Take a look at any league table on travellers’ aspirational destination and the Maldives are up there. Crystal clear seas caressing sugar white beaches, across an archipelago nation of almost 1,200 islands. The Maldives will always appear as one of the world’s dream destinations: pristine Robinson Crusoe landscapes meet contemporary luxury living.
Veligandu Maldives Resort Island, a micro isle of lush green jungle fringed by soft-sand beaches, has upgraded paradise. Closed for 18 months, the resort has been reinvented as 5* luxury.
“Natural. Seclusion. Luxury.” Veligandu’s new mantra seductively chants. It’s a quiet, almost impossibly beautiful corner of the planet for honeymoons or simply escaping to paradise.
The welcome
Fly into Malé International Airport and then transfer through the neighbouring seaplane terminal. Guests bound for Veligandu relax in the air-conditioned business lounge, with inclusive food and drink, before boarding for the 20 minutes flight across the azure Indian Ocean. Their cameras ready for irresistibly photogenic atolls. It is a thrilling expedition, provided by bare-foot pilots, even before you arrive at your destination.
Like Maldivian monarchs returning to their island kingdom, we are met by white-shirted Veligandu staff clapping a welcome to the beat of a drum as we step from seaplane to jetty.
Jaadhee, our Lifestyle Assistant welcomes us with chilled fermented passion-flower juice. Then takes us on a tour of the resort’s many facilities and drives the golf buggy to our villa.
The Sunset Ocean Pool Villa
The ocean-facing window, floor to ceiling with sliding door, is a vast light-giving wall of glass. When we wake, we use the bedside control to open the curtains. Beyond, the opulent villa’s own infinity pool, shades of azure, turquoise and teal melt into the horizon.
Beside the bed there is a well-padded, amply cushioned banquette for chaise-longue style lounging. A teak ceiling fan, the size of a seaplane propellor, whirs alongside the air-conditioning. When required, a 65 inch flat screen television, with countless international channels, swings out from the midnight blue wall. Decor is contemporary chic with touches of traditional Maldivian colours and textures.
As you enter this over-the-water detached villa, new in November 2024, the glass viewing panel, beneath your feet acts as a rectangular portal into Nemo’s world below. Backstage from the ocean-view bedroom, there are his and hers wardrobes, a dark wood shelf with sufficient room for two cases and a mini-bar. Thoughtfully, in the mini-bar, the top-shelf is included, the lower-shelf is chargeable. Bottles from the chilled wine cellar are chargeable too.
Our Sunset Ocean Pool Villa, also available with two bedrooms, each with its own plunge pool, is just one of Veligandu’s 100 villas. Choose from Ocean Pool Villas, Sunset Ocean Villas, Ocean Jacuzzi Villas, Sunset Jacuzzi Beach Villas, Jacuzzi Beach Villas and Beach Villas. There are tough choices to be made in paradise.
The bathroom
An exceptionally spacious light-maritime blue tiled shower room houses both rainfall and hand-held directional showers. His and her wash facilities feature Veligandu’s citrus themed toiletries.
The half-egg bath has an open-air room of its own: secluded but overlooking the ocean.
Everything you need to plan your trip in 2024
The facilities
With white sand floors the open-sided Dhonveli buffet restaurant is cooled by Indian Ocean breezes and fans: appropriately Dhonveli is Maldivian for white sand.
Begin breakfast by creating your own smoothie before selecting from an impressive array of tropical fruit: both fresh and poached. Then get the chefs to rustle up your personal egg favourites.
At lunchtime those chefs switch to cooking fish and seafood to order, alongside a wide selection of salads and hot dishes. They’re back for dinner too: carving steaks, creating your designer pasta dishes.
Taking its name from the manta, Madivaru Restaurant offers a fusion of Mediterranean and Asian cuisine, including Chinese, Thai, and Indian dishes. Madivaru pays homage to the ancient Spice Route that helped flavour oriental dishes such as nasai noreng, Vietnamese caramelised pork, shrimp pad Thai and other exciting tastes of the Orient. That is if you can resist the lobster and Wagyu beef …
Living up to its name, Thundi leads onto a sandbank of sun-umbrellas and loungers, where waiters keep up with requests for drinks and snacks throughout the day. Those waiters also look after guests on sun-loungers by the white-flowered frangipani and palm tree fringed infinity pool.
Raalhu, the Maldivian for wave, is a spectacular fine-dining restaurant, strategically positioned for sundowners at its Champagne Pavilion. From the arrival of a grilled courgette and salmon amuse bouche, through succulent octopus to a mojito sorbet, the service is exemplary.
At the Himeyn Spa, five overwater treatment rooms, four of them for couples, guests relax and rejuvenate through a range of treatments delivered by experts.
You are unlikely to miss your home gym at the superbly equipped VFitness Centre with treadmills and exercise bikes overlooking the ocean. For a calming, harmonious start to the day, a handful of guests join the professional teacher for sunrise yoga.
Although the courts are shaded, early morning and evening are the best time to play on the tennis and paddle courts.
The location
Veligandu’s overwater villas curve out from an island a mere 600metres by 150 metres: 50 minutes by speedboat and 20 minutes by air from Malé.
Drop into the Ocean Watersports and Excursions Centre to select from a plethora of aquatic opportunities. From curious beginners to qualified divers, the ocean around Veligandu offers something for everyone: gentle kayaking, exhilarating jet-ski expeditions, serene paddle boarding, snorkelling trips and sunset cruises in search of dolphins. For ultimate luxury, hire the resort’s yacht for a private excursion.
Other nice touches
Guests can take a snorkel pack for the dive centre to seek out turtles and a myriad of tropical fish in the lagoon around Veligandu.
As well as providing your daily itinerary the Veligandu app also keeps a running total of your bill.
For a special treat Veligandu offers Destination Dining perhaps on the beach or on a sandbank.
Solar panels provide the roofs on the recently built villas. All part of Veligandu’s programme to minimise its environmental footprint.
The cost
Prices for Summer 2025 begin from US$ 508 per night for a double occupancy Beach Villa with breakfast. The all-inclusive dine-around package for a Beach Villa begins from US$ 1,068. Seaplane transfers are an additional cost.
The best bit
Jaadhee our Lifestyle Assistant takes care of everything, booking restaurants for us, collecting us from restaurants in a golf buggy or even taking us to breakfast if we are not in the mood to walk.
When the time comes to leave, he liaises with the seaplane company for our time of departure and also for connections through to our hotel in Malé.
The final verdict
An astounding infinity pool, shaded by white-flowered frangipani and palm trees should be the beating heart of the island, yet there is always a sense of quiet calm and sun-loungers to spare.
At Veligandu, seclusion and tranquillity are part of the luxury. Futureproofing, Veligandu’s new villas have been raised on their columns, to insure against rising sea-levels. This will be a top Maldives destination for decades to come.
Disclosure: Our stay was sponsored by Veligandu Maldives Resort Island.
Michael Edwards
Michael Edwards is a travel writer from Oxfordshire, UK. Although Michael had his first travel pieces published nearly four decades ago, he is still finding new luxury destinations to visit and write on.
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