Editor’s Note — This CNN Travel series is, or was, sponsored by the country it highlights. CNN retains full editorial control over subject matter, reporting and frequency of the articles and videos within the sponsorship, in compliance with our policy. Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi (CNN) — Drive an hour or so southeast out of the […]

Editor’s Note — This CNN Travel series is, or was, sponsored by the country it highlights. CNN retains full editorial control over subject matter, reporting and frequency of the articles and videos within the sponsorship, in compliance with our policy. (CNN) — The UAE may have only just celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence but […]

Editor’s Note — CNN Travel’s series often carries sponsorship originating from the countries and regions we profile. However, CNN retains full editorial control over all of its reports. Read the policy. (CNN) — A large white SUV pulls up outside a hospital. An anxious-looking man lifts the patient from her seat and carries her into […]

(CNN) — Inside its grounds, the Qasr Al Sarab hotel has all you’d expect from a high-class UAE resort — luxury villas, private pools, top-notch restaurants and a fully equipped spa. Beyond the walls, it’s got one feature that few others can match — sheer beautiful nothingness. That’s because the Qasr sits perched on the […]

Landaa Giraavaru, Maldives (CNN) — As Beth Faulkner bobbed up and down in the Maldives’ Hanifaru Bay, she did some quick mental math. “There’s probably about 100,” she said in reference to the number of reef manta rays swimming just below her. “Usually it’s about 50 to 60.” “They have no sting, no teeth, nothing […]

(CNN) — A group of Maldivian fishermen lines up at the back of a boat. As they cast their fishing rods and barbless hooks into the water, they lure in fish by throwing tiny baitfish on the surface. The trick is to create an illusion of prey for the tuna. This method is called pole […]

(CNN) — Zoona Naseem led nine children, some as young as eight years old, out towards the open waters of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, rattling off a list of reminders: switch to regulators, inflate buoyancy control devices, adjust the masks. “If you have any problems with your ears, we are not going to […]

The Maldives (CNN) — Set in the impossibly turquoise blue waters of the Indian Ocean, the islands of the Maldives have become a luxury vacation destination with few equals. But in between snorkeling the reefs, topping up your tan and generally taking the word “relaxation” to new heights, there’s the key question of what to […]

(CNN) — The Maldives is reopening to all visitors next month with no restrictions. A spokesperson for the tourism board has confirmed the Indian Ocean destination will welcome back tourists of all nationalities in July. While a previous draft proposal indicated travelers would need to present a medical certificate confirming proof of a negative Covid-19 […]

(CNN) — “We’ll always have Paris,” says Rick in cinematic classic “Casablanca” — but what if Paris was replicated thousands of miles across the globe, in China? That’s the premise of Tianducheng — an unassuming suburb of the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou that also doubles as a large-scale replica of the French capital. Parisian […]