Glassy-Eyed And Laughing

RICHARD ASPINALL enjoys the marine life at the Amari Havodda resort on Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll, Maldives – but finds that there are almost too many fish around

- Richard Aspinall

VISIBLE FROM THE SMALL twin engined turboprop plane which flew me down from the capital Male, a few hundred miles to the north, the Amari Havodda resort is built on a tiny island covered in lush vegetation.

From above it resembles an emerald green teardrop, surrounded by pure white coral sand and set amid a network of reefs and channels.

I would be diving with Euro-Divers at the resort, which is set on the western side of Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll. It’s the most southerly atoll of the Maldivian archipelago that I’ve visited, and I was keen to see how the diving would compare with an earlier trip this year to the north. Would the corals be similar, and what about the fish life?

As you’d expect of any Maldivian resort, this one has a spa, two restaurants, two bars and a gym. To me it seems that the designers wanted guests to focus far more on the island’s location and sense of simple luxury than to be overwhelmed by glitz and glamour.

The architecture of the Amaya Food Gallery is open and bright, allowing views of white sandy beach and turquoise sea to be an ever-present backdrop. The tropical foliage provides sheltered pathways lending privacy to the villas. Covered but open-air bathrooms allow you to watch the fruit bats coming and going while you take a post-dive shower.

The Thari bar, which looks out over the pool, provides an array of refreshing cocktails too. If your holiday checklist includes words like tropical, island and paradise, the Amari won’t disappoint. I enjoyed a beach side villa with my own palm tree and, of course, easy access to the Indian Ocean for a cooling swim.

I was impressed with the Euro-Divers team, who quickly and efficiently sorted out my rental gear and patiently waited for me to analyse my gas-mix on my first morning of diving.