Diamonds Thudufushi

An all-inclusive private island in South Ari Atoll, 25 to 30 minutes from Malé by seaplane, with beach and water villas, a PADI Gold Palm dive centre and the Serena Spa.

Diamonds Thudufushi is a private island in South Ari Atoll where the bar is part of the room rate. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included, and so are wine, beer, cocktails, soft drinks and a minibar refilled every day. Canoes, windsurfers, snorkelling gear and a guided snorkel tour of the reef come with the stay too. Spa treatments and dives are less clear, so ask the resort whether they are included before you book.

Getting there takes 25 to 30 minutes by Trans Maldivian Airways seaplane from Malé. The seaplane flies in daylight only, from about 7am to 4pm Malé time, so plan your international flight around it.

Choose between the beach and the lagoon. Out on the water, the villas have four-poster beds, open-air showers and terraces with steps down into the sea. Seven of them, the One Bedroom Jacuzzi Water Villas, add a private hydromassage tub, and the two Two Bedroom Pool Water Villas are at the end of the pier. Back on the sand are the beach front villas, junior suites and beach suites.

Divers get the most out of the island. The IDive centre is a PADI Gold Palm Resort, and Nitrox is free. The house reef lies on the sheltered outer edge of the atoll, within easy reach for snorkellers. The resort also works with the Olive Ridley Project on turtles and with the Big Fish Network, a whale shark and manta project.

Four restaurants share the island: the Maakana buffet, Aqua over the water, Farivalhu for Maldivian food and Kakuni for seafood. Water villa guests eat at Aqua as part of the package, while beach villa guests pay extra to book it. Drinks are poured at the Veli Beach Bar and the Aqua bar.

Serena Spa mixes Ayurveda with European aromatherapy and Southeast Asian remedies. Honeymooners should pack the wedding certificate. Show one issued within the past year and the resort puts flowers and a fruit basket in your room.