10 of the Maldives' best hotels, from overwater villas to community guesthouses

An archipelago of 1,192 coral islands and 26 turquoise atolls looping across the Indian Ocean, the Maldives is home to resorts that cater to every imaginable taste, from barefoot escapes to designer digs. The most convenient to reach are located in the South Malé, North Malé and Vaavu atolls, within speedboat distance of Velana International Airport, while more remote atolls are accessible by seaplane or domestic flight. With easy access to the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Baa and Raa are especially popular. Those around the Equator, including Gaafu Alifu, offer a splendid sense of isolation, abundant marine life and brilliantly starry night skies.

1. Alila Kothaifaru Maldives

Best for: design fans
Set on whale-shaped Kothaifaru Island, a 45-minute seaplane ride north west of capital Malé, in the secluded Raa Atoll, Alila Kothaifaru Maldives has a clean-lined, low-fi aesthetic that will appeal to fans of minimalist design. A 20-minute walk around the island leads to one photogenic moment after another, from the low-rise timber villas with their landscaped rooftops to open-air restaurants set amid reflective pools, and the treetop spa and glassy infinity pool. Because the island is free from noise-polluting motorised watersports, guests can swim, sail, kayak or paddleboard around looking out for black-tip reef sharks and stingrays. Kothaifaru is also one of only a few places in the Maldives where you can encounter marine bioluminescence, a natural phenomenon caused by trillions of tiny dinoflagellate plankton, which emit a cool blue light . Swim inside this aquatic galaxy when it’s at its best between August and November. Rooms: From US$755 (£585), B&B.

2. Milaidhoo Maldives

Best for: romance
Milaidhoo is a relaxed, intimate island in the Baa Atoll with cottony beaches, softly swaying palms and luminous lagoons. The resort’s oversized villas, on the beach or stilted over the water, are set around a house reef within swimming distance of the shore. Interiors were created using local materials and have soaring thatched ceilings, blonde-wood flooring and decks with swinging sofas and swimming pools. After an afternoon snorkelling with spotted eagle rays, pink sea stars and hawksbill turtles, unwind at the spa with a couples massage. Then book a Champagne tasting in the wine cellar and eat lobster by candlelight at Ba’theli by the Reef, a Maldivian fine-dining restaurant set in a collection of decommissioned dhoni fishing boats. Rooms: From US$1,409 (£1,090), B&B.

3. Gili Lankanfushi

Best for: barefoot luxury
When this place opened in 2000, its back-to-nature aesthetic was considered quirky. Today, it stands out as a sustainability pioneer, proving that unsexy subjects like waste-management and composting can go hand-in-hand with a luxury experience. Set in a lagoon a 20-minute speedboat ride from the main airport, all 45 villas are set over the water, preserving the pristine beach. A few are anchored at sea, accessible only by motorboat. Multilevel wooden villas are ‘luxed-up Robinson Crusoe’ in style with driftwood bed canopies and sea-view bathtubs. Expect food sustainably sourced from the hotel’s organic gardens or from local fisherfolk, plus an overwater spa and unfailingly warm and professional service. Rooms: From US$1,450 (£1,121), B&B.

4. Anantara Veli Maldives Resort

Best for: wellness
Anantara Veli Maldives Resort strikes an ideal balance if you want to stay active and healthy while you’re away but also fancy sundowners and chilled DJ sets. Set in a blue lagoon in the South Malé Atoll, a 45-minute speedboat ride from the capital, the adults-only resort offers various free daily activities, including yoga, Pilates and sound healing. A recent refurbishment means the overwater and beach villas now have vaulted ceilings, dark-wood floors and pops of turquoise. The resort’s four restaurants have also been revamped, while the spa has introduced Balance Wellness by Anantara, combining nutrition, treatments and holisitic exercises. Rooms: From US$675 (£521), B&B.

