Testimonials

By: agedtrundler Stayed January 2013, traveled as a couple We spent a week at Velassaru in early February. This was our first trip to the Maldives so I can't say whether it is better or worse than any other Maldivian resort, all I can say is that we had a great time. The service was brilliant in all respects, from the restaurants to the room service. Prompt, friendly and efficient. We paid for an "a la carte" package which meant we could eat in any of the restaurants and have free drinks with the meal. We did not try the main restaurant where the buffet was (had enough of that in Sri Lanka beforehand!) but the food and service in all the other restaurants was great;extensive and varied menus, well cooked and presented. As with any "a la carte" deal, whether you end up spending more than you would have done by paying as you go will depend on your personal meal choices and drinking habits. I reckon it was pitched about right for us but we were eating and drinking quite a lot, we could have spent less and not gone hungry. The burning rubbish (if that's what it was) is 25 minutes away by fast boat, you can just about see it, you can't smell it. Forget it. The island itself was kept spotlessly clean. Yes, its true that they spray with bug killing stuff every evening but its not at meal time unless you eat very early,and the alternative would be to get bitten. Snorkelling was great and the gear included in our package but the price of some of the other water sports looked pretty steep. Had we been keen water sporters or fishermen, I don't think we would have been best pleased although I have no other Maldives reference point, so it might be par for the course. We had a beach villa which was excellently located (on the west side where the snorkelling is best),a few feet from the beach, superbly appointed, including the best bathroom I have ever had. We did notice some of the deluxe bungalows were a bit close to the service jetty and the generator. There is very little (well pretty much zero) social activity. The bar never had more than a handful of people in it, even when there was live music (which was pretty good). There was also a high proportion of Chinese and Russians. We just went to chill out so didn't care but some might. One minor gripe.If you are celebrating an anniversary or whatever and have paid for the a la carte package, beware the "complementary candlelight dinner". We found that it was not as good an experience as we had every other night; the choice was restricted, the quality not great and the service slow. Since we had already paid for a meal that evening and didn't get a rebate for the "complementary dinner" it actually amounted to a downgrade.

By: paulsennett Stayed February 2013, traveled with family My wife and I spent our 6th visit to the Maldives in Niyama resort form 2nd to 9th February 2013. We have stayed in 4 other 5 star resorts in the Maldives, but this is by far the best. You arrive by seapland from the Main Island of Male.. flight takes approximately 60 minutes. You are met by staff on the pier.. and taken to your room..... very easy .. by golf buggy!!! The island is approx 800 metres by 70 metres wide.. and has roughly 70 rooms form what I could tell. We stayed in a beach villa with pool.. the bathroom was the size of a one bedroom appartment.. and mainly in the open air... the private plunge pool was the size of a small garden pool.. The hotel is 1 year old, and is a natural paradise, with a cool laidback South Beach Miami feel... Whilst there ,we saw fruit bats, a huge sailfish, flying fish, moray eels, baby sharks, and tuna and dolphins Rooms are amazing... best we have ever stayed in and super bling and comfortable...we slept 8.5 hous plus a night.. trust me that never happens !!! Guests were from all over the world, with a slight UK and Chinese bias. The highlight for us was Edge the offshore restaurant..with a Mauritian chef... which also has the world's first underwater night club. They are reached by a 3 minute speedboat ride form the hotel!!! The hotel has a brand new general manager, who was once the Head of Cape Grace Hotel Cape town...He came over very very well when we met him at beach cocktail party. In terms of rooms , i would recommend beach villas with pool from 11-23... on the sunset side of the island... Spa was great with awesome treatments.. try ear candling so delightful and effective!!! Holiday best for romance/ rest/ spa/ chill / awesome food/ amazing bedrooms/ great natural environment. I unreservedly recommend this as a troplical paradise with 5+ star luxury... GO ...we will return next year

By: Didi2106 The most beautiful place I ever been Nice team clean and good food The water Vila is amazing !! You can't get used to this view:) We took the water Vila the room is very big! Big bathroom big balcony big jacuzzi !! Housekeeping 2 times a day:)

By: Paddybailur One of our best holidays :) it's a beautiful location and the service is excellent. There is so much to do here. We went for 5 nights n 6 days package. We had a lovely welcome, smooth transfers. A gr8 spread of food.We had a great stay. You have your own privacy, the villas are spread out.

