Mediaboss Marketing

By Abigail Butcher

PUBLISHED: 05:32 EST, 5 November 2013 | UPDATED: 05:43 EST, 5 November 2013

'Seriously, its my idea of hell', reads a text from my friend Andy as I bask on a teak sun lounger looking out over the brilliant turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean.

Beside me is a beach 'welcome basket' containing an Evian Brumisateur, a lemongrass-infused face towel that was beautifully chilled when it arrived two minutes ago, and a glass of home-made iced tea.

Girls' getaway: Abigail and her friend Vic enjoy cocktails on the beach at the One and Only Reethi Rah

Im at the One and Only Reethi Rah resort in the Maldives, and its picture perfect, certainly not hell. But paradise for women is not paradise for some men, like Andy - nor Chris, the husband of my friend Vic who is lying next to me, nose in book.

Vic has been unable to drag Chris to the Maldives - even on their honeymoon - so we decided to ditch the chaps and keep the spas, white sands and cocktails to ourselves on the ultimate girls' holiday.

The Maldives is made up of 1,900 islands in 26 atolls spread over about 90,000 square kilometres. About 200 islands are inhabited - mainly one hotel per island - so instead of trying to choose one, we decided to island hop.

Traditionally more of a honeymoon destination, thanks to a surge in ex-pats and local visitors from the Middle East and Asia, groups of friends are far more commonplace here and hotels are cottoning on to the fact people want to move around.

Paradise found: The One and Only Reethi Rah is located on the idyllic North Male Atoll

Read the original:
Holidays in the Maldives: Robinson Crusoe villas and underwater spas on the ultimate girls' holiday