An Amazing Holiday in the Maldives – LUX* South Ari Atoll

I really don’t know where to start writing this blog post, and to be quite honest it’s a difficult post to write, as I am reflecting back on what was probably the best holiday of my life… I’m not sure that we will be able to beat this one lol.

Given that Dan and I are expecting a baby in August we realised that it was probably now or never in terms of being able to jet off to the Maldives.  We decided to take the chance while we had it and booked a 4 day trip.  The Maldives is just a four hour flight from us here in Abu Dhabi, which makes it pretty reasonable for a short break.

The resort which we choose was LUX* South Ari Atoll, which is on the island of Dhidhoofinolhu and is a 20 minute seaplane ride from the main island of Male, which we flew directly to from Abu Dhabi.

When we arrived at Male International Airport there was a LUX* staff member waiting in arrivals for us, and he took us to the LUX* lounge where we would wait for the seaplane to take us to the island.  The waiting lounge was like a little beach hut that was set up in the style of the main hotel and was kitted out with delicious snacks and drinks and comfy sofas to wait on. We would have happily spent a couple of hours waiting here as it was so pretty and relaxing, but within about 5 minutes of arriving there we were informed that the seaplane was ready to take us to the resort as soon as we wanted as on that particular morning it was just Dan and I who would be on the seaplane! The pilot even made a joke that it was a private jet for us lol, so we weren’t complaining. We got on the plane and there were the 2 pilots, another staff member to carry the bags and then me and Dan lol lol.

The sea plane really doesn’t fly that high, and the view of all of the tiny islands below peeking out of the turquoise sea was pretty spectacular and an experience we will never forget!  It’s incredibly sad to think that one day these beautiful little islands might completely disappear under the ocean due to global warming and melting icebergs and glaciers. The highest point in the country is just 2m above sea level!!

After about 20 minutes we arrived at our resort where we were greeted by staff with cold towels at the end of the jetty where we got off the seaplane.  We then made our way to the main reception to check in.  From the minute we arrived I knew that I was going to love the resort.  The open plan reception area was decorated exactly to my taste.  It was bright and airy and felt so calming and relaxing.  During our check in the staff brought us some homemade lemonade to try.  It was delicious, refreshing and was presented in little glass bottles with cute handmade labels.

As we had arrived to the resort earlier than expected our room was not quite ready so we were asked if we would like to go for breakfast, after which our room would be ready.  As we had taken an overnight flight to get there we were more than ready for breakfast at this point.  The island is quite big so a little buggy picked us up to take us to breakfast at ‘Mixe’, which is their international buffet restaurant set up on the beach under thatched roofs.  It was soooo cute! The selection of food was amazing with everything from eggs to fresh fruit and overnight oats to choose from.  The resort even produce their own preserves and almond butter which they serve up in little glass jars with lids, and there was even a machine where you could make your very own fresh peanut butter at the press of a button!

Once we were finished at breakfast the buggy picked us up to take us to our villa, giving us a tour of the island en route and pointing out all of the best bits :).

The island has 193 private villas dotted for two miles along the water’s edge.  We choose to stay in one of the pool water villas which was suspended on stilts over the water and had its own private pool.  Again the interior and aesthetic of the villa was really gorgeous.  It was really bright and spacious and had a very beach house feel.  They also give us a gorgeous LUX* branded beach bag and flip flops to use during our stay and to take home which was a lovely touch.  I love hotels that do stuff like this.

Outside we had a terrace with a huge swinging seat and an infinity pool that looked out onto the ocean for as far as we could see.  We had direct access to the turquoise lagoon from our terrace too if we fancied a dip in the sea instead of the pool.  We really were pinching ourselves as we had never stayed anywhere quite like this before.  It really was paradise and we knew at this stage that 4 days was just not going to be long enough!!

We spent a couple of hours getting settled in making use of the villa pool before heading out to explore the rest of the island.

Pool Areas

The resort had two pool areas, Veli Bar which was more of a family pool area and Senses which was more of an adults pool area.  Both of them had their own pool bars and restaurants too.  There were also cute little water stations set up at the pool that had flavoured water with fresh fruit for guests to drink throughout the day.  It’s always the little extra things like this that I remember and that make one resort stand out from another.  I really appreciate little details.

Swings and Hammocks

I know that this is a common feature of resorts in the Maldives but everywhere you looked you could find a swing, a hammock, a love nest, a cabana or giant beanbag to chill out on.  Some of these were on the sand and others were right out in the middle of the ocean.  Some of the bars and restaurants also had nets suspended above the water that you could lie on while you enjoyed a cocktail (or a mocktail in my case lol).  It really was bliss and the entire island encouraged a sense of calm and relaxation.  The beauty of it was that because the island was quite big you could easily find areas of the beach where there would literally be nobody but yourself and you could chill out in a swing or a hammock all day long without people queing up behind you to get a go lol.

