My husband and I visited Summer Island last November, this was a return visit for us after 4 years. If you are looking for sea, sand and relaxing this is the place. It is basic compaired to other Maldivian islands but it is in the lower price bracket. I had requested a bungalow on the jetty side of the island, as we found the last time there is a nice breeze this side of the island. The bungalow was clean, the staff where all friendly and helpful. At the time of our visit there where mainly Germans on vacation, we have no problem with other nationalities. The food is plentyful and has different themes each evening. We asked one of the chefs if we could have curry at lunch time. This was no problem, we had the same as the staff each lunch time, it was amazing to eat local quisine. We had a table to ourselves and where told the English as thought highly of, which is nice to know. Of course the staff like tips, but we had no problems regarding this. We found all of the staff eager to please. As it was a return visit we where given a bowl of fruit and bottle of red wine, we where even asked would we like the wine changed to white. It was also my birthday during our stay. Our houseboy dressed the bed with flowers, it was amazing.
The beaches are cleaned every day by hand, the snorkelling is great, use the free snorkel boat which goes out three times a day if conditions are right. A tip get your name down on the list at 5pm the day before you wish to snorkel. we saw eagle rays in the lagoons, white tip reef sharks and turtles, loads of turtles on coral reefs and a huge nurse shark. We had a wonderful relaxing time and would recommend this island, it is friendly and good value for money. The island next door was 6 *+ and cost almost as much a night as we paid for a week!! Enough said, you get what you pay for. My husband and I are also divers, although not on this trip. There is a house reef, and the surrounding dive sights are well worth a visit. At the end of the jetty, staff feed the sting rays with fish, amazing, a few sharks came to visit to.

Over-priced and short of usual Maldives standard. Peculiar atmosphere and lack of service.
Standard rooms are extremely old and spartan. Superior rooms are better (make sure you get one) but still lacking in many ways. There are also water bungalows, but they are the worst looking water bungalows we have seen, and heard from other guests that they aren't good.
During New Years eve and the days following it was crowded and unpleasant. Other times it might be some feeling of being less crowded and 'cooler'.

The charges were trivial and annoying. We were on a full board package we had to pay for drinking water (necessary when its 30C every day). Beach towels were charged every day. Internet access is expensive. There is no shampoo, which can be 'brought' at high price (for bad shampoo).

The 'full board' food is provided in the form of buffet for all meals. Unappealing, overcooked, and not right for the climate. Too much white bread, pasta, sauces, stewed stuff - not really wanted in the daily 30C temp. Very regimented meal time slots and service.

Small annoying things like the beach lounger chairs have no padding and the plastic is hard and uncomfortable.

The saving grace of the island was the dive center. Nice friendly folks and good experience - seems to be an independent operation to the rest of the island.

Most disappointing at the resort was complete lack of environment sense of ecology.
Staff throw white bread to the fish by the bucketful (to other places in Maldives give strict instructions not to feed the fish as it is not natural diet).

Service was inconsistent and staff and managers were ok or moody depending on the occasion.

Most guests seemed to have issues with the place and unhappy about something, although a few people seemed to be ok with the 'camp style'.

Anyway, it is NOT a place for a special occasion.

We travelled to summer island last year on our 4th visit to the maldives and nearly didnt return following our experience here, however we returned to Chaaya reef Ellaidhoo and it has restored our faith in the Maldives, so I felt compelled to write a review as I dont want people who visit Summer island to think this is the norm..it is definately not! Summer island was very dirty, we had a water villa and I nearly cried when we got there as it was obviously grubby, during our stay we had a number of cockroaches which we killed and there bodies were still there in the room x2 weeks later, the room boy didnt even bother to remove them! he was only bothered about getting tips, as was the majority of the staff, they hung around waiting for tips all the time and if they didnt get them or if they thought it wasnt enough, they would look at you in disgust and walk away. On out first evening at the restataunt we were shown to our table and found that someone else was on it, they were up at the buffet the waiter wanted us to join these people who we had never met and eat with them for x2 weeks, they were German and we dont speak German (dont know if the spoke English but thats not the point!)I dont know what they would have felt like coming back from the buffet to find 2 strangers on your table... we eplained this to the waiter and he was completely obnoxious and thought this practice was perfectly acceptable.... well I dont consider that it is, we go to the maldives to be together, and perhaps to have a little romance, no disrespect to the other couple but we wanted to be on our own!. anyway we ended up having to speak to the manager to get our own table, incredibly we have never had a waiter shout at us in a resteraunt before.. shocking!! The food was unidentifiable and usually inedible, we chose to have breakfast in our room which sounded like a nice touch, however the food we ordered never came correctly and was almost thrown at us as if we had really put them out to have this service.The bar staff were unpleasant and there was even a fight in the bar and the culprits were allowed to stay on the island! Our experience on summer was awful and we would not recommend this island to anyone.. shame on you for bringing the name of these beautiful islands down!

WELL WHAT CAN I SAY? Stayed here from 26/12/11 to 09/01/12 in the water bungalows what a waste of money that was. No kettle which the superior rooms have even though we did pay more. Shower dipped out, side panel of bath filled in with lots and lots of filler. Staff so rude could not belive it. Not helpful and couldn't even smile out of the 300 or so guests only 8 english. Had Sun Bed taken so asked Manager if he could get it sorted for me which i was told go and take someone else. Then was told by room boy two days later. I had someone else sunbed so get off it he needed it to sort out the room for new people coming in so that they had everything they needed. Told him to go find mine to which was told sort it yourself. FOOD well ok everyones got their own taste. But i will eat anything but by the end of the two weeks the plain food got to me, it got to me after the first couple of days rice, paste, very dried chicken and even drier fish every day lunch and dinner. Had other English couple who said don't be put off the Maldives just because of this Hotel other island have good food and waiter who can't do enough for you. I know this is a island but i'v been to others in other counties and this was a waste of money. Was told could not sit in the bar on NEW YEARS EVE if we didn't buy a bottle of wine starting at 30 dollers we was all inclusive and we both don't drink wine. On the up side the dive centre and the people in there where great just a shame rest of island couldn't have been like it. So please don't waste a holiday of a lifetime and your money on this island try a different one