Sun Island Resort and Spa

Sun Island Maldives: Vibrant Island Life with Nature, Activities & Budget-Friendly Charm

The island itself is gorgeous, although different from the usual serene “relaxation and leisure” destination. Big and active, the island offers diverse places with unique atmosphere. The tropical nature is rich in blooming flower gardens, palm trees, and birds and bats inhabiting the area. The gardens on the territory of the resort yield around 20,000 coconuts monthly and many kinds of tropical fruit and vegetables and herbs for all the restaurants on the island. Even though there are many birds on the island, there is an untouched oasis of these winged inhabitants around the greenhouses of the resort. On land, there are numerous opportunities for leisure including such sports as tennis, badminton, football, and volleyball. There is a picturesque blue lagoon surrounding the island inhabited by many fish, reef sharks, and corals. The area around the beach bar and watersports center is a place for relaxation. Although the resort cannot be called luxurious and stylish, it perfectly suits those who travel on a budget. This is mainly due to the spacious design, entire beach stretch, and diversity of activities available. Nevertheless, it should be recognized that there are other resorts in the Maldives, which can provide higher service levels at comparable or marginally higher rates.

As the largest resort in the Maldives, Sun Island Resort, which is referred to as Nalaguraidhoo locally, can be toured either by walking, riding in carts, or using free bikes. This resort is an island which is almost a mile long and half a mile wide, with the crossing time estimated at 35 minutes. Being very welcoming and social, this resort will appeal to people who enjoy a sociable atmosphere within a resort as there are a lot of activities available there. The staff is also very friendly, making the whole place even more welcoming. In addition, the resort life is very dynamic in the evening when the pool area and the bar become very busy and go out of bounds to the deck located on the beach. Finally, it is noteworthy that it is one of the most affordable resorts in the Maldives. With time, guests have observed deterioration in the facility, hence necessitating renovations about 2016 to solve problems of mosquito menace and low-quality food. The renovation efforts improved landscaping and dining for pest control. The hotel also introduced facilities that catered for family members' relaxation and offered guest rooms equipped with TVs, free Wi-Fi, yoga sessions, and other activities. While the renovations were meant to improve the appearance of the hotel, some aspects of the rooms and common areas remain relatively basic. Examples include use of florid and wicker furniture.

Largest retreat in Maldives, approximately 1.6Km in length and 440m broad is The Sun Island Retreat & Spa which is located at Nalaguraidhoo Island within South Ari Atoll, 110kms away from the Male Worldwide Air Port and can be reached via an air travel taking around 17 minutes. The South Ari atoll is known for its great diving and also spotting of whale sharks in maldives. After landing at Male Airport, tourists will need to make an additional 20 minute journey via domestic air travel to the Maamigili (Estate Global) Air Port and then hop into a 10 minute speed boat ride towards Sun Island. Maamigili, also known as 'Whale Shark Island' is an inhabited island and the only airport in the South Ari Atoll. There are few guesthouses on this island and is considered as one of the favorite spots for divers since they can easily visit the whale sharks in Dhidhdhoo Beyru.

Sun Island Maldives Rooms & Villas: Simple Comfort to Overwater Luxury

The huge majority of the 354 rooms at Sun Island are Sea Shore Cottages and Prevalent Sea Shore Houses. Both have restricted access from the sea shore, are 225 sq. ft. and have almost identical outdated interior decoration like white walls, basic rattan furnishings, and tiles floor. In general, the rooms, just as the resort, are solid, plain, and not sympathetic to their surroundings. The landrooms are all marked Overly Selective except for the other 136 marked Choice. They all have semi-private and reasonably spacious porch. The interior is spacious and spotlessly clean. The seating and curtain fabric is usually well-designed and busy, whereas the beds have sheets and bed skirts. The amenities offered in all the rooms include sea shore towels, air conditioning, complimentary mineral water, tea and coffee, satellite flat TV screens, minibar, and porches. However, installing the soap, lotion, and shampoo in the wall-mounted dispenser is quite tasteless.

Basic rooms are equipped with showers, whereas Predominants have showers/bath combos. Neither do you need to pay individually for every tea or coffee served in-room (apart from the service charge). The differences among room types do not stop there – the Deluxes are slightly cheaper and do not come with a bath and bidet. For those interested in even more space and class, there are Water Estates to choose from. These are decorated with disc players, hardwood flooring, baths, attractive style arrangement and steps down from terraces to the lagoon. Water villas in maldives make up 72 percent of all rooms, and the island also offers four water Official suites featuring double room accommodation, two bathrooms and Jacuzzis. Obviously, these are some of the most expensive accommodations, and this is reflected in the interior design. Hardwood floors and paneled walls, recessed ceiling with decorative molding, copper, gold and peach stripes contribute to luxury appearance of the suite. The sun deck is spacious and covered in stone tiles on one side and natural wood flooring on another, featuring hammocks and sun loungers. 

Dining & Bars at Sun Island Maldives: Variety, Value & Lively Evenings

The dining experience at Sun Island Resort & Spa has been quite inconsistent according to the various reviews throughout the years. The resort provides many kinds of foods, although the overall quality has not been considered outstanding, especially that of the buffet restaurants. The food quality has improved in recent times because a new executive chef started working at the resort back in 2016. Customers praise the good service by the waiters at the best restaurants in the maldives. 

The resorts boast of five restaurants and various meal plans, inclusive of all-inclusive meal packages. All of the meal plans revolve around Maaniya Restaurant, which is an open-air buffet restaurant that serves different types of cuisines. The second buffet restaurant is the Southern Star Restaurant, where the menu is based on Indian and Maldivian foods. It should be noted that this particular buffet restaurant is often excluded from the regular meal plans. Besides the buffet restaurants, Sun Island Resort & Spa features three more restaurants with a la carte meals, and the prices are charged separately. These include the Thai, Italian, and Seafood Grill Restaurants. One of the unique features of this resort is its organic garden, providing fresh food products to restaurants, especially Zero Restaurant famous for its fresh salads and farm-to-table dishes. The discount applies to guests staying on the all-inclusive packages, who are unable to make it to the buffet dinner. Apart from that, there is a 24/7 coffee shop with snacks available. For guests on meal packages, the use of wristbands is obligatory.

As far as drinking facilities go, there are five bars to satisfy guests' needs, as well as the 24-hour cafe. Despite most of the bars closing by nightfall or late-night period, Mekunu Bar stays open round-the-clock for people looking to have a drink regardless of the time. Besides, some additional attractions offered by this resort are fun DJ performances, crab races, the Sunrise Beach Bar, the swim-up Pool Bar, the relaxing Lobby Bar, as well as Clubhouse Green Bar located next to the lawn. Drinks at the bars might be paid separately, however, for those planning on having multiple drinks a day, an all-inclusive package would seem to be more cost-effective. Tea, coffee, and water are free and available in the restaurant area throughout service hours.