Lily Beach Resort****

Lily Beach is an All-Inclusive resort that successfully mixes the smart with the informal to give its guest a happy taste of the good life for the extent of their holiday.

It is not the cozy, thatched look of so many resorts, but the imposing, high ceiling appearance of a city hotel. In truth rather "blocky" and dominated by a green on green color scheme, yet made more informal by sand on the floor and low, comfy chairs. And by the easy-going attitude of guests and staff alike.

In this impressive setting everything is free, as it is all-Inclusive. All three meals are generous buffets and there is a coffee shop if you get puckish in-between meals. In addition to food and drink at any time, the quality tennis court and gym are free, as is the snorkeling and windsurfing equipment. However, only one half-day trip to a local inhabited island is also included.

The 85 rooms are divided into standard (68), water bungalows (16) and one deluxe suite. All the rooms are well built and well-decorated with a pleasing attention to detail. The water bungalows are considerably bigger and have the addition of a hairdryer, bath and larger shower. All the fixtures and fittings are first class.

Diving in the region (not forgetting the superb house reef) is, as usual, very good but it is not as popular here as might be expected, because of the all-inclusive package. The professional and experienced "Ocean Pro" run the base.

As for beaches, there is a large bulb of sand on both ends of the island, one outside the swimming pool and bar and the other away on its own. In between, on the side with most of the rooms, the beach is long, fine and uninterrupted by any groynes, although there is a low wall in the lagoon all the way down. Unfortunately, this side faces north, north-west so the sun leaves it well before the end of the day.

Still, the resort overall is a bright, light place and the large, pastel-colored buildings accentuate this. The service is very good, with the same attention to detail noticeable throughout the resort. A hassle-free holiday is assured.