Velaa Private Island Hotel

Maldives

The Maldives offers so many opportunities for indulgent seclusion, but few come with all the activity trimmings of the super- luxe private island Velaa in Noonu Atoll. Not content with offering sunset cruises in the Indian Ocean, scuba or snorkelling with stingrays and on pristine coral reefs, or just the simple pleasure of lying on the softest, whitest sands with the warm ocean at your feet, Velaa goes to the next level. A short-course golf academy by José María Olazábal, flyboarding, hoverboarding, electric foil surfboards, tandem jetovator, covered tennis court, squash court, climbing world, ‘technogym’, yoga pavilion and even a football pitch: this is luxury for those who want to keep busy. Villas go from the super-secluded private kind – the 598sq m Romantic Residence that needs a boat to reach – to beachside, over-water and those with private pools. Restaurants cover all bases too: a fine-diner, an all-dayer, a Japanese – with its own cellar full of vintage wines – and a poolside option for day-time cocktails and snacks.

One-bed Beach Pool Villas from £2,000. 00 960 6565 000, velaaprivateisland.com

Words by Alex Mead