LUX* South Ari Atoll Resort & Villas

You come here for a resort stay built around the water, with 193 open-plan rooms set among tropical greenery and the sea close at hand. LUX* South Ari Atoll is the sort of place where you can make the day as active or as idle as you like: snorkelling and water sports when you have the energy, a pool or the spa when you do not.

English is spoken by the hotel team, alongside French, German, Russian, Arabic and Chinese. That matters when you are discussing transfers, meals or the small practical details that tend to become surprisingly important once you are tired, sun-warmed and operating on island time.

The accommodation ranges from beach pavilions and villas to lagoon and water villas, with family options as well as more private choices for couples. Direct access to the beach or lagoon keeps the setting firmly tied to the sea, while air conditioning, a fan, a minibar and a coffee machine make the room useful rather than merely photogenic.

The resort is in Maamigili, Maldives, in the South Ari Atoll. It sits on the beachfront with a private beach area, outdoor seating, a terrace and garden spaces, so the geography is refreshingly uncomplicated: sand, lagoon and rooms arranged around them.

Villa International Airport is about 6 miles away. The journey from Velana International Airport is by seaplane and takes roughly 25 to 35 minutes, followed by the usual transfer-terminal wait rather than a drive through a town. The seaplane lounge is available on arrival while you wait for boarding.

If you want to see what lies beyond the resort, Dhigurah North West Beach is about 2 miles away, Vakarufalhi Maldives Beach about 5 miles, and Hermits restaurant about 3 miles. These are isolated island locations, not a strip of cafés and shops outside the gate, so plan on using the resort's own dining and activities for most of your stay.

The room choice comes down first to how close you want to be to sand or lagoon. A Beach Pavilion or Beach Villa suits you if stepping straight towards the beach matters more than having a private pool. The Water Villa keeps the lagoon under your nose, while the Romantic Pool Water Villa and Beach Pool Villa add a private pool to the couple-focused setup.

For families, the Family Lagoon Pavilion and Two Bedroom Family Beach Pavilion give you a more workable arrangement than trying to squeeze everyone into a single romantic hideaway. The LUX* Villa is the grandest option in the collection, while the family villas are the practical answer when space and separation matter more than theatrical overwater living.

Rooms use chic beach-house furnishings with outdoor seating, a flat-screen television, chaise lounges, air conditioning and a ceiling fan. You also have a minibar and coffee machine, which is exactly the sort of modest equipment that earns its keep when you return hot, salty and in need of cold water before conversation. Room service and breakfast in the room are available, and Wi-Fi is free throughout the resort.

You have eight restaurants to work through, so dinner need not become a daily negotiation between the same two menus. MIXE handles global cuisine from breakfast through dinner on a sand floor, while ALLEGRIA takes an Italian and Mediterranean route with an open kitchen where you can watch the cooking rather than simply trust the description.

EAST MARKET serves South-East Asian food over the water, with the lively, hot and fried character of an Asian night market. UMAMI concentrates on Japanese cooking, flavours and textures. SENSES sits beside the infinity pool and combines food with colourful cocktails and a sea-facing position. Breakfast covers continental, American and buffet choices.

There are five bars, including the beachside LAGOON BAR, BEACH ROUGE beach club, the coffee-focused CAFÉ LUX* and VELI BAR with its water views. A snack bar, minibar, special-diet menus and vegetarian and vegan choices keep the gaps between meals manageable. The resort also runs themed dinner nights, and room service is there when the idea of dressing for dinner loses the argument.

The LUX* ME Spa is the obvious place to send tired legs and a sun-baked back. Treatments include massages, facials, body scrubs, mud baths, body wraps, a steam room, sauna and jacuzzi, with a relaxation area and foot bath for the slower part of the process. Sun loungers, beach chairs and umbrellas make the less ambitious option perfectly workable too.

For movement that does not involve a wetsuit, you have a fitness centre, fitness classes, yoga and meditation facing the sea. Tennis, cycling, badminton, table tennis, billiards and darts give you several ways to stay occupied without turning the afternoon into a compulsory boot camp. The games room is useful when the weather turns or when your idea of sport is aiming carefully at a dartboard.

On the water, the resort offers snorkelling, canoeing, paddleboarding, kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, jet skiing, fishing and boat excursions, with equipment available for hire. Evenings bring live music or performances, film nights, broadcast sports, temporary art galleries and other entertainment. Families have a kids' club for children aged 3 to 11, plus children's play areas and family accommodation.

Arrival is by seaplane from Velana International Airport, with the transfer arranged through the seaplane operator in connection with your international flight. The flight operates during daylight hours, between 06:00 and 16:00, and the resort needs your flight details at least four days before arrival to secure the seats. Allow time at the seaplane terminal: the lounge wait is approximately two hours, and the onward transfer is not a taxi you can simply hail when you land.

Check-in starts at 14:00 and check-out is by 11:00. Early check-in and late check-out are available on request, while private and express check-in and check-out, a 24-hour front desk, lockers, concierge service and a tour desk cover the practical edges of the stay.

Wi-Fi is free throughout the resort, and you can use room service, packed lunches, laundry, ironing and a business centre. Cash is not accepted, children of any age are welcome, and extra beds for teenagers are available on request, subject to the selected accommodation and availability. There are no cots, and pets are not allowed.