Chen Nan, a 36-year-old in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, shortlisted as many as five destinations, including Hawaii and Phuket, for a family summer vacation. Eventually, she settled for the Sonevafushi island of Maldives and flew her three-year-old son and parents there for an eight-day, seven-night holiday.

Full of nature's bounty, the island, and its hotels, proved to be a totally new world for the Chinese urban dwellers.

"I chose this island because it has the largest kids club in the Maldives," she said. "My son had so much fun and gained much knowledge of the marine life. Movies and television would never be able to offer such a real-life experience."