Stays: LUX* South Ari Atoll
The Maldivian resort where I spent my honeymoon 🌴
When it came to booking a honeymoon, we were deep into year one of the pandemic and had to make plans not knowing whether they’d ever happen in the way we planned – including the wedding itself.
The only (and I emphasise only) perk to come out of this time was that flights and hotels usually above our budget were suddenly slashing their prices to encourage the return of tourism.
We booked our 11-night honeymoon with Turquoise Holidays in January 2021, saving 50% on the total holiday price. In reality, we couldn’t have afforded this location at full price.
Fast-forward 10 months, we were at the airport sipping prosecco, waiting to board our flight to paradise after the most special wedding weekend. I’ll forever be grateful that we got to enjoy our wedding without restrictions. I truly don’t know how we got so lucky.
After a long journey and another (surprise) PCR test that thankfully came back negative, it wasn’t long before we were stepping onto a small seaplane that delivered us to the buttery sand banks of the LUX* South Ari Atoll resort.
Despite arriving on this island with rose-tinted glasses after all the lockdowns and cancelled holidays, that didn’t disguise the true beauty that this hotel exudes – it felt like an out-of-body experience to be standing there having successfully navigated a tricky year.
Settling into our first of three rooms, the beach bungalow, we were blown away by the space and tranquillity that came with it. The bed was positioned in the centre of the room, sitting in front of an indoor/outdoor bathroom and looking out towards a private stretch of sand that sloped down into the ocean.
We spent our first evening of the honeymoon swimming in the warm waters, a glass of fizz in hand, as the sun set behind the palms. This was a scene of pure magic that I would relive over and over again if I could.
Our days at the beach villa passed slowly, giving us time to adjust to island life and get to grips with all the resort had to offer.
There were several restaurants dotted around the island, and most were included in our all-inclusive package.
My favourite meal of the day is always breakfast, so each morning we’d pull up a chair at East Ocean, an overwater south-east Asian restaurant. Here we’d gaze at the sealife passing by below, as we tucked into a feast and emptied our coffee cups. My go-to was usually the Eggs Benedict, topped with lashings of spicy hollandaise sauce and crispy bacon.
One morning we did actually order a floating breakfast to one of the pools. It was a beautiful experience and made for great content, but I do prefer my food on dry land. One gust of wind and the tray was floating its way towards the drop-off.
For lunch, we flitted around the beach bars enjoying everything from wraps and fries to Asian-inspired dishes (usually with a cocktail on the side, of course).
If we were craving something sweet in the afternoons, we’d gravitate to Cafe LUX* for an iced coffee or their delicious ICI ice cream.
And once the sun had set, we’d lather ourselves in mosquito repellent, put on our best holiday outfits, and venture out for dinner. Dinner was always spectacular, but for me the standout spot was Senses, where we devoured curries, rice and naans with nothing but the sound of the lapping waves to listen to.
We definitely got our money’s worth, and the food was fantastic from start to finish.
A few days into the trip, we moved to an overwater bungalow located at the opposite end of the island.
Our assigned bungalow needed a bit of TLC, so they swiftly moved us into a recently renovated property and pulled out all the stops, including a complimentary bottle of bubbly that we popped on the terrace after a day of snorkelling above the corals.
Another stunning room, this one was home to a huge outdoor space with a shaded sofa area to escape the midday heat. There was no outdoor bathroom this time, but the bathtub sat beside a glass-fronted wall for unmatched views of the great outdoors.
We spent most of our time sunbathing, eating and drinking, swimming and snorkelling, and occasionally sweating out some of these indulgent meals in the gym, but we also made time for a few trips to switch up the scenery.
We first booked a sunset cruise, watching the skies turn a fiery orange as we stood barefoot on the roof and gently circled the island, preparing for the day to melt away.
To explore further afield, we also decided to go on a whale shark expedition. The boat took us to several incredible snorkelling spots, before motoring out far enough for the water beneath you to appear black when you jumped in with your goggles and snorkel tube.
I’d never seen a whale shark, until someone grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the path of the one gracefully approaching me through a mist of bubbles. It was a breathtaking moment, to say the least.
Our adventure was almost over, but not before spending our final two nights in our third and final room of the stay.
We were handed the key to another bungalow, this time a smaller room with a tasteful nautical theme, that not only gave you direct access to the water below but also had its very own infinity plunge pool.
I spent a lot of my time out here, sipping freshly brewed coffee on the edge of the pool whenever I wasn’t splashing around in it.
Leaving this island wasn’t easy, especially knowing how long the journey home would be, but I think you can tell from this post that it was an absolute dream.
What I’d do to have bottled the feelings, sights and scents of this holiday of a lifetime.
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