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| Holiday-Truth Readers Reports |
Linda Fowler from Abingdon travelled to Sun Island Resort with
First Choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2007 | rated the Sun Island Resort as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: Stayed at Sun Island in April 2007 - Once you have found paradise there is not much point in going anywhere else - hence have booked to go for the same two weeks in April 2008. We have never been to the same resort/hotel in 40 years of holidaying - enough said.
This place is fantastic.
Click here for more information on this hotel, resort and region
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Carl Ellis from Cleckheaton travelled to Sun Island Resort with
Thomas Cook
on a couples holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 03 2007 | rated the Sun Island Resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location |  | | Staff | | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We stayed at Sun Island for two weeks in March 2007.
The entire Island , hotel and beach were immaculately kept. Very clean resort.
To get to the island involves a 30 minute sea plane trip. Unfortunately for us we were delayed leaving England by four hours. This meant we then had a 2 hour delay waiting for our sea plane.
As a result it did seem to take an extremely long time to get there.
Once we arrived though there was no dissappointment. Everything looked exactly as in the brochure. The sea was clear and the sand was white. Even the wife looked good. lol
The staff were very friendly and extremely hard working. The restaurant staff were always chatty and made the environment fun. Sun Island is a big island with many guests. However , out and about the island you could be alone if you wished. It was only during breakfast and evening dinner that you appreciated the amount of people on the island.
I did find some frustration with the evening meal time of 19:30 to 21:30. If the mealtimes went on until later, say 22:30 then it would mean you have more time early evening to have drinks and watch the sunset. Which i personally find very relaxing and one of the best parts of the day.
We went to mauritius the previous year for our honeymoon and we were able to sit at the main bar and watch from a sun terrace the sunset every night of the holiday and still have plenty time to get ready for evening dinner as the food was available until half ten.
The island itself took approximately 1 and half hours to walk round, including time to stop and take photographs. Although there were some slightly tricky spots it was nice to find an island that you could genuinely walk all the way round at the waters edge.
Unless you are feeling extremely energetic and love walking then hiring bikes is an absolute must. Watching my wife trying to ride a bike for the first time in several years did provide some amusement and the bikes did make it fun to travel round the island.
We initially stayed in the deluxe rooms and these were very nice. The part we stayed on the island though did not have the best view down to the beach which was a shame. Once you got past the trees though actually on to the beach it was truly fantastic and completely picture postcard stuff. There was hardly any around and you did feel like you had your section of the beach and water completely to yourself.
We did spend some days up at the pool area which again is very nice. TIP : if you want to get one of the huts/ umbrella's then you need to be putting your towels down for half seven unfortunately. These beds offer the best views with shade and there are not many.
It is much busier up at the pool however and a couple of days each week is enough for us. It was far quieter down by your bungalow.
We upgraded for the last three days to the water bungalows. This for me is what the maldives is all about and I definitely recommend it.
Very very private, you wake up to sunshine on your own private deck. A ladder down into the water to cool off. Very relaxing and wish we had upgraded earlier.
We enjoyed the spa treatment facilities and if you've never tried them before. Be brave and give it a try. Its good fun and very relaxing. We tried the 2 A la carte restaurants. Both very good. We prefered the Thai out of the two and had two brilliant nights there. Pricey when you start firing down a couple of bottles of wine but very pleasant evenings and must be tried whilst your there.
Another must is the sunset fishing trip. Aimed at total novices its a fun evening out.
I noticed on other reviews some people had problem getting service in the main bar in the evenings. Fortunately we had read beforehand it was worthwhile tipping on the very first night. We did this and the guy was superb all holiday. Would find us tables every night . We were never without a drink and often he would bring another without us even ordering. So TIP on your 1st night is my recommendation. We would then keep chipping in 1 dollar a round more or less keep him happy.
Overall a fantastic holiday. If i was to be picky i would have loved a bar down on the side of the island where the sun set so you could truly enjoy that time of day getting slowly plastered before your evening meal :)
It takes a long time to get there especially if you factor in delays. For that reason if you are able to, consider booking for 3 weeks to really wind down.
happy hols !
