The coral might be bleaching but there is still abundant marine life to be discovered along the house reef bordering the Le Méridien Resort and Spa in the Maldives. There's also a flourishing hydroponic kitchen garden. Ben Southan reports

Picture yourself barefoot on a white sand beach at night, moon-shadows play along the forest edge. Water laps gently at your feet. The sand is soft between your toes. The water is warm. You wade into the water, up to your knees and stand there in the darkness looking out to sea, the memory of something vague recedes with the pull of the tide, disappearing beyond the foaming breakers which roll steadily over the reef, out beyond the invisible horizon to become lost in the night, a faint glimmer as remote as the stars: The real world.

THE LOCATION

The Le Méridien Maldives Resort and Spa is a five-star, eco-conscious resort located on the 2.9km long island of Thilamaafushi in the Maldives. Part of the Marriot Bonvoy group, the property opened in 2021 and was the first of the brand's premium properties to appear in the country. The island is only 1.9km long so you can walk from end to end in no time at all. Alternately, you can rent a bicycle for US$10 per day or request a buggy pick you up and drop off anywhere on the island at any time.

If you’ve never seen the Maldives from the air, you might do well to imagine a jewellery box scattered into the indigo waters of the Indian Ocean: necklaces, rings and chains of platinum atolls and emerald islands strung along the western coast of India and Sri Lanka, surrounded by sapphire, turquoise and jade.

As our little red 12-seater sea plane banked smoothly at the end of its 40-minute flight north from Velana International airport, we had a clear view of the resort from the air; a thickly forested natural island located at the southern end of the Lhaviyani atoll. Skimming smoothly over the water, we touched down in a spray of foam before coasting to the jetty where waving staff awaited with drummers to beat out a traditional Maldivian welcome.

THE VILLAS

The island has 134 villas – both beach front and overwater – ranging from from 82 sqm to 280 sqm with either beach or sea views.

I stayed in a Sunrise Overwater Villa, part of a stilted complex built into the sea connected to the island by a boardwalk. There is also a twin complex on the western end which enjoys spectacular sunsets. The room was clean and spacious with a large central double bed facing wide glass doors leading to a wooden deck complete with sun loungers and a ladder to the sea with stunning views of the bay. The interior was styled in a tropical colour palette, combining pinks and turquoise to create a warm, modern, uplifting atmosphere, a scheme reminiscent of the parrot fishes I later saw on the reef.

Saloon doors opened into a well-equipped dressing room opposite a generous bathroom with double sinks and a wet room. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls surround the bath and shower to capitalise on the ocean views. Everywhere on the property the natural environment is either referenced or heroed, with nods and touches in architectural details designed to augment and sympathise with the natural beauty of the island.

The villas offer all the conveniences you’d expect including minibar, coffee station and washroom amenities. I was welcomed with a bottle of champagne on ice and took a glass to the beach at dusk, excited to put my feet in the sea for the first time and soak up the sensation of this remote piece of planet earth, a tiny 2km long bank of fragmented coral and shell magically capable of sustaining life. Hermit crabs in porcelain white shells scuttled by as I watched two stately herons wading slowly through the shallows. The sun slipped below the horizon leaving us bathed in a silvery light reflected in the wet sand. Cheers, I said to the herons.

SERVICE:

There was a team of cleaning staff attending to villas throughout the day but I told them not to worry about servicing my room. (I don't feel comfortable with a high degree of pampering.)

WHAT TO EAT AND DRINK

Turquoise is one of seven restaurants and bars on the island. It serves breakfast from 7am-10am in a luminous space with high ceilings and a relaxed ambiance. I sat with my feet in the sand beside large doors opening onto the beach, where tall palms catch the morning breeze.

The generous buffet had European breakfast staples such as freshly baked pastries, eggs cooked to order, waffles, crepes, glazed doughnuts, chopped fruit bowls, smoothies and freshly squeezed juices, as well as Indian dosa and curries. I liked to start the day with a bowl of fresh fruit and the detox juice: apple, bok-choi and ginger, a glass of OJ, some yoghurt and the red-berry strudel (because I just can't resist sweet pastries) and a green tea.

