It was my fourth time in the Maldives and by then I thought I had seen it all, however, our experience at Baros Maldives proved to be a whole different ball game. Located less than 30 minutes away by speedboat from the airport, Baros Maldives is one of the first hotels to ever open in the gorgeous Maldives. The hotel, nevertheless, is very well looked after and is regularly refurbished to match and exceed the demands of its many guests over the years.
Baros Maldives is home to 75 villas and 3 restaurants and lounges. With its policy to welcome guests with older children, the hotel is a calm oasis in the middle of the ocean. It doesn’t even have golf carts swooshing, carrying guests around the island. That’s how serene it is.
Baros Maldives comes with an admirable house reef that shelters colorful fish, a dozen big turtles (if you take a picture of one, show it to the staff at the marine center and they’ll tell you its name!), and even small (harmless) sharks. It was a thrilling experience to be able to see all this marine wildlife while snorkeling only a few meters away from the beach. If you go a couple of meters after that the corals become even more colorful and lively but you’d have to wear a life jacket to float better thus not harming the corals or yourself.
We stayed at a beach villa which had its own pool and direct beach access. The villa was spacious with high end amenities, and had a beautiful bathtub and outdoor shower. The mattress was heavenly and made it difficult to get out of bed in the morning, but it is the Maldives so 🙂
You can check the hotel’s website for more information on the rooms and facilities, but I will list below just a few of the things that make Baros Maldives a special place and an unforgettable experience to its guests.
1. Staff:
In a place like the Maldives where the hotel industry is highly competitive, it is imperative for hotels to set themselves apart from the competition with well trained staff. And the staff at Baros Maldives are some of the finest that I have seen in the industry. They’re highly attentive to details, helpful, great conversationalists, and perhaps most importantly, genuinely nice and hospitable. The staff to guest ratio at Baros Maldives is 2 to 1, which means there’s always someone to help you, and quickly. Guests are also assigned “villa hosts” who are easily accessible by dialing a single number from your room’s phone. Shoutout to Zuhoor (aka Zoro), our villa host, one of the nicest and most hospitable people that I have ever met. It’s no surprise that many hotel guests are repeat customers because of the staff, many of whom