Just returned from a one-week stay at LUX in January 2012. I travelled the first time to Maldives with my mother (who visited Maldives the second time).

With the following feedback I’d like to make future guests aware of issues we experienced and provide some tips. Furthermore I hope this feedback will be taken on board by the management of LUX to guarantee a true 5* experience at LUX Maldives in the future.

Arrival:
Arrival in Male was excellent. Short waiting time, professional and friendly staff, beautiful lounge. The arrival at LUX and Check-In on the island was unfortunately a disaster. After a 12hrs journey, we arrived at 9.30am at the Hotel and had to wait for our Beach Villa until 2pm. This was a very bad start for us and another couple who experienced the same. It was humid and hot and we all had nothing really to do other than sitting 4.5hrs in the reception and wasting precious time of our first day at the resort. That was indeed a pity and I can understand that it must be challenging at times where the hotel reached its capacity but for a 5* Island resort a no-go! Guests come and leave every day, therefore the hotel has to be prepared for such scenarios. As a suggestion, facilities could be improved. How about a luxurious changing/shower room for all those guests who have to wait and arrive in winter cloths? It is not comfortable to open luggage in the hotel’s tiny reception back-office in order to get lighter cloths and the bikini and go to the toilet to change. This destroys the whole luxurious holiday dream in the very first hours where the first impression counts.
We've been to many 5* Hotels in the world and regarding this we had our expectations, which Lux unfortunately did not completely meet.
Service always has to exceed customer’s expectations, because experiences are more important than tangible features and benefits. Because exclusivity is considered to be a luxury, but everything that is seen as luxury, is not necessarily exclusive. The uniqueness and singularity of the experience is the key.

Beach Villa:
Beautiful décor, clean and comfortable indoor and outdoor space. Beach chair cushions were unfortunately a bit shabby.
A true advantage was the free wifi access in the room and throughout the resort, which was very fast and a great experience. I was extremely satisfied with this comfort and is something that stands out compared to other 5* resorts. Amazing! Well done LUX! I can highly recommend the Beach Villa No. 343, which is located on the sunset side and comes with an own hammock – bliss. As far as I know and what I have seen, only 343 and 342 have this extra of an own hammock. The villa is located very close to the main amenities – Cocktail Bar, Island Kitchen, Veli Pool Bar, Outdoor Cinema, Disco, etc., and still no noise! Moreover I can highly recommend to get a Villa on the sunset side, because the sea on the sunrise side is shallow and not possible to swim.

Bars:
Very friendly barmen and unforgettable yummylicious drinks at East Bar and Champagne Bar.

Food & Restaurants:
We booked Bed and Breakfast (BB) and I can highly recommend this to everyone. Because the couple we met on the island at the check-in, booked all-inclusive and to their astonishment most of the food and drinks were not inclusive. Even the Mini Bar in the room was excluded for them, which is the first place to get a cold drink when relaxing at the beach (bars are quite far to reach from rooms and you are not allowed to bring drinks to your villa).
We were also irritated about the restaurant policies. At the beginning of our stay we were given a meal plan on where some restaurant reservations were done for us. When we wanted to change some of the restaurant bookings we were told it is not possible. According to the reception, everything was fully booked. Since my mother and I do not like buffets, we had no other choice than ordering dinner to our Villa. Honestly, that’s not what you expect on an island where you go to relax and want to be hassle free and having free choice short notice. The last thing you want to do on such a holiday is to think about planning and booking your dinners in advance. Matters have been brought to the head, when we were sitting in any of the restaurants and they were always half empty!! Even at UMAMI, this Japanese restaurant we had to wait 5 days to experience it. Half full!! So we felt cheated on this throughout our holiday.
Moreover, when we had dinner with the couple on all-inclusive the waiters always asked for the room numbers and then to our astonishment the others got different menus. Somehow we realized that we (guests with BB) got a bigger choice of food than guests with all-inclusive (how strange is this). In other words, guests with all-inclusive will never get to see the whole assortment of dishes and are restricted in ordering food. This caused an awkward atmosphere in the restaurant for us 4 guests and the responsible waiters in this moment. I can understand that not every dish can be included on the all-inclusive package, but why not just putting a tiny symbol next to it in order to clarify on what is included and what isn't?
If this is not possible, it has to be assumed that this is a mean strategy of making money from behalf of the resort. It underlines that this package makes no sense and is a pure hassle and rip-off. If we have not met this couple, they would have never found out about this and hence
I felt really sorry for this couple who paid for an all-inclusive package and had to pay on top of the all-inclusive package around $900 at the end of the week (that is about 2/3 of our total bill for 2 people after a week of free choice of drinks and food - I really wonder where is the point of a so called ALL inclusive). I'm glad I told my travel agent not even to book halfboard, because I had a feeling BB turns out much better. My mom and I were super happy with BB and had the choice everyday on where to eat and drink and you exactly pay for what you get. Prices were totally fair and not extreme. A-la carte menus (some also available for in-Villa dining) were around $25 (i.e. Angus Beef Burger with French fries; Pasta; etc.), and in restaurants between £25-40, whereas visits to the buffets were not worth $70 per person and the food was poor (went once to the Island Kitchen).
In-Villa dining was a truly beautiful experience and I can really recommend this – but make sure you book BB, otherwise it will cost you extra. You can enjoy your lunch or dinner at the beach any time and this room service is excellent although sometimes a bit slow. The overall quality and taste of food at the resort was okay but not outstanding. The best food we had were the Paninis in the lagoon bar. Would not go back for the food. But definitely for the Island and Beach Villa.

