LUX* South Ari Atoll Resort & Villas

I have dreamt of coming to LUX South Ari Atoll for about 5 years. We visited for 14 nights at the end of September through to October. It was not raining as all guidance suggests. It just rained twice in 2 weeks for about 10 minutes! I would definitely go again at this time. We arrived via sea plane to be greeted by a line of staff waving us in. Immediately this makes you feel welcome, you are given your own concierge, we had Vi-vian who totally looked after everything we needed and was available on Whatsapp throughout our stay and even finds you on resort to check that you are ok. Vi-vian was fantastic. The weather was 30 degrees constantly, the sun super strong, do not underestimate this and bring plenty of high factor sun cream and be careful! It was hot. The WIFI all over the island is very good. Everyone gets around the island either by riding bikes or in buggys, these are very welcome as it is very hot to walk around. I must mention Sercat the buggy driver, We called his buggy the 'happy bus' because he is always happy, talking to everyone, an absolutely brilliant guy and a huge asset to LUX. We stayed in a Romantic overwater villa, with it's own plunge pool, steps down to the sea (slippery though, even though there was a warning sign, I slipped and had a large bruise throughout the holiday! Be careful) and everything you could ever need, the mini bar was filled daily with a good selection. Mode was our housekeeper and was very attentive and always checked if we needed anything. There are plenty of bars and restaurants to look after you. The food in every single restaurant was amazing. We spent a lot of time in the East Bar where Aladin and Audy became our friends for 2 weeks. These 2 guys work so hard and were a welcoming friendly face after a hard day on holiday. A huge thank you to these 2. The East Market Buffet was incredible where we ate most breakfasts and the occasional dinner. Mai that was front of house was very kind and always made us feel welcome. The chefs cook everything fresh for you and are very happy to do this. There are so many staff here to name, but a HUGE thank you to all. We also spent a lot of time in the Lagoon bar which was close to the smaller beach and the watersports. The staff that work there work as a brilliant team. Saju always happy, helpful and friendly, Mohamed, Ahmed and Harris all so good and they all work well together, Again, these guys felt like our friends and we thank them. The watersports available and trips are out of this world. We decided to try scuba diving and then an ocean dive off a boat that day. Jaey from the diving school taught us in the lagoon the basics of diving which was very thorough and he was so patient. I really thought I would not get the whole breathing thing, but with great coaching and patience Jaey got me to do it. I will never forget this. In the afternoon, I was still a bit nervous and Zam held my hand and totally looked after me under the sea and I can say that it was just unreal, if you have never been diving before and want to try it out and/or go for your PADI, these guys are the business. We went to the hotel reef on a snorkeling trip which was good, the most amazing experience though was snorkeling with Whale Sharks. It was unforgettable and a MUST do. With regards to COVID 19, we felt really safe, knowing that everyone is PCR tested prior to flying and then when we arrived at the LUX seaplane lounge, we were all tested again. All of the staff wear masks all day in the resort even the staff sweeping the seagrass off of the beach which must be very uncomfortable in 30 degrees. It was great not to have to wear masks on holiday. In reception there is a fabulous Barista called Zareer, his coffees are absolutely beautiful, you can even watch sessions where they roast, grind and mix the coffee, the beautiful smell wafts across the island. The Senses restaurant is an Indian style restaurant where you can dine on the beach in the evening, Banda was a great host in the senses bar and Pintu was very kind and thoughtful. There is Veli beach bar where Khan and Zahir looked after us, if you go there for lunch, you must try the Tai Prawns! A must do.... Go to the dock by reception at night and look at the fish, sharks and hopefully the Manta will put in an appearance, it is really fascinating. There is too much to put in this review, but just to say, it was a true dream come true, I actually shed a tear when we left as it was the most incredible place. When we arrived at Male the LUX team took care of everything for us right through to security, this extra step made the departure easy, seamless and I thank them so much for this attentiveness, as this may have been rather stressful without their assistance. LUX- this was a magical holiday and thank you for making it perfect. This place runs like a well oiled machine, all of your staff work so hard and there are hundreds of people behind the scenes that make it happen, A HUGE THANKYOU TO EVERYONE AT LUX SOUTH ARI ATOLL X

