OBLU NATURE Helengeli by SENTIDO

Maldives, Indian Ocean

Virgin rating

The hotel

Newly refurbished in 2023, the OBLU NATURE Helengeli by SENTIDO welcomes back its guests with a delightful vibrant look and feel… Renowned for its quality and service, the OBLU NATURE Helengeli by SENTIDO brings with it enticing and refreshing interiors and design and a new island resort concept. You will benefit from the latest in hotel luxuries alongside the timeless treats a Maldivian island guarantees. Treats like diving at the 5-star PADI dive centre, snorkelling in crystal waters, relaxing by a choice of swimming pools (including an adults-only pool in a secluded area of the island) and strolling on sugar white sands that have barely seen a footprint. In a quiet spot on the less-developed northeast rim of the atoll, OBLU NATURE Helengeli by SENTIDO has an exotic and unique house reef, home to pelagic fish, just metres from its shoreline, so it’s a good job the use of snorkelling gear’s included in your All-Inclusive plan, not to mention one a la carte dining experience at Just Grill or Raga Route for every 4 night stay, both if staying 8 nights and selected excursions and activities. Best of all... It's only 50 minutes away from the airport on a complimentary speedboat transfer.

Amenities

  • Scuba Diving
  • Snorkelling
  • Kids Club
  • Bar
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Internet Access
  • Restaurant
  • Room Service
  • Safety Deposit Box
  • Spa
  • Swimming Pool
  • Beachfront location

Where is it

On the quiet northeast rim of the North Malé Atoll, with renowned diving just offshore. Transfer time from Malé International Airport: 50 minutes complimentary speedboat transfer, operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Hotel information

152 villas and suites. All with air-conditioning, outdoor veranda, ceiling fan, open-air bathroom, sun loungers, flat-screen TV with cable channels, iPod docking stations, WiFi*, kettle, safe and hairdryer. 


Deluxe Beach Villas are elegant and comfortable villas offering direct access to the beach and the lagoon beyond. Chic interiors feature fresh, vibrant colours and cosy furnishings with pleasant fabrics in tropical shades and prints. Together with a relaxing aura – these deluxe beach villas in Maldives offer comfortable interiors and a classic Maldivian touch. Deluxe Beach Villas have 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 3 adults.

All-Inclusive of: The Oblu Island Plan™ includes buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner at the main restaurant, The Spice. One dining experience at Just Grill specialty restaurant or Raga Route based on a minimum 4 night stay, or two meals (one at Just Grill and one at Raga Route) based on a 8 night stay, or three meals (one at Just Grill, one at Raga Route and one meal at Just Grill OR Raga Route) based on a 14 nights stay and above. Selection of unlimited soft beverages, beers and wines at The Spice during meal times. A selection of unlimited signature cocktails, mocktails, beer, soft beverages, and spirits at Raa Bandhi Bar along with Bar Gratis. A selection of paired wines, beers and soft beverages with tea and coffee at Specialty dining experiences; Just Grill and Raga Route. In-villa mini-bar replenished once daily with two beer cans and four non-alcoholic carbonated drinks, and 0.5ml bottled mineral water. One complimentary sunset fishing and one complimentary local island excursion per person during stay. Complimentary speedboat transfers are included within the price shown. One complimentary Traditional line fishing per guest per stay. One complimentary Sunset Local Dhoni ride per guest per stay. Complimentary use of snorkelling equipment and use of non-motorised water sports equipment.

Please note: All-Inclusive will cease at 11:00am on your day of departure.

Lagoon Villa with Pool are larger still, with over-sized plunge pool, direct lagoon access and sunset views from king bedroom, sleeping maximum 3 adults.

Beach Suites with Pool, have it's own 20 sq m swimming pool, spacious outdoor area, 1 master king bedroom and 1 twin bedroom, sleeping maximum 4 adults.

Deluxe Beach Villas with Pool are elegant and comfortable villas offering direct access to the beach and the lagoon beyond. Chic interiors feature fresh, vibrant colours and cosy furnishings with pleasant fabrics in tropical shades and prints. Together with a relaxing aura – these deluxe beach villas in Maldives offer comfortable interiors and a swimming pool to relax.

