Staying in Vilamendhoo Island Resort Hotel, Maldives

There’s always been a romantic idea around the Maldives, with its white sands, beaches with palm trees waving in the sea breeze, coral reefs, and its stilted villas in the ocean. The fact that some experts say these islands may not be around in twenty years due to rising sea levels makes it one of the places you want to go to before its too late. We decided to stop here for a few days after our tour in Sri Lanka, and the resort we choose was Vilamendhoo Island Resort Hotel.

This resort was one that some of our friends have been to before so we were going on their recommendations. Was it what we expected? Did it live up to the hype that had been inflicted upon us? Read on to find the answer to those questions! 

 

Arriving at the Resort

Coming into the airport in Male, it doesn’t take long to get through the immigration as it is visa on arrival for all nationalities. Once through this, you make your way to the arrivals hall and look for the desk number you have been given by the resort in the correspondence emails. Finding it, they will then take you to the departure lounge for your seaplane flight. In the lounge it’s like a first class lounge in an airport, free drinks, tea, coffee, whatever you need awaits. You can sit outside and have a cigarette while waiting for your call.

Once called, you are taken by bus to your departure jetty. Showing your ticket, you embark onto the seaplane. Having approximately 10 seats, the luggage is stowed in the seating compartment with you. Taking off, the spray from the ocean flies past your window, and you gently rise up into the skies above the Indian Ocean.

The Sea Plane Journey

As the flight goes on, the islands spread out before you. Looking at the rings of atolls all around it gives an impression of castaway islands. Everybody in the plane is lost in their own thoughts and dreaminess and looking out of the window at the beauty unraveling below them.

After a short time, the seaplane descends, and you float down onto the calm waters with a gentle splash. Pulling up alongside the floating jetty, and steering the seaplane in, the pilots disembark and open the exit doors for you. You step out onto the jetty, and wait for the boat to come and take you to the island. Immediately there is a sense of peacefulness, a calmness that takes you. And trust us, this doesn’t abate for the time you spend on Vilamendhoo!

 

First Impressions of the Resort

So your boat has arrived, you have got the introductions from the greeting staff, and you make your way to the resort. Getting off at the dock, you stroll to the reception area to the sound of beating drums. As you make your way into the reception, you will notice that all the floors are of sand. There is no hard flooring anywhere. You are given a welcome drink and a briefing on the resort and the rules to keep an eye on while you’re here. These basically consist of areas you can’t swim in as they are off the house reef, so getting into trouble here will cause problems. Also the fact you can’t wear swimwear in the restaurant. Basic rules and ones which a lot of people will understand without being told.

The Villa

After your introduction, it’s off to your new accommodation. Walking down the sand pathways, with the palm trees lining the avenues, it really feels like paradise. Your room boy will open the door, and now you can get to explore your new surroundings! The rooms are beautiful, everything is perfect in them. The bathroom is strange at first, as it’s an open air bathroom. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. And there is something nice about taking a shower in the open air.

There are plenty of towels and a bathrobe per person, lots of supplies for your shower and well being. The mini-bar is stocked well with all types of refreshments. Outside you will find a jug of water with a ladle for washing the sand off your feet before entering. Everything is thought of, and the staff will make sure everything is kept in top shape during your stay.

After unpacking you decide to sit outside on the balcony. The waves are crashing on the beach about 10 meters away, hermit crabs are scuttling around the sand, geckos are running up the trunks of the palm trees, and the fruit bats are either patrolling the skies or nibbling on some fruit in the trees. It’s peaceful, it’s calm, and so far it’s everything you could have hoped for and more.

 

Eating at the Resort

We had the all inclusive package at the resort, and we were very glad we choose this. With this package all main meals in the restaurant are included, as well as drinks and snacks at the bar. There is also an Asian restaurant which is located at one of the ends of the island but this is not part of the all inclusive package. The main restaurant is open during certain times of the day, but if you get hungry in the meantime the bar food menu is available and this has a nice choice of snacks to tide you over.

The restaurant was excellent for the meals. You have your own allocated seating indoors, but if you wish you can sit outdoors as well depending on availability of the seats. The staff looks after you well and make sure you are comfortable. The food on offer was a great assortment of dishes with something for everyone and the only problem was trying to find room to fit everything in!

During the afternoons we often sat outside in the bar area and had a toasted sandwich or some Asian snacks like spring rolls, and these were perfect when you didn’t want a large filling meal. The food all in all was excellent and we were really happy with the selection and the quality of it.

