Creating The Ultimate Private Island Experience

There are very few places in the world that cater to the demands of superyachts quite like the Maldives. The archipelagic country, situated in the Indian Ocean, has become iconic for its sparkling turquoise waters and luxurious on-water bungalows.

A tropical haven frequented by some of the largest superyachts in the world, no visit to the Maldives is complete without sampling its ethereal island lifestyle. From opulent waterfront residences, to sensational all-encompassing spa facilities and exquisite fine-dining, Velaa Private Island has strived to create the ultimate island escape.

A passion project led by owners with a deep affinity for the Maldives, Velaa Superyachts.com caught up with Wayne Milgate, General Manager of Velaa Private Island, to understand the ingredients for making a private home in paradise.

What makes the Maldives such a unique destination for luxury travel?

Wayne Milgate: I think the destination as a whole is so unique due to its geographics, including all islands being small coral reef fringed ancient volcanoes with the clear turquoise water, whites pristine beaches and all the privacy a luxury traveller could wish for. Being situated just on the equator, the temperature is always a pleasant 28 – 32 degrees Celsius and we do not experience any extreme weather in comparison to other tropical destinations. On top of this, all islands operate completely independently and allow for all the potential luxury the owners would like to invest in.  

How does Velaa Private Island create bespoke experiences for its guests?

Velaa Private Island is truly different to most resorts as it’s built on the foundation of our owners dream of a home in the Maldives, meaning all aspects of the island are created based on the comfort and privacy wished for by a family intending to spend a lot of time in the country. The experience of a stay at Velaa is all based on privacy and every activity on the island is customised especially to the guests preferences and for them only. Every villa has a dedicated butler arranging private moments fitting the guests’ wishes, which could be anything from a private outdoor cinema on the beach or a dinner under the stars of a close-by uninhabited island. 

What can guests expect from a luxury escape to the Maldives and Velaa Island?

The privacy and exclusivity of your own designer villa in combination with world class gastronomical experiences and an endless variety of activities for the whole family.

How integral is privacy to the Velaa experience and how do you ensure guests enjoy private moments? 

The foundation of our owner’s vision is the one of privacy and from the moment the guests arrive to the Maldives, our team ensures their full privacy, not only from the design of ours villas, but from the composition of all our activities, where our guests will always have the dive boat for themselves on a dive, the golf course to themselves if the want to play golf and the wine cellar to themselves if they would like to do a wine tasting. 

What activities and amenities are on offer that cater to a broad demographic of guests?

The biggest challenge in regards to catering to a broad demographic of guests is the one of ensuring that the restaurants can cater to everyone’s taste and Velaa has 14 nationalities of chefs in the kitchen with everything from Italian speciality chefs to Japanese and French to ensure all taste buds are catered to. Other than this, boasting the biggest fleet of water sport toys and recreational activities in the Maldives also ensures the guest satisfaction of all nationalities. To cater to an even bigger span of guests, not necessarily based on nationality but based on interests, we are also building a brand new wellbeing village including a brand new wellness restaurant, a new yoga and Pilates pavilion and a new spa focusing on ancient methods of wellbeing such as Ayurveda and Eastern Medicine.

How does Velaa Island work with the superyacht community to enhance their experience of the Maldives? 

We have great relationships with many yachts and their owners and based on the occupancy of the island, we are normally quite happy to also let the yachts come close to the island and enjoy the award-winning facilities of Velaa Private Island. We also quite often allow guests to enjoy the best out of both world, meaning they might start their stay in the Maldives exploring on a private yacht and then spend an additional week on the island, enjoying the tropical beauty and services of the island.