Summer Island Village North Male Atoll

Have just returned from two weeks in Summer Island Village. This was our first trip to the Maldives. The island is fantastic, with turquoise, crystal clear water and white, sandy beaches, surrounding beautiful tropical gardens.

Accomodation is either in beach side chalets or water bungalows which include glass floors which are illuminated at night for marine life viewing. We stayed in a beach bungalow, which was about 15 paces to the beautiful lagoon on the East side of the island. The rooms are comfortable, air-conditioned and cleaned twice daily. Our room was cleaned while we were at dinner and the bedsheet was arranged in a different design every day. Our partly open-air shower always had plenty of hot water. Towels and bed linen were regularly changed.

The beaches are swept every day to remove leaves and the gardens and aviaries are maintained by an army of gardeners. Within the gardens are a badminton court and a volleyball court. There is a health spa on the island with a variety of treatments available at reasonable prices.

All the staff are very friendly and helpful, without being over intrusive. The restaurant and bar is very informal with a first-class service. The food is excellent and themed throughout the week - Chinese, Asian, Italian, Barbeque, International, Mexican and Special. The bar is well stocked and open from 09.00 AM to midnight.

All watersports are available, including water skiing, banana boats, kayaks, windsurfing, sailing, parasailing and fun tubes. Scuba diving is run from the diving school on the island. They can provide all the equipment and training necessary and organise daily trips from their own boat.

Excursions are also available - including night fishing, a day trip to Male' and Island hopping. These were all well organised and very enjoyable.

Snorkelling was a favourite pastime. It was safe to snorkel all around the island although trips were arranged 4 times a day to various reefs nearby where the marine life was fantastic.

Summer Island Village is rated as a 3 star resort, although the service was 5 star in our opinion. As an Englishman who likes tea and coffee on tap, my only small complaint would be that this was not readily available throughout the day, other than at meal times. Tea making facilities in the rooms would be a welcome addition!

We had a wonderful time at Summer Island Village. If you want a relaxed holiday, just lazing on the beach it is perfect. If you want watersports or scuba diving, it is all there for you. If you want nightclubs and discos, go somewhere else!

My Wife and I have just returned from our Honeymoon after spending 2 weeks at the Summer Island Village, after looking at the 10 day weather forecast just before we went, things did not look like they were going to get off to the best of starts, it looked like the monsoons had hit the Maldives just as we were about to leave, we needn't had worried though the weather was 29 in the shade and high 30's everyday, we had 1 night of rain that lasted for 1 hour and that was it for 2 weeks.

After our 10hr flight the site of all the Islands and sea as we were due to land was just like in the brochures, a bit of advise would be to put sun cream in your hand luggage as when you arrive to catch the boat to the island you don't realise how hot it is, so slap some on before the hour and half boat trip.

Summer Island is small compared to some of the others which we thought was great as everything was within easy reach and not to far to walk to the bar and resturant. The food was excellent and the all inclusive option I would definatley recommend.

The waiters and staff in the bar were very friendly and always willing to help, the gardens and island were always very clean.

As we were on honeymoon we stayed in a water bungalow which I must say is well worth paying that little extra to get a fridge and tv and the views from the balcony will be something we will not forget as the reef and sunsets were lovely, also the room boys come in every night and arrange you bed in different shapes and sometimes put flowers on your bed, a nice touch....the rooms are cleaned every day and clean towels are changed also.

There are plenty of water sports to keep you occupied and thanks to Olga for keeping us entertained, hope she managed to get on the surf board, and if she did who knows where she is.

Thanks also to Steffan and Sandra who run the Scuba Diving centre, which is run to a very high standard, even though I did not do my Padi I had 3 brilliant dives where there is so much to see if you manage to do the reef dives.

Summer Island is very relaxed and informal and the idea of walking around for 2 weeks in bare feet was just what we needed, the peace and quite was just heaven, no cars buses or motor bikes was just supurb, anyone thinking of going to Summer Island I would recommed this place without hesitation.

