Maldives
Closest thing to paradise? Probably. 24-hour romance? Certainly. The Maldives is still up there with the very best that tiny, discreet tropical islands can offer. It’s exclusive enough to make you feel fabulous but not so snooty and outrageous that you have to take out a second mortgage to afford a visit, unless you book an island for just you and your beloved, in which case you’re talking mega-bucks.
Like many groups of islands, it has gone through its phases of popularity but right now it is most definitely in.
The Maldives is a north-south chain of tiny specks of land stretching from the southern tip of India to the Equator. All the islands and islets are just a few metres above sea level, which means that every minute you spend there is serenaded by the swish of the Indian Ocean, lapping at your bare feet.
You and your partner can wake to freshly cut coconut and balmy breezes to soothe the soul, spend the day making two sets of temporary, intertwining footprints in the sand, and swinging listlessly in your oversized hammock.
But living barely above sea level has its downsides too, as Maldives locals know only too well. As global sea levels rise due to global warming, tropical paradises like these will be the first casualties. The sea lapping at the door of your beach villa is wonderful, as long as it is not lapping inside your beach villa.

Why go now? Because if global warming continues to melt the polar ice caps and cause sea level rises, then the world’s lowest lying islands (the Maldives included) will be the first ones reclaimed by the waves. It will turn into a modern-day Atlantis. This may not happen in our lifetimes but having been to the Maldives while the islands were still above the waves could turn out to be a good story to tell your grandchildren. They can relay it down the family chain to your distant successors who may try to book a Maldives holiday in 100 years time and only have the choice of a few that are left above the waves.

What will couples love? Endless ocean breezes, warm tranquil waters and a rare opportunity to reconnect in private, as long as you don’t mind the odd red-tailed tropic bird observing from a distance. Of all the tropical island chains in the world, The Maldives is still arguably the most romantic.

 

Transylvania
Count Dracula does not rank as one of the world’s great romantics, it’s true; and nor does the real historical tyrant on which he is believed to have been based – the 15th century Vlad the Impaler (of Vlad Dracul).
Neither is death by vampire bite ranked up there with candlelit romance and fine dining, but these facts should not put you off visiting
the home of both the real and the fictional Dracula. The Transylvania
region of Romania is situated in one of Europe’s most magical and
unspoiled corners.
Romania has suffered greatly in the past, and not just under the dreadful Vlad, and is only now emerging as a western nation after years of tyrannical communist rule. It has recently joined the European Union and is experiencing the free market, and that means tourism too.
What Transylvania offers is a glance back in time. It is at first bemusing
to see locals going about their rural business in horses and carts. It is
hard not to believe that this is a heritage village constructed for tourists; a kind of traditional Eastern European theme park. In fact it’s all genuine; it’s the locals doing what they and their ancestors have done for centuries. A visit here gives the visitor a glimmer of what much of the rest of Europe must have looked like maybe 100 or even 200 years ago.

Why go now? Romania has embraced tourism, and is being tipped by the World Travel and Tourism organisation as a major
emerging destination. Transylvania stands to be a key destination in the country’s tourism push, due to its natural beauty and historical and
literary significance.

What will couples love? The simplicity of it all. The unhurried, peaceful pace of life not yet controlled by cars or profit margins. Romania could be the last frontier of Eastern Europe.

 

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates is not about to disappear under the ocean, or be eroded by acid rain. Its people do not ride around in horse and carts but Ferraris and snow-white Rolls Royces. The reason to visit is to observe a modern miracle. Nowhere on the planet is developing at such breakneck speed, and with such an abundance of wealth. The total new construction in this city alone has been estimated at about $330 billion, and there’s more to come.
The rulers have realised the oil supplies are finite and are wisely funnelling billions of petrodollars back into the economy to build what could be the world’s most ambitious and wealthiest tourism industry.
If you were amazed by Dubai, wait until you see Abu Dhabi. More than 200 sandy and currently uninhabited off-shore islands are going to be developed, the most impressive of which, Saadiyat, will have 20 km of white sandy beaches, wildlife sanctuaries, at least 29 hotels and three super marinas with berths for the biggest ocean-going yachts. The world-famous Guggenheim Museum is opening a branch, as is the Louvre. And the rich kids from Formula One have agreed to add neighbouring Yas Island to their super-lucrative annual adrenaline-charged world tour. All this is being constructed from scratch – emerging like magic from the hot white Arabian sands.

