As this is the third largest resort island, space was available to build a separate up-market mini-resort in a quiet corner. Named 'Sangu' (and built in 2002), it occupies the west tip, or the tail end of this whale shark shaped island. There is no need for guests to leave Sangu, from their own reception, bar and restaurant - beautifully constructed of thatch and re-used coral (it is now illegal to build with new coral). Or from their powder sand beach that stretches away and fades into the sunset. If all you require is beach and sea and peace and quiet in a conducive setting then this may do very nicely.

The most expensive rooms are the Over Water Suites, followed by the Water Villas. All are within swimming distance of the reef drop-off and excellent snorkelling. Inevitably the Suites, at the end of the line, are best positioned for the sunset. The others, facing northwest, have a little more acute views. The Suites and the Villas nearest to them also have the quickest access to the sand spit, as well as the bar and restaurant. If direct sun and immediate access to sand is more important than being over the water and accessible to the reef, then the Jacuzzi Beach Villas, on the south side, are the ones to go for.

The beach on this side, facing into the atoll, is the longest, widest stretch of glorious sand that any resort can boast of. And that's some boast. Enjoying it, beyond Sangu's Jacuzzi Beach Villas, are all the regular Kuredu Beach Villas. The main public area is suitably placed right in the middle of the stretch. Here the more gregarious guests can be found around the pool and the pool bar, milling around the reception and its own bar and volleyball court, or in the shallows trying out some water sports.

The last few years have seen a considerable upgrading of facilities and all-round standards here, with its consequent increase in price and average age of guest. It hasn't stopped the fun by any means but now there's a lot more to do than just party. The water sports centre is the biggest and probably the most active in the country. Good reasons for this are the free canoes and windsurfers (after a three-hour course for novices) and the free introduction to windsurfing, catamaran sailing and kiteboarding three times a week. Then there is the whole gamut of motorboat drawn sports: waterskiing, wakeboarding, tubes, blasts and banana.

Another 'biggest in the country' is the impressive dive base. Well thought through and very well equipped, it is run not only with apparent professionalism but with an easy cameraderie that belies the complexity of all the activities. Guests range from hard-core, single-minded divers who really know what they want, down to the anxious and uncertain first-timers. But this doesn't seem to cause a hiccup in the system. There are enough instructors, boats and dive sites to keep everyone satisfied.

Nitrox is available, after a two-evening course, for no extra charge per dive. Rebreathers, too, are available here - a rarity in the Maldives. Just about every type of course is on offer, with certainly the best set-up anywhere for underwater photography. Supplementing the lessons is a photo lab for slide processing and a digital video suite outputting to DVD. A one-hour photo lab is just across the path.

The dive centre really does the snorkelling properly too. A good practice that some other resorts, especially the larger ones, would do well to pick up on. A separate board with an introduction and lots of information, details the options and activities. Daily lessons are free, as are the accompanied snorkels from the beach on the excellent house reef. On top of this are regular half day and full day snorkel trips with the guests well prepared as to what there is to enjoy.

Not every room has equal access to the snorkelling, though. The long jetty is the access point for most of the Beach Villas and Sangu Jacuzzi Beach Villas. But the last of the Beach Villas have an easily swimmable distance, good corals inside and, for a bonus, better privacy and shade. These factors improve the further down the beach you go, as far as the corner room, number 260.

The north side of the island faces the open sea so, as is always the case, there is a problem retaining a decent beach. Groynes and sea walls do the job and there are a few areas of soft sand but mostly it's not so very pretty. The rooms on this side are the Beach Bungalows and as a tip, the lower the number the better the setting. These rooms are numbered in the 400s and 300s and from 315 down you would get, for the cheapest prices, a quiet, private, natural environment with your own little beach and the closest distance to the reef drop-off.

Taking the boat transfer from the airport and booking into a Beach Bungalow or taking the seaplane and booking into a Sangu Over Water Suite are two very different ways of doing Kuredu. Not only does the resort accommodate differing budgets but it also allows you to relax in private for days on end or stay constantly active

Another bonus is a 6-hole golf course and driving range. Although this may sound horribly inappropriate, it really works. Certainly it is helped by the fact that it is so well hidden inside the island that you would walk straight past it if you didn't know it was there. It is insidiously addictive and there's even a tiny country club style 'seventh hole'.