Appearing out of the blue at the tail end of a 25-minute flight from the Maldivian capital, Malé, to South Ari Atoll, Nova Maldives sits on a shaggy little isle fringed in deep turquoise. Traditional-style bungalows nestle among coconut palms and banana trees; a row of overwater villas reaches across the lagoon like a silver feather.

Here on Vakarufalhi Island, you’re reminded that the Maldives is a country rather than a clutch of atolls: music, stories and the Dhivehi language are served up during weekly Holhuashi events (named for a traditional place of gathering and reconnection); artworks from local initiative Kula adorn the walls. Marine heritage is every bit as essential: glide alongside manta rays with dive and watersports centre Aquaholics and contribute to environmental restoration during a coral-planting workshop.

To dine, there’s teppanyaki at the overwater Mizu restaurant, one of five eateries and bars on the island. To retreat, book one of the 76 mint-fresh minimalist villas that are set back from the shore or equipped with a private pool.

Best for Cultural connoisseurs.

Point of difference Swim with whale sharks year-round, within just a 40-minute boat ride from the island.

Surprise Visit during the monsoon months (June to November) and you might see the night sky lapping the beach when bioluminescent plankton illuminate the lagoon in an explosion of stars.

The villas at Jumeirah Maldives Olhahali Island, on the northern tip of North Malé Atoll, resemble ice cubes floating in a giant cocktail of blue curaçao. Get there early on the 15-minute flight from Malé (or 50 minutes by speedboat), spread out in your Mid-century-meets-Moorish abode – with private rooftop terraces, the first of their kind in the Maldives – and let the indulgent adventures begin.

The resort boasts 47 overwater villas and 20 retreats facing the powder-white beach; among them, sprawling two-bedroom residences and three-bedroom retreats ideal for families (a personal butler is a service offered to all guests). Mediterranean eatery Shimmers thrums to the beat of live music and DJ sets, while gourmands will revel in the Maldivian yellowfin tuna ceviche and seaweed salad with dashi vinaigrette at Cristian Goya’s Peruvian-Japanese fusion spot, Kayto – named best hotel restaurant at the 2023 World Culinary Awards.

But why waste those panoramic rooftops? Kick back with a cocktail to match the hue of the lagoon, feast on a starlit barbecue and take a late-night swim in your very own infinity pool.

Best for Families and friends.

Point of difference Reef fish, starfish and corals fill your view as you journey underwater in the resort’s semi-submersible. Mark your return from this otherworldly adventure with a visit to the island’s gelateria.

Surprise Practise your posing as you prepare for your complimentary 45-minute photo shoot with the island’s resident photographer.

Kothaifaru Island is something of a leafy foil to the boundless blue that surrounds Alila Kothaifaru Maldives, in Raa Atoll, 45 minutes by seaplane from Malé. With much of the vegetation preserved during construction and hundreds of new saplings planted, the resort’s 44 beachfront villas are cushioned within lush native forest. All that green conveniently doubles as a natural privacy screen: it’s just you and the slick of sea that beckons from beyond the front door of your sun-bleached, concrete-and-glass refuge.

Offshore, 36 overwater villas resemble a three-armed starfish on the tie-dye lagoon. Slip in directly from your deck or float in the private pool suspended above it (onshore villas also have private pools). This seclusion extends to mealtimes, when you can choose a far-from-ordinary dining location: a sunken table at the beach or a private sunset cruise? Otherwise, join fellow guests in one of the two bars and three restaurants – among them Seasalt, for seafood fresh off the fishermen’s boats.

Best for Couples, nature-lovers.

Point of difference Sail to a private cay where the Maldives’ first sandbank-based restaurant, The Shack, serves picnic lunches and sunset dinners cooked in a traditional charcoal oven.

Surprise Secreted among the treetops, Spa Alila offers cool relief for sun-kissed bodies. On full-moon nights, book a special candlelit treatment that includes breath work and massage.

The blues aren’t moody at Avani+ Fares Maldives in Baa Atoll. There’s no school run, no dog-eaten homework, no need to drag the kids out of bed. Educational opportunities abound nonetheless in this barefoot schoolroom, located 35 minutes by seaplane from Malé. Part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, it’s home to one of the Indian Ocean’s largest groups of coral reefs. Search for baby nurse sharks and hawksbill sea turtles in a glass-bottomed kayak, head out on a dolphin-spotting cruise or sign the kids up for a Bubblemaker PADI dive lesson (minimum age is eight).

For family downtime, retreat to your island address – one of 176 beachside and overwater bungalows. Big kids can disappear for a game of pool at the Teen Club while littlies will enjoy the play equipment at Avani Kids, before the whole crew regroups for dinner at one of the eight dining options. Try Charcoal for dry-aged steaks and seafood or Adrift for a private dinner enjoyed in a sandy dugout, traditional drummers setting the evening mood as that neon ocean turns to indigo.

Best for Young families.

Point of difference Children who need a break from Mum and Dad can check out Petit Bistro, one of the Maldives’ first adult-free restaurants – part of the kids’ club for ages four to 11.

Surprise Visit between mid-May and December for the chance to snorkel with the giant manta rays in Hanifaru Bay, on the atoll’s eastern edge.

Its backdrop might be painted from a palette of blues but Cora Cora Maldives in Raa Atoll zings with colour: scarlet parasols, pink mosaic tiles and rainbow swirls reminiscent of parrot fish on the bedroom throws. A hundred hectares of opalescent lagoon sprawl beyond the resort’s 100 thatch-roofed villas – some of them overwater – just 45 minutes by seaplane from Malé or a 30-minute flight to Ifuru Domestic Airport followed by a 20-minute speedboat ride.

