When you look at the more than 100 resorts in the Maldives, a puzzling picture emerges that's enough to boggle most sensible people's minds: almost without exception, the more upmarket and expensive the resort, the less you actually get for your money in terms of meals and drinks! So up till recently, it has been only the mid-range and budget resorts that have offered All Inclusive packages which include all guest meals and drinks; the expensive top-end resorts on the other hand have included just breakfast and dinner (and sometimes only breakfast) for their not inconsiderable price-tags, and guests have then had to fork out extra for lunches and drinks (which in the Maldives are notoriously expensive!)

Lily Beach was the first Maldives resort to break this mould by recently re-launching (after undergoing a considerable renovation) with an innovative new “Platinum Plan” premium all inclusive product as standard – for the first time a 5 star property was offering guests the chance to enjoy the convenience of going All Inclusive whilst also enjoying genuinely upmarket accommodation and facilities. The impact was immediate and quite dramatic – customers streamed into the extensively revamped Lily Beach and gave the new Platinum Plan a resounding thumbs-up. It also seems to have been the catalyst for the launch of a number of similar new resorts thereby creating a brand-new sub-category – that of Luxury All Inclusive resorts – think of the gorgeous new Moofushi resort not to mention Athuruga and Thudufushi as other examples of this exciting new breed.

It wasn’t just the fact that for the first time luxurious accommodation was being paired with an All Inclusive package that made the new Lily Beach so innovative – it was also the nature of the All Inclusive plan itself, which was a couple of considerable notches higher than the usual AI plans on offer at lesser resorts. Lily Beach call it their “Platinum Plan” and it offers both greater quality as well as greater quantity. “More quality” takes the form of premium brand spirits and beer as well as some 70 different types of premium wine on offer in the restaurants and bars. “More quantity” comes with the huge amount of standard inclusions on the package – amongst these are 2 complimentary excursions (from a choice of 5 including a trip to an uninhabited island, a sunset cruise and a fishing trip), complimentary mini-bar in your room, unlimited cocktails, one a la carte meal at the Tamarind specialty restaurant, free internet access, and even free cigarettes in the bar!

So what of the resort itself? Well the good news is that the rooms here are elegant and spacious with classy dark wood combining well with shades of tan and white. They’re nicely equipped too with even the base room type, the 63 semi-detached Beach Villas, boasting Nespresso coffee machines, iPod docks, Jacuzzi baths, flat screen LCD TV’s with DVD player and surround sound, as well as free Wi-Fi internet. The next step up are the 16 Lagoon Villas which are perched on the water’s edge with steps down from their decks into the water, but it is the 36 Deluxe Water Villas that are our “best buy” room category at Lily Beach – they are simply stunning with their own private plunge pools on their decks as well as a stunning glass floored area where you can watch the fish swim amongst the corals under your villa! Finally there are 4 Sunset Water Suites which are even more spacious with larger pools and a favoured position facing the sunset.

The “old” Lily Beach was a big favourite amongst snorkellers, and whilst the move upmarket means that many of those old guests will no longer be able to afford to stay at the “new” Lily Beach, those that can will still be delighted with the quality of the house reef here. There’s really excellent snorkelling available on both sides of the island and it’s easily accessible too with the reef usually no more than 10 - 20 metres from the fine sand beaches. The good news for scuba divers is that there are many fantastic dive sites in this southern area of Ari Atoll and the area is renowned for whale sharks! Back on land there’s plenty to keep guests occupied with a fully equipped sports centre boasting tennis and a gym with state-of-the-art equipment – and families will be delighted with the “Turtle’s” Kid’s Club with both indoor and outdoor activities to keep the littlies happy. And whilst the kids are being kept occupied, parents can take the opportunity to spoil themselves with a relaxing treatment at the stunning Tamara Spa located in spectacular fashion over the waters of the lagoon!

The restaurants, bars and swimming pools at Lily Beach have also moved considerably upmarket and are all sleekly stylish and contemporary. Excellent and varied buffets are served up at the main Lily Maa restaurant which also boasts live cooking stations where you can get your meat, fish and veggies freshly grilled. Then there’s the fine dining Tamarind Restaurant offering Chinese and Indian accented dishes in a gorgeous over water setting. The Spirit Bar and Lounge with its sandy floors is a great place to chill out in relaxed and informal surroundings or you can enjoy a cocktail around one of the pool bars, AQVA or Vibes. Talking of Vibes, a variety of live entertainment is offered at night where you can relax to live bands or let your hair down to a DJ.