Tourism in the Maldives is continuing to develop at an almost non-stop pace. And the good news: new projects are more environmentally-conscious and are almost consistently gleaming with attractive architecture Anantara opened in the South Male Atoli in the late summer of 2006 With Indian influences the planners have combined contemporary Thai design to develop stand-alone island architecture, where water and sand are at the fore Impressive is the delicate main building made of glass and wood, spectacular is the pool with its cosmological underwater lighting.

Anantara Resort Maldives at South Male Atoll, Maldives

At sunset the scenery seems almost surreal, especially when the sky turns red like in the photo All 40 suites are built on stilts in the sea and connected to the land with a wooden pier, the 70 villas are right by the beach With their reed and palm branch covered roofs, the wide door and window openings and the tropical timber used everywhere for furniture, walls and flooring, plus the cool tiles take into account the temperature. The selection of colors is also attuned to the environment: sand white furniture fabrics, textiles such as cushions and covers as turquoise as the lagoon and little accessories in the pinks and reds of the exotic flora. Four of the suites and houses, which are around 2000 square feet, have their own freshwater pools, as a refreshing alternative to the seawater lagoon. Others have an open air bathtub surrounded by tropical plants and sheltered by a pergola.