Ultra luxury resorts are rapidly becoming a dime a dozen in the Maldives, yet Baros still manages to catch the eye with its wonderfully minimalist zen style that successfully combine ultra-chic luxury with no-shoes relaxation! The tone is set when you embark on the resort’s huge and very luxurious speedboat for the 10 minute dash from Male to the island – even the transfer is in a different league to most resorts! On arrival you’re confronted with a picture perfect little island (it’ll take you just 10 minutes to walk around) surrounded with wonderful sandy beaches and boasting some wonderfully stylish buildings – in particular, the resort’s landmark Lighthouse Restaurant with its spectacular curving white roof. Perhaps the only aesthetic blemish on this otherwise gorgeous island is the presence of a ring of wave barriers designed to keep the sandy beaches intact – this also serves to make the swimming absolutely safe as currents are kept away from the beach.

Whichever room type you choose to stay in you won’t be disappointed – they’re all very spacious and superbly equipped with stylish details that will have you imagining that you’re living in the pages of a top interior design mag! A colour palette of whites and beiges with accents of chocolate is calming on the eye and creates the perfect tranquil oasis for a truly relaxing stay. They boast all the mod-cons too, with flat screen TVs, DVD players, Lavazza expresso machines and even iPods so you have a choice of sounds to bliss out to! Add in massive and hugely comfortable beds with top quality linen, gorgeous island baths and outdoor showers with premium branded toiletries (even aromatherapy oil burners!) and a seriously romantic experience is guaranteed!villas are all very spacious and superbly equipped with stylish details that will have you imagining that you’re living in the pages of a top interior design mag!

Whether to go with one of the beach based villas (the Deluxe Villas or larger Baros Villas) or a Water Villa is a very personal choice – whilst some prefer to be able to walk straight out of their rooms and onto the sand, others still prefer the unmatchable style of the Water Villas, where you can laze on your private deck (check out the gorgeous day bed with it’s stylish white cloth shade!) before stepping straight into the sea for some fantastic snorkeling. In fact, if you were to get nit-picky about these things, about the only thing that the villas at Baros lack compared to the stratospherically priced ultra luxury resorts are private plunge pools (in fact the resort doesn’t have a swimming pool at all – then again with a sea as invitingly clear and warm as this, who needs a pool!)

What Baros does have in abundance though is stylish dining options! If you choose to go Half Board, all your meals will be enjoyed at Limes Restaurant. But don’t think for a moment that this will be a second-best experience of boring buffets and huge atmosphere-free rooms – in fact Limes is consistently raved about for the quality of its food (a la carte for dinner) and offers indoor and al fresco dining areas overlooking the ocean. But if you do fancy a change of scenery, you’ve plenty of other choice – there’s the Cayenne Grill or the even more spectacular overwater Lighthouse Restaurant where the fare offered is mind-blowingly good! A popular place to relax with a sundowner martini or glass of bubbles is the gorgeous Lighthouse Lounge upstairs, and if you fancy a bit more action then head for Sails Bar which offers live music a few times a week. Be warned of one thing though – the Maldives is notoriously expensive when it comes to drinks and food prices, and Baros certainly does its bit to keep up that reputation! Be prepared for a very chunky extras bill at the end of your stay!

Many guests will no doubt be happy to simply lounge about for the duration of their stay and soak up the tranquility, but if you’re of a more active bent you needn’t despair – there’s excellent snorkeling on the house reef (and you have the benefit of the resort’s resident marine biologist to help you appreciate the snorkeling excursions even more with her expert insight) as well as some of the best scuba diving in the world (being in the center of the North Male Atoll means that there are over 30 dive sites that are less than 30 minutes by boat from the hotel); try the dolphin spotting trip or even better head off for a blissful day on your own on a deserted island; or what about a sunset cruise sipping champagne on the resort’s lovely dhoni boat, the Noona! But if that’s not enough for you and you need to distress even more, what could be better than a hot stone massage at the resort’s fabulous Aquum Spa! Baros truly is unforgettable!

Superbly stylish resort – both rooms and public areas – up there with the very best in terms of luxury and elegance

With an excellent choice of restaurants, Baros is consistently highly praised for serving up delicious food in magnificent surroundings

No children allowed – so the perfect choice for honeymooners and other guests simply wanting to wallow in undisturbed tranquility

Rooms have all the mod-cons you could ever want or need, yet are still uncluttered and relaxing spaces perfect for a hefty dose of chilling

No swimming pools on the island which puts it a little behind the ultra luxury resorts (then again you don’t pay those eye-watering prices too!)

Drinks and meals at Baros are expensive – even by the Maldives’ notoriously high standards

The presence of the protective sea walls and the resort’s close proximity to Male (the capital is faintly visible in the distance) means that the island is slightly less picture perfect than other more remote resorts