If small is beautiful then each of the myriad islands which make up the Maldives is, quite simply, exquisite. These tiny pieces of paradise offer the ultimate, get-away-from-it-all holiday. Even if you have never ventured beneath the waves before, it is guaranteed that the warmth and spectacular views will be enough temptation.

The islands are set in the Indian Ocean, some 800 kms southwest of Sri Lanka, and are scattered over a wide area until they just nudge across the Equator. Each individual coral island is tiny, many are uninhabited and all are beautiful, providing their own unique version of paradise. Superb turquoise lagoons sit inside horseshoe shaped coral reefs, with perfect, soft white-sand beaches, circled by the deep-aquamarine waters of the ocean.

Each island is only big enough to hold one hotel, so the island is your resort, and the ambience is relaxed rather than sophisticated. The Maldives have excellent seafood and barbecues are the order of the day, just right after lazy sunbathing on the beach, exploring the island or swimming and diving in the crystal clear waters.