Resorts · Noonu Atoll · Editor’s Pick

Velaa Private Island

An ultra-private island in Noonu Atoll built by Czech entrepreneur Jiří Šmejc's family. A horseshoe of overwater villas around a private lagoon, a Troon-managed 9-hole golf course, and a 800-bottle wine cellar.

The MT Verdict

Czech-financed, exactingly built. A small footprint of villas around a tail-shaped private lagoon, an 800-bottle wine cave, and one of the country's most curated hospitality programmes.

Atoll

Noonu Atoll

Villas

Opened

2013

Transfer

45 min seaplane

Dive Grade

Intermediate

From

$$$$$

The Villas

Velaa runs 47 keys: a mix of beach villas, the iconic horseshoe ring of overwater villas, and a handful of multi-bedroom Romantic Residences and Pool Residences for full-buyout-style stays. The signature unit is the cylindrical Romantic Pool Residence — a freestanding tower-villa with a private pool and 360-degree views.

Dining & Wine

The dining anchor is Tavaru, the cylindrical wine-tower restaurant attached to the resort's 800-bottle climate-controlled wine cellar. Aragu (over-water) and Athiri (beach) handle the day-to-day menu rotation.

Golf & Leisure

Velaa has a José María Olazábal-designed 9-hole golf course managed by Troon — one of only two functional golf courses in the Maldives — plus the over-island spa observatory tower with a tennis academy and snorkelling-focused house reef.

Logistics

Transfer is a 45-minute seaplane from Velana International Airport. The resort is family-owned (independent of any chain) and sits on a private island in Noonu Atoll.

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Related Coverage

Editorial we’ve published touching on this resort.

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