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David from GOOLE travelled to Sun Island Resort with
First Choice
on a friends holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 01 2007 | rated the Sun Island Resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: Nice and clean. Staff in restaurant, excellent and good in general. Staff in bar on an evening were very lax unless tipped every drink. We had to go to the bar twice one evening to get served. Not 5 star service!
The signing for everything wasn't too bad but to make this a top class all inclusive resort need a few more flexible facilities. e.g As we were diving and on excursions it was often hard to meet set meal times and an all day snack bar in the coffee shop would have been welcome.
The setting was great with rays, turtles, Octopus and 4 ft sharks all seen within the lagoon during the day.
Diving excellent and the island and beaches beautiful but the Hotel in general just needs to chill out and relax.
How it was run was too straight laced for such a setting.
Apart from the few niggles We did have a great time and wouldn't hesitate going again.
P.S. I had my bike nicked twice it seems to be a help yourself at meal times. The staff just give you someone else's
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Rachel and Lee from Liverpool travelled to Sun Island Resort with
Thomas Cook
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2006 | rated the Sun Island Resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: If you are planning to go to the Maldives I would definitely recommend All Inclusive. Everything on the islands is imported therefore can prove to be expensive.
The hotel is extremely clean. Your room gets cleaned 3 times per day and the evening visit being a turn down. The rest of the hotel is exceptionally clean too however we did see the occasional mouse due to the nature of the islans but even for someone like me who can't stand mice/rats/cockroaches it was not frightening!!!
The food available is fantastic - all tastes are catered for. Due to it being a muslem country they do not serve pork therefore they offer chicken sausages and beef bacon for breakfast as an alternative. You are allocated you own table and waiter for the duration of the holiday which is ideal as it does not feel too 'buffet' orientated. The Thai resaurant is fab!! - excellant service and food!! Just be warned if you are wanting champagne a bottle of Moet can set you back $150.
The location of the hotel is south of Male which is apparently better to visit in our winter months.
Hotel staff were excellent - nothing is too much for them. They are alwasys willing to help! Always pleasant and friendly!
The entertainment was much better than I was expecting as I didn't think there would be any really! The live band night was really good, karaoke, crab race, maldivian, disco.
I would definitely return to the Maldives and would be difficult not to return to Sun Island as it was a complete Paradise!! which did not feel too caustrophobic!! We visited Holiday Island during our stay which is another Villa hotel and that was really tiny in comparison and felt too closed in!!
Make sure you can ride a bike before choosing the Sun Island as if you do not use a bike to get around then you are just not cool!!
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Paul Reed from Oxford travelled to Sun Island Resort with
Thomas Cook
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 03 2006 | rated the Sun Island Resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The room was very large with a very big bed. There was air conditioning down to 16 degrees centrigrade which felt amazingly cold compared to the outdoors! The hotel and grounds are very well maintained and the whole resort was extremely well planned. Even though there are lots of bungalows on the island the palm trees all around give a great feeling of privacy and sometimes you felt completely alone on the island. Having the beach on your back door was very nice, we were able to move from the room to the beach to the pool without having to put shoes on. We walked around the whole island in about 1.5 hours without touching dry land. The photo opportunities are 360 degrees - amazing.
The food was buffet style and offered a range of international dishes, always including soup, salad, a pasta dish, potatoes (only chips once in 2 weeks) and curry. There was almost always a choice of fish, chicken and a red meat (usually beef). We are not particularly adventurous with regard to food but found that there was plenty to choose from. It was not the slop in a tray we have experienced in some places in Europe! We did indulge one night and have a candlelit pizza and chips in the Italian restaurant - not cheap but very tasty and a lovely setting to eat a meal. Don't miss the all-inclusive sunset afternoon tea in the coffee shop, and take a camera. The views are beautiful as the sun goes down.