By: meandyouforever20 Stayed January 2013, traveled as a couple We came back from dream on last January 2013.... we came from Maldives..Adaaran Club Rannalhi...it was a awesome place to stay...specially for us..as we were in Honeymoon... we stayed in water bungalow... room no 409...room with glass floor...the fishes can be viewed from the room itself...it was just like awesome and picture perfect..as we thought... sundeck....the water.. and literally the bungalow was over the Indian Ocean...it gives you the feel like "yes.. we are in middle of the deep blue ocean". the weather was sunny..Pleasant...perfect for romance..we booked the all inclusive packages...that includes breakfast, lunch , dinner and adding 3 times snacks and also unlimited alcohol of high brand. We did sunset Photo cruise, island hopping.... those activities were also very worth and very amazing...but above all...the ambience... to resort..the location...nobody can live without loving that place....sparkling wine was complimentary for honeymoon couple.... plenty of food...eat as much as u can.... the stuffs and local guys were also very helpful.....the bungalow decoration was perfect and as it is ..it was as described … the blue sea..the sunny weather will make u feel to fall in love again and again… it was our first trip to outside India …and was very special as we were in Honeymoon… we and must say…. We will remember this trip till our last breath…. The silence…the sound of sea..the breeze…everything was so perfect …. A perfect framed honeymoon we enjoyed at Adaaran Club Rannalhi..

By: ProjectdownsUK Stayed November 2012 Went on the family Holiday in Nov last year. Recommended by our relatives as the one of ,,must to see" places. Stayed in Deluxe Villa with my parents. I wasn't so exited on our first day, probably because of 11.5 hours flight. On our second day we've realized (my mom in particular) we MUST to hire bicycles to ride around . The island in very very big,well I thought its smaller. Food in the main restaurant was decent ,our waiter could speak in good English so we had our breakfast coffee ready on time. You would never get bored on Sun Island (as my father said after taking a part in volleyball tournament) his team lost by the way. Absolutely lovely Island in every sense! Lots of activities,choice of food and drinks,very high standard of cleanliness,costumer service was quiet good too. It's my personal opinion, but I would strongly suggest Sun Island to the ,, first buyers" I mean those ones traveling to the Maldives for the first time. Why? a Location,location. Not too close to Male, not too far away, b Size matters. We've spent 10 day/nights always being involved in something new,range from a crab race to sting ray feeding. c Holiday price. High but affordable, unlike neighbor islands (scary Holiday prices) d. Stunning beaches! ,,Green" restaurants,amazing Spa,enormous swimming pool with waterfalls and swim up bar,Impressive vegetation ! No wonder why the Sun Island is the Indian Ocean's leading green resort.

By: SharathN Stayed December 2012, traveled with family Came here with my family around Christmas. The Resort was all decked up and there were several activities around the same time. The Cultural show was great, the rooms were good & the meals were fantastic. Especially the Maldivian Special Dinner. The only dark spot, was that we were given rooms quite far away from the main area, and as a result had to walk up and down quite a lot. Taking into consideration, my parents age, I would have expected to be given rooms nearer to the main area.

By : Othmane T Stayed February 2013, traveled as a couple Luxury vacations today are often represented by golden faucets and butlers at your bed. Asseyri is the kind of place where the word gets a new definition. The feeling that you are unique, that every aspect of your vacations has been taken care of, and most important, that the people around you really care about you. At some point you start to think that the other guests are only background extras. At the end of the stay, we missed the staff as much as we missed Maldives. You rock guys!

