Isle be there


Laura French combines chill with thrill on a trip to two of the Maldives’ most exclusive resorts


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t’s the colours that hit you first in the Maldives: electric-blue lagoons flecked with rings of jade, glaring green palms silhouetted against swimming- pool skies, and pink-gold rays bouncing off powdery sand so dazzlingly white you can’t look directly at it. At sunset, swathes of violet, peach and red descend in smooth, painterly strokes, and it’s all so vivid and surreal it’s like stepping into a Monet painting, or looking at the world through a photo-enhancing filter. A week spent at two of its most exclusive island resorts – Naladhu, in South Malé atoll, and Niyama, in the Dhaalu atoll – was as close to quintessential paradise as I could imagine, showing me two very different sides to this archipelago; one totally peaceful and charmingly rustic, the other edgily trendy and enjoyably lively.


They also showed the Maldives is far more than just its beaches, with outdoor adventures, local excursions and cultural activities on hand for those wanting to go beyond the fly and flop. Here’s how to sell them to luxury-loving clients after a break they’ll never forget.


NIYAMA PRIVATE ISLANDS, DHAALU ATOLL The vibe: Trendy, buzzy and a little quirky (which makes


it a hit with Hollywood A-listers, I’m told), Niyama is all about the experience, and that was true from the get-go. It started with me soaring over the Indian Ocean in a seaplane, engine whirring, seat jittering, world shrinking, as islands glowed below in luminescent rings from a sea coloured deep indigo. Split into two connected isles – ‘chill’ and ‘play’ – it’s


² 21 NOVEMBER 2019 travelweekly.co.uk


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