Vilamendhoo Island Resort & Spa

This was our third visit to the Maldives, and although we have loved every island we’ve visited, Vilamendhoo has found a special place in our hearts. The house reef is spectacular, just meters from the shore and with clearly marked entry/exit points and life rings fixed as rest points at regular intervals along the reef, giving even less confident swimmers a chance to enjoy the spectacular sea-life. We chose South Ari Atoll for the opportunity to see whale sharks, and rather than taking a half-day whale shark tour and risk being one of a hundred divers and snorkellers surrounding a single whale shark, we did as we had been recommended and booked a full day “ocean discovery” excursion. The idea was that we would have more time to find a whale shark, and hopefully have it all to ourselves after the other tour boats had headed back for the day. Unfortunately, we didn’t spot any whale sharks, despite sightings the day before and after, but we were lucky enough to swim with manta rays and turtles, and to be entertained by dolphins along the way. We consoled ourselves by saying we now have a valid excuse to come back! The food was the best we’ve had in the Maldives. We ate every meal at the buffet, but there was so much variety that we never got bored. We were particularly grateful for the wide range of fresh and delicious salad options. Although apparently fully occupied, the resort never felt even slightly crowded. We booked an adjoining beach villa, and the short stretch of beach between the villa and the sea, where we had our own allocated sun beds, had ample shade and felt like it belonged just to us. We were fortunate enough to be upgraded partway through our stay to a jacuzzi over-water villa, which we loved. To be honest, though, the jacuzzi seemed rather pointless when we could walk down the steps from our balcony straight into the Indian Ocean! It was good to see a Padel court on the island, alongside the usual tennis, badminton, table tennis etc. The resort hasn’t yet worked out a system for finding people to play with (you need four people for a game of Padel), but I’m sure that will come with time. As it was, we did find a couple of other guests to play with, and my partner managed to infiltrate the nightly staff Padel sessions! Not being big drinkers, we didn’t get the all inclusive package, and that turned out to be the right choice. In the end we managed to go on an all-day excursion, have an introductory scuba diving lesson, a 75 minute massage, and all the drinks we wanted for only slightly more than it would have cost to get the AIP. We will definitely be coming back to the Maldives. The hard part will be deciding whether to come back to the wonderful Vilamendhoo or try a fourth resort!

Absolutely amazing stay - food, beach, staff, facilities, snorkelling... loved everything about it. The hotel was full but nothing that we noticed. Not crowded once! Beaches, restaurants ang swimming pool were all very quiet. Snorkelling is incredible - a short 10 m swim from the beach and you're in an aquarium. Have been to Jordan, Zanzibar and Thailand but this is something else... stunning underwater life.

The best all-around resort I have been to. Absolutely wonderful staff, terrific location (with a great house reef), super clean. Excellent food and good with allergies. Staff on day trips went the extra mile to make sure we had wonderful interactions with whale sharks, rays and turtles. It was excellent in every way.