We juste come back to this island and all i can say is that it's really a wonderful island. It's the first time we went to Maldives and we have traveled with Edelweiss (a direct flight and a really good company with good food, nice hostess). When we came to Male, we had to wait around 1 to take the seaplane. In this plane you will have an view amazing of all the island and being in a so small plane is pretty funny.

Vhelidu island is a very nice island: the nature on the island is respected and everything is always very clean. You will see a lot off animals: gecko, lizard, small walking birds, parrots, hermit crab, bats,.... and many flowers.

The beach are very nice but some more than others. For example, beaches in front of the seaplane jetty are pretty small with small wall on every side of it. The big beach in front of bungalow 165 - 170 is the nicest one: it's big, the nature is amazing and you have the reef at 5 meters from the beach. The beach in front of bungalow 130 - 150 is also nice but you have small dike at around 30 meters from the beach ( they are very small and want disturb the view). On this beach the reef is pretty far away (maybe 100 meters or more). All the beaches are always very clean.

The food on the island is really good! We took the full pansion and we have tried almost every food: everything is good. Everything you will eat as a good and strong taste, even the Pizza (confirmed be an Italian). At midday and in the evening you will have the possibility to try Thai food, Maldivian food, and many others (a good occasion to try new things). The dessert, as it has already been mentioned by some people, are very very good. The waiter are very kind with some more shy than others. One thing that we have to blame: for all the meals you have 1h30, it would be good sometimes to have just 30 more minutes because if you go snorkeling later in the afternoon, for example, you have to hurry up in order to go eating. I have also seen on some opinion that couple had to eat with other people: is was not the case when we were on the island, all couples were alone on their own tables. For information a bottle of water (1 liter) is 3.70$.

The bungalow are also nice even if they are very simple. You will have no TV but you won't probably notice this given the fact that time is running very fast their. You will see that not all the bungalow have the same good situation: some are in front of the nice beach, whereas some are just in front of the windsurf center (beach here is not so nice). If you can have Bungalow between 132 and 170 you are lucky! 175 to 180 are not so good because you will have your sight on a big tree with all the bats. The room are always very clean and people from the island come twice a day to clean your room.

Finally the reef: The reef is really amazing. The reef from the water bungalow to the front of the bar is very nice, with nice corrals and a lot of colorful fishes. from the bar to the small sandy island you will see more anemones. But one thing is sure: where ever you go you will always see a lot of various fish also probably ray and sharks (not so many on this island and also no mantas). For the excursion we chose the snorkeling safari and the mantas safari: the snorkeling safari is good but honestly you won't see nicer reef than the one you have on the island. It's nevertheless a good occasion to do a small Dhony Trip. And for the mantas safari you have the possibility to do it with the dhony (travel last around 1h30) but you go only on one spot (40$, many persons) or you can do it with speed boat (45$, max 6 persons) and here you will try many spots. I would suggest the second one because it's fun to go on these boats, you are in small groups and if you ask you can go snorkeling a few minutes on a reef in the middle of the ocean. We have seen to mantas but from far away.

So to resume everything, i really suggest you to chose this island.

Just returned from 3 nights at Velidhu. It is so named since "Veli" means Sand and "dhu" means tongue in madivian. The island itself is shaped in the shape of a tongue. Thanks Paul for that bit of info. We arrived around 3 pm after a 20 minute transfer by sea plane and were meet by Paul who helped us through the check in formalities that were quick and we were taken to our water bungalow. All of the staff were friendly and helpful.

Everything was perfect. Clean, large room, deck chairs, comfortable bed, washroom with soap, shampoo, conditioner towels and beach towels changed daily and the azure water just at the bottom of our steps. What more could you ask for. We also have a glass bottomed floor through which we could watch the fish - especially the nocturnal ones under the artificial light at night.

Snorkeling at Velidhu was out of this world even for beginners. My 4 year old even managed to do a bit. All sorts of fish, sting rays and even a reef shark. We were half board and both breakfast and dinner had enough variety and food was really good.

All in all we had a lovely time and we look forward to returning. Cannot recommend highly enough

This was the third time my partner and I have stayed on Velidhu, having previously stayed in 2009 and 2007.

There is an idyllic feel to the island which still retains something of the desert island feel - clothing requirements are minimal and shoes totally unneccesary! The sand is white and the sea is crystal clear and teeming with life; the house reef is superb and perfect for snorkelling - even for complete beginners.

The 80 beach bungalows are scattered around the perimeter of the island and none can be more that a few metres from the sea. The layout is first class and creates the impression of isolation. The rooms are spacious and are to a satisfactory standard, they are equipped with mini-bar, hair dryer, phone, and tea & coffee making facilities. The bathrooms are well stocked with toiletries, and a good supply of towels in addition to beach towels. There is a good supply of hot water thoughout the day for showers. The room boys make two visits a day. The beds arevery large and extremely comfortable. A slight drawback is that both the ceiling fans and air conditioning are very noisy. Each bungalow has 2 sun-loungers on the neares area of beach, mattresses are kept in the bungalows.

The water bungalows are off a jetty to one side of the island, we stayed in one on our first visit and have chosen beach bungalows since then. The rooms are excellent, the glass floor area is superb to watch the fish by artificial light at night. They have a TV - though who wants to watch a television was beyond us! Though the rooms are better that the beach bungalows they do have the drawback of being further from the sea and require a walk along a jetty to get to the beach - whereas the beach bungalows are close to the beach.

The restaurant is large and clean, the waiters very helpful and efficient. The food is of a good standard and there is a very good selection, with something to suit most tastes. We have always enjoyed the food on Velidhu! It is possible to book a beach barbeque or a lobster dinner on the beach for those romantically inclined.

There is a small bar with very freindly staff; tea, coffee and snacks are also available in addition to alcoholic drinks. We have always stayed on an all inclusive basis. There is a diving school, and a spa - snorkells and flippers are available. On this visit I was unwell for several days and had to call the doctor - a most efficient doctor, and surprisingly there was no charge for the consultation or medication.

The island is well groomed and the sand raked daily, since our first visit there has been considerable erosion , especially around the Lighthouse Bar. During our stay this time we were aware of the sea coming over onto the island, something we had not seen before, the effects of Global Warming are all too visible - as indeed were the life jackets hanging in the bungalows!

The reception staff were all freindly and helpful; the practice of meeting the air taxi and greeting all new arrivals continues, as does the waving farewell on departure.

Thw weather is always warm and the sun hot - but rain is quite likely and tropical storms a possibility, however they do nothing to spoil a holiday. A visit to Velidhu is most peaceful and restful - if you want nightlife or organised fun and games this island would not suit you at all!

Stayed there for 7 days, 2 days in beach bungalow, water villa afterwards (we received a free upgrade as honeymooners).

We had a wedding ceremony there, which was simple but very well-organized.

This is a cozy little island with a good house reef. We've seen stingrays, reef sharks, dolphins and squids while snorkeling, not to mention lots of different kinds of fish.
There are some parrots that may nag you for food at breakfast.

The food was all delicious. Dishes from different cuisine every evening (local, european, chineese, indian etc)

A great place to stay, can't wait to return there again.