We stayed at Lux* Maldives in the South Ari Atoll for the nights of 17 to 23 July 2015. We were upgraded to the Prestige Water Villas on the west side of the island. From the moment we arrived at the resort until the moment we left we felt like we were part of the family. The resort is lovely and has an atmosphere unique from other resorts at which I have stayed. Their focus on the guest experience is second to none. I understand why Lux* Maldives is such a popular resort.
With concepts such as ‘The Wishing Tree’ and the ‘Message in the Bottle’, guests are kept entertained throughout their vacation. Each night features an experience too, whether that’s a quiz night, karaoke night, bingo, marine biology discussion or a discussion of the stars that can be seen from the resort. What about the ‘design your own cocktail’ event – that was great fun. Have you ever tried a Maldivian Brain Freeze? That’s what we named our drink.
The resort itself is lovely, as you would expect from the Maldives. There are water villas on the west side of the island and now (as of July 2018) fully refurbished water villas on the east side of the island. There are many restaurants from which to choose (though when we visited we were restricted to two – Senses and Aleggria – due to ongoing renovations). How about two swimming pools? Fancy a disco? Looking for a place for the kids? Try the kids’ play area. And don’t forget the spa, dive center and beach villas tucked away discretely throughout the island. But you don’t only come to the Maldives for that, you come for the crystal clear water and beautiful sunsets.
Lux* Maldives has the BEST house reef that I have experienced in the Maldives (this was my fourth trip), though the complimentary daily snorkeling trip visits a different reef. I highly recommend doing either the turtle hunting trip or the whale hunting trip. We did the turtle hunting trip, but instead of seeing turtles we were lucky to spot a whale shark – what a treat. Make sure you make a specific effort to dive the house reef where they do the turtle hunting – you will not be disappointed.
The food was really good too. Breakfast featured an extensive buffet – who would have thought that papaya, blue cheese and salmon would be such a good combination? That became my staple diet for the week. Dinners were experiences too. Twice in Senses and twice in Aleggria. For our first dinner at Aleggria we were kindly offered a table on the beach with a heart carved from the sand. That was nice, such a thoughtful gesture and a lovely memory. The Maldivian buffet on Tuesday nights is excellent, as is the entertainment that goes along with it.
Our water villa at Lux* Maldives was lovely with views right across the ocean – make sure to choose a sunset facing room for some amazing views. We were lucky to spot a stingray twice from our deck. The housekeeper surprised us each day with animals made from towels – what a talent – and a bubble bath one day on our return from the beach.
Lux* is the only resort in the Maldives resort to brew its own coffee. We were lucky to be offered a coffee making demonstration at the roaster in the reception area. What a fascinating process. Also, just for fun or for your latest Instagram post, make sure to make a complimentary call home from the red ‘phone box near the reception.
There are so many wonderful photo’s that we took on our vacation – well over 2,500 between four cameras / ‘phones – that I had a hard time selecting just a few for upload to Two Passports Packed.
You will have an amazing vacation at Lux* Maldives – I cannot recommend the resort and the staff highly enough. Each and every person at Lux* contributed to our vacation in a unique way.
I look forward to returning soon now that the renovations that were underway when we visited are now complete. Those one-bedroom temptation pool water villas look amazing from the photo’s I have seen on the Internet.
It’s hard not to leave Lux* Maldives with a small tear in your eye and a lump in your throat. The staff became friends in just a short space of time. I look forward to staying in touch with them, which I have done since leaving the island, and paying a return visit one day soon.
Our video from Lux* Maldives, showing a cart ride from east to west, may be viewed on our YouTube channel here.
Book your accommodation at Lux* Maldives by clicking here. Otherwise consider one of the accommodation options in The Maldives by clicking in the box below with booking.com or with Agoda here.
Booking.com(Visited July 2015)