Lily Beach Resort

We spent 10 days at Lily Beach and all want to be there still. Withdrawal symptoms are taking a long time to disappear! I must say 'thanks' to the many people who have posted comments on the relevant 'forum' sites - their advice and experiences certainly added to our preparation and enjoyment (especially the aqua shoes!). I cannot report anything other than the highest praise for everyone and everything we experienced at Lily Beach - friendly, helpful, efficient and fun! I have travelled widely through work & holidays, and this is the first place about which I have ever said 'I want to go back'. I found the food (buffet style) terrific - both in terms of quality, quantity and presentation. I would describe it as frequently 'asian' (varying degrees of spicyness - mild to pretty hot!) but always with some more recognisable (to British eyes) fayre - hot & cold. We were there over the 'Easter' weekend and the staff made a huge effort for Sunday, organising many activities for youngsters and no-so youngsters, culminating in a huge dinner and decorated dining area, followed by an open-air disco on the beach. Again, many thanks to all the staff for their efforts - it was a really enjoyable day! Our holiday was 100% relaxing. No cars! No hustle and bustle. No TV. No phones! Only the lapping of shallow waves (even then only on some days) and the occasional sea-plane. Hot sunshine, gentle breezes. Warm, clear sea great for swimming, snorkelling, floating or just standing in. My wife is a non-swimmer and generally afraid of the water, but we even managed to get her to put her face into the water wearing a face-mask to see the fish. The fish! You just wouldn't believe what you will see - absolutely amazing! Colours, shapes and sizes and so many. Memories that we will keep forever. Our children (17 & 14) did exactly what they wished. There are plenty of opportunities for energetic (why though?) pursuits for youngsters - kayakking, pedaloes, snorkelling and football every evening with the staff (football mad!), or just chilling out. Both our children said they enjoyed and appreciated the 'chill'. One of the biggest plusses - no mozzies! The hotel 'fogs' the undergrowth on the island 3 times per week and this keeps the nasty insects at bay very successfully. The largish ants can give a bite or two - but the lack of mozzies was a real surprise. The lizards, crows and fruit bats (quite large but up in the tree-tops) seem to clean up the rest. I drank the tap water (RO generated) all the time (chilled bottles of it in the room fridge) but there is bottled water available from the bars should you require it. The open-air bathroom and shower - don't be off-put or concerned. What a great idea! In fairly humid conditions, this works a treat. And great showers too. We too spent the whole holiday without footwear (apart from when going in the sea - it isn't essential, but aqua shoes (~£10?) mean that you do not have to worry at all about standing on sharp coral fragments, fish etc.). The rooms are maintained and prepared immaculately each morning - beds turned down each evening with creative pleating and floral decorations. Sometimes you feel like you don't want to destroy the creation - but the bed is more appealing than the floor! We read in the 'Lonely Planet' guide that vegetation was sparse. That publication must be out of date I would suggest. It is very green with plenty of well developed trees - bananas, palms etc. Look very closely and you will see lots of green parrots too. I would give Lily Beach a score of 9/10 (- no seriously, 10/10 when I get to go back there!) - it really was that good for all of us.

Wow! We just came back from Lily and can not wait to go back there next year for our first anniversary. We had booked thru First Choice and everything went ok. Sarah the FC representative on the island was very friendly and helpful. The rooms are simple but nicely furnished. Our room boy, Rauf, was fantastic, always going the next step to make our stay (our honeymoon) memorable. Food is EXCELLENT, varied and mostly western (except the friday night buffet, a bit too "exotic" for us. the All Inclusive formula is really good. they even have a different cocktail every evening. there are some very good excursions organized by the resort - do not miss the Whale Shark Snorkeling Trip with the speedboat if you are not a diver (the dive school also goes there with the divers) - a one in a lifetime experience!!!! As we were only snorkeling in the past, we decided to try diving this time and can only say that the dive team there is just amazing. Atheef, a maldivian instructor, took us in the water and we loved it! we did a padi course and are now fully certified....even my wife, who was panicking the first day, made it thru the course. Our thanks to the whole team for their friendliness and professionalism (a special hello to Simeon and Patrick!). The return trip to Male was a bit "bumpy" as a thunderstorm was on its way but the colors were just fantastic. We'll be back soon!