Why go now? This is a rare chance to see one of the great cities of the future being created, metamorphosing from an unassuming place into a major Middle East power house. It is developing from a brief stopover destination for inquisitive tourists en route between Australia and Europe into one of the world’s premier holiday hotspots.

What will couples love? Check into what must be the world’s most outrageously indulgent hotel – the Emirates Palace. Then take a dip in the bath-warm waters of the Arabian Gulf, and head out into the desert in a 4WD to visit a real Bedouin oasis, and chew dates and sip delicious camel’s milk under the palm trees.
Or take a cruise out to the remarkable islands that will one day be home to hundreds of thousands of visitors and residents.
After a sumptuous meal in one of the countless superb restaurants, take a warm evening stroll along the Corniche, and watch a fat Arabian moon climb out of the desert and ripple across the Gulf.
Etihad Airways is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates. Etihad currently offers daily services from Sydney to Abu Dhabi and 3 services per week between Brisbane and Abu Dhabi (via Singapore). Services from Brisbane commence 29 September.

 

Aztec Ruins, Mexico
There are few sights in the world as awe-inspiring as standing next to one of the world’s great centuries-old monuments and getting in touch with the past. The power of Stonehenge in the southern English county of Wiltshire still captivates visitors, especially on misty mornings when modern-day druids are about. Stonehenge, however, looks positively miniscule when compared to the mighty stone temples of Latin America.
These mighty megalithic constructions have taught us much about the people who built them. Some of the best examples are in Mexico at the ruined pre-Aztec city of El Tajin near the Caribbean coast, which have reliefs comprised of hieroglyphics. One set seems to show pre-Aztec men eagerly playing a game not dissimilar to basketball.
Walking through the lush grass at the base of these stone pyramids, visitors get a great feeling of wonder, a sense of just how sophisticated these people were when their civilisation was at its height between the 9th and 13th centuries. Not to mention the fact that the Brisbane Bullets and the Sydney Kings might have had tall and athletic ancestors in pre-Aztec Mexico.
But this history is fast disappearing. These hieroglyphics are being burned away by acid rain and other toxins falling on them. The culprits are believed to be oil refineries and power stations in a nearby industrial region, which are belching out a chemical cocktail of chlorine, sulphates and nitrates.
One researcher who has studied the acid levels in the air around El Tajin predicts that this ancient link to the past could disappear within as few as 10 or 20 years.

Why go now? First and foremost to experience a beautiful part of the world: lush forests, a sweeping Caribbean coastline, and a sleepy, laid-back way of life. Also, to witness a fascinating visual link with the
past that may disappear within your lifetime. The pyramids have probably got a few more hundred years left in them but the hieroglyphics that they carry on their stone friezes look like they may fade to grey within a couple of decades.

What will couples love? If culture is your thing then you’ll be in travel heaven in El Tajin. Walk through the soft, lush grass at the base of the mighty pyramids as parrots take to the air. Listen to the howler monkeys off in the distance. Feel the warmth of the giant slabs of stone as the sun rises out of the Caribbean and begins its high arc over the equatorial sky.

 

Great Barrier Reef, Queensland
The world’s largest coral reef is also possibly the world’s most beautiful and diverse. Couples have been coming here for years to dive into its cerulean depths and to snorkel hand-in-hand through schools of brightly coloured parrot fish, on the look-out for a huge Blue Grouper or a reef shark cruising past. The 348,000 sq km natural wonder stretches from Hervey Bay on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast right up to Australia’s marine boundary with Papua New Guinea. It contains roughly 3,000 separate reef systems, some more than 200 km offshore.
Also calling the reef home is a collection of the most lavish and luxurious island getaways in the world, including Orpheus Island and Bedarra Island, each of which probably witnesses more starry-eyed newlyweds than the average church. But a number of disturbing reports have been produced in recent years to show all is not well with the reef. Two key issues of concern are coral bleaching and agricultural run-off.

Why go now? If bleaching continues at the current rate or increases, the reef’s corals will diminish further, losing their colour and the marine life that lives among their waving sea-fans and rocky nooks and crannies. The world we fell in love with while watching Finding Nemo may change irrevocably. The reef is also an Australian icon and something that every self-respecting Aussie should take a trip to see.

What will couples love? The good news is there are still plenty of beautiful and serene places to escape to on the reef, where the fish are abundant and the coral gives off a rainbow of colour. There are few things as memorable as snorkelling hand-in-hand through schools of brightly coloured fish with your partner. Time becomes unimportant – all that matters is that you are together. Mind you, the promise of a sunset glass of Champagne back at your sumptuous resort villa is a pretty important factor too!

Text Matthew Brace