Lagoon Villas with Pool offer spectacular sunset views, these exclusive villas are built half on land and the deck opens into the serene turquoise lagoon with the pool overlooking the ocean.

Sunrise Water Villa with Pool are cosy, colourful and newly built overwater villas offering individual sundecks with direct access to the Ocean and a pool to enjoy endless Ocean views.

Sunset Water Villa with Pool rooms are cosy, colourful and newly built overwater villas offering individual sundecks with direct access to the Ocean and a pool to enjoy the beauty of Maldivian Sunsets.

Two Bedroom Family Rooms with Pool are spacious with colourful amenities, two bathrooms and ample outdoor area with swimming pool and direct access to the beach.

The Spice restaurant (live cooking stations and buffets; open for breakfast, lunch and dinner). Just Grill* (à la carte, seafood and meats; open for dinner), Raa Bandhi Bar (adjacent to pool, with weekly theme nights and evening entertainment). Raga Route (newly created, restaurant serving progressive Indian cuisine).

2 swimming pools (1 adults-only). Spa*. Poolside gym. 5-star PADI dive centre. Snorkelling. Recreational facilities, including volleyball, badminton, pool table, darts and board games. Fitness and wellness activities*, such as sunrise yoga and aqua aerobics.

Complimentary WiFi available.

* Denotes local charge. 

Please note: to ensure our customer's safety, we are unable to offer over water accommodation to children under the age of 12.

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (2832)
  • Very good (297)
  • Average (55)
  • Poor (14)
  • Terrible (9)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Totally chilled

Nov 1, 2024 Fenella L

We stayed for 10 nights in the October half term and had a 2 bed Family Villa with Pool. The travel agent had proposed this and another resort and it was the private pool that swung me. We had a wonderfully relaxed time. Room - pretty good. Spacious, the pool was kept spotless and got lots of use (and was a good size at 16 sq m). I loved being… Read more
We stayed for 10 nights in the October half term and had a 2 bed Family Villa with Pool. The travel agent had proposed this and another resort and it was the private pool that swung me. We had a wonderfully relaxed time. Room - pretty good. Spacious, the pool was kept spotless and got lots of use (and was a good size at 16 sq m). I loved being able to walk out on the beach first thing, and sit on sun lounger late at night reading a book. I quite like the open air bathrooms but my teenager did not, so she ended up using "our" bathroom which was more enclosed. If I'm honest I prefer the approach most other resorts take which is to enclose the bathroom and have a door out to the shower. The family villas are on the sunrise side of the island, so you have sun from morning till mid afternoon, at which point you can decamp to the main pool for a drink and snacks. Wifi was fine, no device limit and seemed to have plenty of capacity. Life vests are supplied for snorkeling, plus several umbrellas by the door. Food - good. Not a lot to differentiate lunch and dinner - each had a mix of European, Asian, several Indian curries and a couple of Maldivian dishes plus the live stations, but always something new to try. Do look in the back "cool" section for small appetisers like seared tuna, or spicy chicken salad which were always excellent. Several days there was great sashimi for lunch, and the night satay sticks were the live option was awesome. Most days there were also excellent french fries at lunch (I know, not very Maldivian but good chips are good chips). We enjoyed Raga Route best of the two specialty restaurants, fabulous flavours. Drinks - variable. If you got Sameer on bar duty, all good. Otherwise a bit hit and miss. The Island Plan is reasonably comprehensive but I ran up quite a bill on chocolate milkshakes (homework bribes). Atmosphere - totally relaxed. All the paths are covered in sand so you can go about barefoot all day if you want. The bar was always humming in the evenings (although maybe more so when the duo WASN'T playing), and had a nice vibe. Also helped that there was lots of cricket on the big screen TV... Beach and reef - EXCELLENT. Love that you pick up snorkel gear day 1 and keep hold of it rather than having to grab it each time. If you were toying with buying a GoPro, this might be your excuse. We hired one from watersports for the day and got some great shots. The snorkeling route off the sunset pier up to the beach/Bar area is great - loads of different fish, plus sharks and turtles. The route is marked out with buoys which sit just by "the drop" of the atoll. It's amazing to look out from the shallow water to the sudden deep blue. Our side of the island was only red-flagged on one day when the wind was whipping up the water a bit much, else it's a lovely shallow expanse for exploring with some small coral outcrops. The sea temperature always surprised me - you could pretty much just walk in - none of that "ooo...ooo..." as you adjust! Boat trips there and back were fine, we waited not quite an hour and a half for the boat out. I didn't get a single insect bite which is quite something. Obviously the bats, geckos and lizards were doing their jobs and keeping the population down but other than ants and some big bees there was very little insect life in evidence. On our last night for dinner we were shown to a table made up with a "see you again soon" decoration - a sweet touch. My wish list: Tide times - could put the week's tides up in the bar. We tried to time our snorkel trips nearer high tide. More storage - the room had a wardrobe area with some hanging space and cubby holes but there was no storage in the second bedroom - my daughter used the spare bed as a "horizonal wardrobe" (sorry housekeeping!) Move the smokers - the seats on the sunset side of the bar have the ashtrays, but the prevailing wind means this comes through the bar. A few more quiet words with parents when their young children are running around the bar - I did see this happen once but there was a bit of amok-running. A Nespresso machine in the departure area - we had to be out of the room at 5am for a 5:45am boat - we were given a breakfast picnic box on the boat to the airport but I would have loved a coffee while we were waiting to get on board. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Beautiful island, disappointing services and facilities

