The turtles are everywhere. They’re on the beach, stone figures huddled together and looking out to the ocean as one big family ready to storm like it’s Normandy. They’re on the walls, black and white framed pictures lit from above with a spotlight that shines like a halo. They’re even in the name of this island: “velaa” is turtle in the Maldivian language of Dhivehi.

Located on the remote Noonu Atoll in the northern region of the Maldives, Velaa (or Velaa Private Island, to give it its full title) is one of 71 islands in the district. It promises visitors a home away from home, if home was a secluded bolthole in the Indian Ocean that can only be reached by seaplane.

For some, it actually is. Czech financier Mr Jiří Šmejc and his wife, Ms Radka Šmejc, felt that something was missing from their frequent trips to the resorts of the Maldives and so set about to create their own vision of paradise. There are a lot of islands and resorts in the Maldives, but Mr Šmejc wanted to create the most exclusive and luxurious of them all. Built over three years, the result is a total of 47 villas, including 18 that are right on the water, four beachfront four-bedroom residences and a romantic villa for two that is reached only by boat. From honeymooners to families and large parties, there is seemingly a villa for everyone.

Before it became a private paradise, Velaa was a rice and chilli farm. Great care has been taken to retain the essence of the island – a small hut by the entrance still has the bed, baby cot and cooking utensils used by the farmers during their stay on the land. Architect Mr Petr Kolář has also designed each villa in the local manner, “traditional Maldivian architecture meets modern design”, he says. Balancing luxury with sustainability, Velaa has a team of marine biologists on site who help to preserve the coral reefs via their restoration project – coral fragments are propagated in a seabed nursery for about 10 months before being transferred to the reef, where they grow to house various marine creatures. While MR PORTER was on the island, the team “transplanted” the 4,000th piece of coral from the nursery to the reef. Also, every evening, a group of stingrays drifts to the beach for their daily feeding, a tradition on the island since before the resort opened.

Velaa’s restaurant, Tavaru, is designed in the shape of a cocoon, its 37ft ivory structure towering above the palm trees. It also houses a three-floor wine cellar, which holds the largest collection of burgundy wines in the Maldives. In the rooftop restaurant, chef Joe entertains and performs tricks while serving teppanyaki-style dishes of oysters, Maldivian lobster, Barbary duck, grilled lamb and hibachi squid.

To work all that off, try the water sports centre, which offers windsurfing, paddle boarding and parasailing. Back on dry land, there’s a tennis court, a climbing wall, beach volleyball, oh, and a golf course. Alternatively, you could head to the spa – set just above sea level – where you can watch parrotfish in the ocean below while getting a massage.

Just like the generations of sea turtles that flock to the island year after year to nest and hatch, it’s the kind of place you want to go back to.

velaaprivateisland.com