Holy moley, I can't recommend Lux South Ari Atoll enough! It really is just like the pictures, no Photoshop needed. I joked that I was on my own Fantasy Island. Definitely worth the 26 hours of travel from the States. The staff takes excellent care of you, from landing at the airport and guiding you through the process of getting on the seaplane (our wait was only about 20 minutes), through showing you through all the restaurants and photo spots on the island, to ensuring you know exactly what's happening every day. They even walk you through to your flight in the airport when you leave! It was phenomenal service. Inthi took care of us throughout our week-long stay and provided us with everything we needed, practically before we knew we needed it. He even sent us a text when there were reef sharks and a manta at the arrival jetty so we could go see them. Even the staff that drives the mini-vans that shuttle you from one end of the island to another were friendly and helpful, making the stay feel so enjoyable and memorable. (Hi, Mafiesel and Shakwat!) Oh, and the bartender at the East Market Bar! I forgot his name, but he's a great bartender -- funny and knowledgable. In particular, I wanted to point out the wonderful service of Razan. As we were checking in for our flight in Chicago, the airline was not letting my friend board because her name wasn't on the reservation information that I had. We called Lux (at 3am Maldives time!) and Razan answered the phone. Within 15 minutes, he sent an email to us confirming her stay at Lux and we were able to board the plane so we could experience our Maldives vacation! Without his help we never would have made it. We were able to thank him in person, and we were all a little teary-eyed. The food and drinks were phenomenal! Everything was delicious. If you can, get to the Maldives night at Mixe for local cuisine and a music/dance show. And don't miss the Lux Lemonade for a refreshing non-alcoholic drink. I would recommend Lux to anyone who needs a break from reality. It's luxury from beginning to end with a staff that makes you feel like a treasured friend. I can't wait to return. Thank you to all the staff for an unforgettable vacation!

We spent 15 nights at LUX* South Ari Atoll and didn't regret our choice for one single minute. If you are looking for a peaceful, relaxing, but also entertaining place in the Maldives, this is the place to go. There is a great amount of things to do, such as snorkeling, diving, other water sport activities, SPA, yoga, fitness center, tennis court and so on. The island is quite "big", so you will always find new spots to discover and we didn't get bored at all. Positive things: - huge variety of food and drinks (6 restaurants for dinner, but 2 of them are not included in the all inclusive meal plan, you pay extra if you want to eat there) - additionally several bars for lunch - outstanding service - fun entertainment program (bingo night, quiz night, movie night, white party, DJ,...) - special food opportunities throughout the week (burger shack, Maldivian night, fish market,...) - cleanliness of the island - great eco-friendly thinking (f.e. hardly any plastic, solar panels, electric shuttle busses,...) - smooth transfer to and from the resort Negative things: - the room service was the only thing that was not outstanding in our opinion. Our room was clean all the time, but they didn't empty the bins every day and left old towels hanging plus didn't always bring new ones. A special thank belongs to the amazing dive-crew: Rabie, Zam, Jaey and Hanna. You made us feel perfectly save under water. Also their boat crew is amazing. If you like diving, this is the place to go! We saw sooo many things, such as Whale sharks, tons of reef sharks, Eagle Rays, Mantas, Sting rays, turtles,... Furthermore we would also like to thank the following people for their outstanding service: Zahir, Deloware, Mai, Hassan, Shawkat, Vivian and the whole lagoon bar team Saju, Mohamed and Haris. We miss you all dearly! So all in all, we can highly recommend LUX* South Ari Atoll and hope to come back one day (maybe if we get picked in the Tree of Wishes lottery :-))!