Maldives Promotion House – Condé Nast Traveller has revealed their Gold List for 2012. In the eighth edition of their annual lists, the hotels chosen by their team of editors, writers and experts are the best for service, location, food, rooms, leisure facilities, ambience and design. The three resorts from Maldives which were included are One&Only Reethi Rah, Soneva Gili by Six Senses and Four Seasons Resort Maldives At Kuda Huraa.

One&Only Reethi Rah was chosen as the best for leisure facilities. This glamorous, design-conscious resort is one of the biggest in the Maldives’ North Malé Atoll. The 124 villas, built from natural materials such as teak, mahogany, rattan, coconut shell and thatch, are dotted all over the island, some on the six kilometres of private beach, others on stilts over the ocean. All are decorated in a chic, contemporary-Asian style. There is a range of dining options, including Asian-fusion cuisine at the Reethi Restaurant and contemporary Japanese dishes at Tapasake. Other facilities include an ESPA spa and a PADI dive centre. The Grand Water Villas with Pool, built on stilts over a lagoon, have covered outdoor terraces and split-level verandahs as well as 20-square-metre pools.

Soneva Gili by Six Senses was chosen as the best for ambiance & design. Built using sustainable materials and furnished with natural fabrics, Soneva Gili is eco-conscious but also very chic. There are 45 contemporary over-water villas, two restaurants, a bar, a subterranean wine cellar, a swimming pool, a tennis court and a dive centre. The Six Senses spa is in its own tranquil, over-water domain. While all the rooms are gorgeous (each with a sun deck and open-air bathroom), the Private Reserve is spectacular. Reached by boat, it has three bedrooms, its own spa, a waterslide and resident staff. Each luxury water villa has been designed to provide 360-degree ocean views; the open-air bathrooms ensure guests don’t have to miss a single moment of sea-scanning.

Four Seasons Resort Maldives At Kuda Huraa was chosen as the best for food. Built in the style of a traditional Maldivian village, this Four Seasons resort has 96 thatched villas scattered around the island or built on stilts over the water. There’s a fantastic spa on its own little island, reached by wooden dhoni, and a great children’s club with table-tennis, snorkelling and painting classes. A stay here can easily be combined with a few days on the resort’s 39-metre catamaran. The resort has four superb restaurants: choose from menus of low-key Italian, classy Indian, Asian delicacies and freshly caught seafood.