LUX South Ari Atoll — Hotel in South Ari Atoll

Amazing resort all around!!! We stayed here for our honeymoon for two full weeks. We stayed the middle two weeks of July and from my understanding that is rainy season/off peak season. Well, we lucked out because it only rained two of the fourteen days we were there. And given that it was off peak season, the resort wasn’t crowded and we had our pick at whatever beach chairs we wanted, whatever restaurant we wanted, and we had lot of face time with the staff and their undivided attention.||I’ll start by saying we chose the all- inclusive option and ate at all of the restaurants/bars including those that weren’t fully all inclusive. We also participated in a few special dinners that were add-ons. ||Everything was amazing - the views, the rooms, the service, the food, and the staff. The views are absolutely stunning. Every morning we would see clear blue skies and every night we would see beautiful colorful sunsets. I took so many pictures of the sunsets. The water was so clear and there was so much sea life to see. Just while swimming off the shore of the Lagoon Bar, we saw a small shark, a manta, a sea turtle, and so many different fish. The rooms were spectacular. We stayed one week in the romantic beach pool villa and one week in the romantic pool water villa. The beach pool villa had so much space and was perfectly situated in the middle of the island with easy access to either side of the island. The water villa allowed us to have direct access to the ocean and was along the pier with access to two restaurants and a bar. The rooms were very clean and modern. The service was absolutely amazing. All of the staff went above and beyond to make sure we were having an unforgettable time on our honeymoon. They set up cute designs of coffee beans and sprinkles on our dinner tables to commemorate our honeymoon. They would bring us our favorite drinks to our pool chairs without us even asking. One staff member gave us a tour of the gardens and explained the different fruits and vegetables they were growing. The chefs were so hospitable and explained to us foods from around the world and made us different dishes to try out. One of the cleaning staff asked us if there was anything more he could do - truly a demonstration of willing to go above and beyond. All of the staff would say hello as we were walking back and forth on the island and were so friendly. By the end of our two-week stay, we had made friends with so many members of the staff. The food was absolutely incredible. We chose the all-inclusive option. While we’ve never stayed at an inclusive resort before and we have high expectations of food, we can say Lux far exceeded our expectations. The food was incredible. We ate at every restaurant and every bar, varying for lunch and dinner. All of the ingredients were fresh and there was so much flavor. My favorite restaurant was Senses and my favorite bar was Veli. We loved how all of the drinks were different at each bar/restaurant. The staff did an amazing job coordinating all of the various activities/events. Every few days there was bingo night or trivia night at Senses, which was so much fun. We won a dinner at a private table off to the side of East Market surrounded by the water. The staff also organized a Full Moon Dinner at the end of the island past Senses. This was absolutely my favorite night of the trip. The end of the island was set up with tables, lanterns in the sand, and lights and decorations. There was a musician singing and playing guitar throughout the night. There were maybe six or eight tables throughout the area - so it was very exclusive and private. We watched the ocean and the full moon as dinner was served to us and listened to the musician. The staff also organized a Maldivian night. It was so much fun! There was music and dancing and traditional Maldivian food. All of the guests got a Maldivian skirt to wear to the event. The last night of our stay, the staff had a seafood night at Mixe. It was fantastic. We got to pick out our fish we wanted to eat and watched them grill it. Everything was so fresh and delicious. ||We spent most of our days going from breakfast at either Mixe or East Market, to the beach at the Lagoon Bar or to the pool either at Veli or Senses, having lunch at either Veli, Senses, Beach Rouge, or Lagoon Bar, to walking around the island.||It was very humid when we were there but it didn’t matter because it was truly an amazing resort all around. ||This was truly an unforgettable trip and honeymoon all because of Lux...

Our 5 night stay was excellent; this resort runs like a well oiled machine with very friendly staff.

Arrival: Upon exit of the Male airport, each resort has a representative waiting with a sign. We were the first off the plane so the Lux representative wasn’t standing there yet, but another resort’s guide led us to the Lux kiosk. From there, we walked about 30 meters to the Trans Maldivian Airways desk where the Lux representative helped us weigh our luggage and get tickets for our sea plane flight. Our luggage was loaded on a truck and we were bussed to the sea plane terminal. Lux no longer has its own lounge but the terminal is comfortable and clean and Lux pays for your snacks and beverages. After an hour wait, we were led downstairs for a short safety video and then to the plane where our luggage was already waiting. The sea plane flight was about 30 minutes with great views of other resorts and islands. Upon arrival at Lux, you are assigned a representative that will assist you during your entire stay via WhatsApp and you settle up with any charges you have not yet paid. We arrived before our room was ready so they give you access to a locker and changing area so you can go to the pool, beach, or bar while you wait. They even give you a pair of flip flops! As of August 2022, neither the Maldives nor the resort require prof of vaccination or a Covid test.

