ISLAND LYFE

Named after a small seashell that is an emblem of beauty and perfect proportions, The Nautilus may be a tiny drop in the turquoise waters of Maldives but it offers an exceptional experience like no other luxury resort. Kenneth Goh spends five idyllic days in paradise

- Kenneth Goh

It’s really the small details that matter—from the moment you step off the plane, where an awaiting limo on the tarmac whisks you off to a private VIP lounge to clear immigration, to the seamless in-villa check-in. Welcome to The Nautilus, a petite 26-villa island that’s walkable from shore to shore within 20 minutes. It’s a stunner of an island in the Baa Atoll, surrounded by turquoise waters and its own reef with a million fish, turtles, eagle rays, octopi and a school of nurse sharks. A friendly seamaster—ours was Soba—takes visitors out by Seabob, a motorised underwater scooter, to navigate the crystal waters and explore the reef. If a unique experience is what you are after, I would suggest a sunset cruise to a sandbank where a perfect little picnic can be laid out, complete with parasol and wind chimes to complete the Instagram picture. You get to spend a couple of hours on your own island paradise before the rising tides at sundown submerge the sandbank.