With its thatched-roof beach and overwater villas, this barefoot oasis is family-run and brimming with authentically Maldivian charm. With a rustic and organic yet elegant feel, it’s a place to truly get away from it all amidst incredible wildlife including manta rays and lesser frigatebirds.

Situated in a UNESCO biosphere reserve, it hosts unique curated experiences including unforgettable private moments such as a picnic or barbecue on its own deserted island of Embudhoo – and even the chance to spend a night in the island’s one traditional beach hut.

Coco Palm Dhuni Kohlu also has strong links with neighbouring islands and guests can take a boat trip to visit local artisans on Thulhaadhoo, famed for its lacquerwork. The island is also a nesting site for endangered green sea turtles and has its own turtle rescue centre, where you can join the marine biologist and resident vet releasing hatchlings into the ocean in season.

Among Coco’s sustainability initiatives are a kitchen garden providing herbs, fruits and vegetables for the restaurants and bars, and in the private dining experiences which include candlelit dinners for two. At mealtimes and between, chose from the hidden-away Cornus Restaurant for island flavours and barbecued fish and meats with Thai influences, Cowrie Restaurant with its thatched roof and live cooking stations, the stylish, toes-in-the-sand Conch Bar for creative cocktails, beers, wines and light bites and snacks into the small hours, and the Beach Bar with its all-day island-inspired cocktails and mocktails with sunset views. You can also sign up for Maldivian cookery classes and take some new culinary skills home with you as a lasting legacy of your time in paradise.

If you like your time away to be an opportunity for some self-care, there’s also a spa offering treatments including purifying detox massages, ayurvedic treatments that harness the soothing effects of warm oil, and pedicures utilising organic ingredients. There are also in-villa treatments available that don’t even require you to leave the cosseting surrounds of your luxurious sanctuary.

Offering boutique luxury and unique curated experiences, this intimate hideaway of private-pool villas on a teardrop-shaped island radiates an authentic Maldivian feel and is eco-friendly to boot. It’s a place to meet hawksbill turtles and nurse sharks, swim near manta rays (as well as the house reef, you’re just 15 minutes from the much-loved Turtle Point reef), go fishing at sunset, and feast on a picnic breakfast on a sandbank.

All-inclusive packages include unlimited snorkelling and non-motorised water sports as well as delicious dining. Indeed, this is a great resort for foodies, with everything from degustation menus to sushi served in its five restaurants and bars, all of which have blissful lagoon and sunset views. There are also regular visits by Michelin-starred chefs creating pop-up, one-off experiences.

Villas are spacious and stylish, with dramatic bathing areas with large central tubs and sunken living areas with a personal bar.

There’s a collection of experiences catered around you and your loved one can share romantic moments together. Leave the world behind with a private sandbank escape, complete with a gourmet breakfast, picnic lunch, or candle-lit dinner; sink into a beanbag beneath the stars to enjoy a classic movie or hop aboard a hand-crafter traditional Dhoni sailboat for a sunset cruise.