COMO Cocoa Island

Small, intimate, and just a 45-minute speedboat ride from Male, Cocoa Island has been in COMO's hands for the past 15 years (the Singaporean hotel group owned by billionaire Ong Beng Seng). Its 33 suites all step straight into the water, and their design takes its cue from the traditional Maldivian 'Dhoni' boat.

Cocoa has long held a place in the Maldives top ten. That standing rests on an uber-cool reputation, understated barefoot luxury, real attention to detail and genuinely good service. The rooms are simple and beautifully executed, and you can walk right around the island in about 15 minutes.

Dining is entirely a la carte. Ufaa, the main restaurant, manages to be both unpretentious and suited to the most discerning palate, with seafood and organic vegetables in imaginative, healthy combinations. The spa at the COMO Shambhala Retreat delivers everything a top-class resort should, and the dive school looks after all levels with friendly, professional instruction.

Cocoa is expensive, but here you get exactly what you pay for. Keep an eye out for low-season specials, when some excellent deals appear.

The resort has also completed an extensive upgrade programme, covering the villas, the public areas (including Ufaa Restaurant and Faru Bar) and the COMO Shambhala Retreat wellness centre.

COMO Cocoa Island is a small, intimate private-island resort in the Maldives, set on the island of Makunufushi in South Male Atoll. It lies around a 40-minute speedboat ride from Male International Airport and is ringed by chalk-white beaches and turquoise water, with three house reefs.

All 33 villas sit over the water. The eight Dhoni Water Villas (75 sqm) take their form from a traditional Maldivian dhoni boat, with a split-level living area and an overwater terrace that steps down into the lagoon. The nine Dhoni Loft Water Villas (110 sqm) add a mezzanine master bedroom and suit families. The ten Loft Water Villas (123 sqm) have an elevated king-sized master bedroom, a lower-deck sitting area that doubles as sleeping space, and a secluded outdoor rain shower with steps into the ocean. The four One-Bedroom Water Villas with Pool (125 sqm) occupy their own private jetty, each with a private pool and a balcony daybed. Larger parties can choose a Two-Bedroom COMO Sunrise Villa (300 sqm) or a Three-Bedroom COMO Sunset Villa (590 sqm), both with private pools and direct access to the lagoon.

Dining centres on Ufaa, the main restaurant, which serves modern interpretations of international and Mediterranean cuisine with an emphasis on local produce and seafood, alongside COMO Shambhala healthful options, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Faru Bar is a relaxed, foot-in-the-sand bar offering cocktails, mocktails, fine wines, classic cigars and light snacks, with easy music at sunset. COMO Shambhala Kitchen focuses on health-conscious cuisine rich in living enzymes, vitamins and minerals, including raw and predominantly vegetarian dishes. In-room dining is also available.

The COMO Shambhala Retreat spa offers Asian healing traditions and natural therapies, with massage pavilions, an open-air ocean-view yoga pavilion, a gym, a hydrotherapy pool and steam rooms. Complimentary yoga, meditation, fitness and Pilates classes run six days a week, and hydrotherapy sessions are also available. The resort also has a 25-metre infinity-edge pool, a library and COMO The Shop. At the Marine Sports Centre, guests can snorkel the house reefs and arrange a range of water sports, boat trips and excursions.