This gorgeous resort, spread between two lush islands, is an extremely impressive fusion of alluring white beaches, ultra-high-end accommodation and superb service. It features plenty of quirky touches including a tree-house restaurant, an off-shore overwater restaurant and an underground nightclub. Niyama is flush with awards, and was recently hailed by Conde Nast as one of the world's best resorts.
The two islands are divided into two concepts: chill and play. Olhuveli, the main island, is chill; Embudhufushi is devoted to play. The rooms on both are a highlight: all but one category have their own pools, and all enjoy direct water access. They are lavishly furnished, with huge bathrooms and vast sliding doors leading to spacious gardens; the beach villas are rather more charming than the impressively large but slightly sterile water villas. The upper categories are enormous and are supplied with everything from electric guitars to telescopes to keep itinerant millionaires entertained.
You can get excellent sandwiches to go at the resort's deli, a blissfully easy way to enjoy lunch without the fuss and formality. For more substantial fare, there's the poolside all-day restaurant Epicure; Nest, a tree-house restaurant serving pan-Asian food; a very interesting selection of African and South American cuisine at Tribal; and Italian at Blu. There's also fine dining at Edge, an evening-only restaurant built over the reef for which you need to take a bespoke boat; it's undeniably gimmicky, but the food is fabulous. Downstairs from Edge is Subsix, an underwater restaurant where guests can have a gourmet lunch surrounded by colourful fish, and enjoy weekly parties when it turns into a club.
Other attractions include the large, glamorous Lime Spa, dive and water sports centres, gym, kids club, marine biology lab and a perfect nearby desert island to visit.
