The Maldives are beautiful but are also not a budget friendly location. Flights & hotels rooms can be taken care of with points but there are additional costs of boat or plane transfers, food & drink and activities which all come at a premium since you're in a captive market. Europe is great. Paris is well known for attracting honeymooners and there is plenty to see & do there but don't overlook the rest of Europe & the Med or even Northern Africa. Mix in a bit of luxurious leisure with some historical culture by picking 2-4 cities to visit. Trains in Europe are great for getting around and there are some very nice overnight train options in nicer cabins which will replace the need for a hotel. Don't overlook using apartments instead of hotels in some locations and then splurge for 2-3 nights somewhere nice to be pampered.
With your points you could probably get Premium economy one way and Business the other using 1 way awards. Hotel redemptions tend to not be as great of a return as airline tickets with points transfers.

Upside is you have time to research, plan and earn points before then. I'd highly recommend reviewing the Chase forum in the Credit Cards section and the Amex section too. The Amex Hilton cards (First the standard no annual fee and then the ascend card) over two years could yield you a nice nest of points while keeping annual fees down. Those points can be used for hotels and if you do the Ascend card for while you'll be traveling you can take advantage of the 10 included Priority Pass lounge visits.