Review of Diva Maldives, by John Borthwick

The Maldives, that sea-locked swathe of gorgeous atolls scattered down the Indian Ocean, is renowned - almost too well - for its seductive luxury resorts. However, when you've swooned, honeymooned, sun-baked, slept and swum, then swum again at a designer seraglio, you might ask, "What else is there to do?" Another swim? A second honeymoon? At places like Diva Maldives, there actually are options.

Without travelling far - given that most Maldivian islands are only a few hundred metres long - you'll almost certainly find your luxury resort's spa. Penetrate the menu's promises of a near-mystical transformation and you find yourself being gently back-rubbed, usually by a Thai or Balinese masseuse. At times this is truly wondrous - such as when you peer down from your massage table and through a glass floor to the fish-flitting reef below.

The facilities

Because life is more than a spa and a sandbar, no matter how profound the massage, how romantic your over-water bungalow or sumptuous the evening buffet and wines, at times "rock fever" will strike - that imperative, Robinson Crusoe urge to escape your shimmering sand-spit and its hypnotic azure moat. You don't have far to go. Just a few more paces beyond the spa is the beach, and a short swim or boat ride beyond that will be a cornucopia reef. To snorkel or to dive? The Maldives offers extraordinary diving, and luxury resorts like Diva give you the chance to earn your Open Water certificate. The lagoons and reefs are littered with mantas, turtles and reef sharks, and the strong tidal currents in the channels between islands allow for exhilarating drift dives. Even when just snorkelling off your island's house reef, you'll find the water so gin-clear that you're tempted to either guzzle or breathe it.

When you've had your fill of snorkelling and diving, the latest Maldivian water thrill is jet ski touring. "It's like a Harley-Davidson bike tour with snorkels, going from reef to reef," says the water sports director at Diva Maldives. Following instructions on how to handle a jet ski, riders set off in convoy. If anyone fools about too much, the guide has a remote that can simply cut his or her engine. Arriving at a good reef, you daisy-chain the jet skis together, then everyone slips down to where the abyss is littered with clown fish, cornet fish, fusiliers and jacks in far greater density than on any resort house reef.

Sitting pretty in South Ari Atoll, 104 km south of the capital, Diva is 25 minutes by seaplane from Malé International Airport. The Maldivian Air Taxi terminal is adjacent to the dedicated Diva Maldives lounge where you await your transfer in almost resort-level comfort - the cold towels, welcome drinks, snacks, WiFi and other comforts are constant. They are soon followed by one of those soul-stirring Maldives island-hop flights. Below you the islets seem like coins tossed carelessly upon a blue table. Drop down and they bloom into a new metaphor, now seeming like green-gold tropical flowers on a beach shirt.

At 1.8 km long and 200 m across, Dhidhoofinolhu is one of the largest islands in the Maldives, boasting almost four km of sandy beaches. Mauritius-based resort operators, Naïade have extensively refurbished an existing Maldives resort here and re-opened it as the five-star Diva Maldives. The luxury resort accommodation of 193 rooms consists of Junior suites, Beach pool villas, Beach villas, Water villas, Family water villas and, if that's your style, a Presidential water villa. Perhaps needless to say, all have water views, no matter what their various de luxe configurations offer. (The latter range from private pools and overwater decks to gardens and terraces.)

Diva has a PADI diving centre (managed by Eurodivers), plenty of watercraft, two infinity pools and a full spa. And what a spa it is, with 15 double treatment rooms (4 extended over the water with glass floors), three saunas, three hammams, two ice rooms, two heated pools, a cold pool and three relaxation gardens. Ice in the equatorial Maldives - other than in your gin and tonic - seems like a contradiction in terms. Which just means that you've got to try the ice room - that is, following a sauna you immediately scrub yourself down with crushed ice. Or plunge into the (very) cold pool. Bracing! The sybaritic counterpoint is succumbing to the pleasures of an excellent massage.

Eating at Diva presents a cornucopia of choice, with six restaurants and six bars to tempt you. Senses Restaurant is about European flavours revved up with North African, Lebanese and Indian Ocean influences. East, the resort's main restaurant, with an excellent view over the lagoon, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and features Cambodian, Indonesian, Thai, Sri Lankan, Hong Kong and Chinese-style buffets. Or, there's Pure's modern Japanese cuisine, complete with Teppanyaki "show" chef and all the stunts that implies. If you're on a champagne diet, head to the circular Iru ("sun") Bar, an overwater gathering place for sunset watching, aperitifs and finger food.

Finally, for children aged from 3 to 12 years, there is The Nest kid's club from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., which even includes lunch and dinner sessions.