Soneva Jani
Medhufaru Island, Noonu Atoll
At Soneva Jani, zipping across the island on bikes, barefoot, is the norm. The spa occupies two complexes, one perched over the jungle and the other over the sea. (You can do a full-on panchakarma program with the resort’s resident Ayurveda experts, or follow up your massage with an hour in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber.) Every accommodation is a one-to four-bedroom house on the beach or over the water, with private pools and full kitchens. In the master bedrooms, retractable roofs allow for stargazing from bed. Restaurant options abound.
This property is especially good for families; kids cruise for sunset dolphin sightings and learn their way around a surf break. And nearly every villa has a two-story waterslide, which plunges either into the pool or directly into the turquoise sea.