Mirihi Island Resort, Maldives

Flora Ioannou finds paradise in the Maldives.

_Location: Looking out of the window at the heart-stoppingbeauty below, you feel as if you could be in one of David Attenborough’saward-winning documentaries; so crystal clear is the sea, you can spot Nemo andfriends as you fly overhead. This is enough to distract even the most nervousof flyers (me included) heading to Mirihi Island Resort. It is one of thesmallest of the 200 inhabited islands in the Maldives and is located in theSouth Ari Atoll, a 30-minute seaplane transfer from Male.

_{First impressions:} “Let me take your shoes,” our hostrequested as we arrived. “You will not be needing them here.” I recoiled inhorror, as my sweaty feet had been in my Pumas for the past 14 hours. But aftera feeble attempt to keep them firmly on my feet, I eventually, and ratherembarrassingly, gave in to his demand. There’s a no-shoes policy on the island,so don’t spend hours, like I did, deciding which shoes go with every outfitwhile packing – it’s a waste of time and luggage allowance.

There is something therapeutic about feeling thepowder-soft, white sand between your toes as you explore the 350m-long and50m-wide private luxury island. It takes a mere 20 minutes at a leisurely paceto walk around the island, taking in the killer Instagram backdrops.

The best sight of all is the row of wooden villas perchedover the Indian Ocean, standing to attention in the calm of the resort. Andjust when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I approached my villa’s frontdoor and noticed my name in place of a number. This sight fuelled myexcitement, as it dawned on me, I had arrived at my personal paradise – VillaFlora.

_{The facts:} With only 37 thatched villas (six beachside, 31overwater, including one two-bedroom option) spread across the island forcomplete privacy, you hardly ever see another guest. The villas themselves,identical in simple yet stylish Maldivian design, have all the mod cons oftheir luxury counterparts on the neighbouring islands.

My favorite features included the ocean-view shower room,walk-in wardrobe, Nespresso machine,Bose sound system, comfiest king-sized bedever and a private deck with steps down to the sea…an endless list, as you cansee.

What they don’t have are pools and TVs, but to be honest,you never notice. With snorkelling gear, kayaks and stand-up paddleboardsincluded, the ocean should suffice on the entertainment front, and the show puton by the underwater world day and night (all villas have underwaterspotlights) is mesmerising.

You’ll also be mesmerised when you see the choice of Asian,Sri Lankan and international food on offer at the four restaurants, each ofwhich has a different atmosphere – although they’ve all got sand floors.

Head chef and big character Felix and his team lovinglyserve dishes incorporating freshly caught tuna, lobster and shrimps the size ofyour hand. If, by chance, nothing takes your fancy (which I doubt) he willtailor-make something for you. “Just try a bit of everything, it’s good,” Felixwould say – and he wasn’t wrong.

Working off the amazing food isn’t hard, as there arecountless activities on the island, such as scuba diving among the surroundingcoral reefs (at an extra charge) and working up a sweat in the fitness centre.And if that doesn’t appeal, just pamper yourself in the spa.

But it’s the little extras that make this island resortshine – yoga, meditation sessions, a beach cinema, stargazing with one of thecountry’s largest telescopes or a cheeky game of football with the staff, whoare more than happy for you to join in. The simplicity of the resort is itsluxury.

_Wow: Taking the beautiful 55-foot pine yacht Thari into thedeepest ocean on a sunset cruise was by far the best evening, not of the week,but of my life.

Staff joined the cruise, with one even bringing his guitarso he could serenade us with Ed Sheeran songs. Meanwhile, one of his colleagueswhistled towards the ocean from the bow of the boat to summon his dolphinfriends. Within seconds, and to my delight, his friends arrived. Like a smallchild, I cheered and clapped as they danced and skimmed over the waves aroundthe boat to impress us like playground show-offs.

The highlight of the evening was the appearance of a pod ofat least 30 pilot whales that hadn’t been seen around the island for severalyears. They gave the group a show of their own. In pairs, they gracefullybobbed in and out of the still waters, with the only sound that of theirblowholes as they surfaced. Even ‘Ed’ stood in silence as the pod glidedby.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment that money couldn’t buy –the perfect end to my week in paradise. The island’s motto is: ‘As unique asyou’. And it absolutely is.

_{Book it:}: Rooms at Mirihi Island Resort start at $670 pervilla per night.