OBLU NATURE Helengeli by SENTIDO

Janny Siebertz-Becker

Als repeat guest we had a very warm welcome. The different people of the staff were very kind, very good trained and always asking if they could do anything to make us feel more happy. But once more we enjoyed every Minute of the stay in our "paradise " nice deluxe Bungalow, very good good in the Restaurants. For us most important: the reef is perfekt for snorkeling. We saw dolphins, turtles and wonderful fishes. We will come back next year 👏❤

Ray Saperia

Food and Drink. My preference is to experience a happy environment and I need to feel safe and comfortable whilst on holiday. This island has everything for me in abundance. The resort can house about 300 guests and is set up to accommodate them in all aspects. Probably just short of 200 during our visit and sun-beds and seats were never a problem. Meals are buffet style eaten in dining areas that are cleverly positioned to give the appearance of not sitting in a large hall. On arrival for each meal you are very politely greeted and shown to a table of your choice. There are two outside deck areas which prove popular since they perch above the lapping sea and the ceiling is the star filled sky. Be prepared for smiley people who understand what service is. Yes, you collect your own food but if you require any assistance whatsoever it’s there because there is no shortage of helpful staff. On our first visit for food we were greeted by the charming Varuun. I told him it was our first day and he fully explained the format. Varuun spent time with us showing us the various seating areas and introduced us to the buffet. A considered choice of various foods to cater for all tastes. I counted fourteen choices on the centre aisle alone. And there are roaming chefs to explain ingredients and advise. There are also individual chef stations serving Indian, Italian, and, of course, Maldivian. Chefs Ryan and Ravi were outstanding. Evening meals are accompanied by drinks of your choice brought, and regularly topped up, to your table, and anything else you need, by the ever attentive Sam, Dele, Aafaag, Simpa, John, Ajay, Nash and Eloise, (pardon!). All will serve with a smile, conversation, and happiness. They’re all there at breakfast too! So, breakfast. Unbelievable choice yet again. I’m traditional on English breakfast and it’s all there. But no ready fried rubber eggs here! With the exception of scrambled and boiled, how do you like your eggs? Try the ever smiling Binod. Poached, omelette, and fried to perfection and just how you like them. Because Binod prepares them in front of you and you say how and when. Top man! After a hearty breakfast we skipped lunch each day but the buffet lunch is again an array of foods. At 4pm snacks are available in the bar. There is the option of two on-site eateries which are waiter served. A stay of four nights allows a complimentary meal in one of your choice. A stay of more than nine nights allows two. You can also choose to eat at these on other evenings at a charge. Raga Route, is described as serving Indian Progressive food. There are three areas to sit. Three tables are outside, and then there are two decent sized rooms, one air conditioned and one open ended affected by outside temperature. The food is excellent and different to the Indian style food served in the UK. Service is excellent and very attentive. John and Simpa were on duty when we ate there and added to our enjoyment by explaining the dishes and wines and engaging in conversation, something that is the theme of this island. The second restaurant is named Just Grill. The roof is high and there is an overall feeling of space. It is far from just a grill! We were greeted by the always smiling Aye and shown to our table on the open side next to the beach. Ajay was our waiter for the night and made our visit special. The food is exceptional as is its presentation, accompanied by drinks of your choice. Chef Rohit takes the time to visit your table to enquire of your enjoyment. Nice touch. The main bar is substantial and opens to the beach and pool on one side and a view over the sea on another. There is music each night. Sameer, Bagus, and Thiha give excellent service and engage in conversation at the bar. Wita and others offer table service with a smile. Friday is Maldivian Night. Drums (Aafaag again!) and voices are infectious and you are encouraged to join in the dancing, usually by Nash and Fira who will spot you in the crowd. Best holiday ever!

Alex Naydenov

5 stars service at a 3 stars hotel Reef: 5 stars Marine life: 3 stars Hotel: 3 stars Service: 5 stars Dinner: 5 stars Lunch: 5 stars Breakfast: 1 star Entertainment: 1 star Diving center: 1 star This is our second visit to the Maldives and honestly it was s disappointment. Last time we were in Dusit Thani in Baa Atol, a very luxurious, incredibly beautiful, 5 stars resort that made our vacation magical. We chose OBLU because of its reef. Upon entering the arrival jetty, we were greeted by concrete and a very lackluster reception area. the resort is not pretty with concrete dominated buildings lacking in beautiful design. the juices are from a carton box, the breakfast is continental with beans, pastries, etc. the dinner and lunch make up for the poor breakfast though. the staff is incredibly kind and helpful, except for the dive center guys, who were only interested to sell us the private excursions, but for the regular ones kept telling us to come the next day and that happened every day. The other thing the hotel management needs to amend is the music volume at night. It is extremely loud and runs until midnight. this is totally unacceptable the reef is gigantic, but the fishes were not that much, mostly smaller in size. the resort is undergoing expansion in terms of capacity, moving in the direction of mass tourism. if you are looking for a more magical, upscale experience, my advice is to look elsewhere

sim t

It was our first time in the Maldives and we chose to stay at Oblu Nature. When we first heard that it had undergone renovations recently i’ll admit we were worried that it would not be complete or would not be up to our expectations but to say that it exceeded our expectations would be an understatement. The house reef is absolutely gorgeous, with turtles, manta rays and even baby sharks sometimes if you’re lucky and go snorkeling early. The staff are lovely and assure all your needs are met. They ask you about your day and are genuinely interested in making conversation with you. I would like to especially give a shoutout to our room attendant Haneef who ensured we had everything we needed and all the lovely chefs in the kitchen. We visited during my birthday and the staff went as far as to bring me cake and wish me happy birthday as a surprise. The food is wonderful with all three courses of the day offering something different to accommodate all the guests staying in the hotel. All of the chefs were incredible (a special shoutout to Sanu for his delicious indian cuisine), always recommending me different foods to try and asking me if i liked them. As well as this, the hotel focuses on maintaining their reef and truly care about the environment. All in all, if you are someone who deeply enjoys snorkeling or wants that genuine Maldives experience then i would highly recommend Oblu Nature Helengeli and would definitely visit again if ever given the chance.

Suniti Peters

We had a lovely stay at Oblu Helengeli. Its about 1hr10mins speed boat transfer, we weren't offered any water which was a shame. Upon arrival you are asked to fill out a lengthy form on their app (I would advise to do that beforehand). We went to lunch and weren't given our room key which was a big nuisance, after back and forth from reception to concierge we got our keys and settled in. Resort is lovely, great house reef, friendly staff and nice island. There is still maintenance / construction work going on across the island so beware of that. We could smell burning of materials most evenings. We had a lagoon water villa and caught some lovely sunsets and dolphins from our room. Buffet is very pleasant but special mention to their Indian food counter and chefs Ahsan and Sanu, they were a delight and were always happy to make us fresh naans. Fresh seafood every night and good service. We have been to Maldives few times, whilst there are better resorts out there, their house reef is very special but be careful of the current.