OUTRIGGER Maldives Maafushivaru Resort

The resort sits on its own island in South Ari Atoll, a 25-minute seaplane flight from Velana International Airport in Male. Seaplanes operate in daylight only and the last one leaves at 16:00, so your inbound flight needs to be on the ground by 15:00. There is no speedboat alternative.

You overnight in Male at your own expense and fly out to the island the next morning, which means losing a night of your stay. Book a morning arrival from Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru. Tell us your flight numbers and we will check the connection before you pay for anything.

The Over Water Villa is the cheapest villa on the island, below the Beach Villa in every season. If you want a pool, the Over Water Villa with Private Pool at 151 sqm is the one most couples choose. Sunset-facing categories are priced higher and sell out earlier.

Breakfast and dinner at Cuisine Gallery, the buffet restaurant. Drinks are charged as you take them. Half Board Plus adds beer, wine, spirits and cocktails from noon daily plus the minibar, at US$130 per adult per night. Dine Around All Inclusive adds lunch at Edgewater and dinner at the a la carte restaurants, at US$170 per adult per night. Both need three nights, children under twelve are free on either, and everyone in the villa has to be on the same plan.

Yes. Book at least 30 days before you arrive and the resort takes 25% off the villa and half board, on every villa and in every season. It depends on the day you book, so the prices on this page are before it. We apply it for you. Honeymoon and anniversary extras can be added on top.

Yes. The 10 percent service charge, 17 percent T-GST and the green tax are all inside the price shown. Nothing further is added at check-out. Excursions, spa treatments, drinks outside your meal plan and any villa upgrade are extra.

Strong for sharks and rays, honest about coral. Blacktip, whitetip and nurse sharks come in close, with grey reef sharks on the outer edge, plus eagle and sting rays, barracuda and moray. Turtles turn up but are not a given. Coral is being regrown under a resort propagation programme, so widely travelled snorkellers call it good rather than exceptional. Enter at the ladder on the pool-villa pier for the shortest swim to the drop-off.

There is a Treehouse Kids Retreat, a 9-hole mini golf track, a games area and a doctor's clinic on the island. The six villas on this page take a maximum of three adults, or two adults and one child, and children under twelve stay free. If you need two separate bedrooms, ask us about the Beach Family Villa at 129 sqm or the Two Bedroom Beach Villa with Private Pool at 184 sqm. We price both on request.

Cuisine Gallery is the buffet where half board is served. Moodhu Grill spreads across five over-water dining platforms. Art-i-san sits at the highest point on the island. Koto does Japanese fusion and a teppanyaki table over the sunset lagoon. Koffee 'n Chill and Edgewater Bar cover the rest of the day. Book the a la carte venues before you arrive.

Not before 09:00, because the seaplane from the island only connects with international departures from that time. The last transfer off the island is mid-afternoon, so if you are on an evening or midnight flight you leave the island in the afternoon and wait at the airport. Send us your return flight and we will tell you which morning you actually lose.