Coco Bodu Hithi’s touch of paradise

Situated a swift 40-minute, private speedboat ride away from the Maldivian capital of Male, Coco Bodu Hithi, offers a level of luxury and privacy that we could all get very, very used to. 

The Coco Collection runs three separate resorts in the Maldives, with Coco Bodu Hithi being the largest, and easiest to get to. Its glorious white sand beaches are flanked by crystal-clear water and shaggy palm trees, which all work to cocoon Coco Bodu Hithi’s 100 rooms into its natural surroundings. Its facilities are glorious too – sand paths around the island lead to a cool infinity pool, extensive thatched overwater spa and a variety of chic restaurants.

There’s just one room type on the island itself – the excellent Island Villas, which have a private courtyard and a huge circular bathtub in the middle of the room. They are superbly spacious and all come with their own private pool – if you’ve decided to take a break from swimming in the glorious warm, clear sea. These villas are deservedly popular, so we recommend booking early. The rest of the villas here are overwater.

Water Villas and Escape Water Villas – with a separate living room – are off one long jetty, while Coco Residences have their own separate oval jetty at the other end of the island. The Coco Residences enjoy extra benefits including in-villa check-in, Champagne on arrival, daily sundowner cocktail with canapés 6-7pm and à la carte breakfast at Stars Restaurant.

While there are five restaurants to choose from on the island, you’ll likely spend at least one of your days at Air, the elegant all-day dining restaurant with views of the main infinity pool. But for those perhaps wanting to keep things a little more romantic, we’d recommend either the overwater Aqua, which serves up seafood specialities with Asian flavours and Tsuki the authentic sushi bar.

Making the most of island life involves getting involved. So whenever you’re finally ready to put down your book the superb watersports centre will be happy to load you free snorkelling equipment, for you to explore the island’s reefs on your own. For those who take their diving a little more seriously, there’s also a PADI dive centre, with directions to some great local dive sites.

From December to April, manta rays are abundant at nearby Manta Point, and throughout the year diverse marine life includes black-tip reef sharks and turtles. 

For more information visit cococollection.com