Veligandu Island Resort

We've just got back from 2 weeks at Veligandu. I can only echo the comments of others and say what a wonderful place it is. From the beginning then.... We flew with Monarch and I wouldn't fly with them again despite it being a direct flight from Manchester. The seating configuration is 3 x 3 x 3. Pretty daft when you consider that this is a common honeymoon destination. Chances are you might not get sat next to your loved one. If you are flying with Monarch and you can pre-book your seat, I would, particularly if you are flying from Manchester as the folks who get on earlier at Gatwick get the best seats. We had to kick up a stink on the way home and finally got seated on other sides of the aisle to each other. The food was dreadful on the plane, but it left us plenty of room for the delights to come in Veligandu! The sea plane transfer was great. We waited around an hour although that passed quickly. They've been doing up the waiting area over the last few weeks and we noticed when we left that the rows of seats had been replaced with cafe-style wooden tables and chairs. On arrival in Veligandu we were greeted with a fruit punch, some sandwiches and chips and a cool face cloth (very much needed by then!). We stayed in a deluxe beach villa. We were really pleased with our choice. We were on the less windy side of the island (room 104) and our steps went right into the water. We noticed the deluxe villas round the other side of the island didn't go straight into the water and therefore weren't quite as private as ours. The room was lovely and big, the open air bathroom was great and really spacious. Our room boy, Mahmood was lovely and tried to teach us Maldivian which we failed terribly at. There's nothing nicer than coming back after your meal to loads of petals sprinkled on your sheets. For the first couple of days our neighbours were a German couple with a small child who made quite a racket during the day and at night. Thankfully they went pretty quickly and we didn't hear anything from the honeymoon couple who followed them. There were only one or two children on the island at any point, Veligandu is not a good destination for them, it's definitely for couples. The food was excellent. Everything is freshly made such as soups (we particularly liked the orange and carrot and the carrot and banana soups. Sound weird but taste great) they even made their own tortellini. There was always plenty of salads and a good variety of hot foods at lunch and dinner and something cooking on the barbie. We didn't find the currys too hot, in fact just right. The deserts were great, although you need quite a sweet tooth. There was always a choice of fruit as an alternative. The chef even kindly provided me with the recipe for the sticky date pudding. Yum, yum! You are assigned a table and a waiter for the duration of your holiday. We were put in the smoking section which we were concerned about initially. Thankfully hardly anyone around us smoked and we were right on the edge overlooking the sea and beach so we were really happy with our spot in the end. Our waiter, Latife, was lovely as were all the staff we came across. Always willing to chat away and give you their opinion on English football! The weather was a little mixed as to be expected at the end of May, but the odd cloud wasn't a problem and was a bit of a relief from the heat of the sun. My partner used the dive school which he said were excellent. He had some good dives including seeing hammer-head sharks, turtles and loads of different kinds of fish. The snorkelling around the island was good. We had daily visitors by our room of some rays who sheltered under the decking and some small black-tipped reef sharks. I made good use of the spa going for 4 massages and free yoga sessions in the morning. I'd recomend the serenity massage. One thing I hadn't realised was that there was a decent little gym on the island and had I known I would have brought my trainers and worked off some of the food! Would we go back? We always say in answer to that question that we would never go back somewhere because there are so many other places to see..... this time the answer is different. Could Veligandu be the perfect holiday destination? It just might be....

