Ari Grand Hotel & Spa

Ari Grand Hotel & Spa is a 120-room resort for divers who also care about the hours between dives. You get a beach, a pool, a spa, several places to eat and enough room to choose between doing very little and filling the afternoon with something more energetic.

English and Russian are spoken by the hotel team, so English-speaking guests can deal directly with the people looking after their stay. The atmosphere is built around an easy resort routine: breakfast, sea, shade, food, then perhaps a treatment or a cocktail before dinner.

Couples can keep things simple with an ocean-view room and the beach close by. Families are catered for too, with a kids' club for children aged 4 to 12, children's activities, babysitting and a children's menu.

You are in Dhangethi, Maldives, on the Alifu Atoll, rather than in an anonymous airport resort. The property sits on the seafront, with a private beach area and a white-sand beach extending for 200 metres. Sun loungers, parasols and a beach bar keep the practical side of beach time covered.

Dhangethi Beach is about 250 metres away, a short walk when you fancy a change of sand. The resort also puts you within reach of water-based activities, including kayaking, snorkelling and other organised outings. A private beach, a proper island setting and a village location make this a different proposition from staying beside a mainland-style hotel complex.

The usual arrival is by seaplane from Velana International Airport, with the resort giving a journey time of around 25 minutes. Velana is about 55 miles away; Villa International Airport is closer on the map, at about 12 miles, although the stated resort transfer route is the seaplane connection from Male.

The room choice is less about collecting categories and more about deciding how you want the evening to look. A balcony room with a garden view keeps things straightforward, while the sea-view double puts the ocean into the part of the day when you are no longer in it. The junior suite gives couples more breathing space, and the suite with hot tub is the one to consider if the room itself is part of the holiday rather than just somewhere to drop your kit.

Air conditioning matters in the Maldives, particularly when you come back warm, salty and ready for a shower rather than a conversation. Rooms also have a minibar, tea and coffee-making facilities, a wardrobe, a private bathroom and a balcony or terrace. Daily housekeeping takes care of the reset while you are out, and room service runs around the clock for the nights when leaving the room feels like an unnecessary expedition.

The twin room suits two separate beds; the deluxe double is the natural choice for a couple who want one large bed. The larger suites are also the sensible step up for a longer stay or for anyone who prefers a little more space around the recovery process. Families can book family rooms, and a lift serves the upper floors.

Breakfast is a buffet, served at The Spice from 7.00am. The restaurant works across breakfast, lunch and dinner, with international cooking in an indoor, air-conditioned setting and a relaxed dress code. That is useful after an early start: you can arrive hungry, sit down, and get on with the important business of eating.

For lunch or dinner, Aqua moves the meal onto the beach and concentrates on fresh seafood with ocean views. There is also the main restaurant at the property, plus room service throughout the day and night. The half-board formula gives you a defined meal plan without tying every meal to the hotel, while the restaurant also covers halal, vegetarian and vegan dishes.

The Sunset Bar is the single named bar, and it is on the beach. Its speciality is signature cocktails, with the sunset doing the visual work rather than a wall of sales copy. The main pool also has a swim-up bar, so you can choose between sand under your feet and water up to your waist when the day is winding down.

The Main Pool is a large outdoor pool with a free-form shape and a swim-up bar. Around it, you have sun loungers, beach chairs, parasols and pool or beach towels. It is the obvious place for a quiet surface interval, particularly when the sea has already taken enough of your attention for one day.

Serenity Spa covers 200 square metres and offers massages, facials, a hammam and a sauna. If your shoulders have been doing more work than they were designed for, this is the part of the resort worth investigating. There is also a fitness centre and yoga classes for those who prefer their recovery with a timetable.

Away from the pool and spa, the resort can arrange water sports and boat excursions, including kayaking, paddleboarding, jet-skiing, fishing and snorkelling. You can also hire a bicycle or join a bike tour, take an excursion to a deserted island or visit a fishing village. Wildlife observation is available for days when the camera comes out and the fins stay put.

Check-in is available from 2.00pm and check-out is by noon under the resort's stated policy. The booking information also gives an earlier arrival from noon and an earlier departure by 10.00am, so it is worth confirming the applicable timing for your chosen accommodation. Early check-in and late check-out can be requested.

Airport transfers are available by seaplane from Velana International Airport and should be arranged with the hotel. A 24-hour front desk, private and express check-in or check-out, luggage storage, lockers, an on-site ATM and currency exchange keep the arrival and departure days reasonably manageable. There is also a tour desk, concierge service and an on-site infirmary.

Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel, and private parking is available on site. Laundry, pressing and car hire are offered, while Visa, Mastercard, American Express and cash are accepted. Children of any age are welcome, but cots and extra beds are not available. Pets are not allowed, and smoking is permitted only in designated areas.

The supplied hotel information does not give a named environmental certification or a specific sustainability programme.