Leisure:
Whaleshark Safari was an AMAZING experience!!! Worth to do! Unfortunately the house reef was disappointing. Most of the reef was dead, if not all, and only a few fishes.

Message in a Bottle Day - One day, the Hotel has hidden bottles on the Island with amazing prizes to win. Well done LUX! It has been executed in a classy way. Really good idea. We found a bottle and won a 30minutes jet-lag massage at the Spa. The only issue is, we would never have known of this if our room boy did not give us a hint. Other guests I talked to, they did not know about this activity at all. How about a small letter to the room in the morning announcing this treasure hunt? Would be probably also great fun for kids on the island, and make adults more attentive when walking through the resort.

Cannot comment on more, because I have not used other leisure facilities.

So the bottom line is, LUX is a beautiful resort and the place to go with family and friends to enjoy a beautiful beach holiday on an island with beautiful décor and who can relinquish snorkeling.
LUX has high potential to improve, because according to my experiences I would not give it a 5* yet (maybe a well deserved 4.5*), because the Hotel and its services do not reflect what I expect from this category and some things were a bit of a disappointment. But the Island was scenic, clean and I would definitely go back if the food is going to be improved to luxury european cuisine standard and the room check-in is guaranteed to be quick.

Thank you LUX for the great time. Maintain the good performance, see your opportunities and make sure you manage to turn the weaknesses into strength. All the best for the future!

This was our third trip to the Maldives following stays at Medhufushi and Banyan Tree. We were slightly nervous about booking for this hotel due to the size of the island! We like to keep ourselves to ourselves on holiday with peace and quiet - however we need not have worried too much.

Private Lounge - when we arrived at Male we were greeted by the hotel rep who took our cases and guided us to the shuttle bus to the sea planes. We were dropped off prior to the main building at the hotels private lounge which was a nice touch. Cold towels, drinks and snacks available and the chance to refreshen up before your sea plane transfer.

Accommodation - Upon arrival we were greeted by the staff and this was where their amazing hospitality started! After a quick chat in reception we were guided straight to our water villa which was simply stunning. Comfy bed, great shower, bath robes and lush toiletries.. flat screen TV, large terrace with 2 sunbeds, table and chairs plus outdoor shower and total privacy from next door. Beautiful! Our room boy was extremely attentive and couldnt do enough for us. Each day he would stop by for a quick chat but this never distracted him from doing an amazing job, he really looked after us.

Food - there is a good selection on the island with 5 main restaurants to choose from. Staying in the water villas meant East was our nearest restaurant and hosted a fabulous breakfast every day! We are early birds so had breakfast around 8am each day which was fabulous - nice and quiet with amazing views of the Ocean. Dinner at East provided a good selection of authentic Thai and Asian cuisine in buffet style. Noo was the "family" choice for the buffet but we avoided this as we found it a bit more like a canteen than a restaurant. Senses a la carte provided sensational curry dishes and Allegria again provided good quality a la carte Italian food. Every night was different and the sevice was generally excellent. On the night of our anniversary the hotel arranged a special treat of a private dinner on the beach which we hadnt asked for and did not have to pay a suppliment - this was a wonderful gesture and we had the most amazing night dining under the stars.

