The restaurant, named Ithaa, is the showpiece of the refurbished Hilton Maldives Rangali Resort, one of the new developments that are ensuring that the Maldives remains one of the most sought-after tropical destinations. The restaurant is reached by a wooden walkway from the resort’s main building. Diners begin their meal with drinks on a specially constructed deck over the ocean and then descend to the restaurant via a spiral staircase. They get to enjoy seafood and Maldivian specialities, as well as a selection of wines from around the globe.

At first glance, the Maldives may appear to be as far away from civilization as you can get. With 1200 islands dotted across the Indian Ocean, it seems remarkable that this small country has built up a tourism industry that lured more than 600,000 travellers last year. Many visitors come to “get away from it all” – and they can, with most villas tucked away on their own stretch of beach.

In most cases, if you don’t want to meet your neighbours, you don’t have to. Luxurious overwater villas offer the ultimate privacy. Reached by walkway or boat, they are surrounded by water on all sides and offer solitude and peace. However, what sets the Maldives apart from other destinations is the lengths to which the resorts are going to ensure that their guests are as pampered as they want to be. Only Kuramathi Island has more than one resort, so the other 83 set aside for tourism have been able take full advantage of the unspoilt sugar-white beaches enclosed in turquoise coral gardens.

One resort, the Soneva Fushi, has even built a tree-house as part of an amazing family holiday compound. It comprises a beachfront villa, with a unique open-air garden bathroom. A walkway leads from the villa to a pavilion, spa suite and then rises to 2, 5 metres above ground to reach the tree house. To top it all, there is a fun water slide that plunges from the tree house to the villa’s own gigantic swimming pool.

Health spas are a highly competitive arena for the five-star resorts. The first innovations came in the form of private spa pavilions with spectacular sea views. Then came the first overwater spas, set on stilts in the ocean and reached only by wooden walkways. The first salt-water flotation pool in the Maldives soon followed and it seemed the pinnacle of design had been reached when one spa installed a glass floor allowing their pampered guests to watch the sealife below as they were being massaged. However, one resort has just topped that, unveiling the first underwater spa rooms.

A masterpiece of engineering, the underwater treatment rooms at the Huvafen Fushi resort took 12 months to build. Using a sold cast resin, the rooms were lowered into the ocean with minimal disturbance to the island's delicate eco system. To enter the underwater spa, guests walk along a jetty connected to the over water spa to a thatched entrance. This opens onto a stairwell down to the underwater rooms. The five-inch walls offer perfect viewing of marine life in the Indian Ocean.

Last December’s tsunami in south Asia resulted in much negative publicity for the Maldives, but only a few of the resorts were closed due to damage. However, visitor numbers slumped in the first three months of this year. Now tourists are returning to the Maldives, with 71 of the 87 islands’ resorts - many of them untouched by the tsunami – fully operational and welcoming guests.

One of these is the newly-opened One&Only Reethi Rah, the most expensive hotel to be built in the Maldives. An investment of more than 170 million US dollars has ensured that this all-villa resort offers the finest in holiday luxury. Set on one of the largest islands in North Male Atoll, all villas are discreetly placed amidst beautiful landscaping, each occupying its own secluded stretch of beach or a private deck over the lagoon. These are among the largest resort villas in the world, some with private swimming pools and vast sundecks. Each villa is allocated a private butler to attend to the needs of his guests during their stay.

The good news for travellers who struggle to get bookings over the peak December season is that more resorts are on the way. The government recently released another 11 islands for development. One of the first new resorts to be completed will be the Shangri-La Maldives Resort and Spa, being built on the newly developed island of Villingili. It will be close to a new airport on Gan Island, giving the Maldives its second international airport. Another development is the yacht marina planned for the northern tip of Maldives in Haa Alifu Atoll.

Always a favourite for families, the Maldives has also become a popular honeymoon destination. A recent survey found that up to a third of travellers arriving on the islands had just been married. In a bid to grow that market, resorts have started offering island wedding ceremonies. Just imagine the scene – two people in love taking their vows standing in the shade of a palm tree on the beach or ankle-deep in a shallow lagoon, the aquamarine water sparkling around them.

If you're really adventurous, you can even hold your wedding or vow ceremony underwater at one of the beautiful dive locations. However, most people will probably rather opt for a romantic dinner on a sandbank in the ocean, with waiters ferrying dishes back and forth through the shallow lagoon. You don’t have to be celebrating anything – think of it as just another day in paradise.