First off let me just say how fantastic our experience was at this amazing resort. It was a dream come true for us to stay here and we think everyone should get a chance to stay in a place like this at least once in their life!

So whether you’ve already booked a trip here, are thinking about booking a stay here, or just browsing looking for info; we hope you find what you’re looking for right here!

~ GETTING THERE ~

So maybe you’re like us and need a quick refresher to answer the question: where exactly on earth are the Maldives?

The Maldives is made up of thousands of tiny islands stretched out over the Indian Ocean. They are located just south-west of the coast of India. This means, if you’re coming from the US, be prepared to travel for a hot minute just to get there.

It seems most of the affordable routes are from the west coast of the US; namely LAX. While average flight prices to the Maldives can range anywhere from $1,500 — $3,500 round trip, using sky scanner which you can download here, we were able to snag flights from LAX for $515 per person round trip on China Eastern Airlines. The last week of October was even lower at $422!

Our route took us from Los Angeles (LAX) to Shanghai Pudong (PVG) and then to the capital of the Maldives, Malé. The first leg was a doozy at 14 hours between LAX and PVG. We then had a 19.5hr, overnight layover in shanghai Pudong, so we decided to book a night at the airport Ramada so that we could sleep in a bed that night and at least have a chance to get out of the airport and live a little!

We enjoyed a delicious dinner that night consisting of pork soup dumplings, Dan Dan noodles, and several other delicious Chinese dishes!

The next morning we continued our journey with the 2nd leg from Shanghai to Malé which was about a 7.5-hour flight.

One thing to note is that the Maldives only has one international airport, in Malé. So unless you plan to stay in Malé, you will also need to account for either a ferry or seaplane transfer to your resort.

We stayed at the sun aqua vilu reef resort which was about a 45-minute seaplane ride from Malé. This alone cost us $500 per person RT plus taxes.

Some resorts are closer to the capital and can be reached via ferry, but make sure you know how you’re getting to your resort before you book!

~ ACCOMMODATIONS ~

As I said before, we stayed at the beautiful Sun aqua vilu reef resort. This resort is incredible picturesque, has 8 different classes of accommodations, has half and full board options as well as an all inclusive plan. Basically, it has everything you could possibly want from a resort in the Maldives! Let’s go ahead and break down some of the specifics.

Sunset Reef Villas (We stayed in 427)

PROS:

West facing back deck.
An overwater bungalow is a DREAM.
Picturesque walk to the villas
Stairway and small dock down into the water.
CRYSTAL clear water surrounding you at all times.
Large bathroom with deep tub and rainfall shower, dual vanities.
Outdoor soaking tub.

CONS:

It can be a bit of a long walk from the main pool, restaurant, and bar.
The only freshwater swimming is at the main pool.

Reef Villas

These are the same as sunset villa, except they face east. While these don’t face the sunset, their view is almost 100% unobstructed ocean! Also, for those who may want the latter half of the day shaded from the sun, these villas don’t Have direct sunlight on the back decks after about 2 pm. Maybe a con for some, but helpful to note!

Aqua Villas

Hammoc off the back deck of the aqua villa, pardon the dark clouds!

PROS:

Small plunge pool for freshwater swimming/relaxing.
Picturesque Hammock over the water on your back deck.
All are on sunset side.
Less of a walk from the main restaurant and pool.

CONS:

Aqua villas are a bit closer to the main restaurant which could mean feeling less removed.
Villa backs up to the area that people paddleboard and kayak around. So you may have some visitors off in the distance behind your bungalow. However our entire time here people were very respectful and didn’t venture too close to the overwater villas.

Aqua suites

PROS:

These are out on the end of the overwater villa section and probably have the most privacy.
A large infinity pool on your back deck for GORGEOUS swimming views.
All Aqua Suites are on the sunset side so you will have fantastic panoramic sunset views.

CONS:

Farthest walk out to the end of the villa section.

Deluxe Beach Bungalow with Private Pool (We stayed in 144)

If beach bungalow is your thing, this hits the vibe PERFECTLY.

