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One of the most beautiful island countries in Asia is comprised of 1,190 islands, some of which are just a meter above sea level.自存倉The Republic of Maldives, or simply the Maldives or the Maldives Islands, is sometimes called a string of pearls that God left in the human world. For vacationers, itÕs a heaven on Earth. ItÕs a place between some of the worldÕs clearest skies and cleanest water, a place to spend time in sync with the birds and fish, to put away troubles and revel in nature.You may have heard of its beauty, but if you have not put your feet on the spongy white sand beach, had a cocktail watching the romantic sunset, or explored the colorful coral reefs and their marine life, it would be difficult to fully appreciate the experience.The over 1,000 islands in the Indian Ocean also form an archipelago of 26 natural atolls. Covering a total area of about 90,000 square kilometers, about 99 percent of which is water, the islands stretch more than 800 kilometers from north to south. Some 200 islands are inhabited while 87 are developed as tourism resorts.The reefs of these islands, while formed by fragile living creatures, act as a barrier to protect the islands from storm-driven waves. These reefs also help create sand for the beaches and shelter marine species.Tourism is a major source of income for the Maldives, and the industry follows a "One Island, One Resort" policy. Hospitality is the nation's lifeblood, so no matter whether they offer luxury, seven-star suites or a more economic hotel, the resorts are built upon leisure and nature.Coco Bodu HithiAfter a flight of more than seven hours from Shanghai, we arrived at the Malé International Airport on Hulule island, one of the islands closest to the capital island of Malé. With a total area of 2.5 square kilometers, the city is one of the world's smallest capitals.Hulule is a busy port. Tourists transfer to speedboats or seaplane here to get into their final dreamy destinations. It took 40 minutes via speedboat to arrive at our destination, Coco Bodu Hithi, one of the resort islands owned by hotel group Coco Collection.The island has a secluded shoreline where boats gently bob and nature minds its own business.Resort staff, most of them locals, give you a Maldives-style welcome with folk songs and drum dances on the dock.The day we arrived is overcast, with clouds low overhead. The breeze offers a gentle kiss of sea spray, and our eyes are filled with different hues of blue and green — coral and marine life is clearly visible beneath the water. For those of us from a concrete world of a hustle and bustle, the surroundings and natural peacefulness suddenly purifies our minds and wipes away the weariness of the long flight.There are superb ocean views everywhere.The operator of the island tries to keep the island's original flavor. The forest grows naturally, with small paved lanes among the plants. From the outside, the island looks primitive. It's only when you enter the specially designed villa, enjoy their spa and taste their cuisine that it becomes clear the resort has done a good job weaving the modern and comfortable life into the natural environment.The staff was unfailingly welcoming and helpful — they greet visitors from China with ni hao and demonstrate Chinese-style hospitality. Walking around the island takes about 30 minutes and you can see more than 100 villas of four different styles and sizes.Both the island villas on the shore and water villas over the water are very clean and spacious, if you like the beaches more, the island villa is a better choice, while water villas are for those enjoy the ocean view and snorkeling.The resort welcomes visitors from China with an array of culinary experiences. Tailored especially to the Asian palate, a vast variety of both Western and Eastern dishes are available in Coco Bodu Hithi's five restaurants and two bars, or choose from the comprehensive in-villa dining menu.The Maldives prioritizes environmental protection. Electricity on Coco Bodu Hithi comes from diesel-powered generators on the island, which powers a reverse-osmosis plant that desalinates water and is used throughout the resort. All villas provide information guidelines asking guests to conserve energy where possible to safeguard the environment.Food is sourced locally when possible, such as the fish served at their restaurants being locally caught in a sustainable, traditional Maldivian way using hand-line fishing. This allows fishers to target specific species and return undersized or other species back to the ocean. The local dhonis — traditional Maldivian fishing boats — visit the resort every day delivering freshly caught reef fish and tuna.For waste like food and drink containers, the resort has a bottle and can crushing machine that produces bales of cans and boxes of crushed glass sent to Malé for recycling overseas. Coco Bodu Hithi also is testing a food composter that reduces food waste by 90 percent and produces fantastic compost used by the resort's orchid nursery. The orchids are used for decoration in villas, dining rooms and the like.Besides helping protect nature, the main job for guests is to relax and enjoy the slower Maldives lifestyle.When you're hungry, try not to rush. When you arrive at the restaurant, the waiters will greet you politely, talk to you and share experiences. The chef will prepare delicate and amazing food that is worth the wait.The produce, especially the vegetables, are grown in the garden on the island.To help sustain the abundant marine life around the resorts, they also have an amicable agreement with local fishers to remain at least 200 meters offshore when fishing to avoid impacting the ecosystem near the island.I stayed in a 188-square-meter beach house with a private swimming pool in the front garden and a private beach at the back yard.My butler led me to the villa, helped me with my luggage, and patiently explained in English with a Maldives accent the electronic controls of every device in the house, the environmental protection cautions, and all the services I could enjoy.He said with a shy smile that he's learning Chinese. Then he opened a bottle of bubbly, lit a candle, prepared a bubble bath for me and left quietly.Indulging myself in the bath while sipping the champagne with the view of the blue sky and ocean that merged on the horizon, all stresses and troubles vanished. This, I thought, is the life.But slowing down does not mean not having fun.You can take a sunset cruise around the island, enjoy snacks and wine on the dock, take a boat and snorkel in the Indian Ocean or rent scuba gear for an exciting dive — if you're lucky, you might see sharks.The resort is only minutes away from well-known diving sites including the Manta Point and the protected marine area of Rasfari Faru.I chose to take part in the resort's conservation initiatives that include turtle and