We had the misfortune to stay here for just one night (THANKFULLY) during our recent 2-week visit to the Atoll. We love the Maldives having been three times before but were extremely disappointed with this resort especially having heard good things about it. We like Maldivian style resorts on idyllic islands with good service & good snorkelling on a closeby house reef. This resort didn't come close. Our visit started off quite nicely with a flower garland at the jetty & refreshing drink on arrival in the reception but went rapidly down hill from there. This resort lacked any Maldivian natural charm, it could have been anywhere. In fact it reminded me very much of Butlins (all concrete & plastic) on a island and a not too beautiful one at that. We have stayed on islands with much prettier beaches & lagoons in the same or cheaper price range. Even the breakfast cereals were obtained from a rack of plastic dispensers similar to those you get in the cinema for pick & mix. The good points I guess are a) its all inclusive (but not cocktails except that days special) so you don't get any nasty surprises and b) the the water sports but this brings its own problems - If the wind & currents are good for kayaking & windusrfing then they are at odds with good snorkelling conditions. We found the current down both sides of the island far too strong to make snorkelling pleasant and the underwater visibility was not good. The whole beauty of the Maldivian islands is the tropical fish - you can windsurf & kayak in the Med, Italian lakes & the Carribean. The rooms are indeed basic with standard rather than king size bed, but do have all you need. However I would liken them to small poor imitations of Travelodge rooms (without the tea/cofee maker & TV - not that we had any problem with the lack of TV)- certainly for the price I would have expected better. The rooms do not have a beach view like other islands that we have stayed on (you look out onto a row of shrubs) and have no direct access to the beach, which is a narrow strip facing east accessed through passages through the shrub belt. There is no protected lagoon here to speak of. When you get to the beach you hunt for your numbered sun loungers. There is little if any privacy on the beach and certainly no dappled shade. The meals were adequate but the servery is somewhat cramped bearing in mind the number of guests. The dining room chairs were uncomfortably low for the tables and I'm only 5ft 5 - it must have been even worse for the 6foot plus guests. The shop & cocktail prices were considerably higher than other islands we have visited & the one we had just left. The bar 'service' was non existent, no table service here, you had to try to attract the attention of the overworked staff at the bar itself - this got worse once the dining room was open as they were trying to service the table orders too. The house reef whilst being close had neither the variety nor the numbers of fish with which we have become accustomed and the current was strong which made it hard work just staying still. One good experience we did have was the nightly fish-feeding from the jetty which brought up many rays, eels and large fish - they were all there waitng ready for their feast and we did get some terrific video. The Maldives are an excellent relaxing holiday retreat but the style and facilites can make or break it for you. There were plenty of people at this resort who were obviously having a splendid time but make sure you choose the right type of resort for YOU - this one definitely wasn't for us.