After a rough year at work we decided to 'push the boat out' on a holiday with the emphasis on relaxation. With the Maldives having being recommended by friends, a trawl of the tripadvisor reviews led to our choosing Veligandu ... and what a superb decision it proved to be. Albeit that we were 'first timers' to the Maldives the mix of intimacy, size and friendliness combined to make it a 'special' and not just a 'very good' holiday. Those who we spoke to who had visited other Maldivan islands also spoke very highly of Veligandu in comparison to them. Flights: - We spent a little more to fly with Emirates (still travelling economy) and were glad that we did. The immaculate Boeing 777 on the Manchester to Dubai leg was spacious with scores of films, TV programmes and games to play & pause when you liked on the individual back of seat screens. The two hour transfer in Dubai was also a welcome stretch of the legs without having to check in again or rehandle luggage. The Dubai - Mali leg was a little more like the economy class of traditional charter flights and recommendation 1 is that you ensure that you take the direct Mali flight from Dubai without the stopover in Columbo, Sri Lanka which adds two hours to the journey time and which Hayes & Jarvis didn't mention on booking. The direct flight was boarding at the same time as our longer flight (very irritating!). Others who had travelled direct with the Thomas Cook's & Monarch's of the world were pretty unanimous in their 'never again' sentiment such were the space restrictions and poor meals. The Package: - We chose a weeks 'all inclusive' package in a deluxe water villa which is recommendation number 2 as it is pretty much just that, i.e. all inclusive. It includes breakfast, mid morning coffee & pastries, lunch, mid afternoon sandwiches, dinner, beer, soft drinks, house wine (remarkably palatable), the wonderful Tiger beer and 2 excursions. You'll only pay for cocktails, spa treatments, 'special' dinners and your third or more excursion. After a week of not particularly trying to stick to all inclusive items rigidly, including an all over massage, an extra excursion, two special dinners and a few cocktails, the additional cost for us was just over £100. We only booked a week thinking that on a small island like Veligandu boredom might set in after 7 days. How wrong we were however, because the island just absorbs you and our time was over all too quickly with a sense of regret that we hadn't booked at least 10 days ... recommendation 3! The accommodation: - Recommendation 4 is spending a little more on the stilted deluxe water villa with its private sundeck, steps into the sea and open air bath with ocean view (but still with sizeable shower). Looking out to the ocean or gazing at the stars whilst shoulder deep in soap suds adds to the luxury and even going to the loo at dawn listening to the lapping sea and watching the sun rise is special, its that good!. The bedroom was large, air conditioned with free tea & coffee facilities & fresh fruit brought in daily by a very attentive house keeper. (You pay for the capuccinos so pack a few of those sachets you can buy in any supermarket). Do use the light under the sundeck at night which shines into the water and attracts the fish including the metre wide stingrays! There's no TV but a radio and CD which we never got close to using. The meals: - The 'inclusive' food is terrific; well presented and very tasty with the 'serve yourself' system allowing as many visits and mixes as your waistline can cope with. The wife is a vegetarian and even she had a good choice without asking for any special arrangements. The 'specials' (you pay extra!) are typically lobster, specialty pizza etc which quite honestly were nothing special I'd suggest so saving your brass. The 'specials' also get you a table on the outdoor decking next to the sea but beware as I suffered having lost the indoor roof fans, such was the humidity & warmth outside. Bear in mind that you retain the same table throughout the duration of your stay and one criticism by some was that there were relatively few tables for two, meaning that you share with another couple. We preferred the company and fell lucky with a couple that we drank together with at the bar afterwards, but if you're precious about wanting to dine alone make that clear to head waiter before being seated for the first time. Dress code was casual throughout with most people sticking to casual shirts and shorts even for dinner. Recommendation 5 is to forget taking too much formal attire like long trousers, heavy shoes and accessories which will serve only to weigh you down en route and then never leave the suitcase! Remember the restaurant has a sand floor so wearing no shoes whatsoever was a popular option at all times. Excursions: - The night fishing is a must with a maximum 8 per boat ensuring loads of space. In truth you just get handlines, but