No crises in the Maldives The wooden, thatched villas - sold on renewable 44-year leases - feature private swimming pools, iPods with music and films pre-loaded, bicycles to get around the island, and luxurious furnishings. The resort offers six bars and restaurants, a waterfront gym, a dive school and an open-air jungle cinema. Mother Nature delivers the rest: almost guaranteed year-round sunshine, with temperatures ranging from 25-31C (77-88F). Little wonder that when Madonna visited a sister Six Senses island, she left a hand-scribbled entry in the hotel guest book under the headline "Five definitions of heaven," including "riding bikes barefoot in the moonlight, not wearing shoes for eight days and watching movies in the outdoor cinema under a starlit sky." Six Senses Laamu is located on Olhuveli Island and lies just off the Equator, off the south-west coast of India. It's reached via a 10 hour flight from Heathrow to Hulhulé, the airport island, a 40-minute plane hop, then a 15-minute speedboat ride. Most buyers are tempted not just by the lifestyle on offer but also by the investment opportunity. While the upfront prices are eye-wateringly steep, there is no acquisition tax or capital-gains tax in the Maldives. Owners who put their villas into the resort's rental scheme are offered a guaranteed 8 per cent net yield for the first five years. The returns might be more. Holidaymakers can pay up to £5,000 a night to rent the best villas, and occupancy is running at more than 90 per cent. For most people considering the Maldives, it's a lifestyle purchase first, investment second. But the investment side is increasingly important," says Robert Green, who recently left a London-based job with Cluttons to head up sales of Six Senses Private Residences. He says most new owners plan to spend just 30 days a year at their property. They are looking for a holiday home for themselves, but they also want to see some sort of return, whether that is to cover the ownership cost or to generate some extra income. Green believes the islands are rapidly establishing themselves as a fashionable place for the rich to own a property. There's a lot of interest, particularly from Brits, but also from Germany, Switzerland, Scandinavia and Asia. People like the idea of saying, 'You must come and stay at my place in the Maldives."" Cluttons Resorts (020 7584 3050; cluttonsresorts.com)