Anantara Veli Maldives Resort

We booked our bucket-list holiday at the end of May 2024 so had plenty of time to wait and for the anticipation to grow, hoping the holiday itself would fulfil our expectations. We can only, and happily, say that with very few exceptions, every element surpassed expectations. From the moment we walked into the Anantara Reception lounge at Male Airport, to the moment we stepped foot back at the airport for the return trip, we were absolutely treated like royalty and very well look after. It felt like everybody wanted to go the extra mile for us. In no particular order: The man at the airport reception lounge who escorted my wife to a cash-point (some locals are very keen that you buy your currency from them at a random counter somewhere, beware!) Faz was our Villa Host, we were so lucky. She is one of the warmest, friendliest and most helpful people we've ever met. Always on hand to book a table, transport us to the restaurant, bring us 'home' again afterwards, or just to have a chat and a giggle. Kamal at the pool would never let me move the parasol myself and would literally sprint across to move it for us. He was also brilliant whenever we ordered drinks or snacks, always made the time for a chat. Pashmina is an absolute star at Dhoni, another very warm and friendly person for whom no request is too much trouble. Shafi is the manager at Dhoni, another absolute star who looks after a great team. Food-wise, we loved Cumin. There was a great variety of food, and the service was always perfect; prompt, efficient, friendly but never overbearing. Breakfast here was also a treat, great variety and lots of helpful tips from the team if we fancied anything a little bit different. The lunches and dinner at Dhoni, as well as the drinks and snacks by the pool, were consistently brilliant. There was also a great selection of beverages, including wines, beers and cocktails. We only ventured over to the other island, Dhigu to eat on a handful of occasions, mainly because we had booked an adults only trip. The food and service we received there was also excellent, just not what we had in mind for our trip. The Maldivian buffet night at Sushi was amazing though. There were only a handful of things to be aware of, they didn't take any shine off our trip but I feel they are worth a mention. Firstly, we booked through Emirates Holidays, and thought we had booked an all-inclusive holiday. When we arrived, I was a bit concerned to hear that our stay was full board, with a drinks package. This didn't really affect much, as the food and drink were more than enough. It did mean that a few restaurants were not included, and involved a surcharge to dine there. This brings me on to the second point... We were told that if we wanted to eat at a not-included restaurant, we had a $90 per person allowance. We ate at Origami and noticed that on the bill, this $90 was only $60. The explanation was that the $90 is before tax. How this computes was beyond us, but we couldn't get a more comprehensive reason out of anyone during our stay. Origami is expensive, the food was decent but we didn't feel like we got value for money here. The Thai restaurant however, Baan Huraa, was great, and the per person allowance more than covered a fantastic meal. My last point is regarding the adults-only resort that made us book Veli in the first place. Children are allowed to eat at Cumin, so it wasn't an unfamiliar sight to see them around. Most of the time, most of the children were absolutely brilliantly behaved and no trouble at all. What irked us a little, was the parents who would allow their children to run amok, playing chase and peekaboo around other diners trying to have a romantic meal in an absolutely idyllic location. Maybe a family area would keep the peace for those who want an adults only experience. These were small matters. Our holiday was absolutely incredible and everything we hoped it would be; beautiful accommodation, a brilliant team to look after us, and a stunning setting. When we can come back, we definitely will. Thank you Faz, you're amazing. We will be back.

The staff is amazing and so attentive. The food was terrific at all of the restaurants we tried. The views were spectacular! It really doesn’t get any prettier than this! The resort is very clean and well kept! There are plenty of things to do or not do!

Beautiful beaches, beautiful nature, perfect climate, perfect water, rich (but peaceful) sea life, wonderful staff, amazing food, amazing rooms, amazing views... Just perfect!!! Special thanks to the one and only, my beautiful and most helpful host - FERUZA - she is the champion and deserves a raise! 🌸🌷✨🍀💖 Also, a thank you to Ziyan, the waiter who served us in Cumin restaurant for breakfast - he was always kind and very pleasant and helpful ✨✨✨ The Coconut man from Dhigu island is also an amazing human being, shout out to him as well 🥥🥥🥥

Our second visit, and still amazing. Our butler from last time welcomed us and we also got a room upgrade. The resort was fully booked the whole week, but service was still flawless. The staff is very friendly and nice. In all the restaurant everybody work very hard. We really like the concept of several small islands. You can swim or take a short boat ride and then you can go to two other islands. We stayed at the adults only island, but there is also an ne island for families. Several restaurants to choose from with a great variety. Some need a reservation. The villas are not renovated recently, as was the same last time, but it still works very well. Very clean. They change towels several times a day and turn down service. We have been to the Maldives seven times. This is the only resort we have returned to. Great pleasure to stay here.

Excellent experience. The over the water villa with personal pool was amazing. Our personal hostess Feruza was exceptional and made us feel special and took extra effort to accommodate all of our requests. We would recommend this resort to our family and friends without reservation.