Oct 31, 2024 638jenniferz

The Maldives sells itself - gorgeous. I chose this resort due to the great reviews about the house reef, which was beautiful. The people who work here are wonderful and really the stars of the show. But there are a number of reason I would not return unless some changes are made. I get it is a family resort, but that should not mean children… Read more
The Maldives sells itself - gorgeous. I chose this resort due to the great reviews about the house reef, which was beautiful. The people who work here are wonderful and really the stars of the show. But there are a number of reason I would not return unless some changes are made. I get it is a family resort, but that should not mean children are allowed to serve themselves unsupervised at the buffet, sticking their hands into everything. I saw children @6/7 years old, unaccompanied, standing on their tiptoes with grabbing food with their hands and worse. When I reported it, nothing was done - the lady at guest services even took my room number, but no one contacted me. There should be a rule to require parents to serve young children. On top of that, much of the food was not great and/or way to spicy. At one point, I thought pasta and marinara was a safe choice - nope, super hot. If you are going to serve local, Indian, Oriental, Italian and Mexican food, it should not all taste like the same spices were put in everything. The drinks were also awful; never had a Pina Colada before with basically no pineapple - well I have now. All the wine choices were very dry – no other options. I wound up not eating and drinking very much...of course, the heat did not help. Everything is "open air" - no air conditioning anywhere except my bedroom - even the bathroom is open air. This was super interesting during storms (of which there were many, unfortunately); the floor in the toilet room was flooded most of the trip. Not very safe, especially in the middle of the night. But worse was sweating while I attempted to eat – not fun. I have been to other resorts in this area – they all had A/C in dining areas. The bar is beautiful and I would not have minded the lack of A/C here, but all the good seats by the water had smokers. Apparently smoking was allowed just about everywhere and that really put a damper on being able to enjoy public areas. I’d move my seat to get away from a smoker and another one would sit right next to me….gross. The overwater villas were gorgeous; loved the pool for cooling off at night. But you cannot really access the main part of the house reef from the villa (sunset side), which is not what I was expecting. I had to walk over to the jetty and enter from there to see anything interesting. Had I known the reef around the villas was basically non-existent, I’d have stayed in a beachfront room for better access. On top of all that, I was told late checkout (which you pay for) was not available and my flight was after midnight on check out day. I had to leave the room by 12pm and catch the boat to the airport by 3pm. Wish there was an option to book a guaranteed late check out ahead of time. So, as I said, would not do this again unless things change. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Oblu Hellengeli = Maldivian experience with the best value for money