To Do - Ok so there isnt a house reef as such however around the water villas there is a good selection of small corals with some decent fish viewing for those who dont want to venture into deeper water. The daily snorkelling trips (either morning or afternoon) were a must for those seeking amazing marine life - no charge for these trips and worth the daily visit. We also paid $80pp for the half day whale shark safari and were not dissapointed. We swam with 2 of these amazing creatures and the staff were especialy careful when briefing everyone on what to do and not to do with these creatures which is more than can be said for other "tourist" boat trips which just tipped up and jumped in on top of us without a care for us or the whale shark! Very annoying!!! Back on the island there is daily shark/stingray feeding plus cooking classes, sunset yoga, tennis and much more. For the kids there is a decent kids club and kids pool but we stayed well away from that! There are a few gift shops but as expected for the Maldives they were incredibly expensive. One of the nice touches was the "phone home phone box" where for 2 minutes off peak you could call home free of charge. A lovely idea! We didnt use the nightclub so cannot comment on that!

Spa - I visted the spa for 3 treatments during my 10 day stay and although it was a lovely experience it didnt compare wsith Banyan Tree or Medhufushi. In my opinion this is one area they could improve upon.

All inclusive - I have to say this is the best AI resort I have been to anywhere in the world! We are not huge drinkers however the choice and selection available on the AI plan was fabulous -not just your usual cheap non branded "house" drinks. The wine list was extensive and we were introduced to some wonderful new wines which we are still drinking upon our return to the UK. The cocktail menu was so varied we had a differnt drink after dinner every night in one of the choices of 3 bars on the island!

Ok - so the island is huge (compared to others in the Maldives) and to walk round it will take your around 2 hours or you can use the complimentary bikes to get around. But this kind of added to its appeal as you didnt feel you were on an island with 100's of other guests and it gave you something different to do each day. While we were there the resort was undergoing its re-brand to LUX (we stayed while it was Diva) so it would be interesting to return and see what changes have been made.

Recommendations - there is only one main change we would make and that would be to get rid of the tacky awful entertainment that rotates round the bars each night. This girly duo looked and sounded awful and we actually planned our cocktails around where they were NOT performing! It cheapened the experience and we found it totally un-necessary for this type of holiday.

We would definitely return to the island and recommend this to anyone who is seeking luxury accommodation, excellent service, amazing food and breath-taking Maldivian beauty. I have added some "informative" photos of the island rather than just generic beach shots to help potential guests choose this great resort. I hope you have enjoyed this review.

Despite the title to this review, we managed to have an enjoyable stay at Lux*, as we were spending Christmas there with some friends and decided to not let the irritations cloud our stay. We feel that Lux* should be compared on a like for like basis to other resorts in the Maldives, especially since it is billed as a 5* resort and charges 5* prices. To put this review in context, this was our 7th trip to the Maldives, staying in various 5* resorts (W, One & Only Reethi Rah, Conrad, Shangri-La, Four Seasons), coupled with countless visits to luxury hotels around the world. A large number of the reviews of Lux* on TripAdvisor are from first time visitors to the Maldives – you would be hard pressed to not have a wonderful time in the Maldives, even staying at some of the worst resorts. Paradise is in front of your eyes everywhere you look.

Arrival
We stayed at Lux* Maldives from 19th – 26th December 2011. On arrival in Male, we were greeted by a Lux* Maldives representative and taken to the lovely private and dedicated Lux* lounge where you wait until the seaplane is ready. There’s a good range of snacks and refreshments and wi-fi to enjoy while you sit and wait.

Checking-in
On arrival we were welcomed with a nice refreshing drink and cold towels and taken to the lounge in the reception area. The lady checking us in (an intern) asked did we want to upgrade our package to half-board, full-board or all-inclusive. Unfortunately, she wasn’t very familiar with the details of what was included in the all-inclusive package, so what should have been a very quick and easy check-in turned into an extremely laborious event, taking close to an hour, as there was lots of “to-ing and fro-ing” between checking us in and verifying answers to our questions with her more senior colleagues.