some monsters were landed which filled a plastic dustbin. Emperor fish, barracuda, red snapper were all in abundance and served within an hour of being landed! The trip to nearby Rashdoo offers a taste of (very simple) Maldivan life but is more about the many cloned gift shops each selling the same as the last. Enjoy bartering for the sake of saving a quid, but if you don't do the excursion you won't be missing much. The snorkelling safari is another must. I can't begin to explain how many fish of unbelievable size and colour that you'll see by just wading yards from the beach, but the safari takes you to new reefs where turtle and puffer fish sightings amongst other things are almost guaranteed and with the boat close by at all times for your safety. Snorkelling off the island: - Talking about safety, whilst we personally didn't experience any difficulties, details of incidents involving people getting into trouble with the currents were numerous. Having being warned, we stuck by the principle of turning back the second that we felt any drag whatsoever. Recommendation 6 is ON NO ACCOUNT TRY & BEAT THE CURRENT BY PLOUGHING ON NO MATTER HOW SPECTACULAR THE FISH YOU'RE WATCHING OR THE CORAL THAT YOU CAN SEE AHEAD. There are maps in the accommodation highlighting danger areas that should be studied carefully before snorkelling and NEVER SNORKEL WITHOUT OTHERS. Recommendation 7 is a must. Spend a fiver on some sea shoes (from the internet or your local dive centre) because the sea bed is often littered with very sharp coral debris. You'll need a snorkel, mask and flippers, but if you don't want to cart it all from the UK, these items are $6 (£4) a day to hire from the Veligandu dive centre. Flippers are just $3 a day if you take your own mask & snorkel which saves on weight and space in your luggage. The punters: - One of the delights of Veligandu is the mix of young and old adults who interact so well. During our obligatory 5 o'clock beer stop we'd inevitably end up talking to someone different. Most guests are English spoken with a smattering of French & Japanese. The real mystery is where everyone who eats together at night is during the day, because we hardly ever saw more than a handful of people at once with loungers and shades always available during our stay. It isn't however an island for children or teenagers because of its size, more subdued entertainment and the currents. No disrespect, but it's also a better island for it. We only saw one child during the week and not having to suffer the yowling antics that some parents allow was a welcome change. (I've obviously become a grumpy old man in my 40th year!) The staff: - We were amazed at one review suggesting somewhat surly staff as our experience was that they couldn't be any friendlier. Most are from India or Sri Lanka so get ready for the cricketing banter, whilst they'll probably put your football knowledge to shame as well. As the days passed out drinking habits were 'rumbled' to the point where at certain times of the day our drinks were waiting for us. Similarly our housekeeper was friendly and genuinely interested in swapping stories whilst keeping the place immaculate and even adorning the bed with petals in heart shapes one night. Cash: - With the exception of the island gift shop, you won't need any! Just sign for items against your room number and pay with any credit card at the end of your stay. The island gift shop takes only US$ as do the local shops on nearby islands and in Mali (not worth a visit by the way). It's customary to tip the luggage guys about $1 per suitcase and your housekeeper at least $10. We also gave our favourite bar staff $5 each although they apparently share tips anyway. Recommendation 8 is to take your $ with you as there are no cashpoints at the airport or on the islands that we saw. We never saw any evidence of the local Maldivan currency being used! That just about sums up our experience of Veligandu which was simply superb. In my darkest moments back in the rat race I still think back to our Veligandu days with a smile! Perhaps the best testimony I can give the island is that we'll be back and that's something we seldom do no matter how good a holiday is. With relaxation and recuperation as good as guaranteed on Veligandu however, and with the memories we've brought back with us, we have without doubt unfinished business on the island. Please feel free to make contact if you have any queries.

We just loved it..We stayed in a deluxe bungalow on the west side, i think number 150 (can't remember)..It was in a lovely location, not too far from the restaurant..Beautiful view of the sunset...I loved to wake up and just have to walk down a few steps, into the soft white sand and right into the beautiful blue ocean..The room was very nice..The food was very good....And a beautiful seaplane ride from Male..I really hope to go to this Island of Paradise again some day!!