As we were all inclusive we spent most evenings in the main bar, where the waiter service is very good. There wasn't planned entertainment every night but there was always music and there are four free pool tables to play on. The live band played once while we were there and they were brilliant. Unfortunately their appearance depends on the availability of a boat from Male and the second week they couldn't come. I was quite disappointed! Other evenings included karaoke, crab racing and live Maldivian music.
Overall we really enjoyed our first time in the Maldives and will be going back as soon as possible, maybe to sun island or maybe to try somewhere else. I would definately use the same chain of hotels, they have around 4 in total.
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Daza from Sheffield travelled to Sun Island Resort with
Thomas Cook
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2004 | rated the Sun Island Resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Island visited: Sun Island Resort (Maldives)
Duration: 14th June 2004 - 29th June 2004
Total amount of rain: Several light showers (5-10 mins duration)
Temperature: Daytime 30 Degrees, Night 29 Degrees
Board Arrangements: All Inclusive
Photos will not appear on this review - to see pictures look for my link in the forums.
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Flying from Manchester to Male (Via Bahrain) on a Monarch 767, as there was no premium cabin on the aircraft we were unable to upgrade our seating. The flying time to Bahrain was just over 6 hours. Upon arrival at Bahrain we had to disembark the aircraft to allow for refuelling (also allowed us to stock up on dirt cheap duty free -- But remember you must not take any alcohol into the Maldives). After a short 25 minutes the aircraft had been refuelled, cleaned & re-stocked for our onward journey to Male, which took a further 4 hours 25 mins.
Upon arrival at Male, you enter the terminal building and proceed to the passport control - previous experiences of foreign airports mean a lengthy wait whilst immigration cards are checked and stamped - But these people know what they are doing and we only had a 5 min wait. You then collect your luggage and then have it X-rayed (You will be stopped and asked to open your luggage if they suspect anything in your case to resemble alcohol or drugs).
Transfers to the island are either by Sea-Plane (30 mins) or Speedboat (2 hours 40 mins) - We took the option to pay the extra and go by Sea-Plane and what an experience that was. Your luggage goes with you on the plane, and they seat around 14 people. Flying at 4,500 feet you can clearly see all the islands below you - they all looked very inviting.
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TMA Seaplane -- Airport -- Male (Capital City) -- Sun Island -- Dhoni -- Speedboat
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The Sea-Plane drops you off on a platform out at sea and a local boat (Dhoni) arrives to take you and your luggage to Sun Island, which is a short 5 minutes away.
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Sun Island Sign - Jetty leading to Reception
On arrival at the island you are dropped off a the Sun Island sign and are escorted down the jetty to the reception area (where we first noticed that the jetty's do not have any kind of rails to stop you from falling over the edge - so families with small children beware!) We were greeted by a refreshing drink and a cool towel.
The reception area was very clean and the staff were pleasant and helpful - nicely decorated wooden ceiling with plenty of fans - a rock pool in the centre is the home to a number of fish and lobsters.
You were handed a form to fill in with details such as name, passport number, tour operator etc. after this you have your wristband fitted (loss or damage will result in a $20 replacement fee) and were handed your key (be careful if you lose this you will be charged $70 for a replacement) and a key card (this is used to identify you and what room you are stopping in) and asked to identify your luggage - Transport was provided to take you to your room and several minutes later your cases followed.
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Reception - Transport/Bicycles - Map of Sun Island
The main transport on the island is via push bike - they seem to get everywhere, they can be hired for around $3 a day - Ideal if your villa is situated at the end of the island as it would be a 15 min walk to the restaurant.
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VILLA: We stopped in room 307 which was situated at the Water Villa side of the Island - Several villas up from the Grill Terrace
We upgraded to a superior deluxe villa and the 1st impressions were that the room was very spacious and very clean - Air conditioning system & a very fast ceiling fan ensured the room stay nice and cool, 1 huge bed with IDD telephone at the side, 2 chairs with a table in front of the patio doors, a dresser table with mirror & drawers and chair, and ample space for hanging clothes, TV (on which you could keep track off your bill and access the internet), a mini bar and a safe.
