Vakkaru Maldives

Opened in December 2017, Vakkaru is a luxury property that has been built with fastidious attention to detail in mind. It was clear from our first visit to the island just before opening that great care had been taken to respect and protect the natural environment. This means that the interior of the island has a lush and mature foliage (cycling through the pathways is a delight) and the extensive house reef is undisturbed, despite quite a number of over water villas.

The villas both on land and over water are state-of-the-art and beautifully appointed - spacious, contemporary, understated luxury. Quite a number of the villas do not have private pools, which is something of a surprise in a resort of this quality, but it's possible more will be added over time.

There is a range of villa types that will suit both couples and families, while the gob-smacking four-bedroom residence is one of the finest over-water villas in the Maldives.

Service is excellent, from the well-trained, unobtrusive butlers through to award-winning mixologists behind the bar. Dining options are varied - we liked feet-in-the-sand tables at the main restaurant, Japanese snacks at the over-water Lagoon Bar, wine-tasting with Steffi in the vinophile's paradise "Reserve", but our favourite is definitely Vakku Grill, where dinner under one of the beach pergolas is a treat.

Facilities on the island are outstanding - beautiful over-water spa, the kids club, teens activity areas, tennis courts and especially the dive & water sports centre are all top-of-the-range.

One of the main attractions is snorkelling on the superb house reef. There's lots to see just from standing on the water villa jetty (near the blue hole), where the corals have survived recent bleaching events better than many other reefs. Shoals of fish abound, with the larger reef residents (sharks, eagle rays) to be found along the drop off from the dive jetty.

Vakkaru's an excellent all-round luxury resort in a super location that has quickly earned a spot on our 'highly recommended' list.

Top tip: Take the private speedboat excursion to snorkel turtle point. It's only 10 minutes away and in a lovely gentle drift snorkel we saw 10 turtles in an hour!