This was our first trip to the Maldives, and we could have stayed forever! The four of us stayed in two beach villas, side-by-side, on the sunset side of the island (also the side with the breeze) and though we had originally tried to book water villas or deluxe beach villas, we decided that we really had the best option. The beach villas, though set a few feet farther back from the beach, are nicely shaded by the trees and therefore feel much more private than the other villas where you are out in the open, on view. This applies particularly to the deluxe beach villas where everyone out in the sea can watch you on your porch. Also, we could put our lounge chairs under the trees for a lovely cool place to read, or pull the chairs further onto the beach for tanning. The best of both worlds! My daughter (15) and I came to the island needing to do our open water dives to complete the PADI Open Water certification. My partner is a very experienced diver, having spent years teaching diving in the RAF. We were all extremely impressed with the Ocean Pro team and their very organised and efficient process for kit hire, boat diving and billing. The team are friendly, encouraging, very experienced, and just generally a lot of fun. Our instructor, Issey, was absolutely the best and my daughter and I went on to do our PADI Advanced Open water certification as well. Most days we dove twice a day and each and every dive was fun and interesting. We saw lots of turtles, sharks, moray eels, stingrays, manta rays, eagle rays. The list is endless. There are 17 dive sites on the Rasdhoo atoll (this is the atoll where Veligandu is), accessible by only a 15-25 minute boat ride. We also went on a half-day and an all-day dive expedition which took us into the Ari Atoll, eating breakfast/lunch on the boat. The blue water hammerhead dive was fabulous and well worth getting up at 0530 for, even on holiday! My son (17) did a lot of snorkelling - the house reef is quite good - and also learned to windsurf. Though they do not offer beginner lessons, the watersports instructor agreed to give my son and I an introductory lesson for a couple of hours. It's definitely a sport for the young! We found all the staff very friendly and helpful. Our restaurant waiter Hassan was always smiling, asking how our day had been, and always remembered our 'usual' drink orders. The bar waiters were equally great, joking with the kids and always being very attentive. We went on a full board basis and are glad we did not go all inclusive. We went on a few excursions, at only $15pp, but the extra charge for AI was £27pp/day which, as far as we could determine, basically only gave us free drinks and a couple of excursions. When we totalled it up at the end, we had only spent the equivalent of £14pp/day and we almost always had quite a few cocktails before and during dinner. You'd have to be a pretty serious drinker to make the AI worthwhile I think. Having said that, we didn't usually drink alcohol at lunch since we were diving in the afternoon, so that did make a difference too. There is not much entertainment after dinner - over the course of the week there is a cultural evening, a movie night, quiz night, dive night with video. But that was fine with us, after a day of sun, diving, snorkelling and good food, we were more than ready for bed after a leisurely dinner. In summary, if you want a quiet relaxing holiday with fabulous diving and great service, I would highly recommend this island.

This was our first visit to the Maldives. We flew with Emirates. The flight from Birmingham to Dubai was excellent – a modern Boeing 777 with a huge choice of movies/comedy shows etc to watch. However, the flight from Dubai to Male (via Colombo) was a bit of a disappointment – it was an older 777 with not much legroom and the entertainment was very limited! However, the cameras on the belly and front of the plane are a fun idea, especially to watch as we flew over deserts and mountain ranges and on landing. The view of the reefs as we flew into Male was stunning. We had to wait over an hour for the seaplane but as we were undercover, out of the sun, it was not unpleasant. The seaplane transfer is definitely worth doing – looking down on the reefs is awesome. We went on the All Inclusive package which included two trips – Night Fishing and Rasdhoo. We went on the night fishing trip but swapped the Rasdhoo trip for the snorkelling trip. We also went on the dolphin sunset cruise which cost $22 each. If we hadn’t been on the All Inclusive package the night fishing would have cost $18 pp and the snorkelling $15 pp. The night