North Malé, reached by speedboat, so a late arrival into Malé does not cost you a night. No house reef to speak of, and we would rather say so. What you get instead is a genuine private-island feel much closer to the airport than that usually buys.

A large private island in Raa Atoll, and a plan that covers more than most of them do. We put the exclusions in writing with your quote so the final bill matches the number you agreed.

A seaplane island, so your arrival time into Malé decides whether you lose a night. The house reef is one of the better ones we sell, and the underwater restaurant is worth booking before you land.

The speedboat runs around the clock, so any flight time works and nobody loses a night in Malé. All-inclusive on a small island with a better reef than the price suggests. The trade-off is that there are no overwater villas.

Twenty minutes by speedboat at any hour, and from a reef villa the coral starts almost at the waterline. From an ocean villa it is a swim, so tell us if the reef is the priority and we will get the villa category right.

A sea wall fifty feet out makes a calm coral zone you can potter about in, with the drop-off, turtles and reef sharks just beyond it. Twenty-five minutes by speedboat and no daylight cut-off. We tend to send couples here rather than families.

The furthest south we sell: a domestic flight and a boat, about an hour and three quarters in all. Addu has some of the healthiest coral in the country. The house reef itself is one good stretch by the beach bar and shallow sand elsewhere, so come for the diving rather than the lagoon.

South Ari holds them year-round, which is the reason to come. Snorkelling off the beach is poor, sand lagoon and dead coral in front of the water villas, but a free guided boat runs out to the reef twice a day, about ten minutes away.

Either a 30-minute seaplane with a 15:00 cut-off, or a domestic flight to Dharavandhoo and a 15-minute boat. Strong house reef inside the UNESCO biosphere, and all-inclusive is available if you want the bill closed off.

A domestic flight and a boat, about seventy minutes, on flights that run late into the evening. The coral is among the best we see, but it sits well off the sunset side and needs a twenty-minute swim, so take the boat if you are not a confident swimmer.

A continuous reef rings the island, starting a few steps off the beach, with two piers straight onto the wall and currents gentle enough for a nervous swimmer. Getting there is a domestic flight and a boat, about ninety minutes, on flights that run to 22:00.

Most islands make you choose between clear turquoise water and good coral. This one has both, and it takes over an hour to swim around. Seaplane in 35 minutes with a 15:30 cut-off, or a domestic flight to Dharavandhoo and a 30-minute boat if you land late.

The villas are built over sand by design, which is what makes the water that colour and that safe to swim in. There is no reef off your steps. A complimentary boat runs daily to healthy coral, but if snorkelling is the point of the trip we will point you elsewhere.