All-Inclusive Element
This brings me conveniently on to discuss the all-inclusive package that Lux* offers. Unfortunately, calling the package “all-inclusive” is quite misleading, as it is most definitely not inclusive of everything! Part of the problem when checking-in was our disbelief of what was not included in the package: the mini-bar in the room, anything from the coffee bar in the reception area, the ice-cream bar, the bikes to ride around the island (if you want dedicated bikes for the duration of your stay, they’re $4 per bike, per day), no in-villa dining, no drinks from the bar to enjoy in your room. We’ve stayed in all-inclusive resorts, where all-inclusive, truly does mean all-inclusive! The rules that the hotel placed around what is or is not available in the “all-inclusive” seemed very petty penny-pinching by a hotel that is charging a significant amount.

When on the “all-inclusive” package, you are only given menus that are for your package, so you can basically choose anything on that. However, in all the restaurants and bars, entire choices of menu changed, and there was far more choice when on the non-all-inclusive package. We only discovered this because the staff occasionally handed us the wrong menus. In what is advertised and promoted as a 5* resort, I would not expect to only be allowed a reduced choice of food/beverage, I would expect to see the full food and beverage choices available and where appropriate see supplement charges (e.g. high-end wines, etc).

Island/Resort
The beaches are generally well maintained on the sunset side, and since it is a fairly large island it probably takes quite a bit of manpower to keep in good condition. However, the sheets that have been placed on the seabed on the sunrise side (presumably to prevent the seaweed growth) have come loose and its looks very shabby. Overall, if you stay on the sunrise side you will not enjoy the beach or the sea/lagoon and will probably find yourself wanting to sit around the pool instead.

During our stay they were currently part-way through re-branding from Diva to Lux*. The whole re-branding exercise seemed to have been handled in a very hap-hazard way, as the resort map/guide was the Diva branding of the resort, yet the signage outside some of the restaurants had been updated to their new names. Some umbrellas were branded Diva, some Lux*; name badges were Diva branded, notes to the room Lux* branded - obviously no consequence to us, but just another example of poor and sloppy execution. The restaurant manager at the Island Kitchen told us that the staff had only been informed the week prior to the re-brand being implemented. Even the most junior branding executive knows that a re-brand should happens all at once.

The resort provides a few bikes free of charge to use to get around the island; although the free of charge ones are few and far between and not very good condition. As I mentioned above, they expect you to pay to have exclusive use of a bike for the duration of your stay. This is in contrast to the Shangri-la in the Maldives, which provides bikes for each room, free of charge during your stay.

We used the gym a couple of times during our stay. It is pretty well equipped and provides towels and water. The couple of times we used it, there wasn’t any personnel staffing it.

We didn’t use the spa, so can’t comment on what it is like.

Rooms
We stayed in a Beach Pavilion on the sunset side, which is definitely the better side of the island. The rooms on this side of the island are very close to the water, so you can sit just outside your room and enjoy the wonderful sunsets, albeit without a drink as you’re not allowed to take drinks from any of the bars back to your room!

Free wi-fi is provided, which was excellent and a nice touch compared to some resorts that insist on charging inflated prices. The connection was very quick and stable too.

In general the room was quite tired and wasn’t luxe in any way really – certainly not like any of the other 5* resorts we’ve stayed in. The outside shower / bath are definitely in need of refurbishment.

Food & Beverage
On the whole the selection and quality of food and drink (even on the “all-inclusive” package) was great. The Island Kitchen and East Restaurant are buffet style and offer a different theme every night that rotates on a weekly basis, so based on this, if you choose to stay at Lux* after reading this review, I wouldn’t recommend you stay there for longer than a week, as otherwise the food choices might become quite dull.

Senses and Allegria are a-la carte restaurants and we enjoyed both our meals there. Unfortunately Umami was fully booked the whole week we were there.

The selection of spirits, cocktails and wine on the “all-inclusive” are pretty good. There was a nice NZ sauvignon that was very drinkable.

We decided to go to Senses for the Christmas Day buffet and as can be expected of Lux*, there was a $50 supplement per person on top of the daily “all-inclusive” charge. However, despite having to pay an additional $100 (plus tax), the buffet that was provided was delicious. Once again we were left with a bad after taste, as our friend had ordered a filtered coffee and when we came to sign the bill at the end of the evening, we were being charged for the filter coffee!! Words at this point failed us. How a filter coffee is not included in an “all-inclusive” package escapes me.