At one point we even came across a random, giant wooden window frame in the middle of the ocean.  It sounds strange but it was such a pretty sight.  I can tell you that this definitely was not as easy to get up on as it looks!! lol

The Staff

I really must mention that the staff were so unbelievably lovely.  I know that good staff are expected in a resort like this but I’ve never experienced anything like the staff at LUX* South Ari Atoll.  They were so friendly and you could tell that they genuinely loved their work and just wanted you to have the best time.  One of the buggy drivers spotted Dan and I taking pictures of each other on a swing one afternoon and he pulled over and asked if we wanted him to take a photo of us together.  HOW NICE!!! He literally spent about 15 minutes with us snapping away like he was born to do it lol.

Another guy that took us to breakfast one morning stopped his little buggy so that he could pick me a flower to put in my hair.  ADORABLE!! Again, it’s the little things that make places like this memorable.

 Ice Cream Parlour

LUX* have their very own ice cream brand, ICI, and it is available for guests to enjoy all day long.  This is a seriously impressive ice cream parlour that is set up on the beach in its very own cute little hut decorated in colourful bunting.  The ice cream is absolutely delicious and there were so many unique flavours to choose from.  It was proper creamy gelato! Totally yummy!! On top of the traditional ice cream options there was also a selection of vegan ice creams, sorbets and ice lollies.  After being served your ice cream you could also help yourself to your choice of toppings and flavourings. Needless to say we had a few visits to the ice cream shop.  All inclusive ice cream is dangerous! lol

Cafe LUX*

Just like their ice cream, LUX* have created their very own coffee using an island blend, exclusively made for Cafe LUX*.  They roast the beans on site next to the cafe in the reception area and guests are welcome to go and experience the process.  They even have a latte art class which I would have loved to attend, but unfortunately we missed it.

Their speciality coffee is a frappe LUX*, which is an iced coffee blended with a scoop of Madagascan vanilla from their very own ice cream shop of course.  These are seriously delicious on a hot day, and hard to resist since you pass by the coffee shop on your way to the beach or pool :).

Coconut Hut

Buried amongst the lush greenery and tall palm trees along the route to the beach is a little coconut hut where you can stop by for some fresh coconut any time of the day.  There were little hidden gems all over the island and something different to discover with every stretch of the resort :).

LUX* Spa

As it happened to be Mother’s Day on one of the days that we were on holiday, Dan surprised me with a ‘Mother-to-be’ present which was a pregnancy massage at the resort’s spa.  I knew that the spa here would be amazing as the week before we arrived it featured in Vogue Arabia as an award winning spa that should go to the top of your beauty bucket list.  Needless to say that when I found out that I was going to have a massage there I was verrrrrryyyyy excited!!

The spa itself was absolutely beautiful!!!! Again they use all of their own gorgeous facial and body oils that have been formulated by leading Aromatherapist Shirley Page, using delicate blends of essential oils.  All of their products are available to purchase also and the spa shop was heavenly.  I could have spent all day there.

When I arrived there I was greeted with a cold cloth, a ginger and lemon shot and a spritz of the LUX* orange blossom facial mist which felt and smelt divine!

I was then brought through to pre treatment area where there was an outdoor bath to relax before (or after) the massage if you wanted to.  As expected the massage was amazing and the post treatment relaxation area was the perfect way to end this lovely experience.  It was set up overlooking the ocean and the spa treatment rooms.  I got here just as the sun was setting and it was complete and utter bliss.  I could have stayed there all evening but I didn’t think that would be fair on Dan lol, although he was content lying on a net above the water by one of the bars overlooking the lagoon and the fish below :).

Dan’s Birthday Dinner

It also happened to be Dan’s birthday while we were in the Maldives so I had booked a table for dinner in the resort’s popular restaurant, Allegria, which is an Italian inspired restaurant.  The staff had set us up a gorgeous candle-lit table on the beach which had a big decorative floral arrangement.  The food was so delicious and after dinner they also brought a birthday cake to Dan which was so, so cute.  Again the staff were so lovely and asked if we would like them to take our photo.  Neither Dan or I really like having our photo taken but we felt like we shouldn’t refuse the offer lol.

Make A Wish Tree

In the middle of the island there is a big tree called the ‘Make a Wish Tree’.  On a Monday and Thursday you get a chance to write a wish or a hope on a satin ribbon and attach it to the Make a Wish Tree between 10 – 11am.  I’ve never seen anything like this before (and I’m not usually into this sort of thing) but I thought it was such a lovely idea and a really uplifting way to end a holiday :).

So those are some of the highlights of our trip to the Maldives.  We spent our 4 days wandering between the pools, the beach, the LUX* Cafe and ice cream parlour and all of the other little pit stops in between.  I’m very aware that this is an extremely positive blog post and it all sounds too good to be true, and that is exactly how it felt.  It didn’t feel like real life and when I think back to it I question if it ever actually happened lol.

I feel like I need to find one thing about the trip that wasn’t utter perfection to make myself feel like this isn’t a completely one sided blog post lol and that one thing is this; even though the sand was perfectly white and the sea was crystal clear for the majority of the time, at certain points of the day, lots of sea grass would wash up along the beach and staff would have to rake it up and in some areas the sand was difficult to walk on because of coral rubble.  I know that those are very poor complaints but that is honestly as bad as it got.

This trip was a major bucket list item for us and it was everything we expected and more! I know that we will remember it forever :).