Comparing two different parts of paradise may seem like a silly idea. Paradise is a paradise—all is perfect everywhere. Sure enough, if we’re speaking about heaven. Earth is completely different. If you have never been on a tropical island and/or this topic is not interesting for you, you might stop reading right here. But if you have visited at least a couple of such paradisal places (you know, such as the Maldives, the Seychelles, the Bahamas, Bora-Bora and so on), then I hope you will find this story about two Maldivian resorts—Four-star Vilamendhoo Island Resort & Spa and Four-star Reethi Beach Resort—interesting.
Wonderful sunset at Reethi Beach
I must say, a little surprise which cannot be consonant with the concept of “paradise” is waiting for you at the end of the story. So, please follow me.
The climate
The distance between these two islands is something like 200 km from north to south. Vilamendhoo is south of Reethi. The climate is paradisal in both places. From October to May, it’s warm and sunny. There are mild ocean breezes, the warm water and the air (both between 28 and 30 degrees) white sand, azure water, palms or mango trees, coral reefs, and active exotic underwater life. Have I already said the Maldives are a true heaven on Earth? 🙂
Beautiful lagoon of Reethi Beach Resort, the Maldives
As you might notice, the flora of these two islands is slightly different. There are high palms at Vilamendhoo, and you may see the opposite side of the islands between the trunks. As for Reethi, sometimes it’s easy to get lost among its “jungles,” despite the fact that both islands are equally small.
The coral reef
Unfortunately, in this aspect Reethi loses to Vilamendhoo a lot. Its tiny coral reef—about 500 meters along the west shore of the island—is almost half-dead.
Dead reef of Reethi Beach Resort in Baa Atoll, the Maldives
Vilamendhoo provides a one-and-a-half-kilometer-long coral spit growth by beautiful coral bushes.
Beautiful home reef of Vilamendhoo Island Resort, the Maldives
Does it impact on the variety of the underwater life? Yes, but not as strongly as you might think.
The underwater life
In spite of the poverty of the Reethi reef, you may find a great variety of actively feeding inhabitants. I was constantly asking myself: What can they all eat here? Is there anything to eat here at all?!
Reethi Beach Resort, the Maldives. Under the sea
Apparently there is, since we met here not only our old Vilamendhoo underwater friends, but also some new buddies. For example, a turtle (oh, how I love turtles!), octopuses, and giant stingrays (read details below).
A turtle at Reethi Beach, the Maldives
Skittish octopus. Reethi Beach Resort. The Maldives.
Be careful! The poisonous Scorpion Diable
Feeding of stingrays at Reethi Beach Resort
We swam with stingrays every single day on Vilamendhoo, but at Reethi Beach Resort, some marketing genius invented an amazing thing: he started to feed marine inhabitants at the same place of the beach every evening. Voilà! Every evening at six o’clock, beautiful animals arrive for dinner.
And here the show begins!
Evening feeding of giant stingrays at Reethi Beach
To tell you in secret, this very amusement became the clincher for us to choose Reethi Beach for our holyday.
The villas
The villas are quite comparable in terms of comfort, interior, and design, although some parts of the interior in Reethi Beach Resort have needed an upgrade a long time ago already. When it comes to this aspect, Vilamendhoo villas are far ahead—everything is new there. Oh, by the way, there are kettles in the rooms.
Deluxe Villa on the Reethi
Beach Villa of Vilamendhoo Island Resort
However, sometimes inhabitants of Vilamendhoo do not have comfortable access to the beach, because of the lack of the beach entirely. In Reethi Beach Resort, the beach is perfect all over the place!
The long stretches of white sandy beach of Vilamendhoo Island Resort
The beach on another side of Vilamendhoo
The beautiful beach of Reethi Island Resort
The cuisine
The Vilamendhoo chef is a genius. At least, he was during the 2012-2013 season. The chef at Reethi Beach Resort tries hard, and sometimes cooks some delicious dishes, for instance, fish baked in salt. On the day of French cuisine, he made better ratatouille, gratinee, and quiche than we tasted in France. However, he still needs to get some experience to catch up with the master from Vilamendhoo. As we found out later, the chef at Reethi came from Tunisia. Tunisia is a former French colony, so maybe that’s why he was mostly good at cooking French dishes?
Surprise
At last, there’s a fly in the ointment that could easily ruin the holiday for some people.
I’ve left it for the end in order to keep your paradisal impressions as long as possible, but…
The luxurious bathrooms of the four-star Reethi Beach Resort are occupied by cockroaches. However, they are not some exotic, magnificent, tropical beetles, but the ordinary red cockroaches, which usually appear in untidy homes. Since my wife can’t stand cockroaches at all, we had to keep the light in the bathroom/toilet/shower switched on all night, and each time she visited these facilities, I had to rush in there on a war horse with sword drawn (well, it was a slipper) to flatten poor insects and take away their cadavers.
Of course, it was kind of romantic. I, a poor but a noble knight, to conquer the heart of my lady,courageously fight the “dragons” and clear a way to her throne.
But if you are not very concerned about romance, and you feel nothing but an aversion to these harmless insects, at least I warned you about the four-star Reethi Beach Resort!
More about the Maldives:
The Best Coral Reef Locations: the Maldives or the Great Barrier Reef?
Shark breakfast. Vilamendhoo.
