http://www.cntraveller.com/awards/th...ngili-maldives might be better, as your link is the press release from the Shangri-La itself.

I never really understand ranking "the best" in the Maldives. There are tiers, which Shangri-La certainly is in the very top, but beyond that it really depends on what you're looking for on your vacation. White sand, great water, etc is everywhere. It's the Maldives. The award seems to be based on the activities on the island which are numerous and great but even smaller resorts such as Constance Halaveli will offer many of these activities and more as well through their website. (Others will too but CH has them actually laid out if you're looking for a comparison)

Things like the 9 hole golf course on the island don't really strike me as in the spirit of a Maldivian holiday, much like the Jumeirah Dhavenfushi has technically superior water bungalows (ocean revives class) with giant personal pools, but feel too much like a Dubai hotel plopped down on an island. That's just me though.

It's still a great resort, but personally I can't agree with their criteria for determining it to be the best, even without taking price into account. I find there to be better examples across the board in every aspect.