5. Six Senses Kanuhura

Best for: families
The second Six Senses to open in the Maldives, Kanuhura is in the Lhaviyani Atoll, a short seaplane ride from Malé. It offers beach and overwater villas, with muslin-draped beds and ocean-inspired contemporary art. The two- and three-bedroom Beach Retreats, with atrium living rooms, dens and gigantic private pools, are especially appealing for families. As well as the Grow with Six Senses kids’ club and the Island Hideout for teens, there’s a packed schedule of free activities such as yoga and standup paddleboarding. Rooms: From US$575 (£445), B&B.

6. Kudadoo Maldives

Best for: unlimited luxury
Set in a corner of the Lhaviyani Atoll that’s rich in marine life, this solar-powered escape has just 15 overwater pool villas, featuring geometric wood panelling, sliding screen doors and indoor garden bathrooms. While the rates seem steep, they cover every perk imaginable. Start the day with a private yoga class on the beach before enjoying breakfast on a comet-shaped sandbank. Later, you might learn to dive amid shoals of humpback red snapper, sail in the resort’s yacht, Bella, to an uninhabited island or enjoy a massage in the shadowy spa. Rooms: From US$2,973 (£2,276), all-inclusive.

7. The Residence Maldives at Dhigurah

Best for: remote vibes
One of the largest, deepest atolls in the world, Gaafu Alifu in the southern Maldives brims with dolphins, sea turtles, reef sharks, rays and mantas, plus huge shoals of tuna, grouper and mahi-mahi — but has few tourists. The Residence at Maldives at Dhigurah is one of a handful hotels in the area, set on a 1.2-mile-long island flanked by beaches and connected to a second island by a half-mile-long wooden bridge. Spacious beach and overwater villas, all with pools, are simply decorated and have four-poster beds. ROOMS: From US$810 (£626), all-inclusive.

8. Thundi Sea View

Best for: budget
For a cheaper trip, choose Maldivian-owned guest houses on islands with local populations. As a Muslim country, alcohol is off-limits outside of resort islands and liveaboards, but those million-dollar beaches and aquamarine waters are there for the taking. Thundi Sea View is one of the best, set on Fulidhoo, a coral isle within speedboat distance of the airport. Rooms are fresh and welcoming, with teak floors, beamed ceilings and balconies with beach and ocean views. Faru Cafe serves fantastic seafood and the house reef sports a cast of nurse sharks and a shipwreck. ROOMS: From US$103 (£80), B&B.

9. Mirihi Island Resort

Best for: diving
A 30-minute seaplane ride from Malé, a large part of Mirihi’s appeal is that it’s one of the smallest resorts in the Maldives, set on an island just 1,150ft in length by 160ft wide, giving it a particularly private feel. There are two relaxed restaurants (one buffet, the other a la carte), a beach bar, wine lounge and just 38 TV-free villas, sporting woody interiors, lemon and orange accents, vaulted ceilings and indoor-outdoor shower rooms. The majority are stilted over the water, with ladder access into the lagoon, where you’ll find nearly four miles of coral reefs. It’s an underwater highway, flush with whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays, stingrays, moray eels, octopuses and crowds of colourful reef fish. Divers will be in their element, with 50 dive sites one hour or less away by boat. Rooms: From US$913 (£690), B&B.

10. Milla Maldives

Best for: inclusivity
Castaway meets Saint-Tropez at this resort in the Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve 30 minutes by seaplane north of Malé. Between August and October this area is home to the largest aggregation of manta rays in the world. There are beach, water and treehouse villas with private pools, teak floors and striped soft furnishings; go for the overwater villas, which have steps leading into a lagoon brimming with fish. Designer good-looks form only one part of Amilla’s story — the resort has strong sustainability credentials and is the first hotel in the Maldives to be awarded with IncluCare certification, in recognition of its commitment to making the property accessible to all, including wheelchair users, the deaf and blind and people on the spectrum. Rooms: From US$1,325 (£1,024), B&B.