PROS:

Private swimming pool (semi private)
Indoor/outdoor bathroom.
Private cabana swing/hammoc on the beach.
Direct beach access from your back porch.
Closer to main restaurant and pool bar.

CONS:

Smaller then bungalows.
Open to resort beach, so anyone walking by can see into your backyard area and bungalow if you have windows open.

Bottom Line Recommendation: Aqua Villa.

The Aqua villas are, in my opinion, the best value for your visit. You get a sunset-facing balcony, a private, freshwater pool, and you’re only a short walk from the main restaurant and pool.

View of the aqua restaurant from the pathway to overwater villas

~ FOOD ~

Okay, so let’s talk about one of my favorite parts of traveling; the food.

Of course, what good is a resort on a private island if there’s not good food?? Well, rest assured, the Aqua Vilu has you covered. All of the food we had at the sun aqua Vilu was decent. While I wouldn’t put it on my list of fantastic spots to eat, we were always satisfied. Before I talk about the specific dishes, let’s talk about the restaurants.

The Aqua - Buffet
The Well Done - A La Carte Dining - Dinner
The nautilus - Bar
Positive Energy - Pool Bar + Smoothies / pizza
Wine Cellar - Dinner & Wine Pairing
Island Pizza* - Coming Soon!

There really are only 2 full-service restaurants on the island, one main Buffet (the aqua), where you will have most meals, and one special a la carté restaurant (well done). There is also a pool bar that serves snacks in the afternoon and has pizza available to order, as well as the wine cellar which is an optional paid dinner with wine pairing (not really a restaurant in itself, just a different venue attached to the Well Done restaurant)

Depending on what level of accommodation you booked (full board vs. All-Inclusive vs. Premium All-inclusive), you will eat breakfast, lunch and most dinners at the buffet restaurant, the aqua.

Honestly, the buffet was not bad, but nothing to write home about. There were however, plenty of options for everyone’s tastes.

Breakfast

Each morning there was an assortment of fruit, cheeses, yogurts and juices as well as a LARGE selection of pastries. The breakfast bar also always had a made to order omelet station, fresh-made waffles, French toast, and pancakes.

In addition to all of that, there is also a main rotating buffet area. This would be slightly different every morning but usually would consist of varying curry dishes, local cuisine and rotating breakfast dishes like bacon, eggs, and sausage. We had breakfast there every morning for 7 days and didn’t grow tired.

Lunch

In addition to the daily rotating dishes, of which the curries were the standout dish…lunch at the aqua restaurant each day included a made to order pasta bar, a rotating selection of grilled hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, and burgers; as well as a very generous dessert spread including ice cream and sorbet! The desserts other than the ice cream were not great, but a sweet treat was nice. Anything made fresh to order seemed to stand out as the best tasting.

Dinner

Unless you are on one of the all-inclusive plans, you will have dinner at the Aqua restaurant each night. Each night had a theme that dictated what dishes were available. There was always a great selection of meats, curry, vegetarian dishes in addition to the pasta bar, bread and pastry spread, and dessert. Again, the local curries and Indian dishes tended to be the most flavorful while other dishes were a bit bland, but again not bad. But I will say, we were never hungry!

As part of our basic all-inclusive plan, we got 1 fixed menu dinner at the A La Carte restaurant, Well Done. The entire 5-course experience was great, but the food left some to be desired. We had a choice between a meat menu, a seafood menu, and a vegetarian menu. I chose the seafood menu, and Autumn chose the meat menu. The meat menu definitely won. The steak that came as the main course was definitely the tastiest, and best-cooked piece of meat we had the entire time.

The Seafood again was not bland, for a special restaurant with a fine-dining edge to it, I expected much better flavors than what I got. The cheesecake for dessert was significantly better than the desserts we had in the buffet.

If you are on the premium all-inclusive plan, you are able to eat here every night except for 1 of your stay and order a la carte dishes.

DRINKS

I’ll be honest, the drinks left much to be desired. We ordered a few cocktails to give them a shot and they were extremely watered down, I’m guessing mostly because of melted ice. The beer and house-wines were decent and after the first couple days we just stuck to iced coffee, beer, and wine. Don’t expect much from the cocktails at all.

