Lily Beach Resort & Spa – All Inclusive

Visited in May 2022 for our 25th Wedding Anniversary. It was the right choice for our celebration. Stayed 3N in beach Villa and Water Villa each. Both the rooms are well done, spacious and fun to stay. The all inclusive package makes the holiday better then converting the value every time on the back of mind. The free snorkeling excursion were enjoyed by us. The buffet spread was good and the staff very courteous Improvement needed 1. The WC and shower area in water villa - the water runs into the rest of the bathroom which is annoying 2. During check in staff should inform that Indian Veg Dishes can be pre discussed for serving with the on site Indian Chef 3. Life guards should be stationed and regular rounds taken, will encourage residents to explore the inhouse reef without worry for the less strong swimmers Advice not to join paid excursions for Manta Rays, Turtle & whale shark watching as one needs to be a very strong swimmer to enjoy the same in the middle of the sea. The ratio of 1 guide against a boat full of people is risky.

The overall experience was good. The food was not great as they had Thai curry every day, which nobody was interested in. As a 5* property, you should know that thai curry is not the only Asian dish that one can make. The room service at the beach villa was great. The water villas were more premium but had poor and unhygienic staff. The room service had entered my room when I was taking a shower, which was pathetic. The most shameful thing done was the heart-shaped cake promised by the resort was square shape and bed decoration was so poor that I could have done it myself in few minutes. Please keep up your standards as u are charging a bomb. Guests need to feel satisfied for what they pay.

