LUX* South Ari Atoll

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LUX* South Ari Atoll | Maldives, Indian Ocean | Virgin Atlantic Holidays

Maldives, Indian Ocean

5 stars

This is island living at its most magical. At LUX* South Ari Atoll, every day brings a new surprise, from cinema screenings under the stars to pop-up music performances and handcrafted ice cream by the beach. The vibe is effortlessly relaxed, with just the right touch of playful luxury. Whether you're snorkelling in crystal-clear waters, diving with whale sharks, or simply soaking up the sun by one of the two pools with cocktail in hand, you'll feel completely at ease.

For wellness lovers, the Forbes-awarded LUX* Me Spa offers ocean-view yoga, overwater treatment villas and deeply restorative rituals.

Families are warmly welcomed too, with a creative kids’ club offering everything from cake decorating to gardening. And when it comes to dining, you’re spoilt for choice, with 8 restaurants and 5 bars serving everything from Asian street food and Italian classics to fresh, plant-based dishes with a tropical twist. Sustainability is woven into every detail, from solar energy to a plastic-free approach.

Amenities

Bicycle Rental
Kayaking
Scuba Diving
Snorkelling
Tennis
Windsurfing
Babysitting service
Kids Club
Families
Bar
Fitness Centre/Gym
Internet Access
Laundry Service
Restaurant
Room Service
Spa
Swimming Pool
Beachfront location

Explore the local area

On the island of Dhidhoofinolhu in the South Ari Atoll. Transfer time from Malé International Airport: 25 minutes by seaplane (remember to pack light for the seaplane transfer as luggage allowance is 20kg plus 5kg hand luggage, per person).

Hotel Information

Room Information
Room Upgrade Information

Choose between charming thatched-roof Beach Villas and Pavilions or elegant Overwater Villas, including 62 villas with a private pool. All accommodations are equipped with air-conditioning, a private terrace or balcony, satellite TV, telephone, complimentary WiFi, mini-bar*, tea/coffee-making facilities, safe, hairdryer, and iron and ironing board (on request).Beach Pavilions are interconnecting units located directly on the beach, each with a private outdoor terrace. Bedding configuration: 1 king-size bed plus rollaway bed, sleeping a maximum of 2 adults and 1 infant (in cot), 1 child, or 1 teen.Valid from 1 February 2026 to 31 January 2027

Bed & Breakfast: Includes buffet breakfast at MIXE and East Market restaurants.

Half board (dinner): Buffet Breakfast at MIXE and East Market. Dinner at MIXE, East Market, Beach Rouge, or Senses Umami and Allegria: USD 30 credit per adult, per dinner (food only)

Full Board (Lunch & Dinner): Buffet Breakfast at MIXE or East Market Lunch à la carte at Lagoon Bar, Veli Bar, Beach Rouge, and Senses Dinner at MIXE, East Market, Beach Rouge, and Senses Umami and Allegria: USD 30 credit per adult, per meal (food only) Beverages not included.

All Inclusive:Buffet Breakfast: at MIXE and East Market. Lunch: à la carte at Senses Restaurant, Veli Bar, Lagoon Bar and Beach Rouge/ Dinner: à la carte at Senses and Beach Rouge. Buffet: MIXE and East Market. Allegria and Umami are excluded from the All inclusive Package. A credit of USD 30 per adult per meal on food charges will be deducted in the invoice. A wide selection of beverages (soft drinks, tea, coffee, beers, wines, sparkling wine, or canned juices, water, cocktail and liquors) as per the scheduled opening hours of restaurants and bars. Complimentary coffee and pastry for adults and child during your stay. Choose from a variety of delicious ICI ice cream flavours during your stay.A credit of USD 30 per adult per day deductible on selected spa treatment (excluding package) at LUX* Me Spa. Mini bar included (replenished daily): water, juices, green tea, soft drinks, wines, vodka, gin, beers, sweet and savoury snacks.Daily use of snorkelling equipment, kayaks, pedal boats, stand up paddle boarding and scheduled snorkelling trips on house reef dependent on weather and tide conditions.

Please note: Meal plan inclusions are defined by the hotel and are subject to change at any time without notice.

Hotel details

Dining

8 restaurants; MIXE (feet-in-the-sand international buffet, open for breakfast and dinner), Allegria Restaurant (Mediterranean cuisine, open for dinner), Senses Restaurant (Middle Eastern and Indian ocean cuisine, open for lunch and dinner), East Market (over-the-water Asian market-inspired restaurant, open for European breakfasts and authentic Asian dinners), Umami (Japanese fusion, open for dinner), Beach Rouge (beach club and restaurant, open for all day dining), Cafe LUX* (freshly ground coffee served all day), Veli Pool Bar (all-day poolside drinks, open for lunch), Lagoon Bar (sociable beach bar, open for lunch), Senses Bar and Lounge (cocktails, drinks, teas, light lunches and evening snacks), East Bar (hip over-the-water hangout, open in the evenings). Ice cream once a day from the ICI tricycle.

Fun and Games

2 swimming pools. Spa*. Fitness centre. Complimentary snorkelling equipment, canoe, pedal boats, kayaks, snorkelling trips to the house reef. Water sports* including diving, tube rides, waterskiing, kite surfing, fishing, flyboarding and windsurfing. Whale shark safaris*. Access to volleyball court and tennis courts with complimentary rackets and balls (upon availability). Bicycles*. Beach yoga. PLAY kids club (3–11 years), Teens programme. Weekly activities cater to different age groups and include fun themes like gardening, cooking, swimming, yoga, storytelling, and more.

