The Life Aquatic: It’s impossible to describe the Maldives without resorting to clichés – snow white, powder-soft sand, crystal clear turquoise water teeming with tropical fish, vast underwater coral gardens and swaying palm trees. As far as travel clichés go, the Maldives has got the lot.  But as far as dream holiday destinations go, island paradise clichés like these are exactly what you want. Story by Lee Atkinson

The Real Maldives: Maldivian resorts are gorgeous, most offering luxurious overwater bungalows where you are surrounded on three sides by water and you can snorkel literally from your bedroom door. Many people never leave them, which means that they don’t really see much of the Maldives beyond the view from their own private patch of paradise.  But if you are prepared to fly a bit further south you’ll find two brand new luxury resorts that not only offer some of the best snorkelling in the country, but a rare chance to get a real taste of Maldivian culture in an area that has previously been untouched by tourism. Story by Lee Atkinson

The World's Smallest Capital: The Friday Mosque, one of the largest coral buildings in the world, has served the people of Male as their main place of worship for almost four centuries, and is surrounded by a cemetery of intricately carved coral headstones. Male itself - with a population of 80,000 - claims to be the smallest capital city in the world. Story by Lee Mylne