Tropical timber abodes, plunge pools over the ocean, spa treatments out on powdery sands and a butler around every island turn... indulgences like these have long made the Maldives the ultimate escape for loved-up honeymooners and serenity-seeking celebs. Just four hours from our sweltering shores, however, anyone who's been there will tell you it's almost a sin not to experience it... no special celebration required other than simply of yourself.

Like pieces of mother of pearl, its 26 atolls of over a thousand islands are scattered across the warm Indian Ocean waters. And while pictures may say a thousand words, they still can't capture that first-morning moment as you wake up to the water lapping below your water bungalow and the sun casting its first rays over your private piece of paradise. And, no, you haven't been hit on the head with a coconut. It really is this dreamy.

Put a frangipani flower in your hair and go wherever the breeze takes you - snorkelling with the mesmerising sealife, enjoying decadent jasmine-scented spa treatments, lying back to an easy read in a hammock or savouring crushed-ice cocktails. Go and remind yourself what it feels like to be truly relaxed.

Maldivian musts...

To infinity and beyond...
With rustic elegance on almost every island, you're spoiled for choice, but stay at Anantara Resort in the South Male Atoll, and you not only have two lush islands - Dhigufinolhu and Veligandu Huraa - at your feet, but the option to kayak out to nearby sandbanks, with only a lone heron to poke his nose into your private picnic. Add open-air infinity-edged bathtubs, a beachfront infinity pool that calls for a cocktail in hand, sunset dhoni cruises alongside dolphins, and even a salt sommelier to make sure you have the perfect condiments for your meal, to the picture, and that's tasty enough.

Do whatever you desire
Head out on speedboat to Baros Hotel. If the water villas on the lagoon and no-holds-barred island retreats aren't breathtaking enough for you, book a rendezvous on Nooma - the resort's traditional Maldivian Dhoni. With gourmet meals served onboard by your personal butler, secluded sun deck for two, and the air-conditioned double bedroom, it's no wonder they call it the dhoni of desire!

Dive in a Maldives Coral Garden
With turtles, rays and a circus of brightly coloured fish swimming past your doorstep, it would be rude not to hop in and join them in one of the world's most renowned diving sites.

Surf's Up
Looking for a little more action above sea level. You may not expect it, but the Maldives is famous for its perfectly groomed waves. Anantara resort even has a surf school, where you can learn to tackle the swells or just master the art of paddle surfing.