We had the most incredible time at Drift Thelu and truly can’t recommend this resort enough - it’s an absolute paradise 🌴🌊 A huge, heartfelt thank you to Maria, who made our stay a solid 11/10 Thanks to her thoughtful care and organization, every moment was perfect - especially the unforgettable excursions she helped us plan🙌🏻💙 Speaking of adventures, we’re so grateful to the entire diving center team for some of the most magical experiences of our lives - swimming with whale sharks and manta rays was a dream come true, and their passion and professionalism made it all the more special💙🤿 The house reef right by the hotel is mind-blowing - we snorkeled every day and kept discovering new wonders - it’s like swimming in a real-life aquarium 🐠🪸 The cocktails were delicious: shout-out to the amazing bartenders who made every drink with flair and a smile 🍹 The food was another highlight - especially the live cooking station, where the chef prepared dishes tailored to your taste, fresh and full of flavor - every meal felt like a treat. And finally, a big thank you to our wonderful waiter Monir, whose attentive and kind service made every dinner even more enjoyable🙏🏻 This resort is a true slice of heaven and we’re already dreaming of coming back one day ❤️

Stayed in June 2025

My first time in Maldives and I’m happy I chose this hotel as it didn’t disappoint and exceeded my expectations 🙌🏻😍 cozy and beautiful island with beautiful water villas and atmosphere. Dinner buffet was amazing and ppl are friendly. Maria at reception is a true professional, spa was amazing. Snorkeling was absolutely incredible even though I’m not a big fan of diving .. but after seeing the beauty of underwater world , couldn’t stop swimming 😂💯

Stayed in July 2025

Intimate resort with stunning accommodation, great snorkeling, and an onsite dive center. Food is good and service is excellent.

Stayed in June 2025

Most of the activities were not running and there was absolutely no entertainment - that's ok if if this what you are looking for - we still thoroughly enjoyed our visit and did a beginner's intro to scuba diving at the dive centre (separate from the resort) this was an unexpected highlight - we also paddleboarded and had access to the kayaks - I would have liked a snorkelling trip or some island hopping - the one trip that did go ahead only a couple of people knew about it and we missed out - swimming with Manta Rays - even though we asked about activities on most days - we didn't bother on this day because the answer was always no. I would have loved some music or evening entertainment - we went to bed about 8:30pm most nights after dinner because there was really nothing else to do.

The staff were all really lovely, The facilities beautiful and clean.

Stayed in May 2025

That i couldn't stay longer

It was truly heaven on earth. From the friendly arrival, the stunning room, beautiful weather and amazing food. Could not find a single thing wrong about the place

Stayed in May 2025

Everything was great. The island is very small in a very good location (30’ away from Malé by seaplane). The facilities were beautiful and always clean. The attention of the staff was unbeatable. They were all very kind, friendly and attentive. We would love to come back in the future!

Stayed in May 2025

That I cannot live here forever.

Best Vacation of my life. Normal life seems so sad, that's how much I felt taken care of here. Everyone from the front staff, restaurant, bar, dive centre, everyone made our stay special. My wife and I will be back.

Stayed in April 2025

None

Perfect service, good food, clean and quiet island

Stayed in April 2025

We treated my dad for his 80th birthday, so we were two couples. It was a great location and the staff couldn’t do enough for us. It was small island, which made it more intimate and friendly.

Stayed in April 2025

Everything was perfect - it exceeded our (already very high) expectations & then some. A beautiful island & friendly & professional team. The best escape!

Stayed in March 2025

Beautiful marvelous water villa, own access to the water and riffs, paradise beach, a lot of Colorful fishes, very tasty food, beautiful sand, bath with ocean view, very romantic resort. It was best vacation in my life.

Stayed in February 2025

High prices for drinks (wine but also water). Made it a bit difficult to enjoy a drink at the bar. Spa prices so high that we did not go. Coffee at breakfast not so great and limited number of nespresso capsules in room. Sometimes difficult to coordinate with cleaning staff (clean twice a day for quite a long time). All minor issues. On the whole loved our stay and would visit again.

Fantastic location with a nice house reef for snorkeling. Very nice dives with the on -site dive school. Good variety of food in the restaurant. Low key vibe, simplicity in style. Nice staff. No pool (a bonus for us). Quiet. Privacy.

Stayed in March 2025

That we didn't have any extra days here...

Wow, wow, wow—what an absolutely incredible experience! We stayed for four nights but honestly wished we had at least four more. If you're planning a trip, do yourself a favor and book a water bungalow—it's a next-level experience. You won’t want (or need) to leave your villa! The service was exceptional, with every staff member going above and beyond to make our stay special. A huge thank you to Emdad, our wonderful waiter, and Maria, the amazing manager—both made us feel so welcome. We booked the half-board option, which included breakfast and dinner, and it was more than enough, with delicious buffet-style meals offering a wide variety of choices. One of the highlights of our trip was the house reef, which is absolutely teeming with life. We swam alongside reef sharks, turtles, eagle rays, and countless vibrant fish—it felt like snorkeling through a massive, living aquarium. The corals were surprisingly healthy, and the crystal-clear water made every moment underwater magical. I didn’t even feel the need to go diving because snorkeling alone was so fulfilling. Plus, they provide complimentary snorkeling gear, which was a fantastic bonus! Our water villa was spotlessly clean, beautifully decorated, and designed for pure relaxation. The resort offers twice-daily housekeeping, fresh towels each time, and thoughtful touches that make you feel completely at ease. Even the journey to the resort was an adventure—taking the seaplane was such a cool experience and added to the excitement of arriving in paradise. Overall, this was one of the most relaxing, luxurious, and unforgettable stays we've ever had. We only wish we could have stayed longer! If you're considering this place—just book it. You won’t regret it!

