Go east to the Maldives & Dubai

From the moment your speedboat docks and the staff, as tradition dictates, blow a Sangu conch to signal your arrival, you feel invigorated. This sensation only grows with flaming sunset ceremonies, stargazing sessions, and visits to a spa suspended over a turquoise lagoon. Having the service of the Aris Meehas, or island butlers, at your disposal, also helps.

T he Iridium Spa is designed to look like a crustacean, and blissful therapies are administered in treatment rooms housed in the ‘pincers’ of the lobster. You can sink into a sedative state in the Ayurvedic suites, and the whirlpool jets in the hydrotherapy pool have all manner of curative benefits. Spiritual enrichment is delivered through touches like a library, observatory tower and Vommuli House – a discovery centre containing facilities from a culinary school to a yoga studio.

Ocean views to all sides and an Italian-designer-style throughout makes this feel like an oasis in the city. The surroundings alone are an antidote to the clamour of this Arabian metropolis, but if you want to be proactive about feeling good, the resort has developed a new fitness concept in partnership with Technogym, where an AI assessment creates a bespoke training programme for each guest.