There are three good places for lunch. Waves Lifestyle Hub, which runs daily wellness classes, pilates, bootcamps, stretching sessions and has a fully equipped gym, also features a pleasant cafe offering a fresh, satisfying menu of wholesome healthy options. I ordered the avocado and crispy sourdough with poached eggs and a Thai booster smoothie with mango, lemongrass and fresh lime juice. Perfect after a long swim.

Riviera specialises in Spanish-inspired tapas, seafood, paella and "elevated" patatas bravas (they also mix a punchy spicy margarita); while Velaa Bar and Grill has a fun, beachy vibe and dishes up pizzas to order, grilled meats and veggies, salads and Poke bowls with refreshing juices, spritzers and cold beers. In the afternoon there is a pool party with a live DJ but I preferred to snooze with a book in the shade of a beach brolly, with cool drinks available at the push of a button.

Tabemasu is the island’s Japanese-themed restaurant – you can book a personal teppanyaki experience in a private room seating six with your own chef. Part culinary taste experience part circus show, expect tricks, jokes and cuisine cooked with flair. As a vegetarian I was grateful to find such a high the level of thought and attention given to a plant based menu, something I’m not used to living in France.

I was served vegetarian maki with teriyaki sauce; avocado and mango flambe served on a fiery lemon, Tabemasu salad with hydroponic lettuce, advocado, pomegranate seeds and asparagus with a truffle-sesame dressing; yakisoba noodles; rasai kakiage tempura vegetables, and a matcha tea crepe. Our chef was charming and excellent and put on a great show. Definitely worth booking for a minimum of two people (five courses is US$160 per person.

We finished up the evening with a few drinks at La Vie, a refined adults-only bar with private pool where “Life is too short to drink bad wine”. With great music and a cool atmosphere it’s the perfect spot to get the party started or simply round off the day with a nightcap before walking home along the moonlit beach.

MARINE LIFE EXPERIENCES

"I revelled in the sensation of pushing myself deeper into that foreign, fascinating world, which felt more healing and calming than any any treatment could offer, before the pressure in my ears and the lack of oxygen in my lungs drove me back to the surface."

On our first morning, we met at the Marine Conservation Hub where Caesar, the resident marine biologist, introduced us to the island’s ecosystem. Flora and fauna includes natural mangroves, palms, wild Maldivian chickens, lizards and a host of flowering bushes, as well as the diverse marine life. We then headed to the dive centre where Caesar fitted us with snorkels and fins for our first visit to the house reef.

A motor launch roared us out of the bay to where the water deepens into a dark indigo and a line of yellow buoys mark the edge of the atoll where we all plunged in. The corals in the Maldives – like many other reefs around the world – are bleaching due to rising sea temperatures, and it has become a major issue for resorts who capitalise on the draw of these natural wonders to protect and repair the damaged ecosystems. Despite the decline of coral colours, we still see an abundance of fish and other marine creatures bustling on this 1km long reef.

Several endangered species including green turtles and hawkbill turtles make their homes here, as well as a cornucopia of other exuberant species such as lion fish, puffer fish, manta rays, guitar rays, jazzy parrot fish, long silver razor fish, shoals of iridescent watchamacallits form clouds of shimmering blue amongst a fiesta of unexpected colours in combinations of viridian greens, pinks, lemon yellow with black and white zizg-zags, oranges, mauves, rippling patterns of stripes, spots, fans, frills, two-tone shimmering silvers and golds all busy flickering through the channeled mass of bulbous ochre corals. The reef is still very much alive.

I have never swum in water so clear. Once your head dips below the waves, everything becomes muffled and peaceful, but far from silent; it crackles and pops and fizzes like a bowl of rice crispies. Kicking down into this unreal world suffused with rippling sunlight and flashing colours, I was impressed by a deep sense of connection to the environment and the animals around me. I revelled in the sensation of pushing myself deeper into that foreign, fascinating world, which felt more healing and calming than any any treatment could offer, before the pressure in my ears and the lack of oxygen in my lungs drove me back to the surface.

In my spare time I often swam out to the reef to explore it further. On one occasion I met an octopus sheltering in a lone chunk of coral in the shallows. As I swam past, the skin on her body changed colour and texture to a mimic mottled greys and ochres of her refuge. I kept my distance and floated on the surface, watching. Slowly she emerged above the hole where she was hiding and became a rust red colour. Little orange fish darted around and I watched for a long time, hoping she might come out further, but she was watching me too. It felt like a very pure moment. Nothing happened, but we regarded each other for some time before I left her in peace and swam back across the slowly waving beds of seagrass to the island for lunch.

