Asim, married with a two-and-half-year-old son, sees differences in the ways childhoods were spent before and now.

"For me it was just the sun, sand and sea; for him it's more about colorful toys."

Because of Asim's job be can see his wife and son as often as he would like to.

Fan Qianyi, a Chinese diving coach at Vommuli, says this kind of family living arrangement is common among young Maldivians.

"I've been here for four years but haven't seen many Maldivian women. Usually men work outside, on resort islands, while women and children stay behind, in what's known as the local islands. It reminds me of migrant workers in China－certainly not the best solution."

Twenty years ago when Asim first visited a luxury hotel at a resort, he dreamed of being part of what he saw. He has higher hopes for his son. "I won't object if he wants to go into the tourism industry－my parents have been very encouraging and all my brothers work in catering－but it would be great if he becomes a doctor or a lawyer."

For some Maldivians, a simple life, though hard, may have started to change along with their long-held sense of contentment.

But with the all building and opening of luxury hotels, is there any talk about a possible gentrification process, the effect of which might be mitigated by the geographical isolation of each island?

"Such idea has yet to come to the Maldives," Asim says.