Best for design fans
ALILA KOTHAIFARU MALDIVES
Set on whale-shaped Kothaifaru Island, a 45-minute seaplane ride northwest of capital Malé, in the secluded Raa Atoll, Alila Kothaifaru Maldives has a clean-lined, low-fi aesthetic that will appeal to fans of minimalist design. A 20-minute walk around the island leads to one photogenic moment after another, from the low-rise timber villas with their landscaped rooftops to open-air restaurants set amid reflective pools, and the treetop spa and glassy infinity pool.
Because the island is free from noise-polluting motorised watersports, guests can swim, sail, kayak or paddleboard around looking out for black-tip reef sharks and stingrays. Kothaifaru is also one of only a few places in the Maldives where you can encounter marine bioluminescence, a natural phenomenon caused by trillions of tiny dinoflagellate plankton, which emit a cool blue light. Swim inside this aquatic galaxy when it's at its best between August and November.
ROOMS: From US$755 (£585), B&B. hyatt.com
Best for romance
MILAIDHOO MALDIVES
Milaidhoo is a relaxed, intimate island in the Baa Atoll with cottony beaches, softly swaying palms and luminous lagoons. The resort's oversized villas, on the beach or stilted over the water, are set around a house reef within swimming distance of the shore. Interiors were created using local materials and have soaring thatched ceilings, blonde-wood flooring and decks with swinging sofas and swimming pools. After an afternoon snorkelling with spotted eagle rays, pink sea stars and hawksbill turtles, unwind at the spa with a couples massage. Then book a Champagne tasting in the wine cellar and eat lobster by candlelight at Ba'theli by the Reef, a Maldivian fine-dining restaurant set in a collection of decommissioned dhoni fishing boats.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2024 من National Geographic Traveller (UK).
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2024 من National Geographic Traveller (UK).
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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