Sun Siyam Iru Veli — Hotel in South Nilandhe Atoll

My husband and I chose to stay at Sun Siyam Iru Veli to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. We stayed for just under 2 weeks and have to say it was the most amazing experience.

We were welcomed by Sun Siyam staff at Male airport who helped point us to where we needed to go to get our sea plane. Our luggage transfer was handled smoothly and we had no issue at all.

Our arrival at Sun Siyam was really special - we were welcomed by warm smiling staff. We were introduced to our ambassador, Nuhaad, who was so helpful, friendly and accommodating. No question was too much. Nuhaad checked in with us regularly throughout our stay ensuring we had everything we needed. He helped us book our spa treatments, excursions and gave us lots of advice to ensure our stay was smooth.

We stayed in a Dolphin suite which is on the quieter side of the island and sits over the sea. The room was gorgeous. A special feature is seeing the fish swim by as you're showering. Amazing views and all the amenities you'd expect. Saeed serviced our room beautifully twice a day and we got the odd surprise on the bed too from special messages to pretty duvet layouts.

There were a lot of entertainment options throughout the day and evening from music quizzes to traditional dancing. It's all optional and adds to the lovely vibe that Sun Siyam have built. Seto was a great music quiz host and also got a few of us energised with aqua aerobics midday everyday. There are a lot of fitness class options too.

The food is wonderful - so many options everyday and I have to say my favourite was the traditional Maldivian cuisine at the buffet. Lots of options and really tasty. The chefs really do go all out + special thanks to Lydia, Sumit, Jayanti and Nayak who were always happy to prepare fresh food with a smile. We were served teas, coffees and extras during breakfast and lunch by the lovely Mina and Banduula. They were super!!

Huge shout out to chef Victor who supported us with considering our menu choices for a private island meal one evening. This was a stunning experience. We took a boat out to an island which was secluded and stunning. My husband and I watched the sun set while served by one waiter and one chef. We felt completely alone except for the friendly crab which were sitting around. If you're celebrating a special occasion a private island meal is a must! Huge thanks to Jitendra who hosted the evening for us. He made us feel very special. He was as present as we needed but on the whole left us to our meal unless we needed something. He certainly kept our champagne topped up subtly.

We loved spending time at the Fresh Water bar during the day. We lounged in the sun and were brought cocktails and drinks to our loungers. Light music and the sound of the sea was just lovely. We even managed to have a small pool party. We were looked after wonderfully by Uma, Ajith and Bikalpa. They made our afternoons so fun!

The restaurant options aside from the buffet are lovely. Roma provides Italian options and Grouper Grill with lots of fish dishes. Beautifully presented and delicious. Lots of extras thrown in too. I thoroughly enjoyed the tuna dishes - fresh and cooked exactly as I requested.

Finally, a word about the spa. It's amazing. We ended up booking 4 treatments each throughout our stay. We were so relaxed and couldn't wait to go back. The therapists are excellent and accommodated our requirements. The spa rooms were tranquil and had glass windows looking down to the sea so you could watch the fish swim by while having a massage. We were also shown to a private area with loungers, a shower, hydro pool and cool pool. We had a lovely couple of hours of chill time here popping in and out of the sauna and steam room before our treatments. A huge thanks to Pia, Reni and Mala for wonderful treatments. We particularly loved the ice cold towels and cool cinnamon tea before each treatment.

I'm sure I've missed out saying thanks to a few people but overall the staff really made our stay so special. A huge thank you and we...

We've spent a full week at this resort, as an extended family of 4 adults, 2 toddlers and a 7-year old. We were all on the Half-Board plan and had Grand Beach Villas.

Arrival. Lovely welcome and pick-up from Arrival terminal and transfer to the seaplane terminal. The Sun Siyam lounge is cozy, quiet, with some delicious snacks, drinks, a lovely view of the seaplanes taking off and massages!

Check-in, Villas and Cleaning Staff. We were offered a warm welcome (actually a cold one, with drinks and cold towels), we were quickly briefed by Fatima on the island and all the perks and then quickly transferred to our Grand Beach Villas, also known as the "Sun Aqua Sultan Suite". The villas were very clean, and exactly as presented on the internet. The backyard pool and the impressive bathroom were the primary reason we booked this resort! The villas were perfectly serviced twice a day. Unfortunately, we do not remember the name of the young man who provided us with this service, but I would like to confirm again that he did a perfect job each time.

The food.

This was one of our main concerns when booking this resort, but we decided to take the risk anyway, having read several mixed reviews. If you have a problem of any sort with Arabic, Indian, Sri-Lankan and/or Maldivian cuisines, you will have difficult time here. But if you like that type of cooking, you'll get to enjoy it. The "western" dishes are present, they are good, but not great.

Large breakfast buffet with plenty of choices. Attentive staff, great job by Ruwan with the help of Viraj.