We stayed at summer island December/January 2003/4 and it was worth every penny of the money spent. The minute we arrived we were greated and made to feel welcome. The rooms although basic were clean, towels and beds changed daily. All the staff were helpful and friendly. The food was fantastic and not a chip in sight. I don't eat meat and usually have difficulty finding something to eat when we stay in a catered hotel but not this time. By day 2 of the holiday we were so relaxed, and the sunset is a must to see. Whilst we were there both my husband and myself celebrated birthdays and a wedding anniversary and without any prior arrangements the staff made them all very special, not to mention the birthday cake and flowers which were a real surprise.

What made the holiday even more enjoyable was the other holiday makers. instead of the usual little piece of Britain, we got to know people from Germany and Italy who made New Years eve memorable so warm and friendly.

I know it seems it was a long time ago we have stayed at this hotel, but reading some of the reviews I felt I had to write.

We have stayed at Summer Island village first in April 2002 for a week. We fell in love with the place so much, that we went back again 6 months later (October 2002) for 2 weeks. We had just as good a time as before. Took advantage of the snorkelling, loved the night fishing (almost every other night), the fact that we didn't have to wear shoes was great. We didn't miss our otherwise busy lives, so if you are after relaxation, sunshine and just want to get away from it all, it is the place to go. We spent a small fortune on thai massages (I have a bad back and 3 of these massages helped me more than 10 chiro treatments at home).

When we arrived the second time, they recognised us straight away and the guy at reception called us over and asked which room we wanted, then on the first night getting back from dinner we found a bottle of wine and a fruit basket in our room. We thought they made a mistake (no birthday) so we asked them about it. They said they just wanted to show their appritiation because we came back.

So the following year (November 2003) we went back to the Maldives again, but thought will try a different island, so we went to the 5 star Sun Island. Although it was nice to we said we rather go back to Summer Island again. Sun Island was very commercialised and much more expensive (night fishing twice as expensive and they didn't take us to the best places either). The snorkelling was not great around the island and they only did snorkelling trips which were 1/2 a day long. We were glad we went half board, because the people who chose AI were very disappointed as they could only use 1 restaurant out of the five, cocktails were not included and in a very nice bar (which was like an english hotels lounge) they had to pay for all their drinks, therefore that bar was always almost empty. The island was very big so it took us 20 minutes to walk to the restaurant for breakfast and 20 minutes back, and of course the same for dinner (which wasn't great especially I was 4 and 1/2 months pregnant).

So all in all we rather go for Summer Island (3*), than Sun Island (5*).

Hope it helps some of you to decide.

My Husband and i went to Summer Island for a week, we had a fantastic time, the staff are very very friendly and always willing to assist in any way, the waiter we had was a so helpful always with a smile on his face he treated us like we were royalty. The assistant manager was very helpful and liked a laugh. The security guards were always willing to give advice if you needed it about trips and the island for information.

I give our holiday 10 out of 10, we stayed in a water bungalow it was gorgeous the room boy came in twice a day and at night he made things out of our bed sheet like fans and swans and on out last night he decorated it with flowers it was out of this world.

We went to Summer Island for a total relaxing holiday and that's what we got but there are activities there if you fancy scuba diving or water ski-ing, we went on a trip to a sand bank island it was just like a Robinson Crusoe island and we did snorkelling of the island it was amazing, the fish are so bright and colourful it was great. We also did snorkelling trips from Summer Island and the crew of the boat were so helpful, we saw turtles and loads of fish and coral it was so perfect.

If anybody has any quereis about this resort then please do not hesitate to contact me on this e-mail address funkydiva56@hotmail.com, the reason i say this is because i have read some bad reports on this island and it is all a load of rubbish i have been there and we wished for nothing more it was perfect, it's clean, tidy the towels are changed daily and the wildlife is great, the ocean is like a bath the sand is white and the people very friendly, what more do you want. PARADISE ON EARTH. Debi.

My wife and I went to Summer Island Village in April 2003 for our honeymoon and had a fantastic time.

I wanted to post this message because there are a couple of negative posts and I wanted to put my view across. I haven't been to any other Maldive islands so can't really compare beauty / services / accommodation, but what I can say is that the island is wonderful, the staff are all courteous and friendly, the food was great and we both had a thoroughly enjoyable, relaxing time.

