Cholesterol

On my final night two fellow diners in Tapasake were joined by an uninvited guest - the island's resident heron, which visits each of the restaurants in turn, depending on the time of day and which meal is being served.

He was quickly shooed off the premises by staff.

Of course, the eating experiences are important and a visit to the spa is a must, but if you are at all keen on diving, you will want to spend a good part of your day underwater.

A blond Viking named Stan was my dive master for an hour-long exploration of the reef and we had the good fortune to see numerous turtles which measured about a metre in length.

A Japanese diver coaxed an octopus from a hole, prompting an angry emission of black ink.

We had hoped to see the elusive manta rays which live around the island and can reach up to four metres in size, but we were unlucky this time, although we later spotted two swimming together from the seaplane.

This was five-star diving, with cooling face cloths and fluffy towels awaiting our return to the boat.

In fact, everything about Reethi Rah spells five star.

The accommodation consists of 130 beachfront and over-water villas, but privacy was clearly at the forefront of the architect's mind as there is a minimum of 20m, and lots of vegetation, separating each suite.

Designed in an elegant contemporary, style they are among the largest resort vil...

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