Sun Siyam Vilu Reef, the original resort in the Sun Siyam portfolio and a South Nilandhe Atoll fixture since 1998, has just added two new reasons to book a stay: YAYA Beach Club and Tuscany, an Italian restaurant. Both launched during the resort's 28th anniversary celebrations, held 28-30 October under the banner 'A New Rhythm of the Reef', with international DJs, live entertainment and a culinary residency from Chef Fatjon Goga.
YAYA Beach Club is the first outing for what Sun Siyam plans to roll out as a Signature Experience across its collection. It runs on a day-to-night arc: mornings start with speciality coffee at the Club Café, midday brings smoothies, spritzes, sharing plates and beachside games, and the evening closes with a signature sunset ritual. Hours are 10:30 to 19:00 daily, with families welcome until 17:00 — after that it goes adults-only for drinks and music. Lunch is the only meal service, and the concept leans on small personal touches like chilled towels, fresh coconuts and the odd surprise drink rather than a rigid programme. Monthly Full Moon Soirées pair candlelight, music and sharing plates under the night sky.
Tuscany covers the evenings. Open for dinner nightly from 18:30 to 21:30, it trades formal fine dining for the generous, unhurried side of Italian cooking — fresh pasta, Mediterranean flavours, long conversations by the ocean. It was christened with a residency by Chef Fatjon Goga, an Albanian-born chef who built his career in Italy at kitchens including Don Alfonso and Arnolfo and now runs Osteria Grande on Arezzo's Piazza Grande. Guests got a signature dinner, a hands-on pasta masterclass and an intimate chef's-table style evening during the anniversary programme.
Pricing detail worth noting: a stay at Vilu Reef includes one dining experience at Tuscany, and return visits earn a 50% discount on food. The new venues follow the resort's villa refurbishment completed earlier this year, so the island is in the middle of a noticeable refresh while keeping the intimate, personalised feel it has traded on for nearly three decades.
For travellers, the appeal is simple: Vilu Reef now offers a proper day-to-night social rhythm — beach club by day, Italian dinner by night — on an island that still feels small and personal, rather than a mega-resort scene. It suits couples who want atmosphere without crowds, and families who can use the beach club in its daytime slot before it flips adults-only at 17:00.