Oct 30, 2024 codaty Dubai, United Arab Emirates

We stayed in Hellengeli for 8 nights in October. We travelled with 2 teenagers so we booked 2 Sunset Water villas in Hellengeli. We have been travelling to the Maldives for the last 6 years so were aware of what we wanted from a Maldivian holiday. Our top priorities were to find a resort with good snorkeling & great food with reasonable "value for… Read more
We stayed in Hellengeli for 8 nights in October. We travelled with 2 teenagers so we booked 2 Sunset Water villas in Hellengeli. We have been travelling to the Maldives for the last 6 years so were aware of what we wanted from a Maldivian holiday. Our top priorities were to find a resort with good snorkeling & great food with reasonable "value for money" (since we had to book two Water villas). The summary of the review below is that Hellengeli checks all these boxes (and more)…and offers a phenomenal experience at very good value for money. With that in mind - the holiday at Hellengeli was one of the best we've had (compared to the other 5-star properties that we've stayed at previously). One of the main reasons is the staff/team in Hellengeli - the tone and culture for taking care of the guests starts with GM Aly and Executive chef Ajaya - this culture is imbibed by the entire staff. Very simply put - the staff treated us like guests in their own home and really pampered us (in particular, the chefs in the restaurants, the warm friendly and welcoming servers in the restaurants and the bar staff)! GM Aly is a thorough professional who understands his guests and addresses their needs swiftly - he addressed an issue for us with poise and swiftness. Chef Ajaya is often there in Spice, overseeing the food, speaking to guests and making sure everyone was having a good meal. He made sure that great food complemented the overall ambience of blue waters and marine life! Right from arriving at the resort after a slightly choppy boat ride (because of the weather), we were warmly greeted by the Front office staff (who are also the welcoming party). The check-in was a breeze since we had uploaded all information in the Oblu app. The villas were not ready so started our vacation at the bar and continued on to lunch at Spice restaurant. Here is a review on the various elements of the resort. Sunset Water Villas with a Pool: The villas are new and well-appointed with all modern amenities (though smaller than the water villas in the other 5-star properties that we stayed at). The pool is nice sized. However, the snorkeling from the back of the Water-villas is non-existent - this was the only disappointment of staying in Hellengeli. However, if you want to book a Water villa for privacy and/or insta-worthy pics, then it will check all those boxes. There were several guests that were happy to swim off the Water villa since the water is very calm. A big shout-out to Vishal and Rishfan who went out of their way to make sure that the rooms were comfortable for us! Rishfan gave us a special handmade frame with our pic as a souvenir to take home! Tip: Beach villas are a great option for families that want privacy and are closer to Sunset jetty and the restaurants. Food & Drinks: Restaurants - the main restaurant is buffet style with several "live counters". The menu/food was quite extensive and was honestly, the best compared to the other 5-star resorts that we had previously stayed at. The variety of cuisines - Asian, Indian, Italian, Continental and local dishes were deliciously flavored and presented. To put it simply - depending on what one craved, there was something that "hit the spot" and the chefs pampered us and accommodated special requests. We would like to thank chefs Binod, Ahsan, Sanu, Mohit and Ayan for going out of their way to not only remember how we liked our eggs at breakfast, to baking a hot pizza, to making fresh Naan or Pooris. The food hit the spot - especially after the snorkeling! Gulabjamun Cheesecake in Raga Raga Route is a must try! The pastry chef at Spice (who we never met!) is a master baker - the selection and quality of the desserts was fantastic to end any meal! At the table, we were greeted by friendly smiles from Chinmoy (only one who found out my name and always addressed me by my name!), Shubham (who saw my son's dejected face when his fav donuts were not available…and immediately brought over fresh donuts from inside the kitchen!), Romeo (who put together a couple of tables on the deck on our last night despite the lack of tables to seat us), Vishal (whose name tag reads Zel - ask him about his name!) and Rizki (who told us about her life in Maldives over dinner at Raga Route restaurant)! Serving staff at the bar - a very friendly Haikal who always brought us our drinks with a smile, Noved who had plenty of stories to tell from his experiences, and Anjali who always appeared when we needed her. Bartenders: A huge shoutout to Sameer, Prabin and Dulan behind the bar. Sameer saved us a bottle of Prosecco when he realized there was only 1 bottle left in stock. Dulan and Prabin made killer drinks! Alcoholic Drinks: The Liquor selection is limited but good enough! This includes the selection of white. Non-Alcoholic drinks: Unfortunately, the selection here was very limited but the bar staff were helpful in making a couple of mocktails for the kids. Request Hellengeli team to add at least 1 fresh juice to the selection. Snorkeling: The house reef is incredible to snorkel in. We swam with lots of fish of all sizes, reef sharks, eels, octopus and managed to spot and swim with turtles on a couple of occasions! Tip: (plagiarized from another review - since we followed this tip): When the current is going in the right direction, then head off from the sunset jetty; this will carry you along to either the first post or the second post and is a great way of seeing the edge of the reef and where you will see a lot of wonderful marine life. If it's windy, go to the island's other side and head off from the jetty on that side. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Girls trip in paradise !