For those interested in gaining a deeper understanding of this amazing environment, consider booking on to the Marine Master programme and learn about it first-hand while snorkelling with a marine biologist. You can also sign up for night dives, dive training and fishing trips, as well as jet skiing, wakeboarding and windsurfing for a fee. Kayaks and paddle boards can be borrowed for free for a chilled-out moment exploring the bay.

One evening we took a sunset dolphin cruise and sipped champagne on the upper deck, while cruising west following pods of Spinner dolphins swimming playfully in the waves off the prow. It was great to get a view of the surrounding islands and enjoy some of the ocean’s most intelligent and playful creatures in their natural habitat. It would have been a pretty mellow experience if it weren’t for a lady in Victorian dress (a guest not a member of staff) who personally attracted the dolphins by repeatedly blasting on a shrill whistle. It’s true we did see a lot of dolphins, and while I’m not convinced it was her doing, she may have helped. Next time I’ll take earplugs.

ECO INNOVATIONS

For an insight into the running of the island, you might be interested to take an afternoon tour of the island’s hydroponic greenhouse and kitchen garden, one of the largest installations of its kind in the Maldives. All salads and herbs for consumption on the island are grown here. (Try the hydroponic salad at any of the restaurants – it's exceptional.)

Rows of crispy, curly green lettuce grow in channels fed by a nutrient rich watering system freshened by fans and misters alongside benches of seedlings in various states of germination ready for replanting. In the herb garden outside we can find aubergines, peppers, Thai basil, bushes of dill and passionfruit plants weaving along the fence. Due to its position in the ocean, the island has few bees or insects to pollinate flowers so two dedicated staff are required to tend to the process manually.

This sustainable approach is deeply embedded in the resort's core. With Green Globe certification, efforts are focused on maintaining a balance between environmental responsibility and guest satisfaction. To enjoy all the greenhouse has to offer, book in a "Harvest Table" dining experience, showcasing locally grown ingredients from the greenhouse, or book a family foraging adventure to learn about sustainable sourcing.

WELLNESS AND FITNESS

"As someone who rock-climbs regularly my back holds a lot of tension. After an hour of firm manipulation I was totally reset."

I woke up early to do sunrise yoga at 6am on the beach, and on my way followed a baby blacktip shark swimming in the shallows. I reset with 60 minutes of guided sun salutations against breathtaking sea views.

There is a new Padel court for an hour of energetic exercise in the forest where an in-house "activator" delivers personal coaching and court-side encouragement. He’s also great to dash into the bushes for you to recover the ball after you smash it over the fence for the hundredth time. (Thanks dude.)

The Explore spa offers massages, manicures, facials and other beauty treatments. The building itself stands on stilts out in the lagoon and is styled in bleached driftwood decor, creating a serene space where sea breezes waft through the veranda as you sip a welcome drink of cool spiced coconut milk and refresh with a moist towel. Choose from an extensive menu of 60- or 90-minute massages ranging from US$100 to US$280, with couples massage rooms available as well as kids treatments and haircuts.

I has a 60-minute deep tissue massage. After changing into soft white robes and slippers I was guided to a room with soothing music and windows panels set into the floor giving a view from the table of the coral gardens below. As someone who rock-climbs regularly my back holds a lot of tension. After an hour of firm manipulation I was totally reset and spent another 20 minutes relaxing with jasmine tea and fresh coconut pieces in a soft lounger. Not part of my regular routine, I can tell you, but undeniably a delight.

If art therapy appeals, we did a fun painting class with the resident artist who taught everyone to paint beach scenes. Here's mine:

VERDICT:

There are a lot of resorts to choose from in the Maldives these days but for those with a preference for Marriott, this one is modern, fresh and well catered. Highlights for me were swimming with green turtles and manta rays, sunrise yoga on the beach, playing Padel and the teppanyaki dinner.

PRICES:

All-Inclusive: From US$730 per night for two adults
Full Board: From: US$660 per night for two adults
Half Board: From US$530 per night for two adults