Young Guests' Paradise programme entitles children to a T-shirt, cap, and bag at the kids’ club, PLAY.A welcome ice cream will be served upon arrival.Complimentary baby amenities in the villa include a nappy bin, baby shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and moisturiser. You'll also find a child-sized bathrobe, slippers, a baby bathtub, a bottle warmer, a steriliser, a hooded towel, and a kid's laundry bag. Cinema Paradiso for kids on the beach, held twice a week.

Entertainment

Daily programme for adults and children including performances by local artists and themed evenings. Cinema Paradiso - open air movies on the beach.

Handy Stuff

Babysitting* (on request). Laundry service*. 24-hour room service*. Complimentary WiFi in public areas.

Minimum Stay

4 nights from the 31st December.

Additional Information

* Denotes local charge.

Please note: to ensure our customer's safety, we are unable to offer over water accommodation to children under the age of 12.

Trip advisor rating

4.9/5

7,547 reviews

Location
Sleep Quality
Rooms
Service
Value
Cleanliness

Excellent

93%

Very Good

Average

Poor

Terrible

“Beautiful property”

Feb 11, 2026jim s

The island is beautiful and easy to get around to all parts despite being large. The staff is fantastic; very well train to personalize your experience here. We had a split stay: 3 nights each in Romantic Beach Pool Villa (#250) and Romantic Water Pool Villa (#141). Both where wonderful, but if returning would opt for the Romantic Beach Pool Villa (very well worth the extra expense). The pool had a table with umbrella and bench inside the pool which was unique and we used every day. Also they deck at beach villa was more sheltered (deck on water villa had little shelter - sun and wind intense at times. The Beach Villa also had 2 sinks, 2 walking closets, indoor and outdoor shower and outdoor tub. The water villa only had indoor shower (which was plenty), one sink and one closet (also plenty, but beach villa better). An advantage of a split stay was being close to two separate groups of restaurants. Our beach pool villa was super close to Mixe, Beach Rouge, Veli Bar, and ICI. The Water Villa was close to East Market, Unami, Allegra, and Caf? Lux. Our water villa location was particularly convenient since close to the main jetty so much shorter walk than those further out. Overall, the locations of both of our rooms where ideal for us. The food was great everywhere. The only negative (very minor) was the beach BBQ was not as good as we were expecting. We did a Beach BBQ at Lux North Male in 2019 (this resort is no longer Lux) and it was one of the best meals we’ve had anywhere. I was very much looking forward to having it be the same a Lux south ari, but the grilling was not as good (a bit under grilled, lobster stuck hard shell and prawns mushy, and seating not out by water like at Lux North Male). It was still nice, but bar was set pretty high at Lux North. Another negative was the Whale Shark excursion; we did not see any whale sharks; thisis not guaranteed but we wasted our time at beginning of tour looking for turtles (also stopped for Manta ray, but was short stop so fine). We saw 1 turtle at the very end of a long snorkel. Afterward we spent a little time looking for Whale Shark, didn’t find any and had to head back. IMO, a Whale Shark tour should look for Whale Sharks first, then if time left over, then look for other stuff. Still over visit overall was near perfect, and we would definitely return

“Absolutely fantastic visit, can’t wait return”

Feb 10, 2026Andrea S

What an incredible visit from start to finish!! The staff went above and beyond on a daily basis, our room attendant Ramsham who looked after our water villa was just fabulous! Our favourite breakfast was at Mixe where the staff were super polite, fast service and welcoming. The guys at the coffee shop made the best coffee!!

“Perfect family holiday in Paradise”

Feb 08, 2026ShanP80

We were looking for a luxurious resort but one that would be great for us a family as we were visiting for our honeymoon with our 3 year old son :) Lux south ari atol was absolutely perfect and ticked every box for us. Would absolutely recommend! As soon as we arrived, the beauty took my breath away, the staff were all so friendly and we felt immediately relaxed. We stayed in a 2 bed lagoon pavilion, not far from the library and senses. For us, the location was perfect and our son absolutely loved travelling around on the golf buggies, special mention to the driver, Shawkat who is a wonderful human being. The food was amazing.. everywhere we ate was fantastic. The garden bbq and burger lunch at Mixe were both favourites of ours. Special mention to chef Pong who made fantastic smoothies for our son at breakfast at East and the Chefs who made special tomato pizza at Beach Rouge. The drinks were fantastic too.. we are missing our rose with lunch!! Also, a favourite place of ours was the ice cream shop where we visited daily.. the air con was a welcome relief in there too! For our son.. the staff were all so friendly and all remembered his name. We went in the kids club with him where we played with Lego, blocks and went in the shallow pool to play in the pirate ship. It was also fantastic having kids toys and games in the lux lounge at the seaplane terminal too as this kept him entertained whilst waiting for our transfer. Would recommend ear defenders for the kids on the sea plane as it was fairly loud. We did the little explorers challenge when on the island which was great fun and the soft toy prize was very well received! Cinema night was great too.. such a special treat for the kids (and adults too!). All in all, this is a fabulous resort. It’s a beautiful place, and the staff work so hard to make everyone’s stay perfect. Every guest we met was so lovely too.. I think we were all just so happy to be in such a wonderful place :)

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Some of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. However, ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: https://www.atol.org/about-atol/atol-certificates.

This product offers you combinations of a hotel and flights at an inclusive price. This product enjoys the protection of the Package Travel, Package Travel and Linked Arrangements Regulations 2018.

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