There are 462 rooms in total with modern amenities such as air conditioning, wi-fi, and flat-screen televisions. Accommodations are set anywhere from secluded locations in sunset villas to directly in the ocean in overwater suites. All rooms include a terrace, open-air shower, and minibar. There are a variety of villa accommodations: two-bedroom overwater villa, two-bedroom family beach villa, beach pool villa, sunset water villa, sunset beach villa, water villa, beach villa, and deluxe beach villa. Various accommodation packages are also available including half board, full board, and all-inclusive.
While divers often come to South Ari Atoll for the whale sharks, they stay for the sights on land. This includes island hopping, a bird sanctuary, biking through the gardens, and more. Guests can also go snorkeling, paddleboarding, canoeing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, sailing, sea bobbing, or unwind at the spa. The resort is home to a buffet, Italian restaurant, Thai restaurant, Indian restaurant, and treetop restaurant. The restaurants are the Maaniyaa Buffet, Al Pontile Italian, Sun Star Thai, Southern Star Specialty, ZERO Restaurant in the tree top, and the Island BBQ. The hotel actually cultivates a large amount of its fresh produce right here on the island. So as you explore the island on foot or by bicycle, you’ll notice the banana plantations, the cheerful chilies, and assorted vegetables being grown for the restaurants. This incredible agricultural achievement has led to the resort receiving numerous awards for its contribution to sustainable tourism.
As one of the only places in the world where divers can swim along whale sharks, diving in the South Ari Atoll is sure to be a unique experience. The resort’s dive center, diveOceanus, is one of the largest in the region and offers day and night diving. Whale Shark Point is a 500-meter site near Maamigili Island. While this site can have stronger currents, there are overhangs full of soft coral and a steep descent. Divers at this site often see tuna, barracuda, snappers, groupers, stingrays, and of course, whale sharks. More shark sightings, such as white tip and grey reef sharks, can be found at Five Rocks and Angaga Thila. This site is home to barracuda, octopus, and stonefish. Perhaps one of the most difficult dives is KudaRah Thila, which also happens to be one of the most famous. This site is covered with colorful soft corals with two large overhangs. Near the west, there is a large broken rock and a coral ring. Here, divers can find yellow-striped snappers and batfish.
Narrative text and photographs courtesy of Sun Island Resort - Villa Hotels.