Mirihi, Maldives

This is a truly fabulous little resort in South Ari Atoll which is highly recommended for couples and honeymooners wanting a quiet secluded holiday with superb food and personal service. With only a small amount of villas and built to the highest standard, we cannot praise it enough. Step down the stairs from your water villa to the reef edge for some of the most enjoyable snorkelling in the Maldives. Being so perfect this resort is difficult to book....so plan well ahead. If only there were more resorts like Mirihi.

Mirihi is located in South Ari Atoll and reached from Male Airport by seaplane in about 30 minutes. It is a delightful island with fantastic beaches and gives you the feeling of being on a private island. Because most of the accommodation is built over water there is plenty of space despite the island being small.

At the arrivals end of the island there is a huge expanse of sand. The beaches at each end and on the south side are magnificent and unspoilt by groynes. Being very small it takes no time at all to walk from from one side to the other or from the reception area to the water villas.

This is most certainly the type of resort that you can come back to time and time again when you need to recharge the batteries.

Perhaps the only thing missing that would make Mirihi even better is a swimming pool. However given the wonderful lagoon and beaches this can be forgiven.

Being very small Mirihi is not the sort of resort you would visit for its land based activities. However there is a fully equipped state-of-the-art gym for those who like to keep in shape or work off the pounds collected in the Dhonveli and Muraka Restaurants.

Other popular activities include football, table tennis, darts and a variety of board games.

Take one of the ocean kayaks and paddle around the island. For windy days there is a complete range of windsurf gear available suiting everyone from beginner to expert. The use of watersports equipment is complimentary to all guests at Mirihi including kayaks, stand-up paddles and snorkelling equipment.

Diving is a priority for many guests and a great reason to visit the resort. The dive centre, Ocean Pro Mirihi, caters for all levels of divers from first time wishing to learn the basics to experienced divers wanting to fine-tune their techniques. Situated in South Ari Atoll and with over 40 dive sites in reach and a multi-lingual team, every guest gets personal service. Mirihi's location in South Ari atoll means it's possible to spot whalesharks year-round, and the winter season can be good for mantas just a few minutes away by boat.

In addition, Mirihi can also offer a selection of excursions to take you off the island including sunset dolphin cruises, whaleshark seeking, snorkelling safaris, visits to local islands and more.