Lux Maldives - paradise found
Private Lounge - when we arrived at Male we were greeted by the hotel rep who took our cases and guided us to the shuttle bus to the sea planes. We were dropped off prior to the main building at the hotels private lounge which was a nice touch. Cold towels, drinks and snacks available and the chance to refreshen up before your sea plane transfer.
Accommodation - Upon arrival we were greeted by the staff and this was where their amazing hospitality started! After a quick chat in reception we were guided straight to our water villa which was simply stunning. Comfy bed, great shower, bath robes and lush toiletries.. flat screen TV, large terrace with two sunbeds, table and chairs plus outdoor shower and total privacy from next door. Beautiful! Our room boy was extremely attentive and couldnt do enough for us. Each day he would stop by for a quick chat but this never distracted him from doing an amazing job, he really looked after us.
Food - there is a good selection on the island with 5 main restaurants to choose from. Staying in the water villas meant East was our nearest restaurant and hosted a fabulous breakfast every day! We are early birds so had breakfast around 8am each day which was fabulous - nice and quiet with amazing views of the Ocean. Dinner at East provided a good selection of authentic Thai and Asian cuisine in buffet style. Noo was the "family" choice for the buffet but we avoided this as we found it a bit more like a canteen than a restaurant. Senses a la carte provided sensational curry dishes and Allegria again provided good quality a la carte Italian food. Every night was different and the sevice was generally excellent. On the night of our anniversary the hotel arranged a special treat of a private dinner on the beach which we hadnt asked for and did not have to pay a suppliment - this was a wonderful gesture and we had the most amazing night dining under the stars.
To Do - Ok so there isnt a house reef as such however around the water villas there is a good selection of small corals with some decent fish viewing for those who dont want to venture into deeper water. The daily snorkelling trips (either morning or afternoon) were a must for those seeking amazing marine life - no charge for these trips and worth the daily visit. We also paid $80pp for the half day whale shark safari and were not dissapointed. We swam with 2 of these amazing creatures and the staff were especialy careful when briefing everyone on what to do and not to do with these creatures which is more than can be said for other "tourist" boat trips which just tipped up and jumped in on top of us without a care for us or the whale shark! Very annoying!!! Back on the island there is daily shark/stingray feeding plus cooking classes, sunset yoga, tennis and much more. For the kids there is a decent kids club and kids pool but we stayed well away from that! There are a few gift shops but as expected for the Maldives they were incredibly expensive. One of the nice touches was the "phone home phone box" where for two minutes off peak you could call home free of charge. A lovely idea! We didnt use the nightclub so cannot comment on that!
Spa - I visted the spa for three treatments during my 10 day stay and although it was a lovely experience it didnt compare wsith Banyan Tree or Medhufushi. In my opinion this is one area they could improve upon.
All inclusive - I have to say this is the best AI resort I have been to anywhere in the world! We are not huge drinkers however the choice and selection available on the AI plan was fabulous -not just your usual cheap non branded "house" drinks. The wine list was extensive and we were introduced to some wonderful new wines which we are still drinking upon our return to the UK. The cocktail menu was so varied we had a different drink after dinner every night in one of the choices of three bars on the island!
Ok - so the island is huge (compared to others in the Maldives) and to walk round it will take your around two hours or you can use the complimentary bikes to get around. But this kind of added to its appeal as you didnt feel you were on an island with 100's of other guests and it gave you something different to do each day. While we were there the resort was undergoing its re-brand to LUX (we stayed while it was Diva) so it would be interesting to return and see what changes have been made.
Recommendations - there is only one main change we would make and that would be to get rid of the tacky awful entertainment that rotates round the bars each night. This girly duo looked and sounded awful and we actually planned our cocktails around where they were NOT performing! It cheapened the experience and we found it totally un-necessary for this type of holiday.
We would definitely return to the island and recommend this to anyone who is seeking luxury accommodation, excellent service, amazing food and breath-taking Maldivian beauty. I have added some "informative" photos of the island rather than just generic beach shots to help potential guests choose this great resort. I hope you have enjoyed this review!