Having said that, the island was handed back to the original owner in 2008 and we will see what difference that makes.

Despite a (low) wall in the lagoon around two-thirds of the island and frequent groynes, the beaches outside the rooms are not good. There are requests for room changes to be by the good beach but the unfortunate thing is that most of the really good stretch of wide sand doesn’t have any rooms on it but is fronted by the large and spread out reception and bar.

But as Hans, the dive base leader, told me, people are happy here. And that seemed to be true. One good reason would be Hans himself and the great diving to be had in the neighbourhood. Of a German dive magazine’s top 100 sites in the world, 3 can be visited from here. So too can Maldives’ only known hammerhead shark site (Rasdhoo).

Run by Eurodivers, there is an emphasis on detailed briefings and suitability. Each day’s dives are posted on a board with an indication of whether they are for beginners, advanced or the experienced. With its reputation in the German market in particular, there are more than the average number of experienced divers. As well as the 2 morning and afternoon boats there are frequent special dives.

The main jetty is the only access point for snorkeling but the extent and quality of the snorkeling is very good.

Something over two-thirds of the guests are from Germany, up to 20% from Italy and the remainder mostly from the UK. Not much goes on in the daytime but the bar is full at night and most evenings there is entertainment such as a DJ, karaoke, magic show and local music. With nearly two-thirds on all-inclusive packages the evenings can be long ones, but it is never rowdy here. If the guests are not rich, there is an air of respectability.

A little indication of this is the fact that many couples prefer to dress up a bit for dinner. And the dinner doesn’t let them down. It has greatly improved over the last few years to the point of being very good. Being inside the island, there are no views to sea and no chance for beach dinners, except as a specialty from the small waterfront Barbecue Grill.

The restaurant, bar and reception all have the same decorative elements of pillars and ‘branches’ lashed together or wrapped around with thick coir rope. They are far from homely yet not grand either – an odd cross between nautical neatness and desert island style.

The seemingly haphazard layout of the island is partly explained by 4 separate room building periods: first 30 Beach Bungalows, then another 30, then another 20 and then, more recently, 20 Waterbungalows.

All the beach bungalows are essentially the same but some are distinctly better placed than others. Experience will tell you which ones are close to or behind others and which ones are more or less on their own. All of them are good rooms built in a pleasingly different circular shape. Nothing fancy, they are reasonably large, comfortable and in good order.

The waterbungalows are decorated to appear rather more rich and fancy. It is all a bit too green inside but they are unquestionably large, and the sizeable veranda on 3 sides has good privacy. Oddly there are no steps down to the water but one must walk to the sun deck at the end of the waterbungalow jetty for the ladder. Half the rooms face west and half east.

Velidhu is much better than its parts. There are design issues and the island isn’t the prettiest but people do really enjoy their holidays here. An upfront, committed staff, good food, good snorkeling and great diving, plus that intangible of other similar, friendly people, all at a good price, combine to make this a big success story.