The bathroom again was also very spacious with toilet, bidet, bath with internal shower, a hairdryer & a telephone - a glass door led to the small garden which contained the outside shower.
There were also 3 dispenser within the bathroom that all dispensed soap, shower gel & shampoo.
The rooms were cleaned 3 times daily - don't be alarmed when a man cleans your room as the only females we saw working on the island were either sweeping the sand or within the entertainment team.
The only downside to the room was that you had to insert the key fob into a socket to enable the power in the room to operate - meaning you couldn't come back to a nice cool room.
Also be aware that the mini bar is NOT free on All Inclusive and a 330 ml bottle of Coca-Cola will cost you $4.90, your mini bar is stocked with the following:
5x 330 ml cans of Heineken, 3x 330 ml bottles of Coca Cola, 3x 330 ml bottles of Orange Fanta, 3x 330 ml bottles of Sprite, 2x bottles of water.
A wider selection of drinks is available (at a cost) if required.
A 1.5 litre bottle of water was FREE and was left in the room every morning - if you required more, then it was available at the bars (also FREE)
All the villas on the island are hidden by palm trees so you can not see them from the beach, this is to keep the natural beauty of the island - so when you exit the villa via the patio door exit you will have to walk several metres through the trees before you can access the beach
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Bathroom -- Outside Shower -- Bathroom -- Electricity Key fob -- Mini Bar -- Super Deluxe Villa -- Super Deluxe Villa -- Super Deluxe Villa
Room service is available 24 hours at a charge of $10 per call out (on top of the price of items ordered -- these are not included on All Inclusive)
A Pizza delivery service is available and a menu with prices is available in the room (these are not included on All Inclusive)
A laundry service is available and a price list is available in the room (these are not included on All Inclusive)
Laundry price list
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Meals times are as follows:
Breakfast: 7.30am - 9.30am
Lunch: 12.30pm - 2.00pm
Dinner: 7.30pm - 9.00pm
If you are on All Inclusive, meals have to be taken in the huge Maaniya 1000 seater main restaurant (Southern Star restaurant if you are staying in the Water Bungalows) when you go for your first meal you will be assigned a table and a waiter which you will have for the duration of your holiday. At busy times of the year you may have to share your table with another couple (that speak the same language)
The restaurant was not that crowded unless there was entertainment on in the evening then everybody seems to go for there evening meal at 7.30 altogether.
Drinks are brought to your table by your waiter and you sign a receipt at the end of your meal for them (excluding breakfast) make sure the receipt has a red all-inclusive stamp on it before you sign or you will be billed.
Meals were very good with a great selection - we noticed that every day there was Beef (either in steak or minced form), Chicken & Fish - with a selection of rice & pasta dishes - huge selection of salads and there was always a vegetarian option (but usually only 1 or 2) Most of the dishes contained nut - so beware if you have any allergy and ask the chefs that are on hand if any help is needed -- The food was also tested for temperature every 10 minutes and any food that was not warm enough was destroyed. Any food left over from lunch time was not re-used for dinner (as other all-inclusive resorts do) it is eaten by the staff or destroyed.
A menu was also on show in the entrance so you would know what was for Lunch & Dinner.
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Main Restaurant -- Main Restaurant -- Menu October 2003 -- Menu June 2004 -- Expect this is you have a Birthday
Maaniya restaurant - 2 sample menu's are above
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Vani Coffee Shop
Vani Coffee Shop - Open 24 hours
Sundown Break (afternoon tea) is served from 4.00pm - 6.00pm
Includes tea/coffee (regular), mini sandwiches (tuna fillings, cheese & tomato)
Cake from the display, Mineral water (served by the glass - on request)
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Italian Restaurant -- Inside of Restaurant - Feeding the fish at the Restaurant
The other restaurants on the island include an Italian (also Pizza delivery) - situated at the end of the jetty where you arrived
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Lots of Fish from the Jetty -- Jetty leading to Water Bungalows - View of Thai Restaurant
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Thai Restaurant -- Thai Restaurant -- Thai Restaurant -- Thai Restaurant -- Part of Menu -- Sunset from Jetty
& the Thai / Chinese restaurant - situated at the end of the jetty where the Water Bungalows are:
Well worth paying a visit here to see the amazing sunsets & to see the fish being fed just after the sunset - you can see the larger black Manta ray, the larger sharks, barracuda as well as many others
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All-inclusive people can use all the bars but the drinks are only free at 3 bars on the island, these being:
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Main Bar Sign -- Main Bar (viewed from left) -- Main Bar (viewed from right) -- Disco area -- Nightlife -- Pool Tables -- Outside seating
The Main Bar (Mekunu Bar)
Open 24 hours, This is the largest bar on the island and is where all the
nightly entertainment takes place - it also has a disco section and 4 pool tables at one end.
