Veligandu Maldives Resort Island — Hotel in North Ari Atoll

Where do I start? This might be a long one!||We stayed in the Overwater Sunset Pool Villa on the All-Inclusive Dine Around package for 10 nights—and it truly exceeded all expectations.||||The Highlight: Our Lifestyle Host, Minha||||The absolute standout of our stay was our lifestyle host, Minha. She was simply phenomenal—professional, attentive, and prompt, yet also incredibly warm and personable. She answered all our endless questions about island life with patience and charm, and quickly felt more like a friend than staff. Minha made our trip what it was; she’s an irreplaceable asset to the resort and honestly deserves a raise. We wanted to take her home with us!||||The Villas||||We stayed in Villa 222, which had the perfect breeze for September—a welcome relief from the heat. We only had one rainy day, so felt very lucky. The villas themselves are stunning, less than a year old, and equipped with everything you could possibly need.|| • Mini-bar: Stocked daily with wine (red, white, rosé, prosecco), beers, spirits, mixers, juices, and sparkling water. We even requested limes, mint, ice, and sugar syrup so my husband could make his own cocktails—no problem at all.|| • Comfort: The bed was super comfortable, and staff went above and beyond to find us pillows that matched our picky preferences.|| • Bathroom & pool: Gorgeous design and a private pool that was larger than expected.|| • Housekeeping: Twice-daily cleaning by Shahid was impeccable—thank you!|| • Entertainment: Plenty of TV channels, plus easy access to Netflix and YouTube for those hot afternoons when relaxing indoors.||||Dining Experiences||||The food across the resort was fantastic, with plenty of variety. A few highlights:|| • Madivaru: Delicious food with lots of options. Currently the lunch and dinner menus are the same, but they’re soon introducing a separate lunch menu, which is a great idea. Reservations are a must for dinner. Shifa’s service was a stand out.|| • Raahlu (fine dining): Absolutely worth booking well in advance (ideally before arrival). The lobster dishes were standouts—Chef Ramo’s preparation on our first night was perfection, unlike any lobster we’ve ever had. The second was slightly overcooked but still tasty. The octopus is also a must-try—huge and superbly cooked. Special thanks to Inka, who remembered our names from the first day and looked after us beautifully throughout. The bar here also serves excellent cocktails.|| • Dhonavelli (buffet): Great selection for all three meals. Breakfast was a highlight with fresh juice stations and eggs cooked to order. Chef Suresh’s omelettes were my husband’s favourite, and Chef Afrose’s constant smile and positivity lit up the room—such a joy to see every day. Ahmed provided top-notch service at both breakfast and dinner. Ahmed provided us with excellent service or on many occasions.|| • Teppanyaki (Chef Francis): An absolute character and a must-do experience.|| • Thundi Bar: Perfect for cocktails any time of day. Staff here were beyond attentive, anticipating our needs before we even asked. Fathih deserves a special mention—not only was his service flawless, but his cocktail knowledge seriously impressed my husband (no small feat!). Snacks here are just okay, but you’re rarely hungry anyway.||||Activities & Experiences|| • Snorkelling: The house reef was excellent, with plenty of marine life including baby sharks.|| • Spa: A real highlight. Treatments are more than massages—they’re experiences. From the lemongrass towels to the stone rituals, sound therapy, and post-treatment tea, every detail is thought out. Trish was exceptional, and I requested her every time.|| • Excursions:|| • Manta Ray Snorkel: We saw three rays, and our guide Mohamed was fantastic, diving deep to capture amazing GoPro footage for us.|| • Private Sandbank Picnic: A magical experience. The set-up was flawless, and the snorkelling here was even better than the house reef—turtles, vibrant fish, crystal-clear waters. The water sports team handled everything seamlessly.||||Improvements?||||Very few! The snack menu at Thundi Bar could be expanded, and Madivaru’s separate lunch menu (coming soon) will be a welcome addition. What really impressed us is that the resort is always looking for ways to improve, which says a lot given how amazing it already is.||||We opted for the seaplane transfer—worth every cent. From start to finish, we couldn’t fault the staff, the facilities, or the natural beauty of this island. The shades of blue in the water are simply unreal. We loved every minute at Veligandu and cannot...

To put it simply, this is paradise on earth. My wife and I stayed here for 5 days and 6 nights and could not have expected a better, more relaxing time. Here's a basic breakdown of our stay.

Their service was impeccable! They cleaned our room twice per day and were never too intrusive. They always greeted us every morning and genuinely seemed happy to be on the island and working for the resort. In addition to the staff, the ancillary staff helping out with snorkeling, spa services, etc. were equally incredible. Everyone was incredibly professional and amicable.