manta ra迷你倉 identification programs, reef cleaning, coral planting and sustainable fishing trips.The resort company has a full-time marine biologist who travels between its properties in the Maldives to monitor the health of the reefs and implement new marine conservation initiatives should they be required.Once a week the marine biologist organizes a rewarding activity for guests where they join her in snorkeling on the reef and helping keep it clean and tidy for its marine inhabitants.A small but important component of the vast Indian Ocean, the barrier or "house" reefs around islands end up filtering out any debris, refuse, old fishing tackle and such. To keep the reefs healthy, it is vital to clean the reefs on a regular basis. That preserves the natural beauty of the Maldives, and the marine life that resides within is protected.Coco Privé Kuda Hithi Not far from the Coco Bodu Hithi, Coco Collection also has another more private and upscale resort, Coco Privé Kuda Hithi.On this top private island, you may feel you have landed in a tropical version of "The Great Gatsby": You are the master in a luxurious setting set up to please only you.Opened last year, Coco Privé is a six-star resort destination. The hotel takes only one party at a time, who have access to the six themed villas that offer sumptuous lodgings and sleep a total of 12 people. It is the ultimate getaway for traveling with family and friends.The sandy beach and the crystal clear water is all, exclusively, yours — it's like a traveler's second home on the Indian Ocean.Although small, the resort also has a library, restaurant, cocktail bar, a swimming pool with a glass wall that allows you to see the beach while underwater, and a gym with sauna rooms.It took five years for the Coco Collection to construct this resort on the small island as even the smallest details were given great attention.All services are tailored for every guest. Before we arrived on the island, the hotel called and asked everyone's preference on everything, including food, beds, pillows...When we arrived at the resort, the butler took our shoes and let us enjoy the feel of the soft sand beach, the wooden floors and warm water throughout our stay.It seemed that everything went back to sensory basics of easy, unfettered enjoyment.There is only one master villa on the island, called the Palm Residence, which has a spacious bedroom, living room, a living-room-sized bathroom, and, of course, a private terrace.All the devices in the suite, including the lights, the TV stereo and the massage tub are controlled by an iPad. Also, the room is equipped with the newest version of an iMac computer, the most popular single-serve coffee machine and a mini bar full of high-end surprises.The TV in the bedroom is hidden in a suitcase-like box in front of the bed, and when you touch your iPad, the TV emerges and provides you hundreds of the latest films, including a few not yet seen in cinemas.The shower and spa are important at a resort where you're exposed to the sun and sea all day. Two shower walls in the bathroom provide an amazing experience, and a spa treatment is available for relaxation at any time of day.Of course, the whole villa faces the ocean. It is difficult to decide where to lay down and enjoy the superb view through the wall of sliding-glass doors. There are too many choices: on the terrace, in the outdoor bathing tub, crashed on the couch, or just lying on the ultra-comfortable bed all day. Other villas on the island are different in size, but all are equipped with the same devices and wooden furniture that reflects a tropical feel.This destination in the middle of the Indian Ocean, with its absolute privacy, tailor-made services and all the indulgences has attracted many high-profile guests such as royal families from the Middle East and Europe.A special sandbank picnic highlights the whole journey. The next morning after we woke up with birds singing and the fresh smell of the ocean, our butler prepared a special trip for us. After sailing for 30 minutes, we encounter surprises including dolphins, seabirds, and the wonderful, colorful and vast ocean. You felt the greatness of nature.That's not all. Before sailing out, I thought we'd have a happy picnic lunch on the sandbank of an island. But when we arrived at our destination, it turned out that the island is just a sandbank. A flock of seabirds rest on the sandbank, and we need to take a small boat to get there.Under the tent that the hotel staff just set up, we had a delicately prepared lunch box next to wild seabirds and the bright blue expanse of sky and ocean. There are no other sounds except those of nature, no other views that are not natural. It is the experience of a lifetime."Want to snorkel? We may see turtles today," the guide told us.We followed him into the ocean, so pristine as to appear unreal, and swam between clownfish and other colorful species. The undersea world looked like a vast forest, and the coral reef was bigger than I imagined, like submerged mountains. It is like a scene in a cartoon movie.As I lost myself admiring the wonders under the surface, the guide suddenly dived deeply in front of us and swam to a big coral outcropping and pointed to a "rock.""Oh, my god, it's a big turtle," I thought.The creature noticed us but seemed very calm. It seemed he liked us, or at least is very curious.After he's been spotted, the big turtle slowly swam upward to us, and made a little show.It's just like British poet William Blake said:"To see the world in a grain of sand,And a heaven in a wild flower;Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,And eternity in an hour."How to get there:Mega Maldives Airlines has direct flights from Shanghai to Mal? International Airport. The flight takes around 8 hours. They also have direct flights from other cities including Beijing and Hangzhou. Srilankan Airlines and Singapore Airlines also have flights from Shanghai to Mal? International Airport with a stop.Visitors do not need a prior visa ? Maldives issues a visa on arrival for 30 days. You just need to present valid, two-way flight tickets and a hotel reservation.Tips:Marine or environment conservation programs are recommended for tourists.Avoid touching any marine life and this includes coral ? a light touch from a human may kill the fragile coral; do not remove seashells.Maldives is a Muslim country. On the resort islands, though you donÕt need to abstain from alcohol and ladies donÕt need to cover up like in some countries, wearing a long skirt or long trousers is highly recommended for women in restaurants or while shopping.The best season is from December to April. During May to November, it is the rainy season, and prices for hotels are relatively low during that period.Consult a professional guide before you engage in any water actives such as snorkeling or diving.Bringing medicine for any jellyfish sting is recommended.mini storage