Blue day ... Shangri-La's Villingili resort on one Addu Atoll's four islands.
Nigel Tisdall finds idyllic cycle paths and room to move on the Maldives' southernmost Addu Atoll.
A spotted eagle ray glides nonchalantly past the steps of my overwater villa on Addu Atoll. Its wings flap gently in the warm, shallow waters that are so clear they seem to magnify the peaceful garden below. Here comes a parrotfish in a fetching psychedelic number, bowling along on its dawn patrol. And there's a posse of snappily striped angelfish, hurrying by as if just back from an all-night party.
Spared the worst ravages of the bleaching that has dulled the coral in other parts of the Maldives, the seabed here is bejewelled with flashes of blue, green and purple. As the sun gains strength, the lagoon surrounding me fills with an immense calm. It is 28 degrees and you know it's going to be another classic day of clear blue skies, sensational snorkelling trips, siestas on the daybed and dinner on the beach with rows of candles in the sand.
So far, so very high-end Maldives - except that down here in Addu, the southernmost atoll in this 800-kilometre chain of 1192 islands, the holiday experience is refreshingly different. Traditionally, a trip to the Maldives has meant flying in to the capital, Male, then bouncing onwards as fast as possible to one of almost a hundred small and luxurious lily pads that ceaselessly vie with one another to offer the most indulgent experiences.
Some islands are so small you can walk round them in 10 minutes; others proffer ridiculously OTT amenities such as an underwater restaurant, pretentious afternoon teas and wine cellars. Invariably there is a niggling fear that a week in the Maldives, however much you are in love, could well leave you feeling a little trapped and bored as well as overcharged.
But not here. Sixty-four kilometres south of the equator, Addu is rare - it encompasses four inhabited islands linked by a 16-kilometre causeway that visitors are welcome to explore. By Maldivian standards it is populous, which means you occasionally see two motorbikes passing each other.
On the map the atoll's slivers of low-lying sand look like bones in an X-ray, enclosing a heart-shaped lagoon of 57 square kilometres.
On its eastern side, Herathera runs for nearly five kilometres and is being developed as a 273-villa resort by the Thai hotel group Amari. Nearby, Villingili is three kilometres long and home to 132 villas run by Shangri-La. In Addu, luxury doesn't just mean endless cold towels, three types of shower and butler service - it's about having lots of space, too.
In the south of the atoll lies its greatest secret - Gan, an airport served by scheduled 90-minute flights from Male. Just as in the Caribbean, where it invariably pays to fly onwards to the lesser-known islands, so it is worth going the extra 480 kilometres to Addu.
As well as fabulous diving waters and the thrill of getting far away from the rest of the world, there is the bizarre chance to take a not-too-taxing 32-kilometre bicycle ride around part of the lowest, flattest country on Earth.
After a fortifying breakfast of coconut water, papaya and perfectly boiled eggs, I head off for a dreamy day cycling around Hullabaloo, Notmuchtodo and Howfaristheloo. OK, they're really called Feydhoo, Maradhoo and Hithadhoo but the islands of the Maldives are so enchantingly named I can't help wondering whether Edward Lear got here first.
While other guests slap on sunscreen and settle in hammocks with their Stieg Larsson-loaded Kindles, I pick up a bike at Feydhoo jetty and head north. Taking a local guide is not essential but I recommend it as you learn so much more.
Inaan, who teaches badminton at my resort, seems thrilled to show off his home turf and even takes me to say hello to his mother and grandmother. As it's Saturday morning, they're besieged with children watching cartoons on television - just like back home.
"Life is more relaxed here than Male," Inaan says when I observe some local Muslim women with their heads uncovered. Addu has a history of independent-mindedness, even setting up a breakaway republic in the 1960s, and the staff in the resorts are noticeably cheery.
One reason is that they get to return to their families every night, whereas on other islands workers can be marooned for months. At the Shangri-La Villingili Resort, one of the strange pleasures to accompany sunset cocktails is the sight of some of its 600 staff heading home across the lagoon on a ferry called Nice Weather.
Pedalling north, I note that the islands are at times so narrow that the sea is visible at both ends of the high street. The villages are neat and clean, shaded by breadfruit and mango trees with single-storey houses built from coral with corrugated-iron roofs.
Following recent elections, many are painted with the colours of competing parties, while the shops go in for names that are entertainingly direct. One is called Local Veg, another Shawl and Hijab. Everybody smiles and waves at the mad Englishman out in the midday sun.
On reaching Hithadhoo, it's hard to believe I'm in the second city of the Maldives. We're through it in a flash, then double back for lunch at one of several garden cafes where islanders like to relax. There's no alcohol, of course, and a spicy fish curry with chapatis and a bottle of water costs all of $2 - in the resorts it can be 10 times that.