~ ALL-INCLUSIVE PLANS ~

We also thought it would be helpful to give you an idea of the differences between the various, board, and all-inclusive options.

So when we first booked, we booked a full-board package. What that includes is:

Breakfast, lunch, & dinner at the main buffet restaurant.

What it does not include:

Any beverages, including bottled water, coffee and sodas at the restaurant. (Coffee and tea are included in your room).
Alcoholic beverages.
Snack hour at the pool bar.
A La carte restaurant.

When we arrived and discovered what was included with the all-inclusive, we paid the difference to upgrade to the all-inclusive plan.

It includes:

3 meals a day at the Aqua Restaurant.
Unlimited Beverages (alcoholic & non-alcoholic).
1 fixed menu dinner (by reservation) at the well done, a la carte restaurant.
Snack hour at the pool bar.
1x sunset dolphin cruise (reservation required)
A 15min neck and shoulder massage at the spa.
2 hours of non-motorized water sports (kayak, paddleboard, catamaran etc.)

Does NOT Include:

In-Room mini Bar
Room Service (Still available for a charge)
Premium Beverages

All-Inclusive Details. Given to Us at check-in.

Again, we upgraded from the full-board plan to the All-Inclusive plan for $50/person per day and we feel like it was well worthit. Initially we didn’t purchase the all-inclusive because we are not very heavy drinkers, and we thought that alchohol would be the only difference. After discovering the it also meant the difference of paying for bottled water, coffee, as well as free excursions such as the sunset dolphin cruise, we decided it was worthit and it was.

For those not on a meal plan of any kind, be prepared to fork out some serious cash. The prices were in the ball park of:

Breakfast Buffet: $30pp
Lunch Buffett: $40pp
Dinner Bufft: $50opp

The only odd-ball rules regarding the all inclusive plans were the way they sorted drinks between All-Inclusive, and Premium All-Inclusive. For example, my wife loves mojitos, naturally on an all-inclusive plan you would expect to be able to order a basic cocktail like a mojito, nope. Premium. Okay how about just a margarita? Nope. Premium. Below is a photo of the list of drinks and how they’re separated.

Bottom line recommendation: Basic All Inclusive Plan

~ SPA ~

We enjoyed 2 spa treatments during our time there. One was the 15min neck and shoulder massage that was included with our all-inclusive plan. We got to visit the spa facilities for this and we were treated to some ginger tea after the treatment. The treatment rooms were indoor/outdoor and very tranquil.

We also paid for the Vilu sun couples massage treatment, which was fantastic. The spa prices were a bit high, but not above what I would expect from a luxury resort on a private island. The treatment we booked was $420 and came out to just over $500 after taxes and gratuity.

This treatment included a 1 hour massage, followed by a 45min foot massage for 2 people and included a bottle of sparkling wine afterwards. The massage was performed on a dock out over the ocean at sunset.

~ EXCURSIONS/ACTIVITIES ~

If laying around sun-bathing all day for 7 days isn’t your thing, don’t worry. There was actually a surprising amount of things to do for such a small Island.

First the recreational activities:

Tennis and Badmiton Courts
Volleyball court
Billards table
House Reef for snorkeling
Kayaks, paddleboards, and catamarans
Jet ski’s & various motorized water sports

Excursions:

Sunset Dolphin Cruise
Half & full day fishing trips
Snorkeling day-trips
Visit Nearby islands to get a peek at local culture and living.
Diving expeditions
Whale Shark Excursion upon request

We didn’t end up paying for any excursions during our stay, but we did take advantage of the sunset dolphin cruise included with our stay as well as the 2 hours of non-motorized water sports. There was also a dive-shop on-site that many people seemed to be very happy about! You can learn more about that here.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

We would most definitely stay here again! The setting was absolute tropical paradise. The staff were very friendly and helpful. There was always something to do or see despite being on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean. The food was not more than average, but there was plenty of it and plenty of different options depending on what you were in the mood for.

As always, let us know if you have any questions we can answer for you! Thanks for reading!

Happy Travels!