be a lot better than the locals are getting. I still have quite a few issues with Thomas Cook over their inability to handle this, or get a suitable seat for me back to the UK and in the event I should really have been flown back earlier, as the break was a particularly bad one. That however doesn't relate to the island.
Positives
1. With a broken wrist, I couldn't do much but local staff really did try to help - I suspect that one particular manager was responsible for this but in any event I have a lot to thank the local staff.
2. I had one of the spa staff sleeping in my room until they could get me to hospital and helping me out on my return.
3. On return, 'my' waiter and the chefs made sure I had exactly what I wanted to eat, cut up and delivered to me from the buffet. In the end I barely had to choose they just got it right.
4. For diving, the dive school is a reputable safe company, if a little regimented.
5. The ambience and food were extremely good: can't be faulted. Far better than 2 other similarly priced islands.
6. Beach is good - this is a typical Maldivian island, and the groins and breakwaters are not intrusive.
7. Apart from the slippy floor and lack of matting, the rondavels are big, very clean and with a nice terrace. On one side of the island the rondavels are rather closely packed, but on the other side there is a lot more room and the beach good and wide. (Opposite side to dive school.)
8. Plenty of friendly divers and non-divers if you are on your own; but also a few Brits with yachts being friendly but making their political views a bit too clear (public sector workers watch out!!).
There is music a couple of times a week in the bar.
9. Laid back - but not as laid back as islands used to be - the restaurant is not sand floor.
Hard to beat but mind the floors. Otherwise I'd fully recommend this island for a laid-back holiday.

3 readers found this review helpful

What a wondrous place! There are so many people on this island at mealtimes but where are they during the day time!
This island is tiny - yet you feel that you are all alone on this paradise island.
Our beach bungalow was basic but spacious - it’s not like we spent any time in it. It was the beginning of the rainy season when we went but we only saw two short showers during our stay there, it was over in minutes and still very hot.
The staff were all second to none - they all remembered everyone’s names and treated us very well.
The sea was warm and was like taking a bath; you can swim with the reef sharks and snorkel with the Nemos - fantastic!!
The only gripe I have is that the "All inclusive" isn't for some items such as fruit juices and diet drinks, we didn't know this until we picked up our bill at the end of holiday - felt that maybe the waiters should have said that these items were chargeable when ordering...
It’s also a good resort for families we will definitely be back and take our daughter next time. The food was excellent, the rooms clean.
Everyone gets their own sun bed and their own bit of beach. Is wonderful, relaxing, charming and well worth a visit.
Ps don't forget your factor 40 and lots of tips for the lads, their wages are rubbish!