A luxury Crusoe-style experience is how this Six Senses hotel bills itself. Featuring roof decks for stargazing and outdoor bathtubs for bathing under the stars, villas merge with the jungle and sandbanks of Olhuveli island. A percentage of total resort revenues, water sales and soft-toy purchases are allocated to projects benefitting the environment and local communities. More than 500 sea turtles and 135 mantas are being monitored – which you can learn about at the onsite Earth Lab.

Encompassing the beautiful Eydhigali Kilhi wetlands and the protected Koattey area of Hithadhoo island, Addu Nature Park – the biggest protected area in the Maldives – is a tapestry of lush mangroves, scenic cycling routes and mirror-like lakes. Book a guided nature tour of the island, then go kayaking in Bedhi Bay, where baby stingrays and sharks float through red mangroves.

At the high end of barefoot luxury in the Maldives, Soneva Fushi is the stuff of tropical dreams. The private-island resort has 65 thatched villas decked out in driftwood furniture and billowing mosquito nets, with private butlers to anticipate every whim. Soneva has been pushing the boundaries of sustainable travel since opening this resort in 1995. Not only is it opening several green schools on neighbouring islands, it also has its own waste centre and has been carbon neutral since 2012.

Thulhaadhoo is one of the few inhabited islands in the Baa Atoll, a pearl necklace of islands which has been designated a Unesco Biosphere Reserve. Its people are skilled artisans, making pots, vases and ornaments by hand, exactly as they have done since the 17th century. Watching them work is a fascinating insight into ancient crafts. Book a tour of the island that includes artisan visits through the Coco Palm hotel, just 30 minutes away.

One of the earliest dive hotels in the Maldives, Baros has been seducing honeymooners and families since 1973. Aside from the 30 overwater villas, the jewel in the crown is a house reef haunted by turtles, rays and a cast of fish. You can play an active role in protecting the seas by helping the resident marine biologist propagate coral, as well as by collecting data for reef conservation programmes during your dives.

Every day from dawn to dusk, this covered market in Malé, the capital, is a hive of activity. Stalls piled high with pineapple, coconuts and betel leaf provide a rare insight into what it’s like to live in the Maldives. Because many resorts have international owners, it’s estimated that as much as 80 percent of the income generated by tourism is siphoned out of the country, so it’s important to support locally owned businesses when you get the chance.