Equator Island Village***

Ocean Reef has one big difference from all the other resorts in the Maldives. This resort is not an island on its own, but a small part of a large island, which is itself connected to six other islands, inhabited and uninhabited.

This means it is the only resort where you can go off and freely mix with "real life" of Maldives. Not for an hour or two on the day you are expected, but at any time. The real pleasure of this resort is cycling off to explore the other islands, to discover for yourself lovely beaches in quiet coconut groves and to casually meet the locals. The level of spoken English here is good, so there is an opportunity not just look but to interact.

If gourmet food and a perfect beach outside your room are your priorities, then this probably isn't the resort for you, because those are it's weak points. Having said that, it is an easy thing to improve the food and there is a good beach a little further along from the hotel compound (by the water sports Centre) and there are excellent beaches a cycle ride away. Furthermore there is an imaginatively designed swimming pool for quality lounging around.

The resort was opened in 1995 so it still looks brand new, with gleaming paint and shiny tiles. There is a somewhat formal (rather chintzy) look to what is in reality a most informal, almost big family, atmosphere.

The 78 rooms are in smart rows behind gardens of clipped grass and tropical flowers. Inside, they are cool and comfortable with a level of furnishing above what would be expected at this price level. Included is a minibar, hot and clod fresh water and three mirrors. the grounds of the hotel, like the whole island of Gan on which it is situated, are wonderfully green, with a variety of naturally occurring and introduced trees and flowers (and bird life) not found on other resorts.

Apart from hiring out bicycles, the resort runs a minibus for excursions along the connecting causeway upto the last island in the chain "Hithadu", the capital of the Atoll. Here you can wander around, shop and eat lunch in a local restaurant. Dhoani trips are organized to visit the inhabited and uninhabited islands on the other side of the Atoll, where there is good snorkeling to be had before a barbecue on the beach.

The other way to discover the place is on a catamaran or even windsurfer or canoe. The friendly (Bosnian!) instructor will organize trips to a number of spots with excellent snorkeling. Though there are fewer dive sites within a comfortable distance than other islands enjoy, and visibility is not as predictable inside this enclosed Atoll, what there is in  pristine condition. Highlights include the dramatic wall and grey reef sharks of shark point, the year round mantas and turtles, and the 140 meter wreck "British Loyalty"

A potential (and sometimes real) frustration is the necessity of transferring by scheduled "Air Maldives" flights. But once on Gan island you will experience a type of holiday that cannot be had on any other resort. Here is real Maldivian life, in as large or as small a dose as you wish to take.