Summer Island Maldives Resort

The Island

Opened in 1993, Summer Island Village went through massive repairs, opening in March 2015 and featuring stylish make-up, added features and a kind of new name - Summer Island Maldives. Updates have brought things, such as modern style, into rooms and villas, a series of slightly dim Garden Rooms (which are value for money), an expanded deck from the main bar, a new swimming pool and small things such as aromatherapy scents and fresh flowers in public toilets. In fact, if you decide to take a speedboat from Male, the details will begin during the trip, when there are free water bottles and cool towels and speedboat also has a wifi.

Even before the renovations, Summer Island attracted return visitors. Many guests and staff know each other, stopping at quick conversations that go beyond polite courtesies. This gives the island a very friendly and warm atmosphere, which is aggravated only by the fact that everyone seems to be in a great mood. In this sense, the island and its guests are usually very sociable, so if you like new friends, this place is perfect, but if you prefer to stay completely alone, you may want to consider this property as a boutique hotel on a larger plot of land. This does not mean that there is no private life on Summer Island. Simply, the guests here are more open to communication than on other islands. DOWNLOAD RESORT MAP

As you step onto the main jetty the crystal clear waters of the lagoon will reveal a host of reef creatures waiting to greet you. Curious batfish, wary stingrays and a giant moray eel all make their homes here alongside scores of brilliantly coloured reef fish.

The jetty leads you onto a garden island with an informal environment carefully designed to help you relax and forget the cares of the outside world. The lovingly tended gardens have attracted native species of small parrots, as well as fruit bats and the island's resident heron.

The island and rooms are kept very clean. Several times a day, the staff runs off the beach and collects spoiled plastic waste from the sea. The rooms are cleaned twice a day, are in top condition and the laundry smells fantastic. Sand in the room, no issue.

The resort manager Mari is doing a highly professional, attentive, very hospitable job. The whole team likes to work under her and reflects that outwardly. What made the regular guests very happy to see that also criticism and suggestions for improvement from guest reviews are really taken seriously. A new Ipod at the bar/pool always played pleasant lounge music.

The Beach

Whether you're seeking a secluded honeymoon hideaway, a romantic escape in paradise or a family holiday of a lifetime, all your dreams will become reality when you first step foot on the soft white Summer Island's sands. The beach here, covered with powdery soft white sand and surrounded by a turquoise lagoon, is also home to bright green beach plants. In some areas, this dramatically reduces the amount of sand along the beach, leaving the sunbeds on top of these plant instead of sand. In addition, unlike many Maldives, there is no natural house reef on Summer Island. Instead, there is an artificial reef on the island, which, apparently, attracts fish quite well. If you prefer to dive in natural corals, the resort offers four daily snorkeling trips to nearby reefs.

Location

If the breathtaking views of atolls, islands and lagoons that you glimpse during the descent into Male' International Airport leave you wanting more then the air taxi transfer to Summer Island is just for you. Seaplane gives you a second chance to fully appreciate the splendour and beauty of this island nation from the air. For those who can't wait to get onto the water, the boat transfer offers a first opportunity to look out for flying fish and pods of dolphin. However you decide to travel it won't be long before you reach your chosen destination: Summer Island Village.

The Summer Island is located in the North Male atoll on the island of Ziyaaraifushi. The resort is a quick 15-minute seaplane trip from Male airport or a 45-minute by speedboat that has free Wifi! The proximity of the island to Male allows guests to enjoy the relaxing islands, as well as easy excursions into the chaos and culture of the capital.

Bungalows and Villas

Summer Island Maldives offers 156 rooms and villas in six categories, plus one suite. All rooms are open air in design, ensuring a bright, light openness, a fresh tropical vibrancy featuring lighter furniture on which to relax and lounge. In short an understated excellence. Light wood, tiles, fabrics and painting the walls create more space, as well as imitating the surrounding colors of the sea and the beach. All rooms feature modern, minimalist wooden furniture, coffee and tea making facilities, including kettles, flat-screen satellite TVs, CELYON Summer Island baths in glass pumping containers, mini-bars or mini-refrigerators, and there are relaxation areas - and everywhere, except Superior Vista rooms have open bathrooms.