I have a but allergy and the head chef would come over to me every evening when I came into the restaurant and give me a guided tour of the food I could and couldn't eat. On a couple of occasions he even prepared food just for me (when there were nuts in the rice, for example).

The reception staff were very helpful and friendly too - lots of banter about English football which was great fun.

The water bungalows (which we stayed in for part of our stay) are much better than the standard chalets, and worth the upgrade if you can afford it. TIP - if you say you want to upgrade when you arrive it's cheaper than going through the travel agent in advance, but you do run the risk of not getting an upgrade.

OK, so it's not a grand, marble floored hotel with pomp and ceremony but that's EXACTLY what we wanted to get away from for our honeymoon. Relaxing in shorts, sand on the floor of the restaurant and a generally laid back atmosphere made for a wonderful honeymoon.

We even had a private meal on the beach one evening - costs you to do this but well worth it (secluded, candle lit table - very romantic).

The other thing you HAVE to do if you go is parasailing - it cost about $35 I think. It's awesome - you are way up over the sea, looking down on the tiny islands and coral and it's so peaceful and quiet. Awesome!!

A great holiday - happy memories!!

(We booked it through Cosmos and paid around £1250 all inclusive for two weeks - absolute bargain in my view and worth every penny).

Having read a couple of bad reviews for Summer Island, I was starting to get a bit worried about having booked my family a holiday here. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived. Rooms were basic, but cleaned regularly, and the air conditioning worked - so what more do you need in the Maldives? The All Inclusive worked well - more food than we could eat, and always a couple of choices - yes the desserts were repetitive, but it's not as if they can pop to the nearest Tesco for supplies! The point of coming here is to take advantage of the good snorkelling on the island, or you can go on the free snorkelling boat trip to a nearby reef twice a day. Also you should make use of the watersports and diving centres. They do not push themselves on you - which is maybe a shame, because some people will end up not giving these activites a try, and will miss out on a good experience. As a family, we did scuba diving, cat sailing, canooing, windsurfing, a banana boat trip to a deserted sandbank with brilliant snorkelling. On top of this there was good snorkelling straight off the beach. The dive school was also doing extra boat trips out to an area where manta rays were. This involved snorkelling next to the rays, and was brilliant. There was a disco or singer once a week - but we found that the noise was actually quite intrusive, and we could have done without it. There were some repairs going on, but they had suffered some damage in December, and had work to do on the jetty and electrics, so I am sure this can be forgiven. Staff were pleasant - and the omelette making guy was certainly very nice when we were there. There is a library with dozens of English books you can borrow (& thousands of German books!) and a (slow) internet service if required. Lovely sunsets, and a great casual atmosphere - we didn't dress up, or even wear shoes for two weeks. The only downside might be the occasional unnecessary music and the number of people who smoked! If you can bear to delay buying souvenirs, they are a lot cheaper at the airport on the way home.

I have just read a review saying that Summer Island is a dump! I disagree. I agree it's pretty basic accommodation, but the food was wonderful, and the sand and the sea were beautiful. I found the bar staff a little frosty, but generally everyone else was very helpful and polite. The accommodation served a purpose - for sleeping and showering - I never had smelly towels. No one in their right mind would really bother about the rooms as outside was the place to be!! I am a single traveller and met some wonderful, friendly people. I will return to Summer Island. The snorkelling was fab!

This island did not live up to the standards you would expect from a 3 star Maldivian Resort.

The resort was all generally run down & the staff were lacking the usual Maldivian hospitality. Unfortunately the normal seemed to be service with a scowl not a smile.

There was a lot of rubbish in the sea and general repairs did not seem to be done. Pipe work was exposed around the island and all the airconditioning units looked like they would fall on your head. Litter bins were often not emptied for a few days.

The food all tasted the same and the salads and desserts were exactly the same every 48 hours. Vegetarian food was very limited (often rice or potatoes only) and the staff were not will to make even a basic omlette without being shouted at.

Rooms were damp and poorly equipped and towels, even when supposedly fresh smelt horrible.

To get anything done required a complaint to the rep (luckily she was based on the island).

On the plus side the dive centre and all their staff are fantastic.

