Maldives

The Maldives is a chain of low coral atolls scattered across the Indian Ocean, and a trip here means picking one island and staying put. Most travellers book a single resort — your own beach, an overwater villa, a house reef a few strokes from the sand. It suits honeymoons, divers, and anyone who wants to do nothing in particular for a week. The snorkelling and diving are the real draw.

A typical week is deliberately shapeless: snorkel the house reef before breakfast, a dive trip or a sandbank picnic mid-morning, an afternoon that dissolves into nothing, dinner under the stars. You reach your resort by seaplane or speedboat from Malé, and once there you don't leave. The reef life is excellent — reef sharks, turtles, rays, and on the right atolls seasonal manta and whale shark encounters. The water does most of the work.

The cost is the catch, and it compounds. Resorts price every meal, transfer, and excursion on top of the room, the seaplane alone runs into the hundreds, and a beer carries a markup that surprises first-timers. You are also captive to one island, so a bad fit means a long, expensive week. The cheaper alternative is a guesthouse on a local island, which is a fraction of the price but comes with modest-dress rules, no alcohol, and shared public beaches. Pick the wrong model and you'll be disappointed; pick well and the simplicity is the whole reward.