Fesdu Island, Maldives - W Retreat and Spa. The best island resorts in the Maldives are remote, small and have breathtaking house reefs surrounding them. At the W we swam with turtles, rays, five species of shark and clouds of spectacularly colourful fish just metres from our accommodation

The resorts of the Maldives are accessed either by speedboat, if they’re near a domestic airport, or in the case of W Retreat and Spa, Fesdu Island (and the other more remote islands), tourists are flown in by a Sea Taxi service, using De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter seaplanes

View of take-off from our own stretch of beach, Fesdu Island

The Maldives consists of over 1,000 islands, around 200 of which are inhabited. The highest point in the entire country is just 2.3m above sea level

Male’ Airport island, Maldives, as seen from a De Havilland Twin Otter seaplane

Breakfast view from the Shangri-La Villingili, Addu Atoll, at the southern end of the Maldives - about ten minutes by speedboat from Gan

Transport on most of the islands is by chauffeur-driven golf buggy. At the Shangri-La Villingili we were given a mobile phone for the duration of our stay so that we could call for - among other things - a buggy to pick us up wherever we were on the island

View from the egg chair, W Retreat and Spa, Fesdu Island

Blacktip reef shark in about a foot of water, dusk, Furanafushi Island

Sunset, Furanafushi Island, Sheraton Full Moon Resort & Spa