White Sand Resort & Spa South Ari Atoll

Having been to the Maldives three times before, previously to Lohifushi, Laguna Beach and Vilamendhoo. We feel that we now know what to look for and can be objective in our opinions and reviews of islands.

White Sands I chose because it was my choice a year earlier when we went to Vilamendhoo but it was booked up, so having found a great deal online to White Sands which included a water villa, and HB, we decided to book.

The Island is lovely, very pretty and picturesque. Much better than any pictures online which really do not do the island justice. The water villas were very Robinson Crusoe and relatively large, with a balcony accessible from both the bathroom and the bedroom.

The wonderful thing about White Sands is that it has a restaurant and bar over the water which is uplit in the evenings, so that you can have dinner on the jetty part and watch the fish below. This I havent seen on other islands apart from Lohifushi that has a gorgeous sunset bar.

What I did notice about White Sands in particular that I havent seen at any other Maldivian resort is that they had employed almost as many women as men, this was quite unusual after being to three other islands where the only women that you see are behind reception or in the spa. It was a welcome change as the women seemed to have organised all the activities in the evening which were quite novel too, such as a fashion show, a sarong night and a magic show, which was a but of a change from the usual crab races.

The other wonderful little things that added to the resort was the daily newsletter posted on your door that listed all the day and evening activities as well as a few words in Dhivi for you to learn, they also had a daily news synopsis from around the world, which was provided in most languages when you entered breakfast.

I would highly recommend White Sands, and as a person that wants to go to a different island on each visit, I would most definitely return. The highlight of the trip had to be when my husband on my birthday booked a private dining on a little sandbank just off the main island. This was particularly special as it was surrounded by water and only accessoble via speedboat. So having been picked up we were taken to the sandbank whereby four staff including a chef and a grill for the occasion had been setup to make us both a seafood and steak meal. It was truly wonderful, they gave us champagne as well as making me a birthday cake which hadnt even been requested and on returning to our room the room attendant had made the bed and written with rose petals Happy Birthday.

Enjoy your trip, you will have an amazing time, we did.

We returned from our White Sands honeymoon on 2nd April - what an absolutely fabulous place! I can't believe that no-one has written anything here since January!!!!

We stayed in a water bungalow which we can highly recommend. Lovely and private and just down the steps into the water close to the reef - we did the reef snorkelling trip once but my hubby decided that snorkelling off the back of our bungalow was better! And NO MOZZIES at all!

The staff are ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! Super friendly yet professional and courteous - what more could you want?

We stayed all inclusive - GREAT choice of food each evening taking different themes - ie italian, indian etc - and the Tarka (sp?) Dahl was to die for - best Indian food I've ever had (as you would imagine!)

A special mention to our roomboy - he was superb - he stocked our minibar with our special requests and was extremely friendly and chatty - fresh towels everyday and on our last night decorated our bed with fresh petals in a lovely arrangement.

On several occasions we walked across to the Nagili Bar on the Island Village for some evening entertainment - the best entertainment we've ever had on ANY of our holidays - and such a wide range too - the resident band 2-Zee were exceptional (playing there once a week) - they got us up on the dancefloor in no time at all! and many other guests too!

Also must mention what a fantastic range of watersports and excursions for those wanting something a little more energetic - there's so much to do or you can just chill with a cocktail if you wish.

Whilst we were there we saw the General Manager on several occasions in the Water Village restaurant - at one lunchtime he sat next to us and was talking to his companion about the losses they have suffered since the Tsunami - January & February very little business at all and in March (while we were there) - most bookings were last minute ones paying a lot less than normal.

Please go to White Sands if you're thinking of booking to go to the Maldives - its a fabulous place, SUPERB value for money and they really do still need our help.

Sam & Ian

x

My partner & I travelled to White Sands Resort & spa at the begining of December 2005 returning just over a week before the Tsunami hit the Idian Ocean region.

We had a wonderful holiday. The setting is idylic and the staff plus facilities were excellent. It was a real chill out holiday, which is exactly what we wanted. We stayed on an all inclusive deal, in the water bungalows which were lovely. Very private and what more could you want than to be showering in your bathroom whilst looking out of the window at crystal clear waters and fish swimming around. At night we watched the rays swimming past our balcony which was amazing.

The staff were very helpful, always asking if everything was up to our expectations and I have never been to a resort where the chef was out in the restaurant asking if there was any way he could improve the variety of food!!

I have since been in contact with resort via e-mail and although they have sustained damage, no-one was badly injured. The water bungalows re-open next week and the island village will hopefully open in a couple of months. I feel the best way we can support this community is to visit them again, which we hope to do and spread the word about the lovely holiday we had. Even at such a difficult time for them all, they have responded to our e-mails.

If you're thinking of going, then do and enjoy the relaxation and beauty of this special place.

We were lucky enough to visit White Sands Resort & Spa in the end of November for a week. We booked directly with the resort who took care of the transportation to the island as well. After a 30' flight be seaplane we arrived at the island which is one hour ahead of Male. The view we faced as soon as we got off was fantastic! Our water bungalow exceeded our expectations; bathroom with an ocean view, private terrace with stairs leading directly into the water. The sealife and the crabs resting on our stairs added a very tranquil element to the rest of that tropical island...

Services and facilities are very good on White Sands and the personnel are always helpful and eager to assist in any way they can. Spa was extraordinary, too. The ultimate relaxation twice within a week!!! No need for any formal dressing, either. We moved aroung barefoot all day (..and night!). We took a half-day island hoping to a couple of neighbouring inhabited islands and we did snorkelling and canoeing with hired equipment from the sports centre on the island.

