Schoolkids at a neighboring island show off local arts and crafts, including how to make Maldivian noodles. [Photo by Matt Hodges/China Daily]

Opt for a sunset-view ocean villa and watch the sky turn blood-orange from a choice of king-sized bed, balcony lounger, open-plan bathtub or mesh mattress suspended over the sea.

Dolphins, turtles and rays abound in this atoll but whale sharks are less common as they prefer the stronger currents in southern Ari Atoll.

"What can you see here? A 3-D Jackson Pollock painting with 50 shades of coral, caves and overhangs," says resident dive instructor Andrea Balin from Italy.

Single travelers are on the rise, but the Maldives is still a dish best served for two.

If you tire of the sunset dolphin cruises and night-fishing excursions, try climbing coconut trees on neighboring islands, learning how to make Maldivian noodles with local schoolchildren or staring at abandoned islands like Kandahulhudhoo, which somehow squeezed in 4,500 people before they were relocated.

Political slogans emblazon the coral walls on islands like Makaurathu, just a 30-minute speedboat hop from Maamigili, highlighting how dictatorships gave way to democracy in the wake of a 2003 prison riot on Maafushi in Kaafu Atoll. The country had its first multiparty election in 2008.

But you will be more interested in the friendly locals and their customs, the Mosque-backed graveyard and kasha keyo, a dessert made from screw pine, sorghum, flour and sugar. It looks like pink hamburger pate but soon proves addictive－just like those nighttime visits from the creatures of the lagoon.

About this series (Silk Road Journeys)

China Daily explores Silk Road destinations every Monday.