Oblu Nature Helengeli by Sentido - All Inclusive

We have visited the Maldives many times and have stayed with the Sentido group at Oblu Helengeli, Varu, Sangeli , Atmosphere Kanafushi and back to the new Oblu Nature Helegeli. We have fond memories of Oblu Heligeli from our first visit and were excited to how the island had developed and the new changes, Helengeli was great then and has been a delight to visit again. The new renovations have been well thought out and has taken the island up a notch. They have utilsed the space so well but have kept the magnificent huge palm trees and green beauty of this natural not man made island. There is a mix of guests staying for 2 weeks, those doing a twin holiday, the bank of Maldives with their staff who were a big party whilst we were here during our 12 night stay but it still operated incredibly well, staff were still always there and service never dropped and it never really felt busy. This 4 star plus has all the amenities with excursions added in, rooms are spacious and immaculate, house keeping exceptional. Mini bar fully stocked every day and big comfy beds. We had 3 adults to our room and there was plenty of space. The Spice restaurant caters for everyone, everyday an Asian section, Indian, European, pizza , pasta, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan, and a great variety of salads and also offering a special menu option for Indian or Asian street food. Food was always replenished you never had to wait for anything or nothing ever ran out at any time you were there. Great variety at all meal times you could never get bored. Chef always on every sitting to help with dietary requirements or anything you would need just ask, they made sure you had everything you needed. A must try and included if staying for 4 nights and over are the speciality restaurants Just Grill and Raga Route. Just Grill a Mediterranean themed restaurant, where you can sit under the stars on the beach by candle light, with a great selection of wines, 4 courses with mains that include Chicken with crispy parmesan, potato and red wine jus, or pork belly lentil, spinach and crispy shallots, lamb chops, arborio rice, saffron and mint, Angus tenderloin, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, chimchirri, or fruit de mer, local fish , calamari, prawn and cous cous. It was so good we went twice. All with exceptional service and a real laid back feel. All dietary requirements are also catered for. Raga Route a Fusion of modern Indian cooking is a delight all whilst listening to the waves and enjoying the warmth of the beautifully decorated surroundings with foods of masala corn espuna, smokey platter, crispy fried prawns, creamy tikka and mutton platter, kaffir lime chicken, coconut milk braised lamb ribs in a rich sauce and blend of spices, chettinad spiced prawns, cooked in Indian spice and saffron blend served with turmeric rice. Both A La Carte experiences are exceptional, with excellent menus and incredible service and well worth a visit. We went on the fishing trip twice , the sunset cruise both included in our stay, hired the jet skis twice and did the safari, being lucky enough to be joined by a pod of dolphins as they swam and jumped around us as we bobbed on the water. There are plenty of activities to keep you busy if you want, gym session, yoga, water sports, pool, table tennis, games, snorkelling trips, sand banks excursions, turtle snorkelling but the most exciting thing to this island is the house reef, where you can see the coral from the beach and the array of fish without even going into the sea. The reef is very spectacular teeming with many varieties of fish and just off the beach, the drop off is even more exciting where the fish get bigger and the water gets colder and deeper. It's all very safe for snorkelling and is all marked where to go. Scuba diving is also a must on this island. We had the pleasure of meeting with the general manager, who helped us with an enquiry and was quick to sort things for us. He has a great team here, all members of staff you will meet always have the best smile and hello for you from every department, and would make sure you had everything you needed and more, the people on this island certainly made us feel so very very welcome, thank you Helengeli for looking after us so well, Simpa in the bar and Rizki from raga Route sadly I missed taking your photo to add to the super stars I've posted on here. Oblu Nature Helegeli is a great all round island that has plenty of surprises when you are just not expecting them. Would we visit again, we surely will!