All-inclusive drinks are served from 10.00am - 1.00am only
All you have to do is find a table - a waiter will approach you and ask for your drinks order,
take your room number and bring you your drinks. If your glass is looking quite empty most
of the waiters would bring you another drink without you needing to ask.
Pool Bar
The Pool Bar
This bar is open from 10.00am until sunset 6.00pm - and serves beers, soft drinks, spirits & cocktails
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Beach Bar - Bear Bar (Scanned picture)
The Beach Bar
Open 24 hours and is situated at the far end of the beach, near the water sports centre
All-inclusive drinks are served from 10.00am - 1.00am only
The bars that you will be charged for are:
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Lobby Bar -- Golf Course Bar
The Lobby Bar The Golf Course Bar
The 2 speciality restaurants also have 24 hour bars - but are charged as a supplement
I would recommend that you choose the all-inclusive option as drinks & meals are quite expensive - I totalled the bills up most days of what we (2 people) spent on drinks (we do not drink much alcohol) and they came to around $100 per day (around £60) -- An average meal would set you back around $20 per head
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The pool is situated in between the main restaurant and the main bar - it is a large pool but only has around 100 sun-loungers situated around it.
Approx 40 at the rear and 60 to the front - Sun loungers were available most of the day as the complex was only running at around 70% capacity (around 700 people).
A towel service is provided free of charge
The pool was very warm and never seemed to be crowded, but most people just wanted to sunbathe or would prefer the sea (which was only feet away)
Palm tress created a nice shaded area around the pool and on the island situated in the centre - the depth varied from walk-in to 1.8 metres.
2 waterfalls, 1 at each end - beware if you are going underneath them as the water flowing over them did tend to sting the skin a little as the drop was quite high
A Swim-up bar is located at the rear - or waiters will walk around the perimeter if you require drinks bringing to you.
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Pool from rear - Pool from rear -- Pool Bar -- Waiter Gobi doing his rounds -- Children's Pool
PLEASE NOTE: The Jacuzzi's have now been moved from the pool area
to the rear of the sports hall - there are 2 jacuzzi's & 1 plunge pool
Jaccuzi's
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The island is approx 1.6Km in length and approx 400 metres in width - you can walk the entire island in around 1 hour - the island is sandy all way around apart from a stretch near the water bungalows that is rocky (but can be passed easily - that is if nobody decides to place sun loungers on the small sandy part where you can walk) The sand on the island is pure white and has a lot of coral mixed into it - some of this may be sharp in places, so beware if walking in bare feet.
As you walk around the island you will see the wonderful sea life: Loads of different kinds of fish, all shapes and colours. The extremely fast crabs. Small reef shark. Manta Rays. Purple jellyfish etc.
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Rocky Beach -- Rocky Beach -- Manta Ray -- Shark -- Jellyfish -- Heron
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View of beach - View of beach - Giant Manta Ray being fed - Giant Manta Ray - Lizard -- View from left Jetty -- View from right Jetty
!! Try out the Manta Ray feeding for yourself - Every night at The Harbour (8.30pm - 9.30pm) What an experience !!
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The majority of the guests on the island did tend to be German - with the rest of the guests made up of Russian, French, English & Oriental.