While you will be donating a beach or ocean view by selecting them, the Garden Rooms are also the smallest rooms, but they save you money. They are equipped with all standard amenities - for example, completely enclosed bathrooms with small rain showers, tiled floors of artificial stone, wicker furniture in the patio, air conditioning, lots of small things and lights and darkened curtains that can be pulled by wooden blinds, which hang over glass windows and doors. While you can get a beach view with the next upgrade to Superior Bungalows, you do not get direct access to the sand until you get to Superior Beach Rooms. In blocks of four, with Superior Beach rooms at the bottom and Superior Vista rooms on the top floor, these rooms have slightly less space than Premium Beach villas. Another advantage of Premium Beach Villas is the introduction of the Nespresso machine into the additional amenities in the room, as well as a designated changing area, a hot tub and a mini bar in each room. Water Villas have it all, but they do not have enough outdoor bathrooms because of their over-water location, although on each floor there is a glass peekaboo cutout to spy on the marine life below.

Unlike almost all resorts in the Maldives, on Summer Island there is drinking tap water thanks to equipment for on-site treatment, which also mineralizes water. Each guest receives two free (reusable) bottles in his room.

Wine & Dine

More seafood, this is what the guests like much, salad buffet, fresh soup of the day, grill station and many main dishes. The apple-cinnamon cake is a dream!!! Definitely a lot of choice for every taste.

When and where you will be eating dictated by the hotel, and most of the guests (those in non-villa rooms) grabbing their breakfast, lunch and dinner at the large open-air buffet Samuga restaurant. This casual beach and poolside dining place have a large central buffet with international delicacies (although there are plenty of curry and Chinese dishes), live cooking stations and a large dessert table. There are many fresh, open seats for tables with two or more eaters. Guests staying at Water Villas and Premium Beach Villas have a much smaller and more closed place to dine. As an ideal place for a more relaxed meal with friends and family, HIYA is a waterfront snack restaurant located next to the cocktail lounge AVI, and which has one wall open to the ocean. The choice of buffet here is smaller and differs almost the same dishes as the Samuga restaurant, but if non-Water Villa and non-Premium Beach Villa guests want to eat here - only for an additional fee.

Summer Island Maldives has two bars with completely different settings, so - between a cozy cocktail lounge and a relaxed Nevi beach bar with table games and live entertainment - guests should not have problems finding them fit their fantasies. AVI cocktail bar, located near Water Villas is an upscale lounge for cocktails with a relaxed atmosphere. Here you will find wooden teak floors and furniture with bright aquamarine pillows, premium liqueurs (for an extra charge) and almost 360-degree sea views. There are also glass cutouts on the floor to peek the action of the ocean below. In the high season, this place becomes the only a la carte restaurant. If you prefer a burger with a cocktail in your hand (and slightly more social fluids), head to the extended Nevi pool bar or to Samuga restaurant. This place is massive, with sandy floors, self-service ice cream, board games, outdoor tables along the beach and nightly entertainment such as magic shows and live music.

The live music in the evening with Shammou and Zamee a treat! New cushions at the bar, new uniforms for the staff and in the evening the candles on the tables give a very cozy overall impression and you can feel the female hand behind it.

Room service is available at Summer Island Maldives to suit your convenience. From 10 am to 10 pm, you need not let your dining be dictated by pre-set times, instead you can plan your dining according to your own tropical timetable – as early or as late best suits you.

Scuba Diving

Located in the lobby, a certified Diverland PADI diving school with colorful hand-painted is hard to miss. In this dive shop you will find night dives, snorkeling with manta rays, diving courses and their professional team.

Summer Island is found close to the outside reef on the north-western edge of North Male' Atoll. This is an ideal location for a dive base because it put the divers within easy reach of some 40 top sites that offer very different types of diving. For the adrenaline junkie have channel dives with strong currents that whisk you along at an exhilarating rate. In places these currents cause upwellings where large sharks congregate to cruise effortlessly back and forth. Examples of such spots are the legendary shark points at Kuda Faru and Woshi Mas Thila. Madigaa and Eriyadhoo Outside are two of the prime spots on the Outside Reef. Keen underwater naturalists will enjoy the dives of the inside atoll where hard and soft corals are fast recolonising the reef and attracting the highest diversity of colourful smaller fish.

For divers who prefer a more relaxed pace, the Outside Reef has minimal current, superb visibility and lots to see at all depths. The overhangs along the bottom reef make ideal resting places for smaller white tip reef shark. Over the middle reef countless blue triggerfish gather to feed and a school of batfish might follow you for the whole dive. The cracks and crevices of the top reef attract lobster, moray eel, and the splendidly decorated lionfish.

The coral growth at Ziyaarai Thila and Blue Canyon is among the best of North Male' Atoll. During the northeast monsoon, from November through April, giant manta rays regularly come to the thilas (sea mounts) of North Male' Atoll to feed and visit the cleaning stations. Encounters with other big fish, such as grey reef shark, eagle rays, and Napoleon wrasse, are a year round possibility.