 

Activities at the Resort

People will naturally wonder what activities you can do, off course the scuba diving is the main one that is thought of. But there are lots of other things to do if you are the type of person who doesn’t like to spend their time lounging on the beach all day. If you do like lounging on the beach all day then of course you’ll be in your element also!

As well as the below list, there is also a 5-a-side football pitch, badminton court, tennis court, mini-golf, and other activities that can occupy you or your families.

 

Excursions

There is a desk in the reception which will tell you all the different excursions you can go on. These range from snorkeling with whale sharks and sea turtles, to a sunset cruise. We took part in the sunset cruise on our last night, and it was beautiful sailing out to sea watching the sun setting on the island behind us.

As we blissfully floated on the simmering ocean a pod of dolphins joined us. Playing and performing for us as we made our way back to Vilamendhoo, their presence was an extra highlight of what was already a beautiful experience.

 

Water Activities

For those who are into water activities, there is a water sports centre on the island where you can rent kayaks, jet skis, a banana boat, or learn how to windsurf. On our first day we took the kayaks around the island, it only takes an hour to make your way around. It’s a lovely way to see the island from another perspective and to see the shoals of fish in the shallow waters below you as they make their way in and out of the coral. Put your feet up and let the current take you, gently paddling to guide your kayak when needed. Relaxing, and soothing, it’s a great way to pass a morning or afternoon.

 

Euro Divers

For scuba divers, Euro Divers is located on the island also. If you are an experienced diver you can do a reef dive or a boat dive, where you may be lucky enough to dive with whale sharks. For those who haven’t dived before, but are interested in experiencing it, you can do a Discover Scuba Dive which is a dive to about 11 meters on the reef. It’s a great way to get a first impression of scuba diving and can open your mind to the underwater world. If you want to, and if time permits, you can also do your PADI Open Water Diver course here.

We did one dive off the reef, and with the clarity of the water, and the shoals of fish, it really is another world. The underwater world is something that totally takes you by surprise once you get into it. From the surface you see a few fish, but once below, their numbers are astonishing. They don’t see you as a threat and will swim around you without even noticing you.

Snorkeling

Euro Divers will also rent out snorkeling equipment if scuba diving isn’t your thing. Here you can still get to see the life in the shallows of the reef. Maneuvering yourself around and watching the life below you is breath taking. As well as the fish that are ignorant to your presence above them, you may spot moray eels weaving in and out of the coral, rays gliding along the bottom feeding, and black tip sharks darting along below you. A word of warning to watch for other snorkelers or kayakers as if you don’t watch where you’re going you may collide. Always be aware of your location in relation to others.

 

The Spa

And for the spa lovers, who just want to pamper themselves and treat themselves or just want to end the holiday on a relaxing note, in the same location as the stilted villas is the spa. With a large assortment of treatments available, it’s something that can’t be missed. After your treatment, take a moment to relax with herbal tea in the comfy chairs and look out at the blue seas and white sands through the large open doors which allow the sea breeze to work its way around you.

 

The End of the Stay

And so to the heartbreaking part of the story, the sad ending as it were. The time to say goodbye to Vilamendhoo. You have your bags packed, and you are waiting for the boat to bring you to the seaplane. You see the new guests coming in and the excitement on their faces, you don’t want to leave. But all things must come to an end. With a heavy heart you make your way to the boat and as the island grows smaller in the distance you envy those that still remain there.

 

Conclusion

Our time in Vilamendhoo was extremely enjoyable. Our only regret was that surprisingly we didn’t have enough time. We thought that the number of days we had booked would have been enough but we were unprepared for the amount of things that you could do there. We missed out on some great activities and excursions due to time restrictions, and we definitely could have spent a lot longer there.

We now know why it is so highly rated by our friends, as we will be doing the same to anyone that asks us. If we get the chance we will be back here in a shot! Everything about Vilamendhoo was perfect.

People call the Maldives paradise on earth. They are not wrong. Standing on the white sands at sunset, the waves lapping at your feet, the silhouettes of the fruit bats as they glide silently through the night, the palm trees standing to attention on the shore, it is truly a tropical paradise, and one that we have been lucky enough to visit.

 

Information if you are planning this activity

Website for Vilamendhoo Island Resort Hotel: https://www.vilamendhoo.com/
When to visit: The best times of year to visit the Maldives is from November to April.

 

Our Maldives Travel Guide

• For our Maldives Travel Guide with information for people looking to travel to Maldives please click here.