fishing was very enjoyable. When we went the sea was totally flat and sitting on the deck at the front of the boat watching the sun go down was something I will remember for a long time – it was so warm and peaceful. You don’t have to worry about getting messy as the ‘boys’ bait your hook for you so basically all you have to do is dangle your line over the side of the boat and try and spot when you’ve got a fish on the other end and then pull it up sharply. The fish we caught were pretty big – not like the line fishing we’ve done in Greece – see photo. The snorkelling trip was also very enjoyable. They use the same boat as for the night fishing trip - it’s great to be able to sit at the front and dangle your feet over the side. They take you to three sites. The boat drops anchor and waits whilst the guide leads you to where you are most likely to see the best fish/turtles/rays. After a while the boat comes along and picks you up. I was lucky enough to see rays, a turtle, an eel and a shoal of blue surgeonfish. For the sunset dolphin trip they use the big sailing boat (see photo). This is a beautiful boat. One of the good things about these trips is that they are not crowded. This boat had ‘mattresses’ at the back so you could lie down and relax whilst others did the dolphin-spotting! Another good thing about these trips is that they are fairly short and are therefore not too tiring. The night fishing was from 5.30 pm – 8.00 pm; the snorkelling was from 9.30 am – 12.00 pm and the dolphins trip was from 4.00 pm to 6.30 pm. At the start of our holiday there was a huge shoal of fish underneath the walkway to the water villas. This was regularly patrolled by young reef sharks, 2-3 feet in length. It was fascinating to watch them swim around and through the shoal and every now and again accelerate sharply and send the shoal leaping out of the way. (See photo) I can highly recommend the water villas. They are well thought out with ample storage space. The bathroom is huge: two washbasins, a good-sized bath and a very spacious shower! It’s a power shower with two horizontal jets as well as the ‘vertical’ one! One of the plus sides of the water villa was that there were no ‘bugs’ to contend with – not even mozzies. If we went again, we’d definitely stay in a water villa – it was ideal. Just being able to walk down the steps (which we shared with some crabs) into the sea was a real bonus. A few weeks before our holiday I emailed Veligandu and requested a water villa on the ‘sunset’ side of the island. Fortunately they were able to allocate us one which we really appreciated as it was wonderful to relax on the decking in the evening and watch the sun go down. The only disadvantage of having the ‘sunset side’ villa was that it was too hot to lie out in the afternoon; the sun was very fierce. There was even no wind on the sandbank for the last few days of our holiday, so we couldn't lie out there either. We were using Factor 30 but still managed to get our backs slightly sunburnt whilst snorkelling. On our penultimate night we returned from dinner to find the room boy had decorated our bed with flower petals – it really had the ‘wow’ factor. I thought they only did that for honeymoon couples so it was a very pleasant surprise. If we go again, I won’t be taking anywhere near as many clothes as we took this time. I thought men had to wear long trousers for the restaurant but the only ‘dress code’ is that they like you to wear at least shorts/skirt and a T-shirt. There is really no need to bother with shoes - very few people wore them. However, do make sure you pack aqua/reef shoes as the seabed is littered with pieces of broken coral. As regards the meals, there was plenty of choice and it was all beautifully cooked. Since returning home, I’ve really missed the meals – that’s not happened to me before so they must have been good! One bit of advice though – their idea of a mild curry might not be your idea of a mild curry; we weren’t brave enough to try the hot curries as we couldn’t cope with the mild ones! A word of warning – the currents around the island can be strong; do take care. There are maps on the island showing you where it’s safe to snorkel and where to avoid. To sum up, this was a holiday of a lifetime. The Maldives are magical and Veligandu is outstanding. The staff are so friendly and helpful. The accommodation and food were out of this world and I really cannot fault this place. I have researched some other islands with a view to maybe returning to the Maldives in the future but as yet I haven’t found one that even comes close to what we had on Veligandu.