As we tuck in, Inaan tells me that the Maldivian idea of a slap-up meal is to have spaghetti or a burger. One advantage of visiting Addu is that many islanders speak reasonable English - not just the young, who learn at school, but older men, too, as the result of an RAF base established across Gan in 1956. This operated for 20 years, with some 600 servicemen stationed here on year-long stints.
Surprisingly, much of the RAF camp remains in good order, including the Astra cinema, kerbsides painted in black and white and splendid gardens with mature trees. Today, the officers' mess, complete with the old billiard table, is home to the Equator Village resort - the rooms now have windows with glass rather than the original wire mesh and mosquito screens.
Back then the airmen were not permitted to visit any other island, so amused themselves by swimming, boozing and playing golf on a small course by the runway. It's overgrown now but the sport will return to Addu at the end of this year when a nine-hole course opens on Villingili.
With a perfect white-sand beach, three freshwater lagoons and some 17,000 coconut palms, this is the best island to stay on in Addu - and bliss for the softie cyclist. Every guest is given a robust green Hercules bike from India and it's an utter delight to ride through the sun-dappled palms, watching the fish from the jetties, then heading off to the spa. Here nature has been so swept, pruned and debugged it's hard to believe that 50 years ago Addu was considered one of the loneliest postings in the world.
Once described as a place of "harrowing tranquillity" where "grown men weep with sheer geographical frustration", it's now a secret speck of heaven, tailor-made for the lazy tropical cyclist.
FAST FACTS
Getting there
Singapore Airlines has a fare to Male for about $1575 low-season return from Melbourne and Sydney including tax, to Singapore (8hr), then Male (4hr 20min). Australians obtain a visa on arrival for a stay of up to 30 days.
Singapore Airlines Holidays has an eight-night package to the Maldives for $4055 a person, twin share, including return airfares to Male on Singapore Airlines, transfers, one night in the Traders Hotel, Male, and seven nights (for the price of five) at Shangri-La's Villingili Resort & Spa. Phone 1300 666 722, see siaholidays.com.au.
The weather is best from December to April. Prices drop from May to October, when rain is more likely. Temperatures are about 29 degrees year-round.
Touring there
Bicycle tours of Addu's western islands can be arranged through resorts. A three-hour guided ride from Shangri-La's Villingili Resort & Spa costs $38 a person, including bikes and boat transfers.
Addu has excellent diving, including a wreck of the British Loyalty tanker, which sank in World War II.
On Gan, there's a 50-minute full-body aromatherapy massage at the two-treatment room Serena Spa (serenaspa.com) or, for something Maldivian, book a 90-minute Kandu Boli ritual at Chi Spa at Shangri-La's Villingili.
To see more of daily life in the Maldives, stay a night on Male Island, a five-minute boat ride from the airport. It's one of the world's most bizarre capitals, with brightly coloured high-rises, an eye-popping fish market and an artificial beach where Maldivian women swim fully clothed. Traders Hotel has a terrific rooftop bar and pool; www.tradershotels.com.
Staying there
Equator Village: Set on the old RAF camp on Gan, with lovely gardens but little beach, this budget, all-inclusive hotel has 78 rooms that are acceptable but win no style awards. Rather cramped when full, the resort is a popular choice for divers. Rooms cost from $US194 ($184), including meals, alcoholic drinks, bicycles and some excursions; equatorvillage.com.
Herathera Island Resort: With a long white-sand beach, friendly dive centre and Olympic-size pool, this mid-range resort remains open for business as it upgrades for a relaunch in November as the sporty, family-friendly four-star Amari Addu Maldives. Rooms cost from $US542 with breakfast; see amari.com/addu.
Shangri-La's Villingili Resort & Spa: The top choice is an overwater villa at this five-star resort, which has a near-deserted beach, gourmet dining and excellent service. Stay in the Whispering Palms section, which is close to the house reef and the lushest part of the island. Pool villas cost from $US1000, including breakfast, bicycles and snorkelling gear; see shangri-la.com.
Eating there
Power Park is a friendly garden restaurant in Hithadhoo that makes a welcome stop when cycling around the western islands. Go for the fish curries and freshly made coconut water. Link Road; phone +960 688 8880.
Javvu: You can't beat a candlelit dinner on the beach with warm breezes and your toes in the sand. Shangri-La's Villingili; phone +960 689 7888.
Chef's Dinner in the Garden: Chefs' tables are everywhere these days but the dreamy Maldivian dinner ($US183), featuring island-grown vegetables and straight-off-the-boat tuna cooked alfresco by ebullient executive chef Emil Minev, is a treat. A highlight is a fruity "sponge" dessert he makes using the heart of a young coconut plant. Shangri-La's Villingili; phone +960 689 7888.
The Telegraph, London
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