CPT Skywalker

The food wasn't cheap either, but of really good quality. I suppose everything, from wine to fresh produce must be flown in, not only to the country, but to each individual resort island.

Apologies for the fragmented posts. Will try to finish it up this week. (It sucks being back at the office...)

CPT Skywalker

Lux have 5 restaurants, 3 pool/sea side bars (offer light lunches), a pizzaria, a coffee shop and an ice cream parlor (all home made, low fat ice cream ranging from bitter salted caramel to fresh strawberry to popcorn flavour).

Two of the restaurants offer buffet style meals while the other 3 (Japanese, Itallian & Indian/Maldivian/Middle Eastern) are a la carte.
Here are some sample menus to get your mouth watering:




















You'll notice that some dishes (not many) and Umami aren't included in the AI, but there were plenty to indulge in!
We made bookings at each a la carte restaurant beforehand and that evening we went to Alegria, the Italian joint.


We started with the Parma Ham and Scallops (regret no photos) and moved on to the seafood risotto and potato gnocchi with truffle infused beef rib and creamed spinach.



Dessert was the chiled berry soup with fresh basilpineapple brunoise and pistachio biscotti and Ricotta bavarois with chocolate/hazelnut crunch and coffee caviar.



After dinner we headed to the bar for cognac and cigars, mingled a bit with the guests and had a chat with the head chef.

CPT Skywalker

The rest of our stay was so relaxing. Days flowed into each other and time was gauged by meal times, snorkel times and spa appointments.









Although this was one of the bigger island resorts, it's important to note that the resort only caters for 390 guests (while the staff is around 480pax), so you never have to queue. There's always enough pool chairs. You never feel crowded. And while 60 staff stays on the island, the rest of the cleaners and gardeners are as friendly and professional as the more senior staff. Rooms are cleaned twice a day and even the beaches get raked every morning. Pristine!


LUX* burger: Black Angus burger filled with smoked scamorza cheese on a bed of sautéed Portobello mushrooms with a foie gras sauce on an onion and truffle bread with sundried tomato comfit.
Yes, it's as delicious as what it sounds!

And this is lunch from the poolside bar!

CPT Skywalker

The only downside was that Lux didn't have a house reef, but they made up for this by taking boats out each day to various beautiful reefs around the island. Close by, but just too far to swim to.
Another reason why we opted for the beach villa and not the water villa on this island.
But there was plenty of things to keep you occupied.

Since this was R&R time, we frequented the Spa. I couldn't fault it! The staf is friendly and professional and very good! The have garden rooms as well as over water rooms where you can have a sunset massage and watch the fish swim beneath you. My eyes didn't stay open too long though.



This phone booth is open 24/7 and offer free international calls to loved ones.

















Some of the local wildlife:





And then the rain came... Luckily it lasted for about an hour and it cleared right up.



It was an amazing week! So scared that we were going to get bored, I loaded my iPad with ebooks and movies, but in a week's time, I didn't even manage to finish one book. Funny how busy one gets when doing nothing.

Lux Maldives is a beautiful place and their offering is fresh and trendy and unpretentious. A five star resort worth revisiting. But, for now, it was time to say goodbye...

CatchThePigeon

Superb TR with an excellent variety of photos. Thanks.

May I ask whether the All Inclusive included a reasonable variety of wines or was it restricted to house white/red? The lack of a house reef is a slight downer but was there no where to snorkel nearby the island that had half decent coral and sea life?

CPT Skywalker

Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying the TR. The AI package includes everything on the drinks menus and food menus (posted earlier in the TR) except where it is stated in brackets next to an item that it isn't included e.g. French Champagne, lobster etc. There's a good variety of wines from all over the world to choose from and premium liquor like Hennessy Cognac was included in the AI as well. The staff is quite knowledgeable when it comes to recommending wines and we had a different glass with almost every course.

We spoke to a fellow who went snorkelling with us a few times. He was on honeymoon with his wife and stayed in one of the water villas. He said that there were quite a few fish around and if you swam out a bit towards the east side of the island (about waist deep) there were breakers that harboured quite a bit of sea life. But the best way to see the magnitude of life beneath the surface is to head to one of the nearby reefs on a boat or go on a snorkeling safari or whale shark expedition. They also have a NatGeo approved diving center and in-house marine biologist that you can chat to.

CPT Skywalker

Our next island resort had come to fetch us. Even though we were the only two guests that left, senior management came to see us off on the jetty and a whole line of staff stood there waving goodbye until we couldn't see them anymore.

The speed boat ride to about an hour to cross the atoll to our next island. Once we reached the other side of the atoll, small islands started appearing and more boats were on the water. We're getting close!


Soon we reached our next island, Constance Moofushi, the jewel island.



