Canareef Resort Maldives

Black-tip reef sharks work the shallows off Herathera Island, close enough to watch from the sand without a mask. The lagoon at Canareef Resort Maldives runs clear over a fringing reef in Addu Atoll, a chain of 24 islands south of the equator, and guests arriving by seaplane or speedboat get a certificate marking the crossing. The island itself stretches 4.5 kilometres, long by Maldivian standards, and holds 271 wooden villas set back from the shore in three types: 80 Sunrise Villas facing east, 71 Sunset Beach Villas facing west, and 120 Premium Beach Villas with private whirlpools, each between 76 and 97 square metres. All have private beach access and partly open-air bathrooms, so a shower can run under sky rather than ceiling. An SSI dive centre works 25 sites around the atoll, including the wreck of the British Loyalty, a WWII tanker sunk offshore. Dolphins surface most evenings. Spinners, bottle-nosed dolphins, and pilot whales are regularly sighted on cruises timed to the sunset, and giant trevally gather at the jetty for a daily fish feed staff run by hand. Three restaurants and three bars sit along the beachfront, serving Maldivian, Sri Lankan, and French dishes with herbs grown on-site under hydroponics. A speedboat from Gan International Airport takes about ten minutes.