Summary:

We definitely had an amazing holiday here, with great views, great snorkeling, and we were greeted by Iru Veli's lovely staff. As there are A LOT of resorts in the Maldives, I am certain we will not be returning to Iru Veli. We saw what we needed to see, and the ups and downs of this resort will definitely help us pick the next one. Neither can we say that we will specifically recommends this place to our friends. As expected, the food is a gamble. Sometimes it is great, but more often it is just good. The Grand Water Villas are impressive. Again, we have to mention the staff. It is the resort's strongest point. Try booking directly on their website. They offer some very good deals and they price match. We were on the half-board plan and after 1 week of paying for our drinks and lunches, we racked up a $400 bill. That was relatively good value, as we expected to go over $1000. But yes, we did not have that much alcohol and mostly had $25-$35 room service for lunch. As we were exploring the resort we took a closer look a the overwater villas. Not the dolphin suites, but the overwater ones, near the Spa. They seemed crammed together and every time a service car went passed, the wooden floor made some noise. Not sure if this is disturbing for the guests, but there was a buggy going passed every 2 minutes. Also, the further away from the Spa and Roma restaurant you were, the longer you had to walk through the wooden floor to get to the island which gets VERY HOT during the day. I guess I would not specifically recommend a villa here. But that may be just my opinion. I am sure this resort is impressive to first timers in the Maldives, but I am not that confident there are a lot of people returning. The island is well thought out, the staff is very well trained, villas are well maintained and have a nice sense of privacy. If they figure out how to improve the minor details in the villas, and if they looked closer at other 5 star resorts for inspiration for the buffet, and make ROMA a true Italian restaurant, they could become great. Again, their attention to kids is impressive. We would have been tempted to go on the full day snorkeling tours, but at $1500 for 4 adults, we already discussed a separate vacation elsewhere just for snorkeling. The 88$ Lobster grill is worth it is you take the words "all you can...

We spent 10 wonderful days at Sun Siyam Iru Veli, and we can say with full confidence that it was a perfect stay! From arrival to departure, everything was well thought out and excellently organized.

Warm Welcome and Personalized Service Upon arrival, we were greeted by our personal contact, Adam, who took excellent care of us throughout our stay. He explained everything on the island, was always available via WhatsApp, and took care of any requests we had. He even booked us for a dolphin tour at the beginning, which was an absolute highlight: countless dolphins, a beautiful sunset, and champagne on board – simply unforgettable!

On my birthday, Adam surprised us with a beautifully decorated private beach spot. We enjoyed the sunset, had some cake, and received champagne – a truly special moment that made our vacation even more memorable.

The food was consistently of the highest quality. At the main restaurant Aqua Orange, there was a great variety of dishes, from local specialties with an Indian twist to international classics. Everything was fresh, diverse, and of excellent quality. The staff was attentive, friendly, and always quick to serve drinks. The best part was dining right on the beach with a sea view – always enough space, never overcrowded, just a relaxing experience.

We also dined several times at the à la carte restaurants Roma and Grouper Grill. The food at Roma was outstanding, and the quality and variety of the dishes were excellent. The ability to book the restaurants via the app was very convenient and practical. We also enjoyed lunch at Grouper Grill, which offered a fantastic atmosphere right on the beach.

A big shoutout to the guys at the Chemistry Bar. They prepared delicious drinks and cocktails for us every day, always polite, friendly, and in a great mood.

Our Beach Villa with Pool (No. 205) was simply perfect. We had the sunset side with breathtaking views of the sunset, and the proximity to the bars was practical for a quick drink. The villa was spacious and ideal for our family. Our two children had their own beds – one of them was a fold-out bed that fit perfectly without taking up much space.

The private pool and direct access to the beach were an absolute highlight. Special praise also for the open-air bathroom, which had a touch of luxury with its outdoor design. The daily cleaning (morning and evening) was immaculate and thorough, which is especially important on a barefoot island like this.

One small suggestion for improvement would be to have direct access to an outdoor shower from the beach or pool area to wash off the sand before entering the room. Alternatively, a small hand broom in the room would be useful for quickly cleaning up any sand that might be brought in.

A daily ritual for our kids was visiting the illuminated pier, which attracted both smaller and larger sharks every evening. It was an amazing spectacle that thrilled all of us. During the day, we were also able to spot small sharks swimming in the shallow water – a thrilling highlight for the kids!

We also had great fun renting a stand-up paddleboard for an hour, which was free of charge. It was fantastic to leisurely paddle across the turquoise waters during the day.

Experiencing the island as a barefoot destination was wonderful – shoes really aren’t necessary. The minibar was refilled daily according to our preferences (mostly cola zero, beer, and wine). The always-available still water was also a nice touch.

Sun Siyam Iru Veli offers an absolutely high-quality, well-rounded vacation experience. From personalized service to fantastic food and breathtaking accommodation, everything here is simply perfect. A big thank you to Adam, the guys at the Chemistry Bar, and the entire team for making our stay unforgettable. We highly recommend this resort and will...