Oct 29, 2024 Nathalie M

We were a group of 7 friends taking a special trip for one of us 50th birthday. We chose Oblu since it was not too far from Male, was all inclusive, had lovely reviews and had its own reef. A Oblu rep was waiting for us at the airport and stayed with us until we boarded the boat for a one hour trip to the island. We were greeted by the team. It… Read more
We were a group of 7 friends taking a special trip for one of us 50th birthday. We chose Oblu since it was not too far from Male, was all inclusive, had lovely reviews and had its own reef. A Oblu rep was waiting for us at the airport and stayed with us until we boarded the boat for a one hour trip to the island. We were greeted by the team. It was early morning so they had prepared one villa out of the 3 so we could change. We went straight for breakfast and then to the villa to change and went to enjoy the pool and sea. The rest of the week was spent snorkelling, sunbathing, eating, spa, cooking session etc... The resort is beautiful, the staff is so friendly, always ready to help with a smile. The buffet got better and better each day. I would have liked a bit more cheese choices, some greek yoghurts.. but all in all everyone found something they enjoyed. Snorkeling was amazing. I recommend starting from the pier and then just letting yourself glide over the reef by the current towards the restaurant area. We saw sharks, turtles and thousands of multi coloured fish. Just beautiful. We had a balinese massage at the spa. Probably one of the best I ever had and I have had a lot. Definitely recommend it. We also enjoyed a cooking session at the Grill restaurant with 2 chefs. We cooked Maldivian food, mostly curies with shrimps, fish.. then we enjoyed eating for lunch. it was delicious. We also enjoyed a special diner at the Grill which was of high quality in a beautiful surrounding. The villa was a lagoon villa with pool. The highlight being the outside bathroom which was as big as the bedroom. Great amenities, nice big towels, 2 sinks. loved it. The bedroom had a king size bed and a single bed. There was a balcony with a plunge pool and steps to the sea. I had to work a few hours a day and loved sitting on the outside bed, watching the different blue colours of the sea. We also were gifted a photo shoot with a free photo which will make a nice souvenir. Staff was outstanding. From our housekeeping staff which was always smiling and accommodating, to the waiters which were so friendly. We met the general manager Amal and his executive staff. Thanks Salam for accommodating our departure time so we didn't have to wait too long in Male ! The return boat trip was a bit choppy but we made it and all 7 of us agreed we would love to come back. A special mention to the sustainability effort they make on the island. Thanks Oblu Helengeli and your lovely team for making our holiday very special. Nathalie Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Magical Maldives

Oct 26, 2024 Passenger41875836160

Excellent resort, fantastic snorkeling, great rooms. Super chill atmosphere that was good for couples and families. The adult only pool was spectacular. We had a beach room which was fantastic.The all inclusive buffet meals were average, breakfast was the best. The two restaurants were much better, however they were often full. ( You get one… Read more
Excellent resort, fantastic snorkeling, great rooms. Super chill atmosphere that was good for couples and families. The adult only pool was spectacular. We had a beach room which was fantastic.The all inclusive buffet meals were average, breakfast was the best. The two restaurants were much better, however they were often full. ( You get one restaurant meal included in the package) Read less