Snorkeling & Watersports
Free snorkel gear is provided at the Watersport Centre. However, you are required to bring the snorkeling equipment back every evening by 5pm, citing safety reasons (e.g. prevent people going night snorkeling). On all seven previous visits to the Maldives, we have never once been asked to do this. We took the snorkeling gear out on day one and returned it on our last day. This odd policy made snorkeling a much less spontaneous and enjoyable experience, as one needed to plan ahead and go to the Watersport Centre every time you fancied a snorkel and then again to hand the gear back (it is a big island, and this could be quite a trek if your villa is quite a long way away!). As in other resorts, why can you not hand in your snorkel gear before you checkout at the end of your stay? For us the best tide times were before 9am and after 5pm!

When you do go snorkeling, ensure you go before or on high tide, as the water over the coral is only about a metre at most and few centimetres at low tide! Could proof quite painful!

We took jetskis out on Christmas Eve, which although expensive was really good fun.

We also went on the Banana ride too, which was enjoyable as well.

Service
The service overall at Lux* was hit and miss, but in general it was extremely slow in nearly all the restaurants and bars, with a typical wait after placing an order for drink in excess of 15 – 20 minutes, despite being chased on numerous occasions. The staff seems disconnected and kind of spaced out. For example in Allegria we ordered a red wine and it took about three or four times before the chosen red wine was brought; the waiter kept bringing out various white wines. This is not the kind of service you expect in a 5* resort.

One nice touch provided by Lux* was of a bottle of wine and two chocolate Father Christmases on our bed on Christmas Eve. Very sweet.

On the first day in our Beach Pavilion, I was sitting out on my lounger and the pavilion next door was being renovated with considerable banging and drilling taking place (am not sure why renovations are being carried out during peak season?). Anyhow, I complained to the workers and some kind of manager who was overseeing the renovations and asked for them to stop, which thankfully they did. As gesture of good will, a gentleman came around about 30 minutes later to offer a bottle of sparkling wine to say sorry

Conclusion
Lux* Maldives is most definitely not a 5* resort, it is more an average 4* hotel, masquerading through a re-brand, slick website and marketing as a 5* one.

The overall feeling that we took away from our stay at Lux* was that they are looking for absolutely every opportunity to exploit and charge for everything they possibly can. The feeling of greed prevails and left a very sour taste in our mouth. If this is going to be your only trip to the Maldives, then I would strongly encourage you to look at other 5* resorts. We categorically would not recommend this hotel at the prices they are currently charging.

I was at the Lux Resort (Maldives) from 18 – 25 January 2012, and I can say that I had a very enjoyable time and a fantastic experience. First of all, the staff is very welcoming. Secondly, the Beach House (number 346), spacious with a fantastic view and located in the middle of the island, near many amenities (the Island Restaurant, the Gym, the Marine Life Center etc.). Thirdly, there are so many great things to do: I strongly recommend the Marine Life Safari with the Marine Scientist of the resort Chiara (from Italy). She made our marine safari very pleasurable, as we snorkeled very close to the Whale Shark. Chiara is so knowledgeable that I benefited a lot from the trip in terms of knowing more about the marine life in the Maldives. Yoga is a must too with the fabulous instructor Christina (from Germany). This activity was simply delightful and relaxing. It was my first try ever with Yoga and Christina made my initiation phase so delightful. I also advise greatly to have the FMS (Flexibility, Mobility, Stability) test at the Gym. I have trained for many years, yet the instructor Luis (from Mexico) revealed through the test many areas that I need to improve in order to gain in strength and flexibility, and gave me a very efficient program, which I continue to enjoy. Also, the Spa is simply divine. I greatly recommend the Balinese treatment (90 minutes) with Teeni (from Bali). It is such an experience. In terms of food, I recommend the Allegria restaurant and particularly the Gnoki and the Tuna Steak. The view and the service are great and the guitar player makes the environment very romantic. There is also the Japanese restaurant, which is very good. All in all, I recommend Lux Resort in the Maldives, which offers a very good value for money as it is less expensive than many other resorts, yet provides similar excellent services.