When many of us picture paradise, the picture consists of beautiful white sands meeting crystal-clear warm waters and our very own piece of private beach, or island. For many the reality of this is the stunning islands and atolls of the Maldives and Club Med Finolhu is one of the wonderful resorts in the Maldives which we offer.

In my opinion the hotels, villas and resorts in the Maldives are really at the forefront of sustainable travel, with increasingly more properties using renewable energy, heat recycling recovery or sourcing local produce to lower the carbon footprint of meals. It’s not surprising that the Maldives are pushing forward sustainability at a greater rate than some of the other paradise-like destinations. It is a country that is frequently given press coverage as it is going to be hardest hit by global warming and rising sea levels, as well as coral reef bleaching. Initially discussions as to what would happen to the inhabitants of the Maldives primarily centred around buying new land, as the old land is evacuated and reclaimed by the sea, but president Abdulla Yameen has chosen not to back down.

The president in tandem with advisors and marine researchers are exploring innovative ideas to ensure that the Maldives survives for generations to come. These ideas include leasing atolls and island to other countries for development, generating much needed revenue to counteract the environmental changes applying to the island, geo-engineering artificial islands, developing super-resorts with six-star hotels increasing revenue for the Maldives and pumping sand to raise island sea levels above the highest current point of the Maldives.

It’s a two-pronged approach that is needed to ensure that the Maldives survives and flourishes for years to come, on a governmental level as well as with initiatives from resorts, villas, hotels and on a personal level. Many of the hotels and villas in the Maldives are working with the natural environment from the Four Seasons Explorer to Jumeirah Vittaveli, but it’s Club Med Finolhu which became a world first; the world’s first 100% solar-powered luxury holiday resort.

The Finolhu Villas are part of Club Med’s Exclusive Collection, offering utterly sumptuous 5* surroundings, their overwater villas complete with private pool and butler service, all-inclusive catering and many facilities and experiences, this is a beautiful luxury resort. A serene honeymoon destination with Green Globe Certification, Finolhu Villas are the epitome of eco-chic. The Villas were an ambitious project, building a resort to rival the Maldives best, yet being completely self-sufficient in terms of energy consumption.

Set on Gasfinolhu, Club Med chose not to try and hide the 6,200+ square metres of solar panels but embrace them, with sympathetic stylings meeting innovative techniques, solar panels sit atop utility buildings and are integrated through the resort to more than meet the energy demands of the resort. Any excess is stored for those days which are less sunny so that clean energy can be used throughout the year and keep the impacts of the resort to a minimum. Other techniques employed to protect the natural environment include a self-sufficient water supply and efficient waste management system and a centralised chiller system for the air-conditioning.

Club Med Finolhu is the ultimate destination for couples, whether on a honeymoon or just enjoying the beauty of the Maldives and each other’s company, choose from a Sunset Overwater Villa with butler and pool to a private villa sitting on the beach. Choose between a sunrise or sunset water villa or sunrise or sunset beach villa, all offering a butler service and private plunge pools. The island is on an all-inclusive basis that includes gourmet dining, complimentary iPad rental, pre-dinner champagne to enjoy and à la carte spa treatments at the Cinq Mondes spa (additional charge) being mindful of the natural world whilst enjoying your dream holiday doesn’t have to result in compromise.