Stayed in March 2025

Limited water activities, and need wait for enough ppl

peaceful, quite, suitable for single travel, beach and snorkelling , sunset bathroom

Stayed in February 2025

***BEWARE BY RESERVING ON BOOKING.COM*** ***WHEN SELECTING “ALL INCLUSIVE” MAKE SURE ON THE CONFIRMATION EMAIL AND THE ATTACHED PDF THAT YOU HAVE STATED “ALL INCLUSIVE” INSTEAD OF”FULL BOARD”*** It is VERY misleading when receiving the confirmation email and DAYS LATER the PDF, because in the “important information” section is written that “this is an all-inclusive structure”, and we took for granted it was all ok until after the first dinner the day we arrived, we ordered some drinks and were requested to pay for it. The customer service representative mrs Maria Castillo made a great job trying to accomodate our issue, avoiding us to be charged also for still water (8$ par liter bottle!!!!). We’ve been told it is a booking.com issue, and when we tried to find a solution with the customer service of booking.com, they simply washed their hands out of the matter sending us pre-generated messages. This issue we spent 270$ on drinks for the week we stayed, which was not a fortune, neverthless… this impacted a bit on our holiday.

I’ve been to the Maldives dozens of times and have seen all kinds of accommodations, from guesthouses to luxury 5-star resorts. I must say that this property perfectly embodies what a Maldivian vacation should offer: • A small island with few rooms (it has 10 beach villas and 20 water villas) • Elegant décor in a simple Maldivian style • An excellent restaurant with a buffet, an express corner, and a wide selection of dishes • A good range of water activities • A good quality/price ratio, even though it is in the high-end category. • Kind and professional staff.

Stayed in February 2025

The water villa roofs need some maintenance, and the shore near the restaurant becomes slightly eroded, nevertheless these haven't affected our stay or state of mind.

The location was perfect, the views from the room, restaurant or bar were very nice and maldivian representative. The facilities were good, everything at its place. The staff was great and welcoming. Great thanks to Maria, Monir, Alauddin, Aravind, and Jaher.

Stayed in February 2025

I loved every bit

Everything was great! Loved the house reef so much. Staff was exceptionally polite and kind. Manager Maria was so amazing and helpful. Water villa is very pretty, spacious. Don’t miss out on house reef guided snorkel, guide is top notch !

Stayed in February 2025

Good location with nice employers and landscape. Very good service and housing condition. Food is also okay,

Stayed in January 2025

Noisy AC in the room. Thatched roofs of some water villas need refurbishment. Communication problems, some staff members did not understand English at all - which is unusual at a resort welcoming guests from all over the world.

Drift Thelu Veliga is a perfect place for those who want to combine enjoying nature with maximally kind and high standard hospitality while enjoying the benefits of a really small retreat. The small resort can only accommodate up to 60 people therefore you can often feel yourself almost on a desert island. Make sure you take your snorkeling equipment with you (or pick up one provided by the hotel) as the surrounding reefs have an abundance of fish. As close as 20 meters from your water villa you will find fish of all size, color and shape, reef sharks, rays... hours of fun guaranteed. Food at the restaurant was not overly varied but was delicious and provided enough choice for all tastes. The cooked-to-order items just added to the meals. Our water villa (actually an ocean villa at the far end of the row) was well equipped. It had amazing view to the Indian Ocean that was not blocked by other villas - a big benefit of staying in the farthest one. All the staff members were kind, polite and always willing to make our stay the best possible. In particular, the romantic dinner at the beach was definitely the highlight of our stay. The arrangement/decoration, the service and the food were all exceptional. Thank you, Drift!

Stayed in January 2025

All inclusive beverage menu is quite limiting - low quality spirits available.

The island was very peaceful and the accommodation was beautiful. All areas on the island and accommodation were spotless. All the staff were exceptional and could not have been more helpful.

Stayed in January 2025

Water villas are very nice and are cleaned twice a day; the cuisine is very good with a lot of variety every day; the reef is nice and we saw also mantas and small shark close to the beach; the staff is great; relax is assured.

Stayed in January 2025

This was our the most perfect vacation in every way- authentic hospitality, amazing food, beach, quietness, cleanness and over all staff. Special, special, special thanks to Maria from the first moment to the end, thanks to Monir for the food that he served to us, thanks to Ala-Uddin for his attention to details, and thanks to Zakir for his mango martini cocktails. Thanks to all...... My husband and I we have no patient to return soon.

Stayed in December 2024

The island is tiny but just so perfect! Incredibly relaxing and truly beautiful with the most exceptional team of people working tirelessly to make sure everyone has the most wonderful stay. The food is delicious and there is so much of it! Freshly made omelettes, grilled tuna steaks, the tastiest salads and a buffet filled with so many delights! Sunsets and fabulous cocktails! Snorkelling with Eagle rays, reef sharks and soo many beautiful fish the minute you step in the sea. But it’s the people that truly make it so special.

Stayed in January 2025

What I didn’t like booking.com because I write to booking.com several times and did not answer me at all and from the future I’m not gonna book anything with booking.com

Ahmed the manager was very good man and Maria she is the best girl in this island. She always smile. She try to help much as she can. We have a little bit of different issue about the prices. I tried to talk to booking.com and nobody answered me back.

Stayed in December 2024