Angsana Velavaru 5 ดาว

We had an amazing honeymoon at Ansagna Velavaru! Our stay was perfect, peaceful and magical. Accommodation: ocean villas are located separately from the land villas and there is a boat that can carry guests between the island. We had a deluxe beachfront pool villa and it was amazing. However, some villas are a bit dated (as was the case when we checked-in) and it is noticeable. We were however relocated upon our request to move. The hotel is starting the refurbishment process of the villas. The cleaning was spot on and our host took great care of the villa. Package: we had a premium all inclusive package and in our opinion it was worth the money. You get access to all restaurants in the hotel (Funa and Azurro for lunch and dinner) and you are not limited on drinks (some cocktails and spirits are not available with standard AI package). Additionally, you get credits per day (they add up), which you can spend on various activities. However, the hotel could do a better job with communicating how the credits work (for example, we only learned later that you can use them for spa, but not all massages and only once per stay). Nevertheless, we liked it because it saves the pain of checking every single time what is included in your package and what is not since there are many packages available and it gets quite confusing (systemic for Maldives vacation) Food: We really enjoyed the food, the hospitality and friendliness of staff! You have one buffer restaurant - Kaani, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. In our opinion, breakfasts were a bit average with limited variety. However, lunch and dinner was great and food tasted very good! Each night has a theme and overall there is an accent on Asian cuisine which we loved (e.g. there are always Indian station available and there are always Asian dishes to choose). There is also enough choice for a European pallet as well:) Funa restaurant was a great discovery! Simply amazing food and service! Thank you! Big thanks to Kwang for cooking an amazing food at Funa restaurant! Azurro restaurant is located next to the ocean villas and had a “fine dining” feel to it. The food is great and the service is good, however the portions during dinner could be a bit bigger. However, we never left hungry! Marine life/water sports: The island reef is amazing (apart from one part which is dead), and people who enjoy water sports will find a lot of fun activities here. All non-motorized sea sports are free. A recognition to the dive Centre team - they are very professional and friendly and will take care of all your needs. Tipp: you can always go to ocean villas and snorkel from there - the marine life is truly beautiful! Sharks, turtles, eagle rays and octopi guaranteed:) We would also like to express gratitude to Areej, Afzal, Shaamu, Shibin and Laila for their great service, friendliness and attention during our stay! Big shout out to Alina and Sumith from hospitality team for taking care of all our requests and making our stay truly memorable!

We just spent 10 days in late November in an in-ocean overwater villa (301) at Angsana and our stay was overall amazing. This is our second time in the Maldives, and I researched resorts for a long time looking for the right combination of features to make our trip memorable. For us, the number one consideration is the snorkeling and reef life, as we both look to spend a great deal of time floating amongst the fishes. Choosing the right resort is all about knowing how you'll spend your time and what you're looking to get out of your vacation. The Good Hospitality - a great deal of the staff at Angsana that we met were local Maldivians and they were all welcoming, helpful and happy to engage with us in English (appreciated!). Shout out to Totti who was our waiter for most of the week and who treated us like old friends. We really enjoyed hearing any local color and Totti took the time to share stories with us – ask him about Futsal! Sudheesh, the bartender at Azzurro was also amazing, so kind to us, going so far as to rescue a towel for us from a rainstorm. It was these little gestures that really stood out for us. Early on, Suja, who is in charge of housekeeping, found us trapped in some shade on the boardwalk trying not to burn our feet and brought us hotel flip flops to save our feet. This really made the experience feel personal, caring and luxurious. Not in the stuffy way, but one where the staff really try to anticipate your needs and do what they can to make your vacation enjoyable. Kudos to Shammu (the volleyball pro!) and Suoodh in Azzurro and the other guys who all greeted us so warmly as we arrived every few hours for yet another feeding!! Food - We consider ourselves "buffet" people (i.e. not super fancy), so were a bit wary about the a-la-cart nature of Azzurro. For the most part we loved every dish. One thing we were really impressed with was how hot things were - the