Most of the guests were couples either on Honeymoon or Anniversaries - with a few families with young children. As most of the couples are on Honeymoon please beware that many of the couples will be kissing and cuddling in and around the pool and around the island - If you do not wish your children to see this behaviour may I suggest that this may be the wrong destination for you.
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You do not need to carry any cash with you whilst on the island as everything you need to pay for is simply credited to your room - If you wish to purchase anything from any of the shops, you simply produce your key-card (this identifies you to your room) and sign for the goods - you can then view your bill on your TV screen in your room - All bills can be settled at any time or when you check-out.
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TRIPS
Trip Boards
So laid back, no pushy reps trying to earn commission - simply choose your trips and place your name & room number on the page, no need to pay as the cost will be placed onto your bill.
Included in the All-Inclusive price are 2 trips:
1. Sunset Fishing - Take a trip on a Dhoni and watch the sun go down whilst whisking out to your fishing spot, using just a piece of wood & line, try your luck and catch the red-snappers & barracuda that fill the waters around you. All fish that are caught can be eaten that night at The Grill Terrace where you drinks are also included free of charge. Trip approx 5.30pm - 7.30pm
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Holiday Island Sign - Holiday Island Bar - Holiday Island Beach - Looking at Sun Island
2. Hello Neighbours - Just a 10 minute Dhoni trip is your neighbouring island 'Holiday Island' (also belonging to the Villa Hotels chain), take a walk round the island (much smaller than Sun Island) or just simply relax with a drink at the bar (drinks are not included - even on your AI package). After around 1 hour it is back on the Dhoni to visit a Maldivian resort island
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All below pictures have been scanned from postcards available from Sun-Island
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Main Bar -- End Of Beach -- Boat -- Coffee Shop -- Pizza Delivery -- Total Relaxation -- Sand Sweepers -- Catamarans
I would suggest not to walk down the jetty's in bare feet as they are made of wood that gets very hot in the day time and I burned by feet after a few steps - again none of the jetty's have any rails to stop you from going over the side - so families with young children beware.
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All Inclusive
All Inclusive listings
DRINKS: Unlimited drinks from the all-inclusive menu (alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages) served from
WHEN: 10.00am - 01.00am
WHERE: During main meal hours from the main restaurant, from Mekunu Bar, the Pool Bar, the Beach Bar & during theme
WHAT: Coke, Diet Coke, Orange Fanta, Sprite, Bitter Lemon, Tonic, Soda. Non Carbonated water by the bottle, Selected canned fruit juices, Tea/Coffee, Beer (draught or can), House Wine (red or white), House pouring brand spirits (Gin, Vodka, Rum, Whiskey), Tea/Coffee set in room (regular - provided for the clients of water bungalows), Daily a 1.5 litre bottle of water is provided in each room.
SPORTS: (from 10.00am onwards)
Tennis, badminton, squash, steam room, sauna, jacuzzi, gym, snooker, pool tables, darts, basketball, table tennis, volleyball, pay TV
(above stated facilities can be used only subject to availability)
EXCURSIONS: One Sunset Fishing & One Half Day Island Excursion (Hello Neighbours) per person per stay is provided
The 'All-inclusive' package DOESN'T INCLUDE:
Food & beverages from any restaurant other than Maaniya & Southern Star - Beverages not metionaed above such as Champagnes & Sparkling Wine, other liqueurs & liquors, selection from the wine list, fresh fruit juices, espresso, cappuccino or speciality coffees, blended drinks & cocktails - Food & beverages from room service, and the guest mini bar - Beverages served between 1.00am and 10.00am - Drinks consumed on an excursion or any other outdoor activities are not included and will be charged at hotel prices - Any item from any of the shops (Souvenir, Jewellery, Electronics, Beach Wear, Perfumes. Etc.) - Electronics Games Centre, Putting Green (mini golf), Thai/Aromatherapy Massage - Hospital treatments, consultations, drugs/medications - Diving and all the water sports - Local and international telephone calls/fax, internet, e-mail - Bicycle (push bike hire) - Laundry service - Compulsory Christmas & New Year Eve supplement - Transfer to airport / resort / airport by either speedboat or seaplane - any other services, amenities or facilities not stated herein as all-inclusive is/are also not included in this all-inclusive package.