For starters, I would like to say that the Maldives is The best holiday destination in the world if you live in Europe (and probably the best overall). It sits on the equator in the middle of the ocean with absolutely no landmass for a thousand miles, so due to the tempering effect of the ocean it won't get too hot, and it certainly won't get cold, no matter when you happen to be there. The water is so warm that you can stay in it for the whole day. Coral reefs everywhere, with spectacular fish and other marine life. The time difference is a mere three hours, so no jet-lag to speak of either way. And in a mere 12 hours from mainland Europe, you can be in the lukewarm water. Lily Beach is one of the all-inclusive islands, and true, it is not really a four-star hotel, for example there is no TV in your room. BUT! If you want to watch TV in your room, you absolutely shouldn't be in the Maldives at all. Don't waste your money and time on going there, stay in your living room or go to Cannes where you can mingle with the jet set. The Malidves is all about getting away from it all, relaxing, watching the ocean for hours, snorkeling, diving, spending time with your loved ones - in paradise or very close to it. We have been to Lily twice and loved it both times. The small cosy feeling of being on island that you can kayak around in 20 minutes can't be described until you have experienced it. True, you will only get wine by the glass, but I've never been to an all-inclusive place that serves it any other way. Plus, since in a place so small you are never more than a minute's walk from the bar, who cares. The food is not spectacular, but it is well made and well served. If you want more, go to the Rangali Hilton for five times the price. What makes Lily truly spectacular is the house reef. It is so close to the island, that you never have to take a boat, you can walk to it in less than a minute. It also wraps around the whole island, so no matter where your bungalow is, you just walk down to the beach, and you're there, swimming with miriads of colorful fish. The bungalows are plain but spacious, well desinged and clean, but apart from sleeping and taking a shower, you don't spend any time there at all anyway (ok, maybe some other leisure activities), so again who cares what it looks like! The open-air bathroom with it's little garden is wonderful. Again, if you want expensive materials to surround you while you sleep, go to the Hilton, and spend an hour every day in a boat, finding a reef to snorkel or dive. As you can tell, we loved the place. On our first trip, our luggage was lost and we had to live out of our hand baggage for three days. It turned out that we needed no more than the two swimming suits, two T-shirts and a pair of shorts that were with us. And the greatest thing is, that the minute you set foot on the island, you take off your shoes, and don't see them until you depart. The white coral sand never gets too hot. Since everything (except some parts of the bar) has a sandy floor, you can be barefoot for your entire vacation. So, if you want to spend your money excessively, want to show off to other people like yourself how well to do you are, want to be surrounded by opulent, needless luxury, or want to party loudly every night, Lily Beach is not for you. But if you want to have a truly relaxing holiday, get excellent value for your money and want to be less than ten steps away from a warm ocean filled with literally thousands of colorful fish on an excellent house reef, go to Lily. You'll be coming back again and again, like 40% of the guests there.

