S is for Soneva Gili

Ever since the Caribbean became overpopulated with the people Ricky Gervais parodies in The Office, the Maldives in the Indian Ocean have become the discerning love-bird's preferred destination.

Here, tourism is confined to self-contained island resorts - among them, the Hilton Rangali, Banyan Tree Maldives Vabbinfaru and the new Angsana Resort and Spa Maldives Ihuru (2002's hotspot for fashion-savvy honeymooners) - reached via speedboat or seaplane from the capital, Mal?.

The best of these hideouts - at least until recently - was Soneva Fushi. Here, the 62 villas look like they've been art-directed by an Elle Deco stylist. Impossibly chic, or so it seemed until the owners bettered themselves with their latest creation, Soneva Gili. Here, the 44 villas, crafted from local materials, are set on stilts over the ocean. Access to the restaurant and bar, located on the island proper, is via jetties. The rooms feature four-posters and state-of-the-art entertainment systems (the castaway thing is all well and good, but videos in bed aren't to be passed up that easily). The enormous covered living room is a lounge lizard's dream. Room service comes via a chef in a boat who docks alongside your villa - a floating kitchen - to prepare an ? la carte menu based on Mediterr-Asian fusion cuisine. Those requiring more extreme privacy can hire one of seven Crusoe residences accessible only by boat.

You should also probably go diving. After all, they say that visiting the Maldives without exploring underwater is like going to the Sistine Chapel and forgetting to look up. If so, I'm guilty. But when doing nothing is as spectacular as this, who cares about ticking boxes?

A-Z travel guide for 2002