You & Me by Cocoon Hotel

You & Me by Cocoon Hotel is an adults-only resort built around the familiar Maldives formula, then given a few less familiar twists: private pools, slides attached to selected suites, an underwater restaurant and a beach where the sand is not required to wear shoes. It suits couples who want the sea close, a proper choice of restaurants and enough on-site life to avoid turning every evening into the same bar stool.

The resort has 109 rooms across a single-storey layout, with air conditioning, a pool, a fitness area, spa facilities and free Wi-Fi throughout. English is spoken by the hotel team, alongside Spanish, German, Russian, Italian, French, Arabic and Chinese, so you can discuss the practicalities without resorting to underwater hand signals.

This is an adults-only setting, with the day naturally divided between the beach, the pool, the restaurants and the quieter business of doing very little. Snorkelling, a fitness room, yoga, Pilates and cookery classes give the non-diving hours somewhere to go.

The resort sits in Uthurumaafaru, in the Raa Atoll of the Maldives, directly beside the sea. The beach is white sand with sun loungers and parasols, so getting from your room to the water is a matter of walking rather than arranging transport. The resort lies about 8 miles from the town centre.

Velana International Airport is around 45 minutes away by the resort's transfer arrangements, although the route depends on your arrival time. Daytime arrivals use a seaplane, while night-time arrivals use a domestic flight to Ifuru Airport followed by a speedboat.

The setting is firmly island-based rather than town-based. You come here for the shoreline, the water and the fact that the main decisions of the day involve food, fins and whether the next move is the pool or the beach.

The room choice is mainly about how close you want to feel to the water and what sort of private outdoor feature appeals. Lagoon suites and villas keep the lagoon at the centre of the picture, while beach suites put the sand on your doorstep. For two people, the double suites provide the straightforward option; the private-pool categories are for couples who would rather have their own water close at hand.

Some suites add a slide, including the Aqua Slide Double Suite and the You & Me Private Pool Slide Suite. That is either a splendid return to childhood or a serious piece of kit for anyone who believes a balcony should come with an exit strategy. The private-pool categories make the most sense if you expect to spend time at the accommodation rather than treating it purely as a place to sleep.

Inside, the practical kit includes air conditioning, a shower, minibar, slippers, bathrobes, hairdryer, wardrobe, safe, telephone, towels and toiletries, with facilities varying by category. A private bathroom is included, and free Wi-Fi is available throughout the resort. Room service is listed among the hotel services, useful when the legs have had enough of the day and the minibar is suddenly carrying more responsibility than planned.

The premium all-inclusive formula gives the stay a clear shape, with breakfast, lunch and dinner spread across five restaurants. Breakfast is available as a buffet or à la carte. The Sand covers breakfast and dinner with international dishes prepared at live cooking stations, while its wine cellar and champagne selection give the evening a more deliberate pace.

Lunch can be taken at Green Carpet beside the pool, where the focus is healthy cooking, or at La Pasta on the beach for Italian food in a communal seaside setting. Dinner brings further choice: Rising Sun serves teppanyaki-style Asian cuisine, and H2O by Andrea Berton is fully submerged, with views of the Maldivian marine environment from the dining room. The latter is the sort of restaurant that makes a camera appear before the first course does.

There are two bars. Cheers Bar is a beach bar near the main pool with cocktails, while the Sushi Bar works as a seaside outlet centred on sushi and lighter food. A dine-around arrangement covers the five restaurants, with H2O operating separately from that restaurant choice. The hotel also has a café and snack bar, although no continuous-snacking service is described.

The outdoor pool gives you a second place to spend the day when the beach has had enough of your attention. Pool equipment and beach towels are available, while the private-pool suites offer their own version of the same idea. The white-sand beach has loungers and parasols, making it easy to settle in with a book and let the afternoon become somebody else's administrative problem.

For recovery rather than exertion, the resort has a spa, massage, sauna and hammam. A fitness room is available for those who prefer to keep the legs working, and the programme also includes yoga and Pilates. There is a library for a quieter hour, plus a terrace and solarium when the preferred activity is simply finding a comfortable surface.

When you want a little more structure, the resort offers cookery classes, billiards, karaoke, a discotheque, fishing, windsurfing and snorkelling. Excursion assistance is available through the hotel, and barbecue and picnic areas add alternatives to the restaurant routine. The choice is broad enough for a couple with different ideas about what counts as relaxation.

The front desk operates around the clock. Standard check-in is from 14:00 to 18:00, with departure by 12:00. Express and private check-in and check-out are available, alongside concierge assistance, luggage storage, laundry, dry cleaning and ironing services. Wi-Fi is free throughout the resort, and the property has accessibility facilities and a lift.

Airport transfers are arranged by the resort and must be organised around your flight details. Daytime arrivals and departures use a seaplane from Velana International Airport. Seaplanes operate only in daylight, so an international arrival after 15:30 requires an overnight stay in Malé before the onward journey the following day. Night-time arrivals use a domestic flight to Ifuru Airport followed by a speedboat.

The timing matters on the way home as well. Departure transfers from the resort run between 06:00 and 16:00 and connect with international flights leaving from 09:00 onwards. If your international flight leaves earlier than that, you need to leave the resort the previous day. The seaplane baggage allowance is 20 kg per person; additional luggage attracts extra charges. Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB and China UnionPay are accepted, as is cash.