On arrival, we were met on the jetty by a few staff members as well as Resident Manager Lorenzo Sabatini and Front Office Manager Shanu. We were warmly welcomed, proceeded to the lobby and sat down for a chat while we checked in. First impressions counts a lot. We were at Lily for 2 weeks. The first week was in a Lagoon Villa followed by the second in a Water Villa. Lily Beach is blessed with a House Reef. You can get into the water and swim among fish and coral. At other resorts where there is no House Reef guests take a boat to go reef snorkelling. Here we can snorkel whenever we like. Each villa has a “Snorkelling Guide” in English, Chinese, French, German, Korean, Japanese and Russian. It contains useful information and the Dos and Don’ts when we are out in the water. The reef is fragile. It takes years to grow and a split second to destroy. We have to do our part to conserve it. For children, there is an animated video of the Snorkelling Guide, on a screen across the corridor in Spirit Bar. This video is an attraction for little kids while their parents enjoy a drink at the bar. In 2014 the coral was in pristine condition but rising sea temperature has taken its toll, not just at Lily but world wide. People accidentally damage coral by standing on them. The worst time for snorkelling is at low tide (especially low spring tide) when the water is shallow. We believe this is when the reef can be easily damaged. The tide and water level change constantly during the day. The resort publishes tide times daily. The Dive and Water Sports centre can also provide information on when best to snorkel and in which direction. The best coral and fish are at the drop-off between Tamarind and Vibes. You can swim to the drop-off using a channel, marked by a pink buoy, near Tamarind. The coral along the channel is also in good condition. For safety reasons, snorkelling and swimming is not permitted between the Prodivers Centre and the arrival jetty. We exit the water at the Prodivers Centre and re-enter the water off the beach in front of the shops. Another pink buoy marks a short channel where you can swim to the drop-off. Here, we spotted a Manta Ray twice on two days. It passed less than 2 metres below us. A wonderful sight. The Water Sports Centre has 4 new inflatable SUP (stand up paddle) boards of various sizes. We found the boards to be under-inflated, making the boards very bendy and wobbly. People struggle to balance themselves and fell off and worse - they could fall onto coral. The boards should be inflated to the manufacturer's recommended pressure (PSI) and kept out of the hot sun when not in use. There are also new 2-part adjustable paddles which came with the boards. When adjusting a paddle length we found sand inside the paddle shaft, making it slightly difficult to adjust. In the long run the paddle will either be stuck (making it non-adjustable) or damaged by the sand. We recommend washing out the sand as often as reasonable. This way both board and paddle will last longer, enabling guests to have a good time and saving the resort money. We own rigid SUP boards and paddles and wash them after use. Besides new SUPs the Water Sports Centre has a few windsurfing boards and 2 sails, kayaks, glass-bottom canoes, a catamaran sailboat and 3 jet skis. The jet skis are for rental and not part of the Platinum Plan. We were informed by the Water Sports Centre that the current tends to flow from West to East (Sunset Villa to Vibes) in the morning and the reverse in the afternoon. We drift with the current when snorkelling, and took our time observing and identifying fish and coral. The food at Lily is excellent. At the buffet in Lily Maa we’ve tried new dishes from from different cuisines. To name a few, we love the Indian dishes (Butter Chicken, Rogan Josh, Dosa), Arabic dishes (Chicken Kabsah, Um Ali). The pizza and pasta are excellent. We both love cooking and have cooked these new dishes at home. The food at Tamarind and Vibes, which is a la carte, is excellent. There is AQVA for lunch and Turquoise de AQVA for dinner. Reservations are required for dining at Tamarind and Turquoise de AQVA. There are also many types of wine to be had. One day Chef Lakshitha (Executive Sous Chef) and Shanu invited us to Fine Dining at Turquoise de AQVA. It was a wonderful gesture which was warmly accepted. It was our second delicious Fine Dining in 2 weeks. During our stay we were both unwell and saw Dr Lidiia (from Ukraine) a number of times. She provided good care and treatment, enabling us to enjoy our holiday. We are very grateful for this. The staff at Lily are welcoming and excellent. Over the years we became familiar with a number of staff. Each visit is like meeting old friends. Some staff have left and some are new. They all provide very good service. During lunch in Lily Maa one day, I asked a waiter about his ex-colleague who left Lily a few years ago. We were told the sad news that he passed away a month ago. It brought us a few tears. The late waiter, Dakee, was the first one who served us at Lily Maa. Most staff work behind the scenes and are unseen and are easily missed. In 2014 we did the “Behind The Scenes Tour”. On the tour we saw the Engineering Department consisting of the electricity generators and water desalination plant. There is also a Carpentry, a laundry, waste recycling and disposal, landscaping departments. A lot is done to provide the mod-cons we take for granted. One day on entering the lobby, we were warmly welcomed by Mr Hassan Saeed, Island Chief. It was an honour to see him again. We’d like to thank all "back room"staff for the important role they play behind the scenes. Thank you to the front line staff Miss Shanu, Mr Sharif (F&B Manager), Dr Lidiia (Resident Doctor), Misses Maharani, Genelyn, Venus (Lily Maa & Tamarind), Aiman, Abdullah, Ali (Lily Maa), Ali Rameez (AQVA), Peter (Vibes), Mr Senarath (always smiling, Spirit Bar), the Water Sports Centre Team, Mr Toppi (our Water Villa attendant extraordinaire, for excellent villa housekeeping and bed decoration. Our friend at Lily.), Executive Sous Chef Lakshitha and Resident Manager Lorenzo, Mr Hassan Saeed (the Island Chief, the first person to set foot on the island) . There are many more to mention. Over the years, there has been a lot of wear and tear on the fabric of Lily Beach. Lily is now overdue for a major refresh and refit. During our conversation with Lorenzo and Shanu we learned renovation begins in April 2024. The project is expected to take seven months, during which the resort will close. The Lagoon Villas will be extended. Water Villas will undergo a major refit but the footprint remains the same. There will be new facilities. During renovation, hundreds of construction workers on site. They require food and accommodation, and many staff will remain on site to provide service to the workers. The plan is to reopen in late 2024. We first came to Lily On November 2014 and fell in love with the place. This is our 6th visit. Before we came we wondered whether Lily Beach has lost some of its charm and sparkle, and whether this visit could be our final visit. All that changed within a couple of days. Lily Beach hasn’t lost its charm and sparkle, and we still love it like the first time we visited. We shall return, as Lily Beach is a very memorable place for us.