LUX* South Ari Atoll, Maldives

LUX* South Ari Atoll has been through a number of incarnations: formerly LUX* Maldives, Diva Maldives, before that White Sands, and some of us remember the humble Ari Beach. It is now a modern, stylish, hip and trendy resort offering a wide range of dining options, plenty of activities and thoughtful touches synonymous with the excellent Mauritian LUX* brand.


It's an unusual island shape - a strip of land 1800m long but only 100m wide - which means that there is plenty of space for facilities, without the resort feeling in any way cramped or over-developed. There are 5 fabulous restaurants to choose from, including a Japanese, relaxed pools and bars, a top class spa, and excellent kids and teens clubs.

On top of the normal meal plans, LUX* offers one of the better All-Inclusive deals for this class of resort in the Maldives, with varied dining, a good range of wines and drinks. Menus in all the bars and restaurants are clearly marked with which drinks and dishes are available as part of your meal plan, and which come at an additional cost.

The only real criticism we can really level is that the snorkelling directly off the beach is not that great. However, frequent and flexible Dhoni trips can take you to the best spots, so unless you 'must' have a house reef yards from the shoreline then LUX* pretty much ticks all the boxes...

The island of Dhidhoofinolhu is one of the biggest in the Maldives, only a short 25 minute seaplane flight away from the capital Male. The island boasts four kilometres of silvery white beaches stretching out to the sparkling turquoise waters of the natural lagoon.

The resort's extensive facilities include a 5-Star PADI Dive Centre, two tennis courts, a Technogym Fitness Centre, two swimming pools and the LUX* Me Spa. The kids' and teens' clubs offer many activities and games to entertain younger guests.

Dining and refreshments are provided by the island's many restaurants and three bars, including a Japanese restaurant and an in-house café LUX* Café providing signature coffees.