We visited Lily Beach in January 2012 and are already plotting our return.

Everything about the resort is exactly as it appears on their website and the staff really do go out of their way to make your stay special.

We stayed in a Deluxe Water Villa (number 332) and were lucky enough to be upgraded on the last night to one of the Sunset Water Suites (number 401). Alhough the deluxe villas are amazing the sunset water suite is truly exceptional and definitely worth the extra money if you can afford it.

Food and drink wise absolutely nothing to complain about. Plenty of variety, quality excellent and service top notch.

It's the perfect place for people who want a relaxing, carefree break without having to worry about the bill at the end of the holiday.

There is only one thing which should be improved in a hurry about water villas in this resort.
The cockroach came out at my water villa three times in two nights.
There are wooden floorings in the floor of the shower booth.
Since the bottom of the wooden flooring is not cleaned, it is very dirty.
That serves as a house of the cockroach.
Since wooden flooring is very large, it is hard to remove for cleaning everyday.
It is more sanitary to remove wooden floorings completely rather.

Having read many of the previous reviews, we were concerned that our expectations may not be met. Quite the opposite. This is a fantastic resort in every way.

We stayed in a Lagoon Villa (no 210), perfect for snorkelling straight from the back of the villa and all the way, with the gentle current, along the reef edge to the Sunset Villas, some 500 metres away! It is hard to take in all the vibrant colours of coral and fish. Not to mention the occasional reef shark and turtle. All this with a sea temperature of 28º C.

Nowhere could be more perfect to learn to Scuba dive and the Ocean Pro team offer a professional and a not too expensive service to become PADI qualified. (Many thanks to Atheef for helping me through).

I could carry on writing for some time, but all the previous reviews sum it up!

Can't wait to return.

We spent 10 days at Lilly Beach in late January 2012. The sea plane journey from Male set the scene for a special holiday.

The hotel is informal but smart. The floors in the main building are made from the same 'flour grade' white sand that adorns the whole island. So unusual but it means you only need flip flops for the whole holiday.

The staff are well trained and certainly understand how to offer great service. We found the food was well presented, good quality and the wines offered as part of the package are good enough and plentiful.

Unlike many other 'all inclusive' holidays the bar offers premium brand spirits , wines and cocktails and has a great pre-dinner atmosphere.

The Aqua bar has a stunning infinity pool overlooking the tirquoise Indian Ocean.

We stayed in both a beach villa and sunset water villa. The beach villas are very comfortable and spacious with outdoor bathrooms. The sunset villas are clearly very smart, have their own pool and stunning views across the reef. If you want a very private holiday then choose a sunset water villa. The beach villas tend to be more social in the heart of the island and are great value.

Everyone is so friendly on this small island. Lilly beach used to be a 3 star resort and the staff tell us it was extensively refitted and new water villas built around 2 years ago and then relaunched as a 5 star resort. They are all so proud to work there and it shows in the wonderful way they look after you.

We will definitely be going back next year and having enjoyed 29C every day to be now faced with sub zero temperatures at home , we would really like to go back today.

Top tips, just take a few clothes and flip flops. It's a great place to chill out. Also don't go for night flights out of Male as the sea planes don't fly after 6pm.