Safari Island

You arrive on a small Maldivian island where the sea is part of the address, not a view reserved for the top rooms. Safari Island is a resort in Mushimasgali, with beach bungalows, semi-water bungalows and water bungalows arranged around a white-sand shoreline and a clear lagoon.

The hotel team speaks English and German, so you can sort out the practicalities without resorting to mime and optimistic pointing. The mood is geared towards an easy island stay: eat, swim, sit in the shade, and let the day become less complicated.

There are 84 bungalows in total, alongside a pool, a spa, several bars and a restaurant floating over the lagoon. It is a sensible choice if you want the diving to be part of the holiday without turning the entire hotel into a changing room.

Safari Island sits in Mushimasgali in the Maldives, in the North Ari Atoll. The island covers roughly 30,000 square metres and is surrounded by white sand, a lagoon and a coral reef close to the beach. The sea is not something you need to reach by road: the bungalows have direct beach access.

The setting is properly insular. There is no town-centre routine to organise around, and the nearby restaurant listings on the map are many miles away on other islands. Here, the lagoon, beach and palm-covered island are your immediate surroundings.

Velana International Airport is about 37 miles away, with the resort reached by seaplane in around 25 minutes. Villa International Airport is listed at about 33 miles, although the resort's own arrival arrangements run from Velana.

The room choice is mainly about where you want to sit in relation to the water. A Beach Bungalow keeps you on the sand, while the Semi Water Bungalow and Water Bungalow move you closer to the lagoon; the latter two come with direct lagoon access and a glass-topped coffee table. For a couple, that makes the room category a question of outlook and access rather than simply finding somewhere to sleep.

All three categories use a king-size bed and can accommodate up to three guests, with a private bathroom. The practical kit is there for a proper island day: air conditioning, a refrigerator, tea and coffee facilities, a balcony or terrace, a seating area and free WiFi. A walk-in shower, bathrobes, toiletries and a hairdryer keep the return from the beach reasonably civilised.

A mosquito net, wardrobe, clothes rack and drying rack deal with the less glamorous parts of a wet-weather holiday. You also get a private entrance, hardwood or parquet flooring, a television with cable and satellite channels, and a desk if the outside world insists on being contacted. Daily housekeeping is included in the room setup.

The Lagoon Restaurant floats over the lagoon beneath a large white roof, with an open-air terrace where you can look at the water while deciding whether you have room for another plate. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served as buffets, with international, regional, Asian and Maldivian cooking across the menus.

Breakfast runs from 07:30 to 10:00, lunch from 12:30 to 14:00, and dinner from 19:30 to 21:00. The buffet includes warm dishes, pastries, pancakes, cheese, fruit, homemade soups, breads and desserts, with live cooking stations and themed evenings. Sunday dinner turns towards Maldivian and Asian dishes. A selected à la carte menu is available by pre-order.

There are three bars, each with a different job. Palm Bar sits over the lagoon beside the restaurant for cocktails, coffee and light snacks, while Sun Down Bar is set on a wooden deck for the evening light. Pool Bar keeps things close to the water. Palm Bar also hosts a diving film on Saturdays and a live band performance every other Monday.

Half board, covering buffet breakfast and dinner, is included in the packages. Full board, half board plus and all-inclusive arrangements are also available, so check the meal plan attached to your booking rather than assuming the name of the resort tells the whole story.

The outdoor pool has its own bar, although the lagoon is waiting just beyond it and may make a strong case for staying salty. Sun loungers and beach chairs are set along the white-sand beach, with parasols for the hours when the Maldivian sun stops being charming and starts being administrative.

Duny Thai Spa covers the gentler side of the programme, with Thai, aromatic Thai, hot-stone and Swedish massages, as well as back, neck and head treatments and foot reflexology. You can also book facials, body scrubs, body wraps, nail treatments and waxing. Couples have their own massage and spa package options, including a romantic bath.

If sitting still is not your natural state, the fitness centre and gym are available, along with tennis, table tennis, darts, volleyball, beach football, chess and carom. The water-sports programme includes kayaking, paddleboarding, sailing, windsurfing, wakeboarding, waterskiing and catamaran outings.

For an outing that does not involve a cylinder, choose from local-island visits, island hopping, sandbank trips, dolphin cruises, sunset fishing, big-game fishing or manta snorkelling. Evening entertainment includes the occasional live band at Palm Bar, while the library and boutique offer quieter ways to spend a spare hour.

The resort is reached by seaplane from Velana International Airport. Flights are available for international arrivals between 06:00 and 15:15, and your international flight details need to reach the resort 72 hours before arrival so the transfer can be arranged. Airport transfers are available in seaplane form and are booked through the resort; transfer charges sit outside the room rate.

Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out is until 12:00. The front desk operates around the clock, with currency exchange, a concierge and a safety deposit box available. WiFi is free throughout the resort, and payment is accepted by Visa, Mastercard or cash.

Children over two are welcome, and cots depend on the accommodation option. There are no extra beds available under the stated room policy, so check the selected room carefully if you are travelling with a third guest. Pets are not allowed, and importing alcohol into the Maldives is prohibited; anything carried in can be confiscated on arrival.

For honeymoon packages, the resort prepares a beach dinner with a cocktail and decorates the bed with fresh flowers once during the stay. The island has no conventional parking requirement, which is one of the few times in life when not finding a car park is entirely logical.