All in all, it was an unforgettable holiday, probably once in our lifetime! Shame that the resort was badly damaged by the tsunamis of 26/12/2004... Let's just wish that soon it will re-open and bring more people to that tip of white sanded paradise!

dive centre excellent some good dives.....no complaint

reef 600 yds from beach and dangerous to swim to..even as a mad strong swimmer.....for experienced swimmers will be dissappointed

as onlyy access by boat and only once a day

water bungeloes excellent

remaining island under construction 24/7 BEFORE the wave.

if one wanted to lie in sun for poor swimmer ok .. for us not good

At low water only a foot of water in lagoon.

food excellent once we got upgraded .... rats in bar in the village!

I did extensive research before booking and still White Sands surpassed all expectations. It is wonderfully low key - be prepared to relax and go barefoot for the week! Idyllic location, friendly staff, good food and great diving. We stayed in a "superior" beach room, loved the easy access to the beach and dive shop.

How good was this resort ? 5* What a place to visit, it has the best dive centre ever, with the best dive centre staff ( Beat, Werner ... ) Meet loads of new friends and would totally recommend that you visit. Next time i think we will go for longer as i dont think a week was enough. The Scuba Diving here is very good, good vis, recommend the Long Reef Dive ......

Well Thanks to

Jason / Abbey / Juls / Ingrid / Constantine for a fab holiday ...... maybe a reunion soon !

I cannot recommend this place highly enough. On so many counts it exceeded our expectations.

We booked last minute and it was billed as a simple medium class island, therefore we did not expect much. We were very pleasantly surprised.

Its charm is in the fact that it is very natural- simple does not mean bad quality, run down nor tatty. It is beautiful, extremely well maintained and clean, all the equipment we borrowed for snorkelling (6US$/day) was in perfect condition and all the staff, of which there are many, are competent, hard working and polite.

It is also very reasonably priced, we expected things to cost the earth but the prices never really made us think twice about ordering anything we wanted. Not even alcohol was unfairly priced and there is a lovely spa where you receive your treatment in a hut with the sound of the waves to accompany it, also very affordable. I would still recommend going half board as the food is quite good by "all inclusive" standards and it means you don't have to worry about cost as meals a la carte would add up to quite something by the end.

There is enough beach to be virtually alone and very private, all the shrubs go right down to the water and you can put your sun lounger in the water and have the sea lap round it- heaven!

The snorkelling there is out of this world, don't miss the daily house reef trip nor the snorkelling safari (3 different dive sites) we saw octopus, whale sharks, baby sharks, sting rays, turtles, sea snakes, clams...the list goes on. Its magical. Buy an underwater camera with a flash or only use in sunny weather in the shallow water (by the jetty to the water village is some of the best for visibility and also chance to get really, really close.) They also feed the giant sting rays in the evenings which is cool to watch.

There is entertainment every evening, music/crab racing/disco or if you fancy a quiet drink in the water village bar or just doing nothing at all then that is perfectly possible.

We stayed in the basic rooms which were a good size, clean and functional. We were amazed for the price. I think a water bungalow would be excellent too, though you are a little distance away from the night entertainment here. The water rooms are the only rooms which have tv but I loved the fact that there was no contact with the outside world.

The only thing I would say is that the island is very long which allows lots of space which is great. However, if you do not like walking or are unable to walk far then this is not the ideal place. Its not so far that it is a hassle at all, a good 10 min walk from 1 end of the island to the other perhaps.

Otherwise I can only say this place is a class act- paradise really does exist!

This is a beautiful island. We stayed on a water bungalow which had views of the ocean from your bathroom and a balcony where you can chill and sunbathe. From the balcony you can walk directly into the ocean which is shallow for a long way out - so it feels very safe but open. The bungalow was built completely of wood and looked like a dhoni boat, the interior is simple and ties in with the easygoing feel of the island. We ate at the water restaurant most nights and food is great - we chose buffet - delicious. Staff very attentive and friendly. Its a fun island where you can join in with the nightly entertainment organised or you can be pretty much alone and find quiet spots as you walk round the beach. Dive centre and water sports very good - made us feel safe and still had fun. We saw a whale shark here on just our second dive as they live round this atoll apparantly! Would definitely return - great place to chill and very romantic too.

A wonderful, relaxed and pretty island with plenty of beach space and shade if you need it.

We stayed at the water village in the water bungalows and they were truly superb, cleaned twice a day, flowers on our bed, fresh fluffy towels etc.

Wonderful balcony on the bungalow with comfy sunbeds and providing shade in the heat of the day.

Buffet food (we went all inclusive) was superb and plenty of choice from curry, to freshly made pasta, fresh fruit, freshly grilled chicken and fish - home made soups and homemade bread, the list goes on .....something to suit everyone.

We felt we were looked after all week , the waiters, room boys, water sport centre...people couldn't do enough for us. The water village was truly a wonderful, romantic place where you felt only you were dining there on the jetty looking up at the stars and watching the manterays swim past.



Some of the other rooms on the island (the cheapest ones) were a bit basic I was told, but still comfortable and well kept, and the beach villas were lovely right on the beach with wonderful uninterrupted views. It depends what you want in accommodation - but the water bungalows were truly luxurious - huge walk in wardrobes, minibar, hairdryer, satellie tv, settee, huge bathroom and steps down to the crystal clear water.

Tip - the drinks and food were a bit pricey - as they are on most islands I'm told so worth considering all inclusive. We did and did not regret it.

A truly wonderful island..............enjoy.