My Honest Review of Angsana Velavaru: One of the Top Resorts in the Maldives  

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Tossed into the South Nilandhe Atoll in the southern portion of the Maldives, Angsana Velavaru, aka Turtle Island, has been racking up the awards. “Best General Manager”, “Best Resort Pool”, and most importantly, “Best Maldives Water Villa Resort” in 2025 alone. It’s also one of the older resorts in the Maldives, with over 20 years of dedicated hospitality and success in the region. A very competitive region for luxury travel. In fact, there are over 180 different luxury (ish) resorts in the Maldives and growing.

So, we came to the Maldives to put a few of them to the test. Are they worth their weight when it comes to price? Do they practice what they preach when it comes to sustainability? Are they exceptionally gifted in natural underwater wonders? Culinary delights?

This blog post was designed to help you decide the answer to the very important question…should you book a stay at Angsana Velavaru? Or is there a better choice?

Let’s dig into the specifics and some important information to help you decide which Maldivian resort is right for you.

Who is Angsana Velavaru the Perfect Choice For?

If you are a family looking for a laid-back Maldivian vacation focused on beach time and privacy on a budget, this is the place for you.

If you’re keen to experience an overwater villa only accessible by boat, this is the place for you. 

Sustainability at Angsana Velavaru

The resort is part of the prestigious Banyon Group, a Singaporean luxury travel company that creates nature-centric escapes around the globe with an emphasis on sustainability. In fact, 60% of all food and drink on any given Banyan property must be locally-grown or gathered.

In practice, I found Angsana Velavaru extraordinarily eco-friendly. You won’t find a hint of single-use plastic on the island. They also keep rooms and amenities within them bare-bones. While this sounds like a bad thing when it comes to luxury travel, in practice, we loved it! You can opt out of cleanings and towel changing easily, too.

Another big sustainability factor is the food. Most guests at Angsana will eat buffet style. From the looks of things, it didn’t produce a huge amount of waste, and it didn’t encourage people to order 3-course meals at every single meal of the day. This is usually a problem with Maldivian all-inclusive resorts.

They also offer the option for travelers to reach the resort by boat (smaller carbon impact) rather than requiring the seaplane transfer.

Coral Planting: Angsana Velavaru also participates in coral planting! You can even help participate for free by visiting the marine center.

A Quick Look at Angsana Velavaru Amenities

There are certain standards that pretty much every resort in the Maldives meets. They all offer snorkeling excursions (usually to a house reef + some other exciting nearby fauna), many offer a dive center for experienced divers and novices, they all have at least one exclusive dining option for people looking to up their culinary experience, they usually have a pool (often times with it’s own bar), a spa for facials and massage, cooking classes, sunset cruises, rooms that all offer privacy with easy beach access, and then each resort likes to pepper in it’s own flair that makes it a unique travel destination.

Here’s a look at the unique amenities at Angsana Velavaru.

• Funa Restaurant. Pan-Asian cuisine is served in a lovely hut over the water, where you can listen to the lapping of the waves. We found the Thai food to be the best here, although the Gochujang fried chicken is a must-eat. Definitely the best food on the island!
• House Reef Snorkeling Experience. This is a free daily excursion that I really enjoyed because it’s not something you could do yourself. The boat takes you far enough off the island to really experience the sea.
• Angsana Spa. They offer massage, facials, and other services, but I didn’t get the chance to try any of them out, though.
• Whale Shark Snorkeling. This is only available here in the southern portion of the Maldives year-round. I wrote a full guide on whether or not I thought this experience was worth it in the Maldives.
• Kuredhi Pool Bar. Good pool bar near the beach with its own restaurant. It’s more of a pool and a bar, not the two combined. This is where they host their nightly entertainment. Sometimes it’s live DJ, BoduBeru shows, or a beachfront movie night.
• Free Non-Motorized Watersports. Think paddleboards, kayaks, etc.
• Daily Love Bird Feeding. There is a small collection of lovebirds that live on the island. Twice a day, you have a chance to feed them from your hand.
• A full gym. Utilitarian, but effective.
• Ranger’s Kids Club. A place for kids to hang out indoors.
• Optional Trips to Add on: Fishing, local island trip, sandbank trip, or a sunset cruise.

Why Choose Angsana Velavaru AKA What Sets This Maldivian Resort Apart From The Rest 

These are the things that we LOVED about Angsana Velavaru during our recent visit.

1. Angsana offers excellent value for those staying in the budget-friendly rooms.

While the highly sought-after overwater villas come with a hefty price tag, the on-land options are MORE than reasonable for a 5-star resort. Of the five different luxury properties in the Maldives I have visited, Angsana Velavaru is the most affordable, even considering the seaplane!

2. All-inclusive isn’t required.  

I’ll dig into this a little more later, but I felt that the portions of food at Angsana made half-board or even a la carte dining a great option for those trying to savor a luxury stay without a huge price tag.

3. The most private overwater bungalows in the Maldives.

As I previously mentioned, the overwater villas at Angsana Velavaru are totally separate from the rest of the resort. They actually sit a short boat ride from land out on the open water, each equipped with its own pool and plenty of privacy. You’re not totally without land amenities, however, as you’re still attached to an overwater restaurant and a small staffed front desk to help you catch a boat back to land whenever you please.  

4. Ability to search out Whale Sharks thanks to its southern location.

If you’ve come to the Maldives in search of the ocean’s largest fish, you’ve come to the right place. Whale sharks are only found year-round near South Ari Atoll in the Maldives, which is just a boat ride away from Angsana! This makes the resort an excellent choice if snorkeling with whale sharks is on your bucketlist.