cappuccino stayed hot forever, and the meals were all lovely and hot. We really enjoyed items from the Asian and Indian menu and Totti soon learned to bring me yogurt with the spicy food after watching me run for tissues mid-meal - another lovely touch. We ate at the buffet on the island too and it was great - fresh churros one night - and the staff on the island were so kind and helpful. As mentioned by a number of people, the fish tacos at the Kuredhi Pool Bar were excellent and the staff at Kuredhi were so amazing!! We did find that we really came to enjoy how much quieter and intimate it was at Azzurro and the setting on the water never failed to impress. Room - We were in 301 which is the farthest 'standard' villa on the right end (when looking at the outer reef). The room is huge, has three separate AC's for each room, lots of windows and overall just a lovely spot. I chose it somewhat because it faces away from the local island, thus giving more of a deserted island feel. I don't think that really worked as the island was hard to miss but after a day or two, we hardly noticed (despite a decent amount of noise from the rock work happening there). We really liked having no neighbours on one side and the gap between villas was pretty wide, so it felt VERY private. 301 was also nice in that it was at the far end of the reef float so you could do the full float and then just swim back into the villa. Azzurro - We LOVED always being over the water during our stay. The Azzurro restaurant complex became our living room. 6am fish watching from the dock, afternoon tea (samosas were so good) outside and just lounging in the bar area after a day of snorkeling. It was so quiet, and we felt so well taken care of and the views in every direction were amazing. Reef - In short - incredible and SO convenient. We spent a huge chunk of our time just walking to the far end of the villas (363 or something like that) getting in and then floating gently with the current down the outer reef back to our place. It was AMAZING. The water clarity (even on stormy days) was so good. We saw so much - all the usual suspects in massive numbers along with small black and white tip reef sharks, turtles, some morays (small and really hard to find - very camouflaged), eagle rays (group of 5 one day) and some big wrasse, including one Napoleon. Basically, each run down the reef was like a free dive session. All that was missing was a dolphin encounter (though we did see them from our villa moving up the reef one day) and some bigger sharks but no complaints. The coral on the reef behind the water villas is really good and just floating in a massive school of fish each time is such an amazing experience. Watersports – I only did this briefly. They seem to have the usual collections of kayaks, sups, jet skis etc... I did see a Hobie cat out a couple of times and it looked pretty good. My interest is in windsurfing. They had a few boards - a 120l, a 130l and a 240l beginner board with centerboard. They also had some nice sails up to a new Neil Pryde 6.2 with harness lines and they had a selection of harnesses so no need to pack yours. The 10 days we were there had a few days of wild weather, and I was lucky enough to get out twice... the first day was somewhat light winds - good enough to pass my US$30 "test" where I got planing just a few times. The second day was much stronger, and I got an hour of solid ripping and had a blast. Tips: Gloves and Booties are a MUST - there is lots of coral and it's quite shallow, so protect your feet. For some reason I find my hands are a mess in tropical climates, so I highly suggest throwing in a light pair of gloves. The normal sailing zone is quite shallow so only suitable for a few hours a day at high tide. In lower tide you risk a fin strike in on a coral head. Also steer well clear of the pump house thing, as it's tied with lines that are just under the surface. Other Touches - It was quite stormy for half our visit, and I really appreciate the umbrellas all over... you never knew when it would pour but there was always an umbrella handy. I’ve done some pretty extensive weather comparisons to other vacation locations and the Maldives does have a higher number of cloudy and rainy days than many other hot spots so be prepared for some bad weather. That said, it tends (not in our case – we were in a cyclone system) to be somewhat short lived, and even if it’s bad for longer, who cares when you are snorkeling! It saves on the sunburn on the backs of your legs!! Bird Feeding - amazing experience - what a treat – don’t miss it!! Not as Good / Things to know Shallow - When snorkeling among the coral outcroppings on the island and at low tide, it's shallow and occasionally quite challenging to navigate without causing damage. We saw lots of people standing where they should not have been. Make a point to find the house reef wall access pathways, where the coral has been cleared a bit, that are marked with steel tridents on the reef, and you won’t have as much of a problem, but it does make a huge difference. Swimming area in front of your villa - We were Sunset side 301 and the area in front of the villa was great for snorkeling but didn't really invite swimming like our previous Maldives visit due to coral and shell pieces on the ocean floor. We used our pool a bit when we figured we'd never use it. So, if you're expecting soft sand in the water in front of your villa, that's not likely – though it might be more possible on the sunrise side but I can't comment for sure. Ferry between the island and villas - We thought this might be a problem as it's pretty infrequent (hourly much of the time) but it didn't end up being much of an issue - and the boat was not full all that much so it seems a good compromise between convenience and environmental impact/noise. Island Buffet - to me, it seemed a bit small/limited, and a bit crowded given the number of guests. Not a huge deal but it didn't feel as special as our pervious Maldives visit. That said, the food we had there was good and the staff were lovely. Diving - we asked about diving but it didn't seem like it offered much more than we were going to see snorkeling the wall. We also didn't see any live-abord boats off the island which tells me that maybe the diving might not appeal as much to seasoned divers. Make your own call. We considered the Whale Shark excursion but decided against based on the feedback that it’s a massive draw for resorts all over meaning the poor animal is stalked by drone then set upon by possibly dozens of snorkelers… some even mentioned it’s a bit dangerous based on crowding, boat interactions etc.. Make your own call but I think maybe it’s a bit cruel to the shark. Tips: - The House Reef Wall. We talked to a number of people who didn't make it out to the wall. MASSIVE MISTAKE. It's incredible. Fish soup on every lap and the absolute highlight of the trip! Even if you are staying on the island, take the ferry to the water villas - go far left towards 363 and get in the water at the last platform. Swim out to the wall - look for the metal poles in the water - they show the route out to the wall where the coral has been cleared (this is a must at lower tide). Then just float down to the right end with the current (obviously do opposite if current is the other way but it wasn’t all week for us) to the last entrance near 301 (there is a pole and a white buoy and a huge school of yellow fish). Swim in and then walk to the far end and repeat. This can be done in any weather - if it's stormy, it's a bit more work to get out to the wall but still lots of fun and a great thing to do on a rainy day. The wooden boardwalk can get quite hot so you might want to stash some flip-flops in the basket by the 301 platform (near the staff mess hall) for the walk back. - Snorkel Trip - we were lazy and only took the snorkel trip once in our 10 days... many days they were just off the water villas, but they did go to some other interesting spots, and we missed a dolphin sighting and apparently some bigger sharks, so they were worth it. - Water shoes a must if you want to poke around in the water out front of your villa. But be careful... lots of live coral so use sparingly so you don't damage anything. - If it's stormy, the sliding doors in the water villas can rattle and bang quite a bit... find something to jam into the ones that you don't open and it really reduces the noise. - Be careful leaving stuff to dry on your deck, the wind can come up quickly and send things flying. We lost a pair of shorts... I hope someone finds then and saves us from our littering... we did pick up some garbage from the water so hopefully paid it forward a bit. - If you are All Inclusive, find the Indian and Asian menus at Azzurro - it’s got lots of choices and is SO good. The butter chicken was a standout. Similarly, we thought the drink menu was really short for the first week - we didn't realize there was a bunch of other links for choices that are included (vs the AP drinks which are only from Premium All Inclusive). Watch out for the Daiquiris at the main pool bar – I had one and I could barely stand for a while :-) - Slip and Falls. Be careful on the in-ocean wood decking when it's wet... if you are wearing flip flops it can be slippery. Bare feet are fine at Azzurro so skip the flip-flops on wet days... but wear them on dry ones as it gets hot! In the villa, the marble floors can be super slippery, especially after cleaning/when wet, so exercise caution when coming in from a snorkel all wet and desperate to use the bathroom :-) - Bring your PADI cards to skip the "snorkeling test” - will save you some time Overall Based on the amazing snorkeling, the hospitality we were shown, the great food and the intimate atmosphere at Azzurro, we completely recommend Angsana. It was an incredible 10 days that we would do again in a heartbeat!

I am writing this review whilst staying at the resort so I can provide an accurate account. This is my second time to the Maldives - this resort is sub-par for the Maldives experience. The Maldives should be bliss, calming and zen. This resort is ruined by noise everywhere- there is a ferry boat between the island and water villas every 30 minutes which is so loud and continues as a drone right the way across to the water villas and back. If you have a beach villa near the arrival jetty you are screwed, boat fumes, loud talking boat staff, yelling from construction workers who are ferrying bricks etc on the boats. On top of this, multiple sea planes land daily at this island and the other islands nearby. Then there are more ferrys are going to collect the arriving guests from the sea plane. Then there are multiple boat excursions daily - sometimes two at a time - to day trips and reef visits etc. All of this contributes to more noise and fumes if you are staying in a villa near the Jetty (Villa 101 onwards.) There is also construction on the island and no regard for the peace of guests - drilling and banging is not what I want to hear at breakfast time. Sunset beach villas are supposed to have the better sand but then you have all this noise. The best tip I could give is ask for a villa away from the arrivals jetty - maybe 110 onwards. There are also many islands nearby, so you don’t get that “paradise in the middle of nowhere” experience you lust for from the Maldives. Some of the islands are well build up (I assume another resort - massive phone masts etc if that bothers you) and there is one island which I assume is trash island, from where you can see smoke daily of things being burnt. Appreciate this is not the resorts’s fault, but guests should be warned on trip advisor. I would have been less bothered by this if the rest of my stay had not been so disappointing. Food is average. Limited menu and only one bar, so it’s becomes a boring scene especially when you are trying to escape your villa because of all of the noise and even worse when it’s bad weather and you have only one bar to frequent. The island is small which is great- but you can find that elsewhere. Beach villas are dated/ not looking too fresh, but you can come to expect that from an older resort. The bar service is quick- which is probably the only positive of this resort. Allergens are well noted which is also good. Room service is poor- they arrive late in the day, and want to do turn down service too early, always when I’m trying to get ready for dinner. I asked them to come a bit later and once he tutted and rolled his eye; the next time another said no as he was finishing his shift. They don’t do a thorough clean either - trash has blown onto the deck which isn’t picked up. Beach beds are not cleared of towels, beds straightened up etc - all services I have experienced elsewhere. In conclusion I would not revisit here and I would not recommend it either. Very expensive for a wholly disappointed holiday. I look forward to my next Maldives break elsewhere.

Lovely beautiful place. Excellent food in restaurant and bar so Didn’t need speciality restaurants. Staff all excellent and friendly. Appa in restaurant very attentive. Had villa with pool really worth extra. Rooms nicely done out. Whole resort very clean and tidy but some bits looking tired. Seaplane a great experience.

Our stay was truly breathtaking. The food was sensational, plentiful, and of excellent quality (we had full board). The entire ambiance of the resort is lovingly designed, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The staff deserve special recognition. Everyone was unfailingly friendly and attentive, always ready to help with a smile. In particular, we would like to highlight Irushad, who was responsible for our housekeeping. His conscientiousness, kindness, and eye for detail impressed us greatly. The palm-leaf artworks he created on our bed were delightful surprises that added a personal touch to our stay. Thank you, Irushad! Our accommodation (Room 120) was beautiful, featuring a private pool and direct access to the sea. It offered everything one could wish for. A small improvement would be the addition of an outdoor shower near the pool area, rather than behind the villa. A few minor points for improvement: • Bedside lamp shades and sheer curtains are outdated and should be replaced. • The toilet seat was loose. The daily snorkeling trips were a highlight. The guides were excellent, and the experience unforgettable. We would recommend reminding participants more firmly to keep a respectful distance from marine life. Some guests approached turtles too closely with cameras, which startled them unnecessarily. Observing from a distance is just as rewarding. The island itself is very clean, though occasional debris is washed ashore. Guests often take the initiative to collect and dispose of it, which is commendable. However, a nearby small island passed during snorkeling excursions is heavily littered and clearly in need of cleanup. Addressing this would greatly enhance the overall impression. One final suggestion: the large pool in the bar area would benefit from partial shading (sun sails or similar). As this area is also intended for children, more shaded spots would make it far more comfortable. Overall, our holiday was a wonderful and relaxing experience. The outstanding staff created a truly welcoming atmosphere, and we are grateful for their dedication. We would happily return and recommend this resort to others.