Velassaru, now Niva Velassaru, is a short speedboat ride from the airport in South Malé Atoll: a small, easy island you can walk around in minutes, with a long beach on one side and overwater villas curving out over the lagoon on the other.
Its 129 or so villas run from compact garden-facing Deluxe Villas near the beach to overwater bungalows with plunge pools, and at the top a single Water Suite of 270 m² with a gated entrance, an infinity lap pool and a butler.
There are five restaurants and two bars, from Sora's Japanese plates over the lagoon to Mediterranean dinners at Etesian. The overwater LIME spa, with its hydro pool stretching over the water, is the island's signature, and meal plans go all the way to premium all-inclusive.