Vakarufalhi has stayed just the same since it opened in 1994. While so much has moved on in Maldives, this resort simply decided not to change a winning formula, and watched as the others came back to them. [well, this all changes now!]

Thatch on all the roofs, sand on the floor throughout, good food, quality furnishings and high maintenance – that will do it every time. Of course if your natural environment is not good you might still struggle, but Vakarufalhi is blessed with mature vegetation, a truly great beach and a reef tight around the whole island.

It comes as no surprise that those who have discovered Vakarufalhi are frequent revisitors. Around two thirds of the guests are Swiss and Germans, one fifth British and the rest a mix of Italians and Scandinavians. A significant number are older than the average age in Maldives and stay for multiple weeks of winter sun and relaxation. A significant number are also heavily into diving. This profile makes perfect sense in a setup designed for total relaxation and great diving.

It is rare good fortune to have a beach that goes all the way around the island, deep and fine without any pumping. Each of the rooms enjoys a lovely prospect of the beach and lagoon but is, at the same time, well shaded by mature palms and its own thatched roof overhanging the veranda. The verandas themselves are extensions of the beach, only enclosed and swept (and occasionally traversed by grey herons).

With this beach you can't go far wrong with a room choice, though the first 10 face northeast and the beach has a distinct slope. This is also where the all-surrounding sea wall is closest. The south and west sides, where the rest of the 50 rooms are located, enjoy a much greater distance to that sea wall. That is one thing that has changed over the years but is the price paid for a permanent, all-island, ideal beach.

House reef snorkelling is accessed off the end of the two jetties (one each side of the island) and it’s perfectly possible to swim all the way around. The reef has been strangely slow to recover its corals but the fish life is decent. Highlights are the batfish, reef sharks, turtles and schools of blue-striped snappers. Italians are lucky to have their own biologist to explain all the good things in the water and on land.

Set back in the middle of Dhigurah Channel, one of the most famous channels in the country, the divers here are spoilt for choice. There are more than 15 thila dives within a 20-minute radius. That's good for partners who don't dive and don't want to be alone all day – unless, that is, the partner has taken one of the frequent all day trips!

Whale sharks are the big prize on the outside sites and, from January to March, there is a very productive Manta Point on the west of the atoll.

The Prodivers centre is run in a very friendly and personal manner, partly due to the number of repeaters and also part of the reason why there are so many repeaters. There are various other incentives to keep coming back, culminating in the gift of free diving for the whole of your tenth visit.

As is expected of an island of divers and relaxers, there isn't any emphasis on evening entertainments, all-together excursions and activities. The bar, with its floral cushions, low lighting and dark wood varnish, is like a small ‘olde worlde’ pub but in no sense is it the centre of life, even on those crazy crab racing nights. There are daily fishing trips and sunset dolphin cruises and then a mix of snorkelling trips and island excursions.

An unpretentious spa, made entirely of thatch and woven panels of screwpine leaves, has a lovely location right on the edge of the beach. Small, neat and fun, it offers a good range of massages and some beauty treatments and has the backing of a number of Duniye Spas already in the country.

Vakarufalhi is a now a great resort, comfortable with itself and what it offers. As long as you don't crave for a bit of music, dance and action you can't go wrong here.