We stayed at Summer Island Village in June 2004. We went to Sri Lanka for a week first and then to Summer Island Village for the second week. It was the first time we had been to the Maldives and I still cannot believe how pretty the islands are and how blue/turquoise the sea is.

We booked through Cosmos who state that Summer Island Village is a 3* resort. This is of course 3* compared to all of the other resorts in the Maldives, so more like a 5* hotel in Spain!

We stayed in a Water Bungalow which didn't cost us that much more to upgrade to. I would highly recommend upgrading to one of these as you get your own private bit of beach and own shaded open air beach hut on the beach! In the Water Bungalow you get a double bed, tv, telephone, fridge, a glass panel in the floor so you can see the fish which you can light up at night time and your own balcony to watch the sun go down.

All of the sun loungers are numbered with your room number (Water Bungalows and Standard Rooms) so there's no need to get up at crack of dawn to put your towel on a sun lounger.

We had a great time over there and met lots of friends - Caroline and Mark, Tess and Ady and Katie and Angus. You do have to share a table at meal times but we can't complain because that's how we met Katie and Angus and the others and had a great time.

The food is good, sounds really boring but they do a different "home made" soup for dinner and tea each day with fresh bread which is really nice. Obviously they have other food as well, but I loved the soup. They did fish and meat every day with salad and a different selection of potatoes. Our waiter was really good - because it was our 2nd wedding anniversary one night he set up our table on the beach with candles and flowers and spelled out "Happy Anniversary" on the table in coloured rice!

They feed the fish at the end of the jetty twice a week and you can either stand on the jetty and watch, help them feed the stingrays (they literally eat the fish straight out of your hands!) or if you're a bit more adventurous like my husband then you can actually swim whilst they feed the fish and the HUGE stingrays!

I have never seen so many fish before in my life, at first I was a bit scared of them as they seemed to sense fear and gather around me even though I was only in 2ft of water! Later on in the week I realised that they won't actually bite you or in fact come anywhere near you, by the end of the week I was trying to actually touch a fish without success! One thing though - make sure you take an underwater camera out with you to take fantastic pictures of the fish and the coral!

On our last day, because our flight was in the evening we had to move out of Water Bungalow and into a Standard Room and we were glad that we hadn't had to stay in a Standard Room for the whole week as they are quite small and dark, although they are very clean. We also had to spend some time at the Airport Hotel (Hulhulhe or something like that, sorry) as our flight was quite late in the evening and all boat and seaplane transfers only run during daylight. The hotel was really nice, although it wasn't all inclusive so we had to pay for the stuff out of the mini bar in the room, but it wasn't that expensive.

The only downsides were (although I'm not complaining, but just so you know what to expect) is that you can't get down to the sea from your Water Bungalow, occassionally the toilets got blocked, and its quite a walk from the private bit of beach to the bar for a drink, and its a shame there wasn't a swimming pool but when you see the shape of the island you can tell that if there was a swimming pool then there'd be no island!

Also, my husband got a bit bored by the end of the week as there wasn't any entertainment on at night (we just made our own entertainment in the bar drinking with the friends we'd made) although I recall he did spend all night watching football on the tv in reception, and there aren't really that many activities to do apart from table tennis and snokelling and scuba diving etc. The dive school looked great but that isn't my thing so I didn't have a go.

I was quite content spending all week on the beach sunbathing and did not find it boring though. Hope this isn't putting anyone off, I just want to tell it how it is. When we normally go on holiday my husband likes playing football, golf etc. but obviously there's no room to do that on the island.

We went on a trip to three different islands:- a local island where you get to look at a school and go in a few local shops, a deserted island where the beach and sea were absolutely fantastic and made great pictures, and another resort island (sorry can't remember what it's called). I would highly recommend this trip, especially if you're like my husband and want to do something!

I would also recommend paying a bit extra to travel back to the airport on the seaplane as it was a great experience.

This is a great resort with absolutely stunning scenary and I would recommend it to first time travellers to the Maldives and also to people like me that just like lazing around on the beach all day. The watiers are all so lovely and the food great. I would definitely go again but unfortunately my husband said he would rather go back to a resort in the Maldives were there are more activities so we've booked to stay at Meeru Island this year but it's cost twice as much!