5. Nearly everyone has a very private pool, and privacy is a huge deal.

The only room option that does not have a pool is the beachfront villa (the deluxe does, however). All the rest enjoy the privacy of a backyard pool area where you can skinny dip to your heart’s content.

The few who don’t have a private pool still have access to the Kuredhi Pool in the main area.

6. The Island is Small. This Makes it Easy to Navigate.

Some Maldivian islands are very large and require shuttles, buggies, or bicycles to get around. Angsana Velavaru is so tiny you wouldn’t want to do anything besides walk! This makes getting from your villa to dinner a breeze.

Honest Things About Angsana Velavaru I Didn’t Love 

1. A firmly enforced dress code. 
2. It’s a very small island. 
3. As a 20-year-old resort, many things are in need of refreshing.

These are all super minimal “problems”, it’s just the few things I think you should know ahead of time.

The dress code is what I personally find the most odd. Having visited numerous resorts, many of which felt much fancier than Angsana Velavaru, I think it’s odd that the buffet-style restaurant Kaani, the one you will predominantly eat at, requires you to not be in swimwear or “gym wear”. Essentially, no tank tops for men. I get that frequent visitors to resorts probably pack differently than I do, but Evan’s tank top and shorts ensemble is perfect for morning walks on the beach, which ideally would end in breakfast. But alas, you’ll be asked to change.

The size of the island is either a pro or a con, depending on who you are as a person. While the island is beautiful, I would have preferred a larger area to walk, but yes, it does make getting around easy.

The good news is Angsana is slowly refreshing the property, and this mostly applies to the budget rooms right now. Obviously, the overwater bungalows are super modern and stunning.

How Much Does a Visit to Angsana Velavaru Cost You? 

The Maldives has effectively two seasons, peak season or “dry season” and the low season or “monsoon season”. Hotel rates differ wildly between the two, so I’ll include both below.

Is it Worth Traveling in the Low Season?

This is totally up to you. I have visited the Maldives on numerous occasions during both seasons. The unfortunate thing about the Maldives is that when it rains, it really dumps.

Sometimes, that’s in the form of a quick afternoon storm that rolls in rapidly, but sometimes the storm lingers for the whole day. This churns up the sea, making it unsafe (and unimpressive) to snorkel, and generally, most resorts close up all outdoor bars and activities. It’s a bummer.

That being said, I have visited the Maldives in July and gotten nothing but sunshine before. It’s a luck thing.

Full Board vs. Half Board vs All-Inclusive

Which gives you the most bang for your buck? Personally, at Angsana Velavaru, I would opt for the half-board option for a few reasons. Half board gives you breakfast and either lunch or dinner. As breakfast at Angsana is a massive buffet and dinner portions are of equal portions (either buffet or 3-course a la carte) you definitely do not need to eat three meals per day so this is a no-brainer for me.

The other thing I take into consideration is the fact that prices at Angsana Velavaru were fairly reasonable for alcohol all over the island and for seafood/Thai at the a la carte Pan-Asian restaurant Funa. All-inclusive is not really necessary unless you have the budget, or just don’t want to think about it.

Is a Seaplane Required? 

While the seaplane isn’t *required*, it is a very long boat ride to Angsana Velavaru. About 3-4 hours, actually. If you’re visiting during the off-season, it’s also unlikely that the boat will go. Most guests opt for the seaplane instead. It’s a quick 40-minute transfer and super scenic! A seaplane in the Maldives is an experience within itself. But it’s important to note that the seaplane transfer costs about $580 per person via TransMaldivian Airways and is NOT included in the prices above.

Fortunately for you, you can get 50% seaplane tickets if you book on booking.com for travel dates within the low season months.

A Glimpse Inside Angsana Velavaru Deluxe Beachfront Pool Villa 

We chose to stay at the Angsana Velavaru Deluxe Pool Villa. The room is a circular space with a super comfy bed that, in the front, opens to the beach. It’s tucked back from the shores within foliage, giving you privacy. You have beach loungers and plenty of outdoor furniture. In the back, you have my favorite part of the property, a lovely pool, entirely enclosed and away from the prying eyes of others.

Here’s a collection of photos so you get a better idea.

My Angsana Velavaru Recommendation: Is it Worth the Splurge?

Angsana Velavaru is a great value property, especially for families. I would recommend a 4-night stay at Angsana Velavaru during the low season in one of their budget-friendly rooms. This is a great value for a Maldivian vacation. I think it’s essential that you be a beach or pool lover to enjoy this property, as non-water-related activities are minimal.

I recommend a relatively short stay for me because I would get restless staying any longer on such a small atoll, and I’m a firm believer that everyone who visits the Maldives should visit multiple islands…ideally, a few local ones too. Here’s a list of my favorite local islands that I wrote for Fodor’s to help you get started. But a 4-day stay will score you those 50% off seaplane flights!

Read More: Also, my Maldives Island Hopping Itinerary!

As for activities, I would try out the Angsana Spa (it’s award-winning), eat a meal at Funa restaurant (other than that, stick to the buffets at Kaani), and take full advantage of the free amenities on the island, like the house reef trip, non-motorized watersports, and lounging by the beach.

Overall, Angsana Velavaru is an excellent choice for budget-ish travelers seeking luxury, while not being my #1 favorite choice of resorts in the Maldives.

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