Dancing with Manta Rays
November 19, 2012 at 7:44 am
Wow looks like a dream. Wonderful post and images.
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November 19, 2012 at 7:48 am
This dream is in your hands.
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November 19, 2012 at 8:09 am
Meravigliose Foto, meravigliosi luoghi!!!
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November 19, 2012 at 8:16 am
Grazie mille! 🙂
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November 19, 2012 at 8:18 am
Every image was a surprise Victor, but like your wife, I was happy not to see the cockroaches. It is pretty magical feeding those stingrays. I would not be so brave though. Loved the sea turtle video. I would love to learn to take underwater images as nice as you have, but I know it takes practice. My trip to St. Lucia will give me ten days to try it out, but I am sure it helps a lot because you dive too. I never snorkeled so that will be a new experience.
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November 19, 2012 at 8:27 am
Thank you, Donna.
As I heard somewhere, “first your 10 000 photos will be awful – than a little better”. 🙂 Of course, practice and learning.
St. Lucia is super! But I don’t know about snorkeling there. We’ll be waiting your story and photos. And good luck!
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November 19, 2012 at 8:51 am
hi Victor, amazing pics, pity about the cockroaches….but good that your wife had a brave knight with her to defend a damsel in distress…..
we didn’t see cockroaches during our trip to the Maldives, we stayed in another resort and also did a cruise of various islands on board the Atoll Explorer. Definitely Paradise on earth…
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November 19, 2012 at 10:23 am
What resort it was?
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November 19, 2012 at 10:30 am
Biyadhoo, it’s not 5 star, it’s an old resort, but the house reef surrounds the island and the snorkeling is amazing. The island has very good reviews from Tripadvisor (and no cockroaches when we were there…)
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November 19, 2012 at 8:56 am
Heavenly images! I really enjoyed your underwater shots.
Elisa
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November 19, 2012 at 10:24 am
Thank you, Elise.
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November 19, 2012 at 10:51 pm
At least you’re honest about not everything being perfect. The whole time I’d been wondering about sharks and spiders and the odd snake, but I forgot about cockroaches. As long as we know up front what to expect, we know it’s the small price we pay to enjoy paradise.
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November 20, 2012 at 3:54 am
Oh, Anneli, two things – “small price” and “Maldives” – are incompatible. 🙂
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November 20, 2012 at 10:58 am
That’s good to remember!
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November 20, 2012 at 1:55 pm
It really seems to be a paradise. Your photos are splendid, truly.
The beaches are my favorite
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November 20, 2012 at 10:12 pm
Hey Victor, I am thinking about our Chinese National holiday next October already. Bora Bora, Fiji, and the Maldives are on the list. I think you may have just sealed the deal for the Maldives. Thanks for the beautiful photos and tips.
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November 21, 2012 at 2:53 am
OK. But have you read the post to the end?
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November 22, 2012 at 12:16 am
I did. I think. Now I’ll have to go back.
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November 22, 2012 at 12:21 am
To be clear, I have no intention of staying at Reethi Beach Resort. I despise the big cockroaches and get shivers on my spine just thinking about the dastardly critters.
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November 22, 2012 at 3:36 am
So, Vilamendhoo is for you.
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November 22, 2012 at 12:48 pm
A glorious, almost luxury, adventure. I am sad to see the mantas being feed like that.
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November 22, 2012 at 1:23 pm
Sad?! Why?
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November 22, 2012 at 8:13 pm
It just encourages them to be reliant on humans.
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April 4, 2013 at 11:40 pm
I have been wondering what the credit card bloggers obsession with the Maldives is. I don’t even know what continent it is on. I love your snorkelng pictures.
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April 5, 2013 at 4:18 am
You will understand it after the first visit to the Maldives. 🙂 This is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean.
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April 12, 2013 at 9:23 am
Stunning pictures! I plan to visit there next year 😀 can’t wait!
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April 12, 2013 at 9:28 am
I think the Maldives will be very glad to welcome so beautiful girl. 🙂
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April 16, 2013 at 12:12 pm
Thanks for saying that ^^!
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December 30, 2013 at 3:18 pm
Beautiful (underwater) pictures!
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December 30, 2013 at 10:54 pm
Thank you., Pani.
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May 29, 2014 at 2:58 pm
Oh wow. Fantastic photos. I’d love to feed the manta rays.
Frank (bbqboy)
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May 29, 2014 at 10:49 pm
It is like to feed tigers 🙂
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August 24, 2014 at 12:03 pm
Великолепни снимки и видео! Благодаря Ви за чудесното преживяване !
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August 24, 2014 at 12:20 pm
Thank you very much, Mima.
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July 3, 2016 at 10:13 am
Hello, your post and pictures were amazing. I want to ask you what camera you use for under water ?! Because I am playing to go Maldives on September. Thank you 🙂
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July 3, 2016 at 12:34 pm
Thank you, Stacey.
It was Canon D10. But it is an old enough camera. I am sure, there are many more advanced underwater cameras now.
Enjoy the Maldives. I am jealous.
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August 10, 2017 at 10:59 am
Looks fantastic but unfortunately when I visited Vilamendhoo in 2017 most of the corals were dead.
In which year were you in Vilamenhoo?
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August 10, 2017 at 12:21 pm
Joël, it is awful. That was the most beautiful and rich coral forest I have ever seen.
We have been there in 2011.
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