This was our first visit to the Maldives and we would definately return but probably to another island. We stayed in a deluxe beach villa but unfortunately our request for a sunset side villa wasn't granted; however we appreciated the shaded villa decking in the afternoons after arriving from Britain which was only just emerging from a long cold winter. It certainly fulfilled all my expectations of the Maldives and was exactly what I needed, white soft sand, clear turquoise sea and plenty of wonderfully coloured tropical fish for snorkelling. We spent our days reading and snorkelling, although we did take advantage of the two excursions per week if staying on all inclusive. A tip, the choice given for these trips is night fishing or snorkelling excursion and a trip to Rashdoo Island for shopping. We were concerned as we weren't there for the shopping and were told by reception that we could swap the Rashdoo Island excursion for the night fishing / snorkelling excursion. Both the night fishing and the snorkelling were excellent with the night fishing with hand lines catching (although thankfully not landing) a 4' shark. Also highly recommend the dolphin excursion. As my husband loves fishing we hired a boat for deep water fishing for 3 hours at a cost of about £60 but the sharks and sail fish alluded him although he caught many grouper, tuna and barracuda. Most excursions are reasonably priced and the all inclusive option does include a 10 minute head and neck massage at the spa which was very good and longer than the alloted time. The food was very good with plenty of variation and choice (I am a vegetarian) and I would recommend everyone remember to request a bottle of water for the day at breakfast as if staying at the water villas it is a long walk to the main complex if you need a drink. A few negatives which might mean we would consider another resort when returning to the Maldives. Firstly all inclusive doesn't include the bar or expresso sachets (we found this out to our cost when we used a sachet with the other sachets obscuring the sign advising guests of the cost for expresso and after being told that all the self service hot drinks were free). Secondly the all inclusive doesn't include any of the water sports and although we weren't there for the water sports I did feel that life jackets shouldn't be subject to an extra charge. Thirdly I did feel that quite a few of the staff were not as friendly as perhaps other reports indicated. I work in the tourism industry and am aware that although you may be tired or have heard the same questions a million times you still treat your visitors with your undivided individual attention. You will need US$ for the island shop and tips, with a guide of approximately 1$ for a 1/2 day trip tip, $10 for your room boy and again for your waiter. The porters who take your luggage to the vans for the float planes will also expect a tip and when you arrive at the resort the lads who deliver your luggage to your rooms will expect tips. Do beware the currents and do wear water shoes at all times in the sea. The deluxe water villas are very spacious and attractive although as previously mentioned a long way from the restaurant/bar; however we didn't have any problems sleeping with the noise of the waves as mentioned in some reports. Didn't use the villas individual C.D. players as I did feel it would shatter the peace of your neighbours and that the villa's sound insulation wasn't good. Loved the large semi open bathrooms, with shutters which opened up to give a view of the sea whilst in the bath. Those with few inhibitions do beware you aren't caught out as your villa decking is viewable by any of your fellow snorkellers and also one afternoon some of the hotel's employees were sent snorkelling to scrub the wooden steps which descend from your villa into the sea. Saw dolphins, a turtle while snorkelling on the house reef and plenty, plenty of harmless reef sharks. Fruit bats come in to roost at night time and there is a notable lack of birds with only herons and a few crows. Entertainment was O.K.

We stayed on veligandu for Christmas, this was our third visit to the Maldives and Veligandu was by far the best island we have visited. We stayed in deluxe water bungalow 171 which is the best as far as I am concerned, I went with my husband and my 14 year son. The food, staff, people we met, made our holiday very special, so much so, as soon as we got home I made another booking to return this Christmas and hopefully stay in room 171! Although the island is classed as a 4* resort I would disagree with this and rate it higher.The staff were attentive and thoughtful and the food well all I can say is that a diet was called for on our return! I loved the way the chef was always around to greet in the evenings. Having had the opportunity to travel, I can honestly say that this island holds a very special place in my heart and there is not a day goes by that my thoughts do not return there. Leaving the island I cried, which I know was silly, but when you visit this wonderful place I am sure you will understand. Thank you to all the staff who made our stay so wonderful, looking forward to seeing you all again very soon, only nine months now! Regards The Fletchers from Hampshire, England.