By: onkafug This was our first trip to the Maldives. At Velavaru we had an exceptional stay and our chests ached when we had to leave and fly back to reality. The location is spectacular and serene. I brought a book with me but I hardly read a page because the view never let go of my attention. Plenty of activities rounded out each day. The staff was friendly and attentive. Building a rapport with the local staff is one of our best memories. We were happy to hear their unique perspective on life in the Maldives and work on the resort. As a related tip, the Maldivian staff are more likely to have in depth knowledge of the resort and islands, whereas non-Maldivian staff tend to know less because, possibly, they are employed for shorter terms. A few minor nitpicks meant this was not a perfect paradise, but overall we were pleased with our experience. I should add the resort was not at full capacity, so we did not feel crowded on such a small island -- it may be different during a peak time. Here are some other tips: #1. Do stuff early. An excursion may be cancelled due to unusually bad weather or not enough people are registered for it, so if you've waited until the end of your stay you may have lost the chance to do it. We recommend the house reef snorkelling, which does occur daily. #2. Don't go full board if you have a light appetite. The heat and our appetites meant we were better off with a light, midday snack instead of a lunch. There was a lot at the breakfast buffet which we were happy to dive into. For dinner we preferred eating at the bars - on the island and at the ocean villas - so we could order a la carte. Better options for our taste, including a budget-friendly catch of the day. #3. Look for promos on the island. We were surprised to see deals for food & beverage, the spa, and room upgrades advertised on the island. I suspect the spa was not busy one day because it offered a limited-time deal of 2 for 1. Meanwhile, if there is space in the ocean villas you can upgrade at a cost less than reserving the room beforehand. I wouldn't count on these deals being offered all the time, however. #4. Stay at an Ocean Villa for at least 2 nights. One night just isn't enough. To really soak up the luxury of the IOVs you have to be there for a full day. I heard the record length of stay is 19 nights! Wow. Overboard. Three to five nights seems a good length. The service at the ocean villas is at a higher level than the island. In our view, it was more personal. #5. Stay on the island first, then the ocean villas. The dual experience really drew us to Velavaru. I make this suggestion also because there is small chance that bad weather or a delay in flying to the Maldives in the first place means you could miss a seaplane transfer and, what's worse, your first night at the resort (this goes for all resorts). The risk of losing a night at the IOV would stress me out. Losing a night on the island is no good either, but in that event you would be sluicing off the bottom and not the cream on top. #6. Bring small denominations for tipping. I was short of them. Big bills are kind of useless -- unless you're a madly big tipper. We felt no pressure to tip, but we did so when a staff member went the extra mile for us. #7. Book a massage. A massage in our IOV was a highlight. The cost is comparatively affordable too.

By:Noa C We absolutely loved Angsana Ihuru - the size of the island was perfect as 45 rooms made it feel just busy enough but not too full of people - you can walk round the island in 5 minutes. The beach was lovely and the house reef was incredible - right next to the shore so took no time at all to see such a great variety of fish, reef sharks and coral. Others saw turtles and octopus but I wasn't that lucky! We went to Banyan Tree (free shuttle every 2 hours) twice during our stay, once to watch Sting Ray feeding and once to watch turtle feeding in a cage in the sea - the turtles are looked after here until they're ready to be let out into the wild - was awesome to see the feeding and to find out information from the marine lab - plus it's good to know you can go across to Banyan Tree for a change of scenery and to feel that you're not stuck on the island (although we much preferred the look of Angsana!). Staff were incredibly friendly and helpful and the food was really good - we liked the alternating buffet and set menu nights - I would have liked to have seen a little more Maldivian cuisine although the food that was available was really good quailty - and so much of it! We particularly loved the barbecue every lunch and buffet dinner and I liked the egg station and fruit juice station at breakfast/lunch. The bar and restaurant are right on the sea which is really nice so you can sit and watch the water and the fish/crabs from the seats by the bar. We were a little confused by our 'all inclusive' package upon arrival as we had understood it would include everything but were told we could either have a wine and beer package or a cocktail package - we opted for cocktails which we were happy with, as we could then have free cocktails and juices (up to a daily limit of $35 per person) - only certain wine is available on the wine package so you still have to pay if you want a bottle. We had 2 massages at the spa which were excellent and the service/design of the spa was really great. On our last day, we had to check out of our room early but were given a day room to use free of charge (after negotiating) and this was really useful as we were not leaving until 9pm. We loved the fact that the island was only a 20 minute speedboat journey from the airport too so no sitting around waiting for planes. Last point to note is Angsana is on 'island time' which is one hour ahead of Male (the airport) - so you get extra time at the end of your trip as you go back one hour when you leave the island and head back to the airport. Finally although we were on our honeymoon, we liked the variety of people and nationalities at Angsana - it was nice to see families, kids running around (but not too many!) and not just lots of other honeymooners.