Unparalleled paradise

Whether you're here to swim, sail, fish, windsurf, or just take a long nap, Maldives' motto might as well be 'this is the life.' In fact, the very ground you walk here is alive in a sense. The whole country is spread across 26 atolls, vast rings of living coral surrounding shallow lagoons. The seemingly countless beach-lined islands were formed from spots where the coral ring juts slightly above the sea's surface. Most Maldivian isles are less than a square mile in area—so warm sands awash in turquoise waters are only a short walk away.