Excited by wine walls, and a collection of more than 200 labels spanning the globe, I sip champagne and eye up a bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal 2004, alongside a rare Petrus Pomerol 1996 Bordeaux our sommelier has proudly pulled from the shelf – illustrating the impressive list.

As a drinks writer, I’m accustomed to glossy tasting rooms and reviewing a flight of fancy wines. As luck would have it though, we’re in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

It’s our third visit to five-star Velassaru – a beautiful 21-acre coral island in the South Male Atoll, a 25-minute speedboat ride from Velana International Airport. Tonight, we’re sitting down to their award-winning dinner experience at Etesian, with a sophisticated seven-course menu featuring gold medal-winning dishes.

The butter-poached lobster tail and trio of pepper crusted beef with herb mousseline are sublime, and we’re delighted with the wine pairing – a French chardonnay and Australian shiraz lead the charge.

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The menu is testament to how the evolving food and beverage scene is putting Maldives firmly on the culinary map. Travellers are seeking gastronomic experiences beyond glorious sunshine, turquoise sea, wonderful marine life and coral sands.

It’s one of the many new developments in a destination my husband Giles and I fell in love with 15 years ago and have been back time and time again.

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When it comes to designing the perfect holiday to this barefoot paradise, choosing the right resort can be confusing. At the last count, there were 172 properties spread across the 26 atolls – all with very different offerings.

No longer purely a once-in-a-lifetime, honeymoon destination, the island nation is set to attract two million tourists in 2024. And although there are still plenty of ‘money is no object’ options, there’s affordable luxury too.

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Several top-notch properties now offer all-inclusive packages with selected wines and spirits, choice of buffet or a la carte menus, excursions and complementary snorkelling equipment. Leaving very little ‘not’ included, it’s a win-win with the wow-factor.

For first-timers, I always suggest splitting your holiday with two destinations – the first accessible by speedboat, the second seaplane.

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After a long-haul flight, there’s nothing like powering across turquoise waters and the tickle of excitement when your ring-shaped island comes into view – and you’re living the dream. With another resort to explore, you’ll be enjoying the best of both worlds.

A couple of days into our holiday at Velassaru, the resort throws a special dinner buffet at Vela (one of the resort’s five restaurants) to celebrate National Maldives Day.

Later, we join the ‘Purely White’ after party on the beach with a resident DJ spinning an eclectic mix of R&B and club music. Open to requests, he plays one of our favourite country tunes by Jon Pardi. We dance barefoot under the stars and crescent moon.

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However, our favourite since day dot is Sand, where we also visit for dinner during our stay. It’s an oceanfront grill with private pavilions to wine, dine and sink your feet in the sand.

The happy vibe flows to the next evening with a romantic dinner on the beach. Attention to detail is slick with a garland centrepiece and grilled lobster for mains.

Smiling and laughing, we stroll along the jetty to our water villa perched over the lagoon – the shadow of a stingray our only distraction. To our surprise, turn down service gifts us with a garnished bed strewn with bougainvillea, palm leaves, and a heart-shaped towel.

Kind and considerate with a gentle manner, the staff become your friends – and all part of the journey. Repeat guests we chat to share similar stories of thoughtful gestures and treasured moments.

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With its palm-filled shorelines, fragrant flora and fauna and sandy pathways framed by trailing bougainvillea, we love strolling around the island to chill out and unwind.

Feeling relaxed and refreshed, mornings spent sunbathing and bobbing around in softly rippling waves are followed by long, lazy lunches.

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Fen Bar with beachfront views overlooking the infinity pool is where we relax with a G&T. With the promise of a beautiful sunset, we slip into the back seat of a golf buggy and head to Chill – the resort’s sundeck bar on the other side of the island. With sweeping panoramic views, our timing couldn’t be more perfect.

We order a piña colada and in tune with shaking of ice-cubes, the ding-ding sound of a bell rings out to announce the ice-cream tricycle cart – complementary gelato is served.

For the second half of our holiday we transfer by sea plane to Kandolhu – a bijou resort with 30 villas we visited 10 years ago. We journey through a turquoise seascape and 25 minutes later it’s time for our next barefoot adventure.

The first time we visited the Maldives, I thought my ‘action man’ would be bored, but there’s no time to fly-and-flop here with an enchanting island and house reef to discover.

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The Maldivian aquarium is unsurpassed – and the further you venture into the atolls, north or south from Velana airport, the more you’ll be rewarded.

Moreover, with Kandulhu’s dive centre offering complementary GoPro hire (with Quick App to download and edit your pictures), it’s possible to film and post pictures of tropical fish and turtles from your dream paradise.

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Our Ocean Pool Villa with infinite views of the Indian Ocean features an open bathroom with shower and tub. We pull the sliding doors to sit on the ledge, dangle our legs and gaze at crystal clear waters below. Another highlight is our plunge pool to sink into with a glass of fizz.

With our wine fridge stocked with New World and Old World wines including cava and prosecco as part of the Ultimate Inclusions package, you get a lot of bang for your buck.

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Five restaurants offer an array of cuisine – from Olive serving Mediterranean dishes, to the Sea Grill, Banzai teppanyaki or Mexican and Peruvian fusion spot Ata Roa. The latter becomes a lunchtime hang-out on the edge of the jetty, where our chef prepares tacos and ceviche to order, washed down with ice-cold beer.

With one the sweetest spas I’ve come across, we indulge in a couples 90-minute signature massage at Varu.

The four treatment rooms are named after flowers – Rose, Jasmine, Lavender and Tulip. We rest our heads in ‘Jasmine,’ where lemongrass oil scents the air and hot stones relieve any travel tension.

Admittedly there are cheaper beach destinations to visit, but I’d argue every penny spent in the Maldives is an investment in health and happiness. More affordable, all-inclusive price packages make the spend increasingly justifiable and have afforded people like me the privilege to live a dream again and again.

How to plan your trip

Kuoni (kuoni.co.uk) offers three nights at the five-star Velassaru, Maldives (velassaru.com) in a beach villa with pool on Full Board, followed by four nights at the five-star Kandolhu, Maldives (kandolhu.com) in a beach villa on Ultimate Inclusions All Inclusive, including flights on British Airways and transfers in resort.

The price for selected departures in June 2025 based on two adults sharing is from £4,699 per person from London Heathrow (£4,799 from Glasgow, via London Heathrow).

Includes complimentary meal plan upgrade at Kandolhu from FB A La Carte on bookings made by 28.02.25 for travel up to 31.10.25. Upgrade to Velassaru Indulgence All Inclusive from an extra £299 per person.

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