Lux South Ari Atoll Resort

We stayed at Lux South Ari for our 10yr wedding anniversary. Incredibly hard to choose Maldivian hotels given how many there are. We were with our 5yr old daughter so didn’t want somewhere purely for adults but this holiday was for us! We review in different categories ; 1. Resort - incl rooms beach Food and Drinks Service Extra activities / entertainment RESORT INCL ROOMS: a comfortable 30-40min seaplane ride from Male - a ride you shouldn’t be put off by but compare with a taxi / transfer to your resort anyway! The resort is big enough that they electric shuttles running up and down the island. Whilst we didn’t think we needed this, walking from one side to the other is actually far (esp with little legs tagging along!). The resort has two sides - one side with much choppier waters (where the romantic pool villas are) however much wider / deeper beach before the water’s edge. Perfect for little ones and parents to keep an eye. We were fortunate to try most rooms and have a clear view below. - The romantic pool villa we stayed in was incredibly spacious for a family of 3. His and hers sinks, showers indoor and outdoor and an outdoor bath - including the pool we mentioned above. We loved it! Does it feel like plush/refined interiors you would find at Waldorf / Four Seasons - no, however hugely functional and very comfortable! It’s a yes from us. We stayed in the Romantic pool villas too on the other side. Wonderful pools and steps straight into the sea. However much smaller than the beach villas but less sand being walked into your room (if, like me, you detest the sand 🤣). The rooms are more compact but closer to the pier / sand bank and East market restaurant and the bar. We stayed in the Temptation Pool villas too and let’s say 10/10! More modern, two sections in the open plan unit (making it feel two bedrooms without cutting it off), MASSIVE pool and small little single bed / space for little people if you require - giving them their own room. Water Villas (no pool) we didn’t stay in but they are at the other side of the island and slightly newer refurbishments of the lot (excl the Temptation Villa!). This end is far quieter as you don’t hear or see any / many sea planes at all. The other beach villas (no pool) are on the quieter side of the sea / island meaning the water is pretty much always calm but there is less stretches of sand vs the other. However still ample sand to feel like you have a beach! With the shuttles the team are funny and entertaining- especially Mofizul. Would go out of his way to explain the resort, restaurants / activities for the day and week whilst taking you on your journey. Our daughter loved him and her experience was made always hoping for him to collect us! BEACH: we feel this requires its own rating as it’s simply breathtaking! Stretches of white powdery sand and an insane sand bank you can walk across most days (especially mornings!). On the one side as mentioned above, the water is crystal clear, very few waves and perfect for snorkelling / swimming most times of the day! The other side can get quite choppy so not for the weaker swimmers! Reef sharks can be seen as well as many fish around the coral / reef. The beach is big enough for those that fear they will feel trapped on a tiny island - unless yoy go hiking, you will probably walk more than you do on a normal other resort anyway! FOOD & DRINK: now this is where the levels are HIGH. A huge variety of restaurants, eateries and bars as you would see from their site! Asian, pan Asian, Indian, Italian, Japanese and also Maldivian / blend of cuisines. We absolutely LOVED the food! East Market - pan Asian breakfast during the mornings and the evenings serving your usual dumplings / soups / stir fries. Insanely good and pretty much like a la carte as they cook a lot fresh as you order / select. They also have some more mainstream dishes (meats / potatoes etc) to cater for the more mainstream eaters. Puddings are unlike most resort pudding where normally all cakes / mousses are gelatinous and just different colours! These are all hand made including their own jams and confectioneries. We cannot praise the food more! Chef Pong from Thailand was FANTASTIC and made our daughter fresh pad Thai every evening we ate there - she got accustomed to eating their steamed dumplings for breakfast too!!! Mixe was the International cuisine but catered to the Indian influence too - dosas, roti’s, dhaal, curries - we met an Indian family from Mumbai who praised the quality of the food as if it was made by his mum! They also had more traditional Italian pastas / meats / salads etc. This is more of a sandy beach affair so less for heels and smart dresses. Beach Rouge (A La Carte)- from the outset looks a bit beach cafe-esque as per the name, however the food was FANTASTIC! A toss up in our family for being the best (we cannot decide). Think the seafoods - fresh tunas, prawns, crabs, as well as Italian influence risottos, pizzas, pastas, vegetables and wonderful salads like watermelon and feta! The team there go out of their way to ensure you have what you want and will make it fresh. Special shout out to Zobair- the waiter there. Wonderful man, incredible service and so kind to the children! Remembered our favourite orders better than we did and worked wonderfully with the team to mix up the menu! Chef Kelum made us a special seafood dish on our last day there - THANK YOU TO THE WHOLE TEAM!!! Veli Bar at the Veli pool (largest pool) had a great menu too but we ate there less as we often wanted a change of pool scenery! Arun at the Veli bar itself and poolside service was FANTASTIC! Always present but never in your face. Remarkable can do attitude and very very kind soul. This man deserves all the accolades!!! Daminda the Assistant Food and Beverage manager was always present, visible and leading from the front. We travel far and wide and see many managers ordering staff round however he leads in a different way and from example. Often checking in on guests, taking orders, offering drinks and making sure time is never left between sitting down and being seen. A kind, kind but super efficient employee and clearly makes such a difference to the overall operation. Thank you!! SERVICE: so whilst I have mentioned much of service above, this island must clearly look after their people. No one single person we met was difficult, ineffective or lazy. A very happy, proactive, efficient bunch - from the gardeners to housekeepers to bar men and reception staff and everyone else in between. It clearly requires an army and this is a very well oiled machine! Every single staff member says hello! We got to interact more with Neesham who had an impeccable manner and outstanding level of customer service. So well done to John and the team for recruiting well, training well and upholding the standards. We think Service probably topped off the entire experience for us! We met many families who had been 4/5/6 times and continue to return and we truly understand why. We never like to visit the same place twice however Lux South Ari is up there! ACTIVITIES: whilst we don’t book hotels based on activities they offer, there was enough. We spend most of our time swimming in the sea or the pool anyway. Kids club had activities on but better suited to the younger kids. Baking, Zumba, arts and crafts etc. some like Baking and Pizza making were chargeable whereas the others weren’t. They had beach cinema nights, bingo nights etc. We took the dolphin trip excursion which was $90 each. Boat was fine but for that price our daughter got to see wild dolphins so we loved that! Other activities like whale shark diving are for 8+ and of course chargeable. We enjoyed it so much that we have now recommended 3 people to go! And they have! 1 is there as we speak!