We had such an awesome experience in Velassaru! We enjoyed the beach, food (really wide choice and delicious!) and the excellent service from the staff - housekeeping (Arish), restaurant staff (Aroo, Agil) and to Reema for the dolphin-watching trip. We can’t wait to go back!
It’s been my dream to go to the Maldives. Since I was about 11 years old. I even looked up to go when I was 17 for my first holiday!
So when it came to our honeymoon I really wanted something special. And this hit all the marks.
It was a little hard to find there kiosk at the airport. But eventually we found it. When we got to the speedboat they gave us water and a cold towel. Which was great.
We have a beach villa with pool which I have never experienced before and I would highly recommend. I now never want to be without a private pool!
The staff are lovely. Check in ran the smoothest I’ve ever seen. And we was on our way to our room. When we got there. The room was amazing. Just like the pictures.
All the food is amazing. I couldn’t fault one thing. We was on the indulgence package. Which is all inclusive. It was a little hard to understand on the menu. But once we asked. It made complete sense. The only thing that I was sad to see not on the menu was a pina colda I thought that was a bit harsh. Also the ice cream at the infinity pool was not free but was delicious. And the coconut drink. But I don’t think they are ever free.
Tips go a long way here. Not sure if many people do tip. But we did a little and they really appreciated it. We met dinesh who went above and beyond to make our stay extra spacial.
We went on the morning cruise. And the snorkelling free activity. The cruise. Was a boat ride and they gave u water and a cold towel. (Honestly they gave u cold towels everywhere. I loved it!). And that was it on bean bags. The snorkelling was good for beginners . I looked at the yoga. But I couldn’t think of anything worse in the heat. Even at 5:30 pm.
We loved turquoise for our lunch and this is where we met azaan he was very funny and also was so helpful in every way. I loved the satay skewers and could of had them and a crazed salad every day (which I nearly did)
The photo shoot was the only let down. Well not let down. But wasn’t what I would of hoped. We had the photoshoot at 10am. Which was supposed to be good bcz it would be so cool. It was not. I only wish they could do sunset photos. I would of paid extra for it too. As we had this in sandals Barbados and it was magical. But honestly. If I had known. I felt we should of brought water and a towel to mop our brow. I felt. So horrible after and sticky. It just wasn’t a great experience. The lady we had didn’t speak too much English which made her direction and little hard to understand. So we just went away with the free photo.
The movie on the beach was a great touch and I really enjoyed it. Went there twice. Wish u could some how order drinks throughout. However. It was hard to do.
By our last night. We was so relaxed and loved our room so much I wish we had two weeks there. So we spent the last night in our pool looking at the stars. We didn’t want to leave !
We visited Velassaru for our honeymoon on the 1st April for a total of 8 days. Our honeymoon was nothing short of a dream. The room was gorgeous, and the resort was lovely. We stayed in room 304 which was the water bungalow with pool. The staff work very hard to maintain and keep it a paradise. Always a smile on their faces and would always greet guests. My favourite teams being housekeeping and the gardeners, as they were just so polite.
The smoke island, the other resort and Male being in eyes sight was not an issue for me and my husband, however, was a major issue for a couple of other couples we met out there and they said because of the closeness of everything they wouldn’t return.
The resort overall was extremely expensive and that is my only major complaint. I had expected this, but some things were total daylight robbery.
Housekeeping were amazing, cleaning the room twice a day, changing sheets, giving new towels, filling the ice bucket, giving us water and refreshing the teas and coffees. Biggest credit to this team.
They saw that I had a swimsuit hanging with the text “honeymoon” and organised us a little sunset surprise with sparkling wine which was a lovely touch and a beautiful memory for us.
It seemed that out of the other couples we met, we were the only couple to receive this which led to great disappointment for the others. I feel that they should do things like this for all honeymoon couples and that they do not go out of their way to make honeymooners feel like they are honeymooning.
On our last night we organised the private meal for two and then got told by a supervisor there will be a cinema screening that night and did not recommend we go ahead as the screen will be next to our meal. So, we cancelled this with great disappointment.
Our last evening arrives, 9pm and there is no cinema screen. We spoke to reception who informed us that there were no plans for a cinema evening that night and the person gave us the wrong information. Due to this, we missed out on the one thing we really wanted to experience together as we were given the wrong information. Reception and management saw how disappointed we were however didn't do anything to justify this, bringing me back to saying they do not go out of their way for honeymooners, even guests. This was one of the biggest disappointments for us and our last night was a little sour due to this.
We spent all evenings in the Fen bar which was a great bar. Daily they had some kind of entertainment. We also got friendly with another couple who were all inclusive and on our last evening the staff accused the other couple for getting a drink and giving it to us (we were not all inclusive). They had the cheek to charge the all inclusive couple for this drink which they drank and was perfectly entitled to, for free, on their board basis. They refused to take this money off their bill as they believed my husband had it. This also ruined our last night as the Fen bar staff refused to believe what we were saying. This was a shock.
Shifau, the manager who was helpful in the end, was called and we met with him the next morning after breakfast who took this off their bill, however this was a battle that took hours. How can they charge money for a drink that is under all inclusive and refuse to take it off.
Did $10 really mean so much to Velassaru when per couple we have spent over 10 thousand pounds to be there?
Overall however the resort, beaches, spa and pool were beautiful, and we had a lovely time together. However, for the prices we paid, we would have expected better service from reception staff and management.
This is disappointing for me to say as I really had expected more.
Would I recommend this island? Absolutley, it is a paradise. Would I return? I think I would go to another island that care for their guests holiday experience.
Truly beutiful resort island offering everything you expect from a luxurious 5* hotel at Maldives. I dare to say, the might even surprise you and exceed all those expectations:) We had a lively time and would not hesitate to come back on our next trip to Maldives. Special thanks goes to the staff, who seem to care very much about the guests and act as a true example of what it means to “go the extra mile” to make customers happy. Last but not the least, food was beyond delicious, true gurmet paradise!
The island is naturally beautiful which isn't hard in the Maldives, but the whole place is immaculately kept and managed by the hotel staff.
My wife and I (10th wedding anniversary trip) arrived early and there was no question of waiting for the room, it was ready, which after a long journey was very welcome.
We had a beach room with pool which I can highly recommend. We hadn't been to the Maldives before so everything about our walk to the room and seeing it for the 1st time was jaw droppingly stunning but the icing on the room cake was semi-outdoor bathroom with fully outdoor shower. It was really tastefully lit and a pre-dinner shower in the dark was heavenly.
So they have a wonderful and lush tropical island, exotic flora and fauna, pristine blue waters full of rich sea life, relaxed and complimentary architecture and the whitest sand beaches you will ever see - so the food doesn't have to be great does it - all that will have you coming back surely? Well think again the food was amazing!
Everything we tried from every outlet on the island, be it buffet or over water dining, breakfast, lunch or dinner, was superb quality and exceptionally prepared. A special mention to Carlos and Warsantha (they were in charge when we stayed) who really looked after us, even cooked us a special 'off menu' meal one night because we said we really liked trying the Maldivan style food. It was amazing.
The drinks too (cocktails especially) were really well crafted and you could tell that they had prepared every ingredient with precise detail as they were always fabulous, not just thrown together by bored bar staff.
On the subject of staff, every single one of them from gardeners, room service, waiting, water sports, front desk to food prep were all wonderfully friendly and a pleasure to meet. I can not stress this enough and it really impressed me, the management of this hotel are obviously doing something very right to have such welcoming and hospitable staff.
A reccommendation - do the Velassaru Indulgence package. It will really be worth it.
If you are wondering where to go, I absolutely recommend Velasarru.
