Honest review
– a 5-star resort belonging to an Italian chain, set on a small island in Ari Atoll. The island is full of tropical vegetation: over the course of a 15-minute walk you can see palms, mangrove thickets, blossoming fruit trees, a banyan, orchid gardens, ponds with water lilies, and other tropical exotica. All this abundance is carefully looked after — work to maintain and care for the local flora goes on constantly.
Thanks to that same greenery, the villas on the island feel as secluded and private as possible, separated from one another by green hedges and trellises.
And since the island is small, there are few villas here, and almost all of them have their own stretch of beach, so the atmosphere becomes remarkably calm and private — you can feel like the island's only guests. Beyond its vegetation, the island is also rich in local fauna: several species of island birds live here, and the house reef teems with marine life, including sharks, rays, and turtles.
Evenings on the island are quiet and there is no great choice of entertainment; during the day guests favour snorkelling, spa treatments, and long sunbathing, so this island is better suited to a lazy, relaxed beach holiday.
Since the last renovation here took place more than 10 years ago, the resort may strike some as slightly faded, but the atmosphere of Italian warmth, the excellent food in the restaurants, and the astonishing beauty of the island easily make up for it.
In addition, the island offers a wide choice of wedding-ceremony and vow-exchange arrangements, so newlyweds should take note of it.