This was our first trip to the Maldives and this island was suggested by Hayes & Jarvis. We can not compare to other islands but most of the guests we spoke to were repeats which says something. The island was lovely and we enjoyed having our own space without someone sat next to you or having to rush to find a sunbed. We stayed in a deluxe water villa and it was a real treat although I did not enjoy the noise of the waves in the night. We would stay in a beach bungalow next time. The food was excellent and the staff were great. Our son is 8 and did not want to leave he spent the whole week snorkling. We then went on to Sri Lanka and although we had a great time we missed Veli. Word of warning, just take care in the sea by the sand bank the restaurant side as the undercurrents are very strong and no warnings on the island. I am sure you would not be disappointed on this island and we will go back at some point in the future Please get in touch if you have any questions

We have just come back from one week on Veligandu Island. It was our honeymoon and we really could not have picked a better place. The resort has so much going for it: - The Island is nice and small. You can walk round it in about 15 minutes and it is so beautiful. The sandbank is stunning and a real suntrap. There is sand everywhere so you needn't ever wear shoes! The beach was always very quiet and extremely clean. - The staff, the food, the service is the best I have ever seen. And we have been to many hotels and some very nice ones! The staff are so friendly. They never walk by without saying hello to you. They are genuine and very nice. They always make that little effort to remember your favourite drink etc which is great. If you are all inclusive they even come and tell you that all inclusive is nearly over at midnight and would you like one more drink! You can get bottles of water to take back to your room and even ask for cokes or any drink and say that you are taking it to the room and they are fine with that! One thing I highly recommend is spending the extra $20 per person per week to be seated in the separate area which only has 5 tables and looks straight onto the beach. Table 63 facing right out to the beach is the best table as well. Once you get seated in the restaurent you have to keep the same table for the rest of your stay. So be careful if you say it's ok to share a table on the first night as you will end up stuck with the same people on your table for at least one week. The restaurant part is also very nice, it's all nice on this island but if it's a special holiday, the $20 each per week is one of the best spends possible!! Then I have to mention the food. Oh My God, amazing. Such variety and such choice every single time. We have never eaten so well and so healthy. Everything was as fresh as can be and the steaks were out of this world. We had a plate of fresh fruit delivered to our water bungalow every day as well which was a nice surprise. We had no hassle like you get some places from reps asking you to go on this trip and that trip. You just were left to sign up to the ones you wanted to go on. Completely left alone and no pressure whatsoever. You really can escape it all here. - The bungalows. The thing I like about this island is that all the bungalows seemed really nice. As it was our honeymoon we really did the lot and stayed in a deluxe water bungalow. Whatever you do, my biggest advice of all is request a Sunset view bungalow. That way you will be on the side of the island which gets the sun all afternoon and the amazing sunsets. I luckily had read another trip advisor review and my request was met. It really made all the difference to be on the sunset side. We stayed in 171 which we found was the best as it was the water bungalow the furthest away which meant we only had a neighbour on one side and amazing sea views all round. It does get quite windy at night and it can therefore get quite noisy in the water bungalows at night as the waves splash so loudly so if you have trouble sleeping with noise I wouldn't advise staying in them. Also if you have difficulty walking or you are elderly the water bungalows are the other side of the island to the bar and restaurent which makes it a good 5 min walk each way three times a day... The water bungalows were amazing, they gave you such privacy and luxury. - The snorkelling was incredible. Make sure you take a snorkel set with you (though they can also be hired daily or purchased there). We found the best place was at the end of the sandbank to the left hand side of the steps at the end of the jetty, absolutely amazing! If you want to buy souvenirs, go on the trip to Rashdoo Island (only 20 mins by boat). It's sooo much cheaper than the shop on the resort and you can bargain quite a bit. (make sure you are covered from shouldner to knee when going). The transfers from Male airport by seaplane were also incredible. Don't be surprised if there is a bit of wait at the Maldivian Air Taxi departure point but it's well worth it. The views you get are incredible. Veligandu is only about 20 mins by seaplane which also suited us as the last thing we wanted was a long transfer from Male by boat! We met some really nice people at Veligandu and would love to go back there. I can't imagine another resort being more authentic and friendly. I probably wouldn't recommend taking children as there is no pool, no tvs in rooms and it's not very commercial but for couples, it has to be one of the nicest resorts in the Maldives that you could go to. We are so happy we chose Veligandu. A huge thanks to everyone there. I have included some photos, hope you like them.

