http://www.shangri-la.com/.  Shangri-La's 142 all-villa Villingili Resort and Spa, on Villingili island, Maldives opens in the fourth quarter of 2008 as the first luxury resort on the Addu Atoll in the southern Maldives.  
 
Addu Atoll has more than 25 good diving sites teeming with marine life such as eagle rays, hawksbill turtles, black tip reef sharks, spinner dolphins, coral and colourful reef fish. Manta rays can be seen all year round. One of the best dive sites in the Maldives, the dramatic 140-metre shipwreck "British Loyalty" is located within a half-hour boat ride from Villingili Island.

The shipwreck, with its hull resting at 33-metres, is covered in black coral.

The natural dense vegetation of Villingili island sets it apart from many other Maldives resorts.

The three-kilometre-long island features 12 hectares of lush vegetation, 17,000 coconut trees, towering banyan trees, 45 species of plants, three natural lagoons and nature trails for guests to explore.

Villingili is surrounded by inhabited islands. Guests can take one of the regular speedboat runs to Gan and explore, by bicycle, the five neighbouring islands connected by a 17-kilometre road which is the longest in the Maldives.

One of the Villingili Resort villa concepts that will be unique to the Maldives is the tree house villa.

Each of these, measuring 218 square metres and perched on stilts with a private infinity pool, will offer a special three-metre-high perspective of the island through tropical foliage.

The other four distinctive villa designs include water villas with terraces and outdoor showers extending over the clear ocean water; beach villas with separate bedroom and living room; twin beach villas comprising two pavilions and an infinity pool; pool villas and two presidential villas.

The resort will feature CHI, the Spa at Shangri-La, a secluded sanctuary offering therapies based on Chinese and Himalayan well-being rituals and traditions. CHI will be located in its own spa village in the resort, with spacious individual treatment villas offering "spa within a spa" environments.  

The Maldives' second international airport, Gan International Airport, is an eight-minute boat ride away from the resort and Male International Airport is 70 minutes by air.

Shangri-La will be delighted to consider offering accommodation at the Villingili Resort and Spa for Alliance members on assignment, with a commission or who are able to obtain one.