Villingili is called the hidden gem of Maldives, both by locals and tourists. It’s very close to Male city, so much that it’s been announced the fifth district of Male. The ferry ride takes only 7-8 minutes and the queues are not as long as the Hulhumale ferry.

View of Male city from Villingili.

Moreover, motorized vehicles are not allowed in the island; only a few taxis, buggies and mopeds are given permission to drive here. So sound and air pollution are very limited. Anybody who works at the west side of Male, can easily commute from here and it would take mostly 30 minutes including ferry rides and walks which is not only fast but also cheap (a rare word in maldives!)

The small ferry terminal, only way to commute with the rest of the world.

The hallmark of Maldivian sea - the multicolor, turquoise water and fine, white sands can be found in Villingili. And while male and Hulhumale had artificial beaches, only Villingili has natural beach in this vicinity. The island also has a Liquid Sports Centre offering scuba diving, snorkeling, flydiving etc. So, anybody visiting Male can get the resort experience here in Villingili.

Liquid Sports Centre

However I did not like the island at first glance!

You see, I’m a city girl in my heart. I can get close to nature and enjoy that but at the end of the day, I would like to return to the safety of my apartment and enjoy all the amenities there. Besides, Villingili seemed a bit run down, short buildings everywhere, with tons of trees forming unruly jungles rather than gardens….and large fields full of trash, stray cats roaming everywhere…and almost pitch black after the nightfall as there were very few streetlights.

That’s why when my husband wanted to move in here, I was less than enthusiastic. But at that time we did not have any other option, our apartment was waiting to be vacant so that the landlord can fix the toilet, there were very few listings for rental apartments as it was the starting of December and nobody rents at the time and rather wait for the New Year.

So, I agreed to move here with a heavy heart and very few expectations. This time we did not make the same mistake. We hired people from a movers’ company. They helped us from carrying the luggage to boarding in the ferry and even calling the local pickup cars. The only work I had to do was to pack and unpack our two persons’ minimal (!) household. We could not imagine how much things we’d accumulated in this short period of time, the only consolation was that these stuffs were mostly food items and we would finish them ultimately! And as we left Male, we kind of felt that we were almost leaving civilization and there will be no food or drinking water in the new home of ours, only mosquitos and deadly insects. Both of us were morose to say the least.

The next morning, we woke up to early morning sunrays and by the time we got ready for work, I’ve fallen in love with my new home.

How many people can have beach views from their home balcony in this world? We’re one of the few lucky ones. And the other balcony is this secluded little space surrounded by so much greenery, my eyes wanted to cry tears of gratitude.


The wide jetty road are not only treat to eyes but also to the soul...with rows of pine trees swinging in the wind, colourful boats and ships anchored beside and two large concrete roads leading to small ligjthouses!



After the hot, tropical madness of Male, we finally got to soothe our scorched souls (and skin!)

Only problem is now I don’t want to leave Villingili and go to Male for work! :D