well we got back last week from a fantastic two week stay at Lily Beach. The weather was brilliant - two 1 hour showers during our entire stay and they were both at night. During the day, we barely saw a cloud. Flights with Emirates were mixed. Outbound to Dubai on a boeing 777 was great. Wonderful service, nice food and loads of legroom. The huge entertainment system kept my hubby occupied the entire time. Onward from Dubai was on an airbus A330-200. Less legroom, service not quite as good but flights were all on time. Arrived at 8am and 28 degrees to find our luggage was still in Dubai. Luckily i had packed enough in our hand luggage bags for 24 hours which in the end had to last for 48 hours as our bags didn't make it to lily Beach for 2 days. Didn't have to wait more than 15 mins for our seaplane and after a stop at Maayafushi we arrive at Lily Beach around 11am. It was lovely to see so many people who were also there last year and we formed a Tsunami returnees club. We asked for and got the room we had last year (154) which is just behind the main bar and restaurant (so not far to trot to get a drink during the day) which was kept wonderfully clean by our roomboy Zaid. He without being told, knew when it was my husbands birthday and beautifully decorated our bed. The 187 petals he laid out plus a happy birthday meggage must have taken him ages. The food was as good as ever - a good selection which was always piping hot. I'm not a vegetarian but the chefs make some fabulous veggie curries every day which i thought were much nicer than the meat ones and i usually had these everyday for lunch. I can especially reccommend the pumpkin, pea and cashew nut and the bean and carrot. The gala dinners on Xmas eve and New Years Eve were amazing - they must have been 30 different appitizers and choice of 10 different meats for main course and 15-20 types of cake for dessert. We paid for a couple of extra meals. We had the romantic dinner on my husbands birthday - this was a 5 course dinner (asparagus, wonton soup, home-made chicken kiev, mousse and a fruit platter was $90 per couple. The surround your table on the beach by palm leaves shaped into hearts. We also had two steak dinners which cost $17pp and again we had them on the beach 10 feet from the waters edge. You could choose, fillet, T-Bone or sirloin. We both had fillet and they were perfectly cooked as requested. I have rarely had a better steak in London. This comes with Fries, a salad and a fruit plate. The wine list was very reasonable. We stuck with a hardy's grenache-shiraz rose which was $16 a bottle. Champagne on hubbys birthday was $70 for a bottle of Mumm. Piper and Moet was $72 a bottle. We also paid for lunch once at the pool bar - just fancied a bit of grease when we were hung-over and paid just $9 for a cheeseburger and chips and a hotdog and chips. The house spirits served are all branded. the rum was barcardi, vodka was rither finlandia or smirnoff, whiskey was Johnny walker red label and gin was Walkers London Gin. Although cocktails aren't usually included there is a happy hour every day from 6.30 -10.30 when two cocktails are included in the all inclusive. We enjoyed the rusty nails (whiskey and drambuie) pimms, cointreau and seven up, and all manor of fruity cocktails. The snorkelling at Lily beach is superb - the house reef is one of the best in the maldives. I saw a huge ray, a moray and turtles on different afternoons. I also went on the whale shark snorkeling trip which first takes you by speedboat to manta point where we plunged into the water and searched for manta's for a while and where lucky enough to find 3 of them together. We then moved on to whale shark alley where we were all really excited to swim with a 6.5 metre (18ft) whale shark (they said it was a small one!). We then stopped for excellent tea and cakes and then speed back to Lily passing a pod of about 15 dolphins. This trip was $65pp. Service was generally very good. The bar service is superb. Tip these guys and they ensure your glass is never empty. You have the same table in the restaurant the whole time and thus the same waiter. Ours was OK - a bit patchy. One day he never came to our table during lunch so we had to go to the bar to get our own drinks but generally it was OK. As Lily beach repeaters we got a bottle of white wine in an ice bucket and a basket of fruit just after we checked into our room and on our last night we had a special 3 course goodbye dinner on the beach (you get to choose prawns or steak) plus another bottle of wine and you also get given two Lily beach t-shirts. Flights home were on time and our bags even made our dubai connection. Unfortunately we had an airbus A330 on both legs so not as comfy as the boeing 777. We were one row behind the bulkhead seats and two crying babies meant a very long flight from Dubai.

I went in 2003 on honeymoon and have only just discovered this website. The food is very tasty and very varied. my wife is vegetarian and very fussy yet she always loved the food. the chefs were brilliant. The island is very small (550m x 100m) and isn't a party island. however we are a young couple and we never got bored, found the staff and guest very soiciable and the activities and excursions plentiful. One critism is that we went just after August bank holiday which is obviously a significant changeover time (summer holidayers going back to work and winter sun-seekers coming out). This meant that a couple of our excursions got cancelled as we were the only ones with our names down. But I would generally say that this shouldn't be a problem. 3 musts- -go to the main pier at feeding time (about 9pm) becauses reef sharks, massive rays and a whole variety of fish come in and there are flood lights under water. very impressive. -go to the other end of the island where the turtles are reared. there are various sizes, which are keep in pens until they are old enough to be released and stand a chance of survival. you can swim with the adult turtles in the sea around the pen- they come right up to u and quite enjoy a chin tickle!!! -snorkel along the house reef. it's meant to be one of the best in the maldives. you will be amazed by the diversity of sealife in such a small area. When we went, the coral was just starting to get it's colour back as it gets bleached by extreme, prolonged, high temperatures (apparently caused by el-nino). It should be better now. finally go between feb and april for the best weather.

