Powder-white sands, glittering azure waters, and gently swaying palms - but this is no paradise cliché.

Inspired by the worlds of fashion and art, SO/ Maldives is a collection of 80 beachfront and over-water villas with panoramic ocean views - each with a private pool and deck. It's the highest level of luxury in the most discreet and unobtrusive way - yet it's not all serenity and no scene.

SO/ Maldives has a trio of restaurants and one bar, with a buzz you're unlikely to find anywhere else on this paradise archipelago. Beachfront all-day, Pan-Asian and European dining at The Citronelle Club; Lazuli Beach Club with its Mediterranean menu and chill beats; and Middle Eastern cuisine with Levant-inspired cocktails at Hadaba and The Pavilion Bar, with even more of those ocean views (and timeless French wine, too).