Veligandu 16 – 30 October 2005 This was our 7th trip to the Maldives and as good as always .. The Island was probably the smallest we have been to , you could walk around the beach easily in 15 minutes . One nice aspect is that you can walk almost all the way round the beach .. there is a small part next to the bar where you have to walk around off the beach but it’s only about 2 minutes walk. The sand itself is very good .. mostly fine all the way round and no need to wear any footwear at all . The island was kept clean and tidy by staff who we heard sweeping leaves at 5.30am . We stayed in room 107 which was a standard bungalow on the east side of the island . The room was very nice with lots of space . Very clean .. our room boy also sprayed the room with bug spray every night . There was a CD player in the room , I quite like to listen to music in the evening . The bathroom again was very big and clean and always hot water when you needed it . I liked the room locations , our was on the beach ..20m from the water which was great. The east and west side are very different due to the wind . The east side has none , so is much hotter than the west which had a constant breeze while we were there . Personally for me it was too hot during the morning when the sun was on our side .. but .. there is the sand bank you can go to . On the south side of the island there is a fabulous 80m long sandbank complete with big palm umbrella’s and deck chairs . We spent every morning there .. and with the wind it was great . It’s first come first served for the spaces but hardly anybody else bothered. If you had a room on the west side you had the wind anyway. The food in the restaurant was very good . The menu was rotated on a 2 week basis so we never had the same menu . It is buffet style except Wednesday when you pick from an a la carte menu . Being a small island the only thing was the choice of food was not as varied as on the bigger islands we have been to ( we only had ice cream once while we were there ) . But the quality was very good. Our waiter Abdulah was fantastic .. ALL the staff made us feel really welcome and remembered our names and room number from day 1. We stayed on full board basis and found the price of drinks quite reasonable : Beer or Wine $ 3.50 Soft Drink $ 2.50 Bottle of Water $ 1.50 Milk Shake $ 4.00 Most Spirits $ 3.50 – 4.50 The only very expensive item were the cocktails at $ 8.00 - 10.00 each. The island does have a TV in the bar area with a pool table , table football and a table tennis table . Also there is a outdoor football pitch , you do need some good trainers but the islanders were quite happy to let the tourists join in. There is a really well equipped gym and a Spa .. Neither of which we used .. so I can’t give you an opinion of the Spa . The island also has a big two masted sailing dhoni which was used for the dolphin sunset cruise . We did go on this and although we only saw 5 dolphins it was a really nice trip . There are also fishing trips and trips to Rasdhoo , the local island for shopping. One of the reasons for choosing Veligandu is the chance of seeing Hammerhead sharks at a dive site called Madivaru Corner. It’s a blue water dive in the deep channel at 30m .. I was not disappointed and saw the sharks on all the dives I did there . The dive school is run by Ocean Pro and was very good .. I did 18 dives and enjoyed them all . The snorkelling was also very good .. I liked the jetty at the end of the sand bank where there was some nice coral and a drop off into the deep so you had a chance of seeing bigger fish. Would I go back ?? Yes .. but not too soon .. there are still islands on my list to visit first. I would recommend this island to people wanting a very relaxing holiday with good diving and good food. .. There are not as many facilities as the “ posher “ islands , but I like that .. For me the Maldives is about the beauty of the desert island in the middle of the Indian Ocean .. you really do get that feeling at Veligandu .