We really couldn't think of anything bad to say about this resort. Absolutely perfect for chilling out and relaxing. We took over an umbrella and loungers at the quiet end of the island for two whole days - didn't get bored once! Couldn't get over how quiet and paeceful the island was - we stayed at the opposite end to the pool bar and the only noise was the engines of the dhonis which came and went throughout the day. Even that noise was relaxing! Especially loved not having to wear shoes anywhere (except in the water 'cos of the coral). Staff were really helpful and friendly. Some are working a long way from home and they have lots to tell you if you take time to chat - communication wasn't a problem. Food was varied - lots of choice and never boring. Well presented and chefs available to help choose although we tended to want to try a bit of everything at every meal! Having our own table and waiter was lovely and meals were as relaxed as we wanted them to be. There seemed to be lots of activities available if you wanted them. one of the highlights of out trip was the dawn trip in a speedboat to watch the dolphins. That cost us an extra 70 US dollars each but well worth it. Beasties were scarce - a few dizzy ants and the odd little lizard but mossies get controlled regularly so nothing scary. We spoke to so many people there who had tried elsewhere but just wanted to come back to Lily Beach. The fact people travel all that way to visit the same place again and again speaks volumes. We loved you lily beach and can't wait to come back.

I cannot understand people criticizing Lily Beach as "boring" For sure all maldivians resorts can be boring if you do nothing! I was there last March and EVERYDAY was full of activities : snorkeling (they have the most amazing housereef I have ever seen!, diving (great diving school), relaxing, excursions (whaleshark hunting is a MUST). Pool bar in the evening with entertainment. I found Lily was a perfect mix of a small tropical island with quiet areas and enough things to do, all that with all inclusive for drinks, which is a bargain when you see the price of a bottle of mineral water there..... I can only recommend it to everybody!

Sold as a four star resort, Lily Beach barely merits two. The buffet style dining room provides repetative, poorly cooked food. Irritations in the all inclusive package include the lack of nuts or crisps at the bar, the fact that milk jugs cannot be left on the table, that one is not allowed drink mixers in the bottle or that wine is served by the single glass. The staff are for the large part unhelpful and appear deliberately uncomprehending in the face of basic requests. The decor is bland at best, shabby for the most part. The absense of in-room TVs and the fact that the single central TV is constantly tuned to soccer is also more two start than four. Unfortunately, so is most of the clientele. The only bright spot was the Pool Bar. Not obviously advertised, the chef there is imaginative and skilled and once pursuaded away from the limits of steak or shrimp, produced some delicious food. It meant we abandoned the all inclusive deal and spent more than we had intended to on a la carte meals, (and proper bottles of wine off their list, a well kept secret) but it saved us from the three-times daily irritation of the dining room.

I've decided to write a review a full year after visiting Lily Beach as my wedding aniversary is on Sunday and have been sitting here thinking about the fantastic time we had. We had a nightmare flight because our plane (mOnarch) was delayed in the florida hurricane and instead of a direct flight we had to take a smaller plane and refuel in Bahrain. However the agony of the flight was well worth it. We loved the seaplane ride-absolutely fantastic views and when we arrived we were given a garland of flowers, a cocktail and a snack and walked onto the island to the sound of drums-it was fantastic! As it was our honeymoon we had a lovely bottle of wine and a fruit basket waiting for us in our water bungalow. Some of the other reviews said that they were disappointed with their bungalow but we were satisfied with ours-they were a good size, the bathroom was huge with a little garden in it, we had a stereo and a coffee machine and loads of space. I found our deck relaxing and it was easy to hop off into the water and snorkel whenever I got too hot. We loved sittng there at night as well after the bar had closed chilling out.We had a brilliant two weeks and i can honestly say i was never bored. We took a scuba course which was magical, went for dinner on a deserted island, held the baby turtles, went fishing, had dinner on the beach, had a his and hers massage (absolute bliss-it was 60 dollars for both of us and they bring you a bottle of champagne to your table that night, we kayaked in the afternoon, snorkelled and chilled. I loved every minute of it-the food was great as well-great variety. Wondering now whether we'll ever go back as we are expecting a baby in March!