South Ari Atoll, Sun Island Resort

I stayed at Sun Island Resort during June/July 2008, weather was excellent, service was friendly throughout. As this was my Honeymoon my expectations were high; Sun Island exceeded in every way. Make the effort to do the diving there it is well worth it. Little Mermaid staff were very professional and very supportive as this was my first attempt at Sea. Needless to say I went back for another go. We will certainly return there next year - can't wait. The Sea plane transfer was worth it, so was the upgrade to the Water Bungalows. Only one downside was that I had to come home. Met some really great people there.

Fantastic beach, Warm sea, Good rooms, Good food,

Happy staff. Been 4 times, what can I say except not all bars or restaurants included in all inclusive.

Sun Island Resort on South Ari Atoll is a total paradise, we thoroughly enjoyed our 8 days there and cannot fault any aspect of the whole place.

Would just advise anyone going to make sure they plump for the sea plane transfer, the speed boat transfer is not for the faint hearted and takes 6 times as long! A wonderful island resort with everything for everyone! Staff extremely polite and friendly and food/service impeccable.

We went in May 2007 for a chill out beach holiday, it was the the best we have had and would certainly return.

Outstanding place of beauty, I had one small problem and asked for help from our rep who worked for Thomson, waste of space and time, I got excellent help from a different company rep, who was great.

This holiday overall was fantastic, found the super deluxe better than the water bungalows, as you get more of a sea breeze from the opposite side of the water bungalows. Snorkeling is fantastic!

Bicycles are available for hire on Sun Island and are well worth it.

Hi everyone

Just got back from a very relaxing time at Sun Island. Loved 99% of it. Far too much too say about it in a forum, so i've thrown together a website with a few of my comments and photos on.

I have a page or two left to add, but please feel free to take a look. It covers my thoughts on the journey, the accommodation, food, drink, "all inclusive" etc etc

I will add stuff to it over next few days, but its live now, so do feel free to browse to www.sunislandmaldives.co.uk and see what you think.

Regards

Carl

Flight

 10.5 hours non-stop Gatwick to Male with First Choice

 Decent legroom with a choice of films, games, TV shows etc on the seat back screen. Worth upgrading to the 'Sky+ style' Premier TV for £5, which allows you to pause, rewind etc.

 If you can manage to have a sleep for 3 or 4 hours, the flight becomes all the more manageable

 Great view of the atolls as you come in to land gives you an idea of the paradise that is to follow

Transfer from Male to Sun Island

 Male is a tiny airport, so it is very easy to locate your rep - they all have a little kiosk just outside the arrivals hall

 Rep gives a brief talk about the island before pointing you in the direction of your transfer - we were flying by seaplane with TMA (Trans Maldivian Airways), whose kiosk was about 10 yards to the right of First Choice

 A simple check-in here (well, simple as long as your name is on the list - my girlfriend's was not, but they sorted it out in 10 minutes), and your cases are loaded onto a van, whilst you get on a minibus

 5 minute drive to other side of the main runway to the seaplane 'airport', where you again check-in. They give you a time for take-off, and it all runs pretty much like a miniature version of a 'real' airport, with PA calls and screens

 The Twin Otter seaplane is truly tiny, and suffocatingly hot when you board. But as it gains altitude, the fans kick in and you are cooler and able to enjoy the stunning scenery below - miles and miles of lagoons and sandy islands

 Landing is great fun, and you may have a couple of other stops on the way, just as you would on a normal coach transfer in Spain - only far more exciting! You land at a small jetty out at sea, and are picked up by a Dhoni boat for the final leg to Sun Island .

Checking-in

 You are met with a coconut to drink from and a cool towel, which is very welcome by this stage!

 Check-in takes only a matter of 15 minutes or so, not ages as some people have moaned about

 Once you have your key, you are taken to your bungalow on an electric golf buggy, with your luggage following soon after .

Accommodation

 We were in a standard 'Deluxe' bungalow on Sunset Beach, which is on the same side of the island as the water bungalows (room 480)

 The rooms are quite basic inside, but are spotlessly clean and include the biggest bed I've ever seen - must be super king-size

 Our aircon worked without inserting the room key, which was handy. Aircon goes as low as 16 degrees Celsius, but you also have a huge ceiling fan if you need it even cooler

 Minibar is handy for keeping water in (you get 2 big bottles per day on AI, so we ended up with stockpiles during the first week!)

 Bathroom has decent shower, hairdryer and, bizarrely, a bottle opener!

 TV is all free on AI, but you do have to put your room number in for the pay channels - don't worry about this, you won't be charged. You can check your bill, flight times etc on the TV, and it has a wide range of channels. Star Movies, Star World and National Geographic were the most watched by us ..I wonder who won RockStar Supernova?

 The main thing is location! Set back about 15 yards from the sea behind some trees, this is really what it's all about. Outstanding!

Weather

 Travelling in the middle of the wet season, we were prepared for the worst, but in reality we had 2 whole weeks without a single drop of rain

 Sky was overcast at times, but we had good spells of sunshine every day, and in the second week it was almost perfection

 So my advice is not to listen to the scaremongers who tell you it will rain all the time in the wet season - you probably have just as much chance of getting hit by thunderstorms during the dry season, in all honesty ..

Beach

 This is all a question of individual taste, but you will find a section of beach that suits you somewhere on the island for sure.

 At the 'front' of the island, around the restaurant/cafe/bar/pool area, the white sand is soft and deep. However, it is also rather busy here, and felt more like a 'normal' package holiday. It was nice to switch between sea and pool though, and we certainly enjoyed a few days here being waited on by Shahim!

