It has been renamed J Resort Kuda Rah and a date has not yet been set for its reopening. When it does finally open, it will be a luxurious five star property, but the management is keeping the details under wraps for now. Whatever the machinations of the trade these days, the fact is, it won’t be an easy task to transform this island.

Where once there was a beach all the way around, today there is just one small area of beach at one end of the tiny oblong island. The rest is a rocky shoreline. It is remarkable that the island had such a lovely beach because it is located in the mouth of a large, fast channel and it only has a very small lagoon for protection.

It must be possible then that the beach can be restored and retained.

Ideally the resort will be a haven for people looking for a small, quiet resort that is sophisticated and is well-serviced but doesn’t offer all the trappings of modern technology and the high life. We will have to see what emerges after renovation.

The house reef is just a few metres away and top-rated diving is all around in this southeast corner of the atoll.