Activities

Summer Island' vacation isn't about simply Maldives getaway. Think about creating your own dream – mixing the vibes to create your perfect paradise. Scuba diving to explore the coral reefs teeming with vibrant marine life or just fun snorkelling in the turquoise lagoon. Sailing, canoeing or perhaps taking a boat to try some night fishing.

After the make-up of 2015, Summer Island Maldives installed a small but beautiful two-way infinity pool hanging over the edge of the sea. This narrow pool is surrounded on both sides by the beach and the ocean views, and on the other hand - a wooden deck with sun loungers and several colorful bean bag beds, running down the long edge. Guests can pick up fresh pool towels at the entrance, where they will also find a freshwater shower for use in front of the pool. From here it is easy to get past the Nevi bar and the Samuga restaurant to shops selling everything from disposable underwater cameras and medicines to beachwear and souvenirs; there is a library with air conditioning, with soft seats and a lot of books; and a modern gym with a separate room for yoga. The 24-hour ROANU Fitness Center, although small, is filled with towels, water and modern cardio machines, and also has glass walls for all curious to witness how you train. Right behind the gym you will find a shady volleyball court.

Also during the renovation was added a new place for relaxation - Firuma Spa. Relaxation is guaranteed to be felt on the palm-fringed beach listening to the rhythm of the waves, while a visit to the spa is the perfect way to revive your mind, body and soul. This large sanctuary of the Serena Spa family has spacious and bright individual treatment rooms with parquet floors, a jacuzzi, ocean views and high ceilings. There is also an open-air area that sets directly over the water, where you can receive effective treatments. A free voucher for a super relaxing 10-minute neck, head and shoulder massage is part of the resort's welcome package, but it should be used within 24 hours of arrival.

The island also has free Wi-Fi throughout the resort.

Reviews

Considering that this is one of the cheapest resorts in the Maldives, most reviews are quite positive.The resort has taken time to update things, and it shows. Recent reviews detail that the staff is both friendly and professional, the food and drinks are appetizing and that the rooms are lean and full of amenities.

...“10 relaxing days in paradise.”, “I will recommend for honeymoon couples”, “Fantastic”, “very good, close to perfect”, “I would recommend this island 100%. You cannot go wrong there!”, “Awesome holidays in the resort. Great environment & services.”, “A dream paradise.”...

Pros: What We Like

• Great Location close to Male airport
• Beautiful island with serene atmosphere
• Comfortable, clean and spacious rooms. An easy beach access from the room
• Great service and friendly staff
• Infinity pool overlooks the sea
• Excellent, extraordinary and delicious food
• Diving
• A great value for money
• Internet is fast
• Snorkeling trips
• Overwater spa

What You Need to Know

• Summer Island is located in Northern Male Atoll (Kaafu Atoll)
• The property is only accessible by the following modes of transfer: - - -Speedboat transfer takes 45 minutes from Male International Airport. The return rates are: Adult: USD 150, round trip, inclusive of all taxes
  Child (2 to below 15 years): USD 75, round trip, inclusive of all taxes
  Infant (0 to below 2 years: Complimentary
  -Seaplane transfer takes 20 minutes from Male International Airport. The return rates are: Adult: USD 375, round trip, inclusive of all taxes
  Child (2 to below 12 years): USD 225, round trip, inclusive of all taxes
  Infant (0 to below 2 years: Complimentary
• Guests must send arrival and departure flight details directly to the property at least 72 hours prior to arrival. Please get in touch with the property for details on baggage restrictions.
• Check-in from 14:00, Check-out to 12:00
• All children are welcome. Children aged 12 years and above are considered adults at this property.
• Children under 2 years will eat for free based on the rules and meal-plan accompanied by an adult, excluding alcoholic beverages.
  Maximum 2 free kids per unit paid. Mandatory green tax of USD 6 per child per night will be charged. Children under 15 years are not allowed in Water villas and other over water properties.
• Pool and pool deck are slightly small for the island's capacity
• Restaurants guests have access to are determined by room level category
• A la carte restaurant is only open in high season
• Decor is bland to some, and TVs in some rooms are on the smaller side
• Due to safety and privacy concerns the operation of unmanned aerial systems or drones by any of guests including model aircraft by recreational users and hobbyists is prohibited.
• HONEYMOON BENEFITS: A bottle of wine and fruit basket in the room once during the stay. Please note that marriage certificate proving that the couple is married within the last 6 months is mandatory.

Photos

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