The thousand teardrop-shaped islands that make up the Maldives are quite unique. With their talcum powder sands and lush jungle vegetation, Robinson Crusoe would have felt at home on any one of them, whilst no other archipelago can claim waters quite so clear or such a distinctive shade of blue. Their individual hotels are hidden away on their own uninhabited islands and although this means there are few opportunities for mingling with the locals, it also means they are completely free from traffic, pollution, noise and crime.

Indeed you really have to want to escape to come here, the daytime agenda usually revolving around sun-worshipping, scuba-diving and spa treatments, with cultural visits and island-hopping excursions thrown in for those feeling they really should make the effort to explore a little. But for most people everything they need on a tropical holiday is
close at hand, in particular first-class dive schools designed to introduce you to manta rays, turtles, dolphins and even sharks.

The luxury hotels tend to take their inspiration from the Orient or French Polynesia, their designs quite rustic, their
service switched-on and their cuisine usually an eclectic blend of Asian and Continental with plenty of seafood also tossed into the melting pot.

And if you suspect you may get a little claustrophobic spending two weeks on one tiny island, consider a two or three-centre holiday, the diversity of the resorts and easy speedboat or seaplane connections making this option particularly appealing.

WHEN TO VISIT: DECEMBER TO APRIL IS THE HIGH SEASON AS THE WEATHER IS HOT AND THERE IS FAR LESS CHANCE OF RAINFALL. HAPPILY THIS IS ALSO THE BEST TIME TO SCUBA-DIVE DUE TO THE
INCREASED WATER CLARITY. BETWEEN MAY AND OCTOBER IT IS WETTER AND WINDIER, WITH MAY AND JUNE PARTICULARLY SHOWERY.

HOW TO VISIT: THERE ARE AN ABUNDANCE OF FLIGHTS – SRILANKAN AIRLINES AND EMIRATES ALL FLY HERE FROM EITHER GATWICK, HEATHROW, MANCHESTER, BIRMINGHAM OR GLASGOW. IF YOU FLY DIRECTLY YOU CAN MAKE IT IN JUST UNDER 10½ HOURS, ALTHOUGH WHY NOT STOP OFF FOR A FEW DAYS IN DUBAI AND ENJOY THE STIMULATING CONTRAST BETWEEN THE TWO DESTINATIONS?