Island state of mind

Libby Brodie reveals everything you need to know about the Maldives, from getting there in style to sustainable certifications, as Rosie Paterson visits four of the best resorts

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THE Maldives have been bewitching seafarers and travellers for hundreds of years. Lying south-west of Sri Lanka, these coral islands were formed over millions of years by volcanic activity under the sea. Flying over them offers an extraordinary view of sandy atolls, ringed first by the vibrant turquoise of shallow reefs and then by the darker blue of the Indian Ocean. Some are tiny, pristine mounds of sand, others are covered in jungle and, increasingly, many are host to the world’s most glamorous hotels and resorts.

It is easy to believe that the Instagram pictures and glossy magazine spreads have been filtered, but it really is that startlingly beautiful. Bright sunshine saturates everything, from the tropical flowers in bloom and the whiter-than-white sand to the cerulean and topaz sea. Sunrise and sunset are wide, glorious displays of colour, views unencumbered: it is against resort-island planning laws to build higher than the tallest palm.