There is no television or internet or iPod dock in the room, no swimming pool, no specialist restaurant. The spa is a small, but still popular, massage hut. There are few organised entertainments and excursions. And this is all just fine by the Germans (50%), French (20%) and British who mostly come as honeymooners and older couples to enjoy the uncomplicated lifestyle of the essential Maldives. Even the weekly barbecue and music is too noisy for some.

The bar and restaurant take up almost all of the single public area building. The floor is of finest sand and the roof is thatch. This is the original thatch that you can see from the inside too, held in place by slats of coconut wood. Nothing ruffles the calm of couples enjoying a drink and chat either inside or out on the deck overlooking the lagoon. The food is nothing to write home about but dinners are decent and there are options for a specially arranged dinner for 2.

There is a small menu for in-villa dining but these aren’t rooms for luxuriating in. They now seem to be small and dark when once these were stylish rooms in one of the country’s premium resorts, such has been the extent of recent developments. Each room has 2 deck chairs outside, though no verandah as such, and 2 wooden loungers on the beach. The rooms are just behind the beach with some pleasant, private shade and views and easy access through to the beach and lagoon.