Some Like It Hot THE MALDIVES

In 2019 alone there were 20 new resorts planned in the Maldives, a minute archipelagic nation some 370 miles off the coast of India. Made up of nearly 1,200 islands that barely register on a map, it has nonetheless has become the season’s hottest exotic getaway, what the Wall Street Journal calls “a destination for the 1%” that has attracted flocks of celebrities, influencers and well-heeled travellers thanks to its exotic appeal, luxe resorts, and Instagramworthy scenery (7.4 million #maldives posts and counting).

Though it ranks as the smallest country in Asia, the Maldives has outsized appeal. Perched in the Indian Ocean and comprised of 26 natural atolls surrounded by a protective coral reef system, it has attracted the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Joe Jonas (who honeymooned there) and Prince