Villa Nautica

Third visit. Stayed in a beach villa with its own pool, roomy and right on the sand.

Villa Nautica, Paradise Island is twenty minutes from Velana by resort speedboat, and the boats run at any hour, so neither a late landing nor a dawn flight home costs a night.

The water is the trade-off. There is no continuous house reef. Clusters of rock and coral sit in a shallow lagoon where the fish gather, and blacktip reef sharks and stingrays are common. It is a gentle place to learn, but it varies from patch to patch, so ask the water sports desk where to swim on the first day. Being this close to Malé also means boat and seaplane traffic you will notice.

Who it suits: a short trip, a late flight, or a first Maldives holiday where the beach villa and an easy arrival matter more than snorkelling. Not for anyone choosing an island for its reef.