Room: We stayed in a romantic pool water villa. It was the perfect size for 2 people with a king sized bed. The toilet and showers were separated by the main area with doors and there is a spacious closet area to keep your belongings. The air conditioning was comfortable. We had the all inclusive package so the mini bar was included at no additional charge (snacks, juices, sodas, 4 beers, 350ml bottles of red wine, white wine, vodka and gin) and is refilled daily. Ample water bottles were also provided daily. The private pool and outdoor seating were really relaxing. The room could not have been better.

Food: We opted for the all inclusive package. Based on the pricing at the restaurants and bars that was definitely the right choice. Except for the buffets at East Market and Mixe, you need to make reservations each night through WhatsApp. There are limited reservations so it is advised to make reservations early. The buffet dinners were our least favorite and should be avoided if possible. The food at Senses and Bar Rouge was very good. Breakfast is always a buffet and was pretty good. Lunches do not require reservations and each restaurant has a different menu. The drinks list was identical at every restaurant and bar. We found the mixed drinks to be on the sweet side and a little boring, but you have a full bar to drink whatever you want plus a decent wine list.

Excursions: We were able to do the whale shark and manga ray excursions. Be sure to book those as soon as possible since they book up. The whale shark trip starts with 30 minutes of transit and an educational portion. We had really good luck and saw a whale shark almost immediately. Our boat and about 8 other boats were all just searching and as soon as a whale shark is found the boats converge and everyone jumps in. It is quite chaotic and might not be comfortable for people that are new to snorkeling or uncomfortable in the water. After we saw the whale shark a few times, we headed back to the resort. I wouldn’t have minded some time to freely snorkel but the trip was focused on the sharks. The manta ray trip was similar but the trip out to the site was shorter and there were less boats competing for position. The trips were well worth it. Tip: The shop where you get snorkels and flippers does not open until 08:30 so if you are on an earlier trip you should get them the day before.

Departure: On our last day we got a message with the time our luggage would be picked up and when we needed to be in the lobby for departure. The 30 minute flight back to the Male airport was equally nice and upon arrival we were bussed back to the international terminal and our luggage arrived a few...

Pros: Cleaning staff was kind and very considerate. Absolutely LOVED Ameen. Umami was delicious and had many vegetarian friendly options. The staff was also extremely hospitable The resort was very kid friendly. With great activities, menus, scavenger hunt etc.

FYI: Turns out a majority of the bottles are for smaller items. One couple found two bottles, both had a bottle of Rosé as the prize. We found a bottle and the reward was a bottle of red wine. This is less than ideal if you have the all-inclusive package and alcohol is already included. In our case, nobody in our family drinks, so they were kind enough to swap our bottle for two pizzas. They even gave us an additional shark stuffed toy for our little girl. She’s been carrying it around and singing the baby shark song ever since!

Cons:

We landed at Lux resort via seaplane around 5pm on Monday. There were 5 people in our party and we had two rooms. The rooms assigned were half mile away from each other and required either a long walk or we had to wait for shuttles that ran once every 15 mins or so. This was quite inconvenient considering it was raining throughout our stay and we have a 1.5 year old who had to frequently be carried between rooms. The staff said they would get back to us regarding closer rooms even if a room became available part way through our stay. Despite regular following up on our part - nobody got back to us- recurring theme (keep reading).

By the end of day two, 4/5 members of our party were sick (diarrhea and vomiting). My 1.5 year old threw up 6 times in 2 hours and had 5 dirty diapers. By the end, she didn’t even have water left to throw up. My father-in-law (FIL) was in the same boat and both needed medical attention. During this time period the only food consumed was either consumed within the premises of a food establishment within the resort and/or all in villa dining was consumed within 30 mins of receiving the food.

On the flip side, the doctor was excellent. His advice aligned with both our pediatrician and my bff who is also a pediatrician. He was even kind enough to take our call at 4 am.

Little bit of background: my MIL, my husband, and I are all American but have darker skin tones. My FIL however, is American and Caucasian.

Throughout our stay, we had interesting experiences where we would ask for something and receive either a negative response or no response at all. But when my FIL asked for the same thing, the option we were denied would magically become available.

For example, despite having our itinerary for 2 months, the resort booked us on a 3pm sea plane but had us down for an 11 am checkout. Having no place to go for 4 hours would have been very difficult with a sick 1.5 year old. We were not given our seaplane and check out schedule until the night before our departure at 10pm! We followed up multiple times to request late check out from one of the two rooms so our sick daughter had a place to rest. However, we were repeatedly told that either this was not possible or we were promised a call back (after checking with the manager)- which we never received. Finally, my FIL made the same request which they happily agreed to- literally within seconds!

Moreover after my husband, daughter, I took our sea plane transfer and arrived in the Lux lounge, the lounge attendant politely informed us that we need to be patrons/ have prebooked the lounge to use it. I couldn’t help but notice that we were both the only individuals questioned and the only individuals of color in the lounge... weird right? We were informed that despite having our itinerary for 2 months we were the only patrons who had not been accounted for for both lounge use and transfer from the seaplane airport to the international airport...

I’m not comfortable revisiting this brand of resorts again. Wish I had stuck with Intercontinental where I am a platinum ambassador or Matriott Bonvoy where I also have points. Tried Lux once, was...