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Gard from Stavanger, Norway travelled to Sun Island Resort with
Paradisreiser
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2004 | rated the Sun Island Resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Arrival at Sun Island
The check in at Sun Island was pretty fast. It was great being welcomed to the reception by a cold towel and a drink served in a coconut :-). If you are at the resort on an all inclusive program you will get a list of your “rights” on the island. You can even participate on an introduction meeting – available in German, Italian and English. We missed this meeting so I’m not sure if it is worth going to or not.
We also got a map indicating where the different facilities are located. The fact is, it is a small island it is pretty hard to get lost :-)
The list also includes the rules of all inclusive. Meals are served at Maaniya restaurant (I have posted more information further down on the page) for those who stay in Deluxe or Super Deluxe bungalows and you can get drinks at various places around the island. e.g. Maaniya restaurant during meals; the Mekuna bar (main bar - no. 5 on the map); the pool bar (no 2);and in the beach bar (no 16). All Inclusive visitor (AI) drinks are only available between 10 am and 1 am.
So what can you get? Well, you can get bottled water, soft drinks (Coke, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite etc), canned juice (apple, orange, pineapple etc), beer (Lion, Becks etc), wine (house wine by the glass red or white) and different spirits (vodka, gin, rum etc)
Our room and bungalow
Our reservation was for super deluxe bungalow and we ended up in room 247 (located near the beach bar – 16 on the map). When we first mentioned to people that we were going to an island that was “only” 1 ½ km long and 500 meters wide people in general said “that tiny”. But it didn’t feel that tiny when we walked to the restaurant 3 times a day :-). It took us about 10 minute to walk there. If you take a look at the map you can see that the bungalows on the island are lined up facing the beach all around the island. The beauty of it is that the bungalows are not strikingly visible from the beach as they are well hidden by palms and other trees. Each bungalow has both an entrance and a back door leading out to the beach area. On the tiled porch there were 2 chairs and a little table – with a clean beach towel for each of us. There were also 2 wooden sun beds assigned to each room (the room numbers are painted on them). There was also a little tap on this side so that it was possible to wash the sand of the feet before going into the bungalow.
The room itself was pretty nice and clean. It had a tiled floor, light walls and it was actually quite big. Apart from a large bed we had a couple of chairs and a small table, a desk with a chair, a TV (with channels like National Geographic, CNN, BBC, Star Movies and some German and Italian channels), a mini bar and small safe. With a hot climate it was nice to find that the room had both air conditioning which was operated by a remote control and a fan in the ceiling. To save some electricity we had to insert the room key ring into a slot when entering the room and this activated the power in the room.
The contents in the mini bar were not included in our all inclusive stay so we didn’t actually get stuff from it. But we used it to cool down the 1 ½ liter of water that you get for free every evening.
The TV had some other cool features by the way. From the remote it was possible to get a wake up call, it was possible to get a listing of your bill so far and it was also possible to connect to the internet. I tried sending a mail but it was not that easy because of the wireless keyboard wasn’t all that great. But it is a pretty cool feature :-) The TV also gave us information on departure. The night before we left we could check out when we would get a wake up call, when our luggage would be picked up etc. I recommend taking a sea plane back to Male’ because we saw some people that had to get up at like 3 am to catch a boat in order to catch an early flight in Male’.
The bath room was also very nice. Apart from the toilet and the sink there was a bath tub and a bidet. There was also a door that gave us access to a small outside area which had a shower and I really enjoyed taking my showers out there (just watch out if you take a shower at dusk...the mosquito can be a bit annoying). On a small island like this all the freshwater is produced from sea water and it is important to not use too much water. Due to this you don’t get that much water pressure in the shower :-) Instead of having little bottles of shampoo there were dispensers in the shower with soap, shower gel and shampoo. As always there were little bars with soap and a hair dryer.
