LUX* South Ari Atoll

We spent 11 nights as a family (all adults) in this Resort and we will come back. We had a beach Bungalow next to the Italian Restaurant - from our point of view the perfect location although families with small children may prefer the laguna side of the Island as there are no waves. The food was excellent and there is enough variety. We also booked the all inclusive package and were very happy with the wines. It is a very relaxing experience not to have to worry about final restaurant bills.

We visited LUX Maldives after having a great experience with the LUX chain in Belle Mare in Mauritius, this was main reason why booked. The service at LUX Mauritius was top class so we thought this would be the same in the Maldives but unfortunately it was not. I don't want to go too much into the details as the manager did rectify our bad experience on our last day so credit goes it him as there was a catalogue of mishaps and bad service during our stay. The resort itself is amazing with even the cheapest rooms having a beach view and close beach access. We had a Beach Villa which was excellent, the cleaner was friendly, attentive, and very thorough, he made sure everything was above and beyond always. This Island itself is quite big and the resort offers a golf cart shuttle service to ferry people to and fro. Much has been said about this service but we found it quite good with shuttles coming and going every 5-10 mins. Facilities on the Island are good but.... as it was off peak many of the facilities looked closed and not for use. Staff on the resort really should have made an effort to make everything look open and inviting. For example the sofa's outside Beach Rouge were rarely made up ready for use putting a lot of people off to use them. The Restaurants: MIXE - This is the buffet restaurant that caters for all tastes and where breakfast is served. Breakfast at this is place is 'ok' and at times organised chaos especially around the obligatory omelette makers. I found the selection limited and a tad poor if I am honest. SENSES - This is the resort's Indian restaurant and I cant recommend this enough. The food in here is top notch and the service is also very good. The Senses Bar opposite is also very nice it boasts an relaxed atmosphere and the lunch menu is very good. Well done to Ibby and his staff! Allegria - This is the Italian eatery on the resort, again one of our favourites. The food here is 5* star Al La Carte. Shamoom and Rithesh provided excellent service. Its a shame Shankar the manager didn't train at the same place as them as he completely ruined of our evenings with his incompetence. Beach Rouge - The menu here is Gastro and does not change from lunch to dinner which is a real shame given where it is on the resort. The food and service here is good, we only ate here once so can't comment any more. - Its good for pre drinks before dinner. Lagoon Bar - This is situated on the beach area near reception emulating a surf shack set up. The food here is pub grub chips/burgers etc.. perfect for an afternoon drink and bite to eat. Staff here are also good and attentive - well done Ali! Veli Bar - This offers nice Oritental food next to the pool. The food and service here was also good. If you eat here make sure you protect yourself against mosquitos you will get eaten alive due to the open water. East Bar - Unable to comment as it was closed due a power issue. This brings me nicely onto my biggest disappointment of the whole resort and something that needs to be fixed straight away. So you will see that the resort 'boasts' about the number of restaurants however... during the off peak period they are NOT all open at the same time meaning you are limited for choices and you really have to plan your evening dinners for your stay which is a right pain. You have to call or visit the 'Celebration Desk' to book. I advise you to book early to avoid disappointment. This clearly needs to be explained on the website as you can stay in another resort which smaller choice of restaurants for considerably less money! If you are thinking of going all inclusive then please be aware there are some food and drink items which are not included as part of your package. Overall the resort is beautiful, power white sand clear warm water but as I said at the start of the review service here is way behind what we experienced at LUX Belle Mare which is a real shame. Hope this has been useful PS take plenty of mosquito repellent you will need it!

The LUX brand is something quite special - the manage to stand out from the crowd with their lighter, brighter branding - not everyone on holiday wants to go all out in terms of food, alcohol etc and may actually want to stay healthy and keep with a vegan lifestyle (or dairy / gluten free) - LUX really caters to this! The home brewed coffee and ice cream shop are really special and a clear trademark. Island is gorg, long, so you can actually move your legs as you walk from one end to the other, and find nice little surprises along the way (freshly cut up coconut anyone) ? Rooms were good and amenities fine - water still and sparkling provided in room.