After booking the property I soon received a welcome email containing all information I could possibly want/need for the stay. It included items like the logistics of the sea plane, if I wanted to guarantee an upgrade what the cost would be, a stay preferences form, etc.
Upon landing at the MLE airport I was greeted by a representative of the resort. He was extremely friendly and kept us close and moving through the process.
We were promptly put into a shuttle and driven over to the seaport side of the airport. Once there we were taken up to the lounge.
The lounge was very nice and had a perfectly viewing of many sea planes coming in for a landing. We waited about 90 minutes for our shared ride to the island. There were plenty of snacks and drinks available at no cost.
Upon landing at the resort we were greeted by the hotel stuff and the GM. As a globalist I received a personalized greeting from Thomas, the GM of Alila.
All I have to say about the over water villas is WOW! They are amazing! We were put into a sunset villa, and it was amazing!
Even though the room was smaller than the beach rooms, it was plenty of room. A large bed, large couch, outdoor couch, etc. ZERO complaints about the room. The view was amazing!
The quality of the food was AMAZING. The wide range of options at breakfast were all excellent. I liked how the pre-made items were small in quantity as well as the ala carte options. Very sustainable choices!
Note: After this visit we went to Sri Lanka for a wedding at a 5-star resort. The Alila food and service FAR exceeded anything we received in Sri Lanka.
One night we even ordered the kids meal of chicken nuggets and fries, they were amazing! They hit the spot and gave us a smaller portion serving as a 2nd entrée.
We did participate in the Globalist reception and the staff reception. Both nights had amazing cocktails and appetizers. At both receptions we had staff engage with us in great conversation and Thomas joined in about halfway through. We were very impressed with the social hours.
Because this trip was part of a larger trip our funds were limited. We took advantage of the complimentary activities like the cooking session and snorkeling. Because the snorkeling at the resort was so nice I decided to go on the turtle snorkel excursion.
This was a great value! For about $140 in total, it was a nice 20-25 minute boat ride out to the spot, 45-50 minutes of snorkeling, and then a nice ride back. The entire time the aquatics staff was super friendly and engaging. I highly recommend this!
The island is small. A 6-minute walk end to end. But this was PERFECT! It meant limited guests and easy to get around, FAST. We walked almost everywhere except for a few rides.
The beach erosion seems to be well controlled. There is only a small spot where it is eroding, but everything on the sunset side of the island is perfect.
Internet access is in all buildings and rooms. This was great for staying checked in with family, especially our son who was traveling alone at the time in Sri Lanka. It was also great to watch the world fall apart during the CrowdStrike ordeal on our secluded island.
Overall impressions...
I can’t say this enough, this was an amazing and relaxing trip. Service far exceeded expectations, there was no pressure from any of the staff to do activities, and the rooms/facilities were top notch.