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Take a look at any league table on aspirational tourist destinations and the Maldives is up there. The archipelago nation of nearly 1,200 islands boasts crystal clear seas, sugar white beaches. The Maldives will always be seen as one of the world’s dream destinations: ancient Robinson Crusoe landscapes meet contemporary luxury living.

Veligandu Maldives Resort IslandA micro island of lush green forest surrounded by soft-sand beaches has upgraded paradise. Closed for 18 months, the resort has been reinvented as a 5* luxury.

“Natural. Secluded. Luxurious.” It’s a quiet, almost impossibly beautiful corner of the planet for a honeymoon or just a heavenly escape, the new mantra of Weligandu chants.

Welcome

Fly into Malé International Airport and then transfer via the neighboring seaplane terminal. Guests bound for Weligandu relax in the air-conditioned business lounge, before boarding the 20-minute flight across the Azure Indian Ocean. Their cameras are inevitably geared towards photogenic atolls. It is an exciting expedition, provided by barefoot pilots, even before you reach your destination.

Like Maldivian kings returning to their island kingdom, white-shirted Weligandu staff clap their hands to the beat of drums as we climb the steps from the seaplane to the jetty.

Jadhi, our lifestyle assistant welcomes us with cold-fermented passion-flower juice. We are then taken on a tour of the resort’s many facilities and driven by golf buggy to our villa.

The Sunset Ocean Pool Villa

There is a large light-giving wall of glass, floor to ceiling, with a window to the sea, with sliding doors. When we wake up, we use the bedside controls to open the curtains. Beyond that, the lavish villa has its own infinity pool, shades of sapphire, turquoise and teal melting into the horizon.

Beside the bed is a well-cushioned, richly upholstered banquette for chaise-lung style lounging. A teak ceiling fan, about the size of a seaplane propeller, rotates next to the air conditioning. When needed, a 65 inch flat screen television, with countless international channels, juts out of the midnight blue wall. The decor is contemporary chic with touches of traditional Maldivian colors and textures.

As you enter this over-the-water detached villa, new in November 2024, beneath your feet, a glass viewing panel acts as a rectangular portal to Nemo’s world below. Backstage from the ocean-view bedroom, there are his-and-her wardrobes, dark wood shelves with enough space 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 also chargeable.

Our Sunset Ocean Pool Villa, also available with two bedrooms, each with its own plunge pool, is just one of 100 villas at Weligandu. Choose from Ocean Pool Villa, Sunset Ocean Villa, Ocean Jacuzzi Villa, Sunset Jacuzzi Beach Villa, Jacuzzi Beach Villa and Beach Villa. There are tough choices to be made in heaven.

the bathroom

The exceptionally spacious light-ocean blue tiled shower room has both a rain and hand-held directional shower. His and her wash facilities feature Weligandu’s citrus themed toiletries.

The half-egg bath has its own open-air room: secluded but overlooking the sea.

facilities

The open-sided Dhonveli buffet restaurant with white sand floors is cooled by Indian Ocean breezes and fans: appropriately Dhonveli is Maldivian for white sand.

Start breakfast by making your own smoothie before choosing from an impressive array of tropical fruits: both fresh and poached. Then let the chefs whip up your personal egg favorites.

At lunchtime those chefs switch to cooking fish and seafood to order, along with 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 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 flavor oriental dishes such as nasai noreng, Vietnamese caramelized pork, shrimp pad thai and other exciting flavors of the Orient. If you can resist lobster and wagyu beef, it’s …

Living up to its name, Thundi leads to a sandbank of sun-umbrellas and loungers, where waiters keep up with drink and snack requests throughout the day. Those waiters also tend to guests on sun-loungers by the white-flowered frangipani and palm tree-fringed infinity pools.

Ralhu, Maldivian for wave, is a spectacular fine-dining restaurant, strategically positioned for sunsets in its champagne pavilion. From the arrival of the grilled courgette and salmon amuse bouche, to the mojito sorbet by the succulent octopus, the service is exemplary.

At Himein Spa, five overwater treatment rooms, four of which are for couples, allow guests to relax and rejuvenate through a range of expertly administered treatments.

You are unlikely to miss your home gym at the well-equipped VFitness Center with treadmills and exercise bikes overlooking the sea. For a calm, harmonious start to the day, a handful of guests join a professional teacher for sunrise yoga.

Although the courts are shaded, early morning and evening are the best times to play on the tennis and paddle courts.

location

Weligandu’s overwater villas curl up off an island just 600 meters by 150 meters: 50 minutes by speedboat and 20 minutes by air from Male.

Come to the Ocean Watersports and Excursions Center to choose from a myriad of aquatic opportunities. From curious beginners to qualified divers, the sea around Weligandu offers something for everyone: gentle kayaking, exhilarating jet-ski expeditions, tranquil paddle boarding, snorkeling trips and sunset cruises in search of dolphins. For the ultimate in luxury, charter the resort’s yacht for a private excursion.

Another nice touch

Guests can take snorkel packs to the dive center to spot turtles and numerous tropical fish in the lagoons around Weligandu.

Weligandu app keeps a total score of your bills along with your daily journey.

For a special treat Weligandu offers destination dining perhaps on the beach or on the sandbank.

Solar panels provide the roof on a recently built villa. All part of a program to reduce Weligandu’s environmental footprint.

expenses

Prices for Summer 2025 start at US$508 per night for a double occupancy beach villa with breakfast. An all-inclusive dining package for a beach villa starts at US$ 1,068. Seaplane transfers are an additional cost.

The best bit

Jadhi our lifestyle assistant takes care of everything, booking restaurants for us, collecting us from restaurants in a golf buggy or taking us out for breakfast if we’re not in the mood to walk.

When it’s time to leave, he liaises with the seaplane company for our departure time and connection to our hotel in Male.

final judgment

A wonderful infinity pool shaded by white-flowered frangipani and palm trees should be the beating heart of the island, yet there’s always a sense of calm and sun-loungers.

At Weligandu, solitude and tranquility are part of luxury. Futureproofing, Veligandu’s new villas are raised on their stilts to insure against rising sea levels. This will be the top destination in the Maldives for decades to come.

Disclosure: We were sponsored by Invest Veligandu Maldives Resort Island.