The food on the island was diverse and delicious! Every day had something new for every meal, with a lot of variety. And as a vegetarian, they had great options. I especially loved the assortment of desserts they had for lunch and dinner. They truly seemed to serve food from all around the world. There were also two all-inclusive bars, Thundi Bar and Athiri Bar, which had great service. The Thundi bar specifically had food and lots of places to relax and enjoy the view. At night, they often had entertainment of some kind, either in the form of music, dance, and on Friday, education on Maldivian culture, including Maldivian music and dance!

Accommodations were top notch: clean bathrooms, clean rooms and incredible views. All villas had a hose to clean your feet before entering too in case your feet were dirty. The beach villas had a bit of a "backyard" on the beach before entry to the ocean. Our villa, water villa, had stairs directly leading into the ocean. At high tide, it was only 2-3 feet deep at the bottom of the stairs and we could see a lot of fish (and even manta-rays!) right from our "backyard".

The all-inclusive package includes many "excursions" such as a sunset cruise with the opportunity to see dolphins and excursions out to local villages to experience local life. There are additional excursions which can be paid for such as a couple's sunset cruise, dinner on the beach, etc. I loved these excursions because they add an element of personalization to your vacation and a way to customize for just what you want. For our stay, we visited a local island village, had a couple's sunset cruise, had a professional photography session (with a free photo framed!), and went on a dolphin cruise. It gave us something to look forward to everyday but it was never so exhausting or time-consuming so as to pull us away from just relaxing.

When we were booking our trip, we had booked a water villa (without a jacuzzi) though when we arrived, they only had a beach water villa available for us. They kept us at the beach villa for one night and then upgraded us to the jacuzzi water villa and gave us a $100 credit. They felt they needed to do this for the mistake on their part. There's a lot more to say about just how incredible Veligandu was, but to put it simply as before, it is paradise on earth. My wife and I now dream about our "backyard" view frequently, we miss relaxing at the Thundi bar and having the delicious finger foods and drinks, and we certainly miss the accommodating nature of everyone on the island who made us feel at home. We happily envision ourselves returning as soon...

Veligandu Island Resort & Spa||Veligandu||A beautiful place to heal the mind body and soul . Beautiful isn’t a strong enough word. We were treated like royalty||||From the minute we stepped off the plane it was sheer luxury.||You meet to fill out a Imuga form 96 hours before you go find this online. ||||Also we were allowed 23 kg on plane. But sea plane charges if cases over 20 kg. We paid the extra 50 dollars. American dollars are good to use here. ||||The sea plane lounge was a treat to behold. Air con. Cold flannels and soft drinks. Toilets and showers. ||We were greeted warmly at the island by Naaif who looked after us via what’s app the whole trip. Greeted with a traditional Maldivian drums and good advice given we were showed to out water Bungalow. We were truly amazed. ||We did all inclusive and as others have said there’s a small mini bar which is refilled daily. ||||All inclusive includes some named spirits bacardi and baileys milkshakes. All soft drinks. Good selection of cocktails. ||||The room is cleaned twice a day. Sheets changed every other day and aircon. Hair dryer in room and English 3 prong plug. ||||Bring a small mirror and adapter if you want to move hairdryer anywhere but bathroom. That has a 2 pin plug on it. . ||No need to bring shampoo conditioner or shower gel. They type they use here is lush and also spa quality. ||||Beautiful, stunning weather ,stunning surroundings , food beyond compare . Vegan ,vegetarian Gluten free all carefully separated. ||The restaurant was out of this world and so many food choices. I won’t waffle on I’ll post pics to show u. ||Always beautifully hot. The fact 50% of the guests are returners says it all. ||||The ocean is crystal clear with all sorts of beautiful and exotic creatures and fish. Out favourites are stingray and dolphins. ||||Most people bring their own snorkelling gear rather than rent. But I also loved the sit on Kayaks included for 1 hour each day. ||||As others said the restaurant every 5 days was amazing dining out under a Banyan tree under the stars by the sea. ||They spray often to keep biting insects to a minimum. ||||There was some entertainment every night we went to a few but mostly wanted to chill in the evenings. There was also a great list of events sent by what’s app. ||The beach BBQ wasn’t included for first time guests but looked amazing. And there was a web cam by thr pool. Nice to wave to those at home. Or nice for people to monitor weather before they come. ||||I feel sad writing this review as on 1 st June we will be 2 of thr last eight guests leaving the island as they close till Nov 24 for refurbishment. We are reviewing what it’s like now. I believe the changes will involve water bungalows with private pools and a champagne restaurant where the Arthri bar is now. ||||I hope this doesn’t mean it’s beyond our price range but cost increases are inevitable. ||||This was and always will be a very upmarket , relaxed once in a lifetime type of holiday. ||||Having said that I’d love to come back. I feel honoured to stay here and have loved every second. ||Bravo to...