Based on 7,820 reviews
Rated Travellers' Choice on TripAdvisor
It was a fantastic experience here. Especially the staff in East Market gave us so much happiness. Thank you Anu, Jumaan, Michael, Pong, Easter so much. They smile all the time to welcome us. They even set us a wonderful table. They all gave us a wonderful experience! The food in East Market is the best among all the restaurants!!!
Fantastic place to stay and forget about the world. Great for families as well as for couples. Everyone can find a place to enjoy the dream. Amazing service and great food made our stay even more memorable. Insider tip: Beach villas are amazing.
We went to this resort for our honeymoon and stayed in the water pavilions with the pool — it was unbelievably amazing! The views, the food, the staff were incredible. The staff remembered our drink and food orders and our names, making us feel so special. We did a couples massage in the water bungalows — one of the best massages ever. We also loved seeing sharks, sting rays and sea turtles every single day. Definitely our favourite vacation ever!
We absolutely love this resort. It is our third time travelling to LUX* and it never disappoints. The weather for July was great. The food is exceptional, as is the service. Special shout out to Aru in the Lagoon Bar and Allegria — so friendly and always ensured we had what we needed. Also Khan in Mixe and Veli Bar — he always remembers us and makes us feel very welcome.
Little or nothing to snorkel off the beach. Some islands in this band run a free boat to a reef — the note below says whether this one does.
The lagoon is sand, beautiful for swimming and close to empty for snorkelling, with dead coral in front of the water villas. What you get instead is a free guided boat to the reef twice a day, about ten minutes out, where turtles and mantas are common. The one good spot you can reach yourself is by the seaplane jetty, where they have planted coral and reef sharks come in behind the boats. Book this island for the whale sharks, which South Ari has year-round, not for snorkelling off your steps.
Land at Velana after 15:00 and the last transfer of the day will have gone, which means a night in Malé before you reach the island.
Shared seaplane, daylight only. Land at Velana in the evening and you spend a night in Malé first, so send us your flights and we will check the connection before you book.
Transfer details last checked August 2026. We re-check yours against your actual ticket before we quote. See what your flight can reach →
LUX* South Ari Atoll has a really easygoing, playful feel to it. What stood out for us was the sheer space—the beautiful turquoise lagoon, long stretches of white sand and a wonderfully lush, coconut-filled island....
Read the visit note →Three animals and three sets of days govern your stay here. The whale shark boat goes Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The manta quest goes Sunday and Wednesday. The turtle trip goes Monday and Friday. You can see all three in one week, but only if your week is the right shape, and every trip on this island needs four guests before it departs. The second thing that shapes your stay is unusual: our four-night package is a split stay, two nights on the beach and two over the water, so you change villa halfway through.
A shared seaplane, around thirty minutes, sometimes with stops. It is daylight only with a 15:00 cut-off at Velana, and the last departure from the resort is mid-afternoon too. Land at Velana in the evening and you spend a night in Male before you ever see the island, so send us your flights and we will check the connection before you book rather than after.
Do these three things when you land.
Little to snorkel from the beach. The reef here is a boat trip.
The lagoon is sand. It is beautiful for swimming and close to empty for snorkelling, and the coral in front of the water villas is dead. What you get instead is a free guided boat to the reef twice a day, about ten minutes out, where turtles and mantas are common. The one good spot you can reach under your own steam is by the seaplane jetty, where they have planted coral and reef sharks come in behind the boats.
Two afternoon trips and both are worth knowing. The Sand Bank Picnic runs Sunday and Thursday, 10:00 to 15:00, USD 200 a head, all ages, an island-made castaway lunch on a remote sandbank. Dhangethi Shopping goes Monday and Wednesday at 14:00 for USD 90, a genuine local island rather than a resort one, and you must cover shoulders and knees out of respect. Beyond that there is more water sport here than almost anywhere in the country and a PADI dive centre with around fifty sites reachable by dhoni. Shore dives are not available and boat fees are payable on the island.
Four evening options before dinner. The Sunset Cruise sails Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 17:30 for USD 35 an adult and USD 18 a child, with soft drinks, and at roughly USD 45 on your folio it is the best value thing on this island by a wide margin. Sunset Fishing goes Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday at 17:30 for USD 95. Morning people get the Dolphin Cruise at 07:00 on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, USD 90, with pastries and coffee aboard. Then dinner across eight restaurants and five bars. The package price carries half board; bed and breakfast, full board, all-inclusive and premium all-inclusive are all sold, and we grade the all-inclusive 4 out of 5. On a stay this length the meal-plan decision moves the total more than the villa does, so ask us to price both before you choose.
Seaplanes fly in daylight only in both directions, and the last departure from the island is mid-afternoon. A dawn flight home from here means a night in Male at the end as well as possibly at the start. Check both ends with us.
The excursions, chiefly, and on an island built around one animal they are not optional the way they are elsewhere. Every price above is quoted before 10 per cent service and 17 per cent GST, so the whale shark trip reaches you at about USD 154 a head and the sandbank picnic at about USD 257. Then diving, boat fees, the spa and anything outside your meal plan.
Anyone who wants to snorkel off their own steps, anyone travelling with children under eight who came for the water, and pregnant guests hoping to see a whale shark, who are not permitted on that boat. It also moves you between villas halfway through on the split-stay package, which most guests enjoy and some do not.
Tell us your flight times and we will check this against your actual dates.Ask on WhatsApp
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