At check-in we were informed that we passed a time line and had to set our watches 1hour forward. This would come in handy on check-out day!

We were then taken for a personal tour of the island and shown to our water villa.










The island is small - intimate... The beaches have pure white sand, the water is bright blue and there is a level of personal touch the is unexpected.

The water villas are elegant and private and there's a reef right underneath your feet.









The home entertainment center is powered by a mac mini in each villa and offer interactive music, movies, tv and internet. Wifi is also across the whole island (same as Lux) and you have access to any international newspapers or magazines by downloading it through a dedicated app on your tablet. The minibar is also refilled once a day and is stocked with beer, wine and snacks.

Constance have two restaurants. One is buffet style and the other a la carte. The crystal all inclusive package included one dinner at the a la carte and all other meals at the buffet restaurant or light snacks at the beach bar.


The food was of good quality and the offerings varied daily, but I think it can get a bit monotonous if you have to stay here too long.

What was amazing was the extensive wine list. Literally hundreds of international wines were on offer and with 4 dedicated wine sommeliers to advise you and develop your pallet.

CPT Skywalker

Being a small island though, you feel like you can relax even more. There's not much to miss out on. No boat to catch for snorkeling, no cocktail evening to attend. Just eat, sleep, beach, repeat!










And the snorkeling is breathtaking! Thousands of fish, so varied! Absolutely incredible!
Unfortunately my underwater camera broke, so sadly I have no photos to share.
I did ask someone with a GoPro to send me some, so hopefully I will be able to uppdate the post with a few pics soon.












Maldivian night! Wonderful seafood curries and lively dancing!




















Another perfect day was ended with a beautiful dinner on the beach. Matured Angus steak with rock lobster pared beautifully with a French number chosen by our sommelier that afternoon and decanted an hour before our arrival to breathe.

russellrst

LOVE this TR. Did you work out what the trip would have cost if you did not go AI?

CPT Skywalker

It's difficult to say! I tried to keep track at Lux, but lost count. I recon we would have spent over 1500USD per person on food and drinks during our 6 night stay making the $150/p/day for the AI well worth it.

CPT Skywalker

Our last day had arrived. We had a 7pm flight from Male, but since we were an hour ahead our seaplane transfer was only at 4pm (arriving in Male at 3:45pm) so we basically had a full day left to enjoy.

Our check-out was at eleven, but our AI covered us till after lunch. After breakfast we dropped our bags at the lounge went to check out and then headed for a last few hours of sun and snorkeling.








After a lazy lunch we headed back to the lounge to have a shower and get ready for departure.

The lounge:







Our ride was here











And then we were there... back to reality.
Check-in at the airport was quick. Since we were flying J, we received a fast track pass for security and passport control and then we headed for the lounge.
The airport had recently undergone renovations with new shops. Some were still busy unpacking. There's also two lounges, but the one was still closed for renovations.
This was was brand new though, by the looks of things.



No alcohol, of course....

CPT Skywalker

1 Coffee, 1 magazine and 2 fridge magnets later, it was time for our flight.



The menu didn't look that great, but I chose the pumpkin ravioli. Unfortunately, they didn't have! So I settle for the chicken. :|


I can't remember too much of the flight... but it felt short, so that was good. We had a long night ahead...
Soon we were back in that familiar lounge.




We already ate (and were propably going to sample the menu on our next flight again, so we settled at the upstairs bar and watch people while sipping Krug.


After a long wait at the gate due to a delay, we finally boarded. By that time everyone was restless. The gate check was done at the entrance of a seating area and once the glass doors opened for the jet way, everyone stormed! By the time we got to the entrance of the plane, some woman from economy was having a fit because she's got a peanut allergy and didn't want any nuts to be served on this flight...

We quickly ducked into the tranquility of the J cabin and breathed deeply.
The cabin was spacious with the galley in front and two J toilets at the back.
The seat was beautiful, and again reminded me so much of BA F.




After a glass of champagne and a short announcement from the captain that no nuts will be served on this flight, it was time for take off.




I was tired so I had the lamb and chicken starter, tried the Thai curry (not good) and went to bed.

The next morning I woke up early and watched a movie over breakfast. What intrigued me was the electronic tint for the windows. It was already sunny outside, yet it looked like night time outside. Amazing!



Home.

DaveNCL

Nice TR, really enjoyed the commentary and photos. Made a train journey pass very quickly and nice to get the final instalment this morning.

Am I right in thinking at MLE planes taxi on the runway and then do a 180 at the end for both take off and after landing?

Paella747

You caused me to stay up past my bedtime! ^
Thanks for the taking the time to write that excellent report!

saturnino3

Wonderful TR! Loved the pictures! Went to Maldives (PH Hyatt) in November '14. Can't wait to go back.