India, May 6 -- I'm not sure of the exact amount of time I'd spent longing to experience the magic of the Maldives, but I think I can safely guess it had been at least 25 of my 40 years on Earth. Before finally booking a visit for our honeymoon last year, I spoke to multiple friends and fellow travel writers for advice on which resorts should top our shortlist. One name was suggested over and over again: Soneva. Boasting three different islands, the boutique resort collection is the self-declared "pioneer of barefoot luxury."

Arriving in my absolute favorite way to travel, a Qatar Airways Qsuite, we landed at Male Velana International Airport and were quickly whisked to the seaplane terminal, a modern building stacked with small private ...