 The beaches along the 'back' of the island are separated into different sections. To the left of the water bungalows, the beach is very small and actually tapers away so that there is little or no room for a sun lounger to be placed in the sun - good if you like shade. Immediately to the right of the water bungalows, the beach stretches back quite a distance to the super deluxe bungalows (which have outdoor showers) - this beach didn't seem as intimate somehow, with a lot of small shrubs ruining the scene, but it does have good snorkeling with a number of corals in the shallows. The next section on was our beach, Sunset Beach, which is secluded but with plenty of room for sun loungers in the sun or shade. The sand is not as soft as on the other side (containing bits of coral and shell), but the water is amazingly clear and you are often the only person in the sea.

 At one end of the island near the beach bar and water sport centre, you have the 'spit', which is a stretch of unspoilt sand which darts out into the sea and forms a small sandy island on the tip. This is a true spot of paradise, with no bungalows or sun loungers in sight, just beautiful talc-like sand and crystal clear waters .

Sea

 When looking at the pictures in the brochure, we assumed they had been airbrushed to make the sea look more amazing - not a chance; if anything, the brochure pictures don't do the delicious turquoise, greens and blues justice!

 I recommend you buy the following either before you travel or from the souvenir shop: rubber soled shoes for wading into the sea (£5), as the broken coral can be painful on bare feet; a good snorkeling set (probably best to buy before travelling); a set of fins (£15) to make snorkeling easier and less tiring

 The sea is so warm at times that it is like stepping into a bath!

 Much of it is shallow and you can walk out for literally a mile or more .

Sealife

 Recommend buying a book about the fish in the Maldives - I wish I had done

 Hundreds of different species, including the stunning Picasso Trigger-fish (aggressive, especially when being fed bread, as my girlfriend's bloodied thumb bore testament to!), Angel Butterflies, Lion fish, Barracuda, and of course, the amazing black tipped reef sharks and stingrays

 Throw bread into the water, and the fish will follow you around like the Pied Piper!

Food

 The sheer volume of different dishes available in the Maaniya Restaurant means there is something for everyone, from curries to seafood to burgers to the best pasta outside of Italy

 We often found that the lunch menu was even more appealing than the dinner menu

 The only negative is the desserts, which were not great - ice cream should definitely be an option on all inclusive, but it's a very small gripe

 The BBQ nights looked very impressive out on the beach, but, at circa US$70 per person, were a bit pricey ..

Bar

 The main bar is a lovely place to unwind after dinner, with many tables on the beach itself - the cool sand feels amazing underfoot while sipping a cold drink

 Entertainment includes karaoke, disco, crab racing, traditional dancing etc, for those who like to get involved

 There are enough drinks on all inclusive to keep most people happy, although it is slightly disappointing that cocktails are not included, as these cost a minimum US$14 to buy!

 You can also use the beach bar near the water sports centre, and the pool bar during the day

 The main bar is never overly busy, and your waiter will ensure your glass is always full .

Bikes

 All I'll say is this: HIRE ONE! At US$3 per person per day, it really is worth the money, and enables you to whiz around the island at will. We're so pleased we hired them, despite them being rickety old things!

Things to do/see

 The sunset fishing excursion (free with AI) was a great experience, and you are virtually guaranteed to catch something - the sunset from out at sea is simply stunning

 You MUST go to the stingray feeding at least once - it's just amazing having these wonderful creatures eating out of your hand

 Also well worth a visit is the shark feeding at the end of the water bungalows - you can get some brilliant pictures/videos of the sharks as they patrol the glassy water waiting for the food

 Snorkel, snorkel, snorkel!

Staff

 Without question, the most friendly people I've ever had the good fortune of meeting - they really can't do enough for you

 Our room boy, decorated our bed on three occasions with skilfully folded sheets and flower petals

 In the bar you are likely to have the same waiter throughout. Ours, was a very friendly young man who grew to know which drinks we liked so was quick to refresh our glasses

 Likewise in the restaurant, you have the same waiter for your entire stay. He was a charming young man with impeccable manners. He was also full of information and willing to help wherever he could - such a nice chap, in fact, that my other half wanted to smuggle him home in her suitcase!

Overall

 I would recommend Sun Island to anyone. It is a truly special place, and will give you a holiday which will live in the memory for ever more.

 Don't be put off by people's petty complaints about the all inclusive, or by the negative comments about the weather. Of course, you may be unlucky with the weather, but it's a risk well worth taking when going to paradise on Earth ..

Sun Island in the Maldive is a fantastic place! It is total paradise! The service was superb and we had an amazing time. I don't think any other holiday will match up to it. We had lovely food every night, and excellent snorkeling. It is a clean and very tidy island with lots to do.

I have some pictures at www.tony-cook.co.uk/maldives/Sun_island.htm

All inclusive is from 10am - 1am, and it does not include tea and coffee in your room.

The hello neighbours trip isn't very good.

I would love to go back. The barman at the pool bar was an excellent barman, and he always kept us topped up.

All inclusive at Sun Island in the Maldives is not inclusive. You are very restricted to the main restaurant, and drinks at the cafe are only included if you are paying for meals. They charge you full price for take aways. Your drinks in the mini bar will cost you £2.50 per 330ml of pop (it soon adds up). Check the small print of what is included.

The Sun Island resort in The Maldives was described as large, and whilst we were there, so too were 300 others, and you hardly saw anyone.

There was plenty to choose from at meal times, and the staff were friendly and efficient.

My daughter grew fins and gills during our stay, as she spent most of the time in the water.

I caught up on lots of reading in fantastic surroundings. It is the perfect place to relax, if that's what you want to do.