Once you arrive, the ultimate home life awaits: 24-hour kitchen access, an extensive variety of cuisines in the four restaurants and two bars, boutique shopping and lazy days on your (lagoon-facing) couch. Everyday stresses are vanquished as you whiz down the water slide from the two-bedroom lagoon villa, play a game of foosball in your private recreation room or jump in your own freshwater pool for a swim. Hungry again? You’ll need to work for your supper at an Indian cooking class or pizza-making demo.

Best for Flop-and-droppers.

Point of difference The all-inclusive gourmet meal plan allows guests to dine when and where they please.

Surprise Maldivian artefacts dating back to the pre-Islamic era can be viewed at the Dutch Onion, one of only two registered museums in the Maldives (the second is Malé’s National Museum of the Maldives).

Wake up to your own endless expanse of Indian Ocean at this island resort in the South Malé Atoll. Occupying Dhigufinolhu Island, Anantara Dhigu has some of the most expansive overwater villas in the Maldives, some with private plunge pools and all with spacious decks that take in that view.

The first resort to occupy the stunningly untouched Thaa Atoll in the archipelago’s southwest, COMO Maalifushi offers incredible diving (with regular whale shark and manta ray sightings), excellent nearby surf breaks and an uninhabited island called Lavadhoo where guests can head for their own desert-island experience.

This luxurious escape offers a real choose-your-own adventure holiday. Get a seaplane to the resort, spread over two private islands, and then take your pick of activities. You might choose a five-hour tour that takes in local culture, art and food; you could head out on a blissful sunset cruise with cocktails; or perhaps you’re after a pampering session at the Over Water Spa’s glass-floored treatment rooms.

Guests tread the boardwalks that connect Gili Lankanfushi’s various facilities barefoot: it’s protocol. No news and no shoes are the only two rules guests must adhere to at this intimate 45-villa resort. It’s not hard to be a stickler when the weather is warm, there’s yoga and tai chi on offer and the Over Water Bar beckons.

At Lux South Ari Atoll, guests drift off to sleep listening to the lagoon lapping, arise to a breakfast of exotic fruits and spend days jet skiing, sunbaking, fly-boarding and sunset fishing. Every day, bottles bearing joyful messages are deposited around the resort: each note promises a gift such as a bottle of wine, a facial at the spa or something from the resort store.

The Maldives is honeymoon central and nowhere more so than on Milaidhoo Island, where each villa, complete with its own infinity pool and sundeck, feels so secluded it’s like a private island. For those who can bear to leave the comfort of the thatched-roof suite, there are three gourmet restaurants, cultural excursions and overwater spa treatment suites.

One of several Anantara resorts in the Maldives, Kihavah is a coconut’s throw from Hanifaru Bay, where guests can snorkel magical reefs within a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, home to sea turtles, vividly coloured corals and tropical fish. After a day’s exploration, relax in one of the luxurious bungalows poised over the water or villas situated along a private beach.

If you’re going to do a tropical island holiday, you may as well do it properly. Reethi Rah is iconic. Situated in North Malé Atoll, it comprises 12 pristine beaches, 128 villas, six restaurants and myriad activities and excursions such as sunrise yoga and tennis. Splash out on a Grand Sunset Residence for a truly lavish experience: there’s a private 50-metre swimming pool, private beachfront, three bedrooms and golf carts for getting around.

An island dotted with 43 bungalows, Huvafen Fushi is the epitome of barefoot luxury. Watch the underwater world as you’re gently massaged to relaxation in the world’s first underwater spa, go deep-sea fishing or have a butler bring a refreshing cocktail as you paddle in the limpid lagoon.

The islands are twins named Play and Chill: choose your speed and get to it. Play offers beachside villas for access to water sports, speed boating and fishing; Chill has the Lime day spa with steam room, plunge pool and eight luxurious treatment rooms.

The sole resort in the Laamu Atoll, Six Senses has a focus on sustainability. The resort is made up of beachfront and overwater villas constructed from environmentally friendly materials and each of the six restaurants is supplied by the island’s own organic gardens. The theme continues in the Six Senses Spa Laamu where therapists offer treatments using natural products – even food waste is composted. Not that there’s any skimping on luxury: watch fish dart under your glass-bottomed tub, enjoy private beachside picnics and have a couple’s massage in the spa’s treatment “nests”.

With 1190 islands, little patches of paradise continue to spring up in the Maldives. In 2016, Soneva Jani, scattered across five islets, opened and created quite the stir. It’s made up of enormous villas, each fabulous in its own way. There’s the two-bedroom Water Retreat with Slide, complete with slippery dip that curves from the top floor straight into the lagoon below, or the unbelievable four-bedroom Water Reserve with overwater basket swing and net hammocks, walk-in minibar and three dining areas.

Ayada Maldives resort is situated on an idyllic private island, covered in vibrant tropical greenery. The quintessentially Maldivian style villas are luxuriously appointed with outdoor showers, their own infinity pools, direct beach access and their own private gardens.

You can walk around the Baros Maldives island in around ten minutes. The small size makes for a secluded setting, where discreet yet attentive service is paramount. The Baros Residence is the most luxurious of the villas on the island and has a private swimming pool, 24 hour butler and it's own tropical garden.