I had brought along a plug converter for my laptop but when we came to our room we were pleasantly surprised to see that there was a plug converter in one of the plugs already. But I was glad I brought along my own because the original one kept acting up and sparks were flying everywhere :-)
The room was “cleaned” several times a day. When we came back after being gone we would notice that the towels had been folded, bed spread was folded etc.
Facilities at Sun Island
The Maaniya restaurant
All the main meals are served in the Maaniya restaurant located near the lobby (4 on the map). At our first meal we were designated a table and a waiter – which we had to stick to throughout our stay. The food in the Maaniya restaurant is based on a buffet style meal and the selection of food was excellent. For breakfast (served from 7.30 am to 9.30 am) we had a great selection of cereals, bread, muffins, rolls, fruit, toast, eggs any way you want them, beans, bacon…well, due to the fact the this is a Muslim country we only got beef bacon :-) For lunch and dinner (from 12.30 to 2 pm and from 7.30 pm to 9 pm) there was a great selection of soups, salads, pasta, meat, fish and lots of sweet stuff for dessert. During our stay we didn’t run into the same menu twice. I have attached an example of a menu on a given day. This menu was posted at the entrance of the restaurant before breakfast every day. The temperature on the food was measured to make sure that the food was warm enough.
Even if the Maaniya restaurant has a 1000 seats it was never really crowded when we went to get our food. After dinner we had to sign for the drinks that we had had during our lunch and dinner meal. This is the method used whenever you pick up something on the island. We just had to show our blue wristband indicating that we were there on all inclusive stay and we had to state our room number.
Other restaurants
There are also two other restaurants on the island. On the jetty where we first arrived is an Italian restaurant called Alpontile and on the opposite side of the island (outside the water bungalows) you can find a place called Sun Star and they serve Thai and Chinese food. We tried Sun Star one evening and it was a nice meal. We like the Thai cuisine and it was nice to have tom yam goong (shrimp soup), chicken in green curry and grilled fish. If you want to go to the Italian restaurant or the Thai restaurant you can just notify the desk at the Maaniya restaurant and you will get a 20% discount voucher. Our meal at the Thai restaurant cost us 40 US dollars.
Ice cream was pretty expensive to buy at the beach bar. Nikki and I had an ice cream each and that cost us 10 US dollars. It is cheaper to buy ice cream by the scoops at the Italian restaurant where 2 scoops in a cup cost about 2 US dollars.
Shopping
If you have forgotten something at home you don’t have to worry. There are a few shops on the island where you can get the essentials. In the souvenir shop we were able to buy postcards and stamps to send greeting to friends and family (which took about 12 days to reach Norway). In the same shop we were also able to buy sun cream, t-shirts etc. Other shops sell cameras and equipment, watches, jewelry etc.
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Biggypop from Southampton travelled to Sun Island Resort with
Thomson
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 02 2004 | rated the Sun Island Resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Really could not fault any aspect of the Sun Island staff and facilities. I do not eat meat but had a far greater choice than I usually have in hotels, the desserts were excellent.
The staff could not have been friendlier, it made us feel so welcome.
| | |
Dave And Leann from Wigan travelled to Sun Island Resort with
Eclipse
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2003 | rated the Sun Island Resort as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Both in our mid 20's were wondered what to expect, the answer is paradise!!! No holiday since has come even close.
We paid extra for the water bungalow with magnificant sunset views. The interior was chic and you could lie in the bath looking out to the beautiful coloured sea as the window was that big, but no one could see you.
The food was excellent don't think we had the same meal twice. They would even set a table for 2 on the beach with a little prior notice.
The staff were so humble, little too humble at times, but never the less lovely to go somewhere were the staff actually do want to make you happy!!!
We found there was ample to do if thats what you wanted. The front of the island was the lively side and the back, well, you could retreat and not see anyone one for 300 yards or more. Beautiful tropical fish are happy to swim round you in the lagoons! It took 45 mins to walk around the whole island.
There were a few children, but it was not the kind of place I would take our now, small, daughter.
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