Wow!! This island hotel was fantastic! We went for honeymoon over easter period and for the first few days of our stay the owner was John Keells... we then hit it lucky as the island vacated ready for the change over to the new owners to take over...For the last 6 days of our stay we shared the whole island with just 3 other couples and really got the deserted island feeling!

We met the new owner and his wife and grown up kids, as they too stayed on the island during the hand-over period. They were lovely and took time to talk to us etc. Most importantly, the island staff remained the same, (only 3 of the staff chose to leave the island after the change over)..and from what we saw everything remained the same...and the plan was to keep everything the same.

The standard of hygiene was second to none..everywhere was spotless, the roomboys cleaned our room 2 or 3 times per day. The food was excellent..more than enough choices for us 8 hoidaymakers.

The location was superb, clear, warm crystal blue waters, a house reef perfect for snorkelling and seeing a huge array of fish. It was all so idyllic.

All the staff were forever smiling, happy and very friendly. Hotel staff went with us on excursions (deep sea fishing, island hopping, manta safari and the night fishing...which is such good fun!) The staff were always so nice and ameniable. Trekking to get us young coconuts, so we could drink the milk from them, when we were on the uninhabited island (on the island hopping excursion)

The entertainment... well.. we made our own, of course!! They did have crab racing one evening(the rowdiest it got!) but apart from that leisurely drinks in the bar or on the beach until midnight. For us the whole holiday centred around long lazy days and nights. Pure rest and relaxation...and snorkelling!!

We did have an Adam & Eve (his n hers) massage for lovers in the Serena Spa... luxury!! and that was about as strenuous as it got!

The one and only for not wishing to stay for another couple of months (or until I got bored and had finisghed reading all the books in the library there)...was the mossies!! Had I stayed any longer I would have looked like a walking blob! I spray tanned myself all over with Insect repellent every night, left off all perfumes and smellies and still got 5 or 6 new bites every night. After the massage (with the oils) I must have been bitten 30 times... And it must have been in the bar in the evening.

Would we go back again?... Defintely... but not with the children. It isn't a place for young kids.. they just wouldn't appreciate its beauty. and they certainly wouldn't appreciate the long flight!! We went with QATAR airways...fab!! Great seat pitch, lovely meals , fantastic service..and we broke up the journey by stopping off at Doha.

As for the new owner...give him a chance.. I know a John Keells resort is fab but it won't/can't possibly change that much with the new owner. And he plans to keep it just as it is now.

Velidhu Island Resort is a lovely small island in the Indian Ocean. The staff we excellent and nothing was too much trouble for them.

We took our 10 yr old daughter with us and she really enjoyed her time there. She was hardly ever out of the water.

There are more rooms than mentioned - 80 land villas and 20 water semi-detached water bungalows.

The cleanliness cannot be faulted. Staff were out every morning raking up dead leaves and cleaning the beach.

The room boys were fantastic - they cleaned the rooms every morning giving fresh towels (and beach towels if required) and tidying up. Then in the evening whilst you are out to dinner, they come back and pull back your bed covers and brush through (sand gets everywhere).

There is only one restaurant and one bar. The food is different every night (Thai, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Maldivian, Sri Lankan and a night of mixture). You never went hungry.

Omelettes and eggs were made fresh for you if you required them. Our daughter asked for pancakes one day as these were not available and the chef very kindly (without our knowledge) made her some for breakfast the next morning.

Our waiter (Haris) was a lovely lad and if there was nothing suitable (as in hot or spicy) for our daughter he asked her if she would like some fries.

We met the chef and he gladly gave us his time for a conversation.

The bar staff were great too. They were very busy but you were never kept waiting for your drinks.

Entertainment was provided every night - Saturday is Crab Racing night. Great fun and a bottle of wine for the winners.

Water was included on the All Inclusive package as was local beers, wine and cocktails.

On the north facing side of the island there is a breeze which kept the temperature down and the sea calmer. There is plenty of shade from the trees.

On the south facing side (the location of the bar), the house reef is absolutely out of this world and cannot be faulted either. There is no breeze here and it gets very hot. Shade is at a premium also. People tended to put their towels on the sun loungers and then walk away to "bag" their spot for the day which our party found rather annoying.

This island is a lovely island. They only fault I found was with the lack of shade on one side of the island.

The island gets lots of repeaters (28 rooms whilst we were there) and as a guide whilst we were there, the breakdown of nationalities was as follows (as in people):

Austrian 4 / French 37 / German 63 / Irish 2 / Italian 39 / Japanese 8 / Singaporian 2 / Swiss 4 / British 52

Occupancy rate was 99%.

I would go back to this island, but the Maldives is a big place and there are other islands I would like to visit to compare.