Fodor's Expert Review Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa

You expect pristine beaches, waving palms, lush vegetation, and the bluest of all seas (de rigeur for all Maldives resorts), but when you fly into this, the very last island resort in the Maldives, just south of the Equator, you’ll also be flying into a piece of World War II history. Gan airport, known then as Port T, is where the British had a strategic naval base. Back then, no one could have imagined that this island would eventually offer incredible luxury, comfort, and exclusivity—some of the finest in the Maldives. Choose a beautifully appointed beach villa, a tree-top villa, a water villa on stilts, or a private villa called Villa Muthee, which means "pearl" in the local language. A bonus for guests looking for more than a desert island paradise, is a number of cultural excursions to local farms or Port T, city tours by car or bike, and a Villingili nature walk. You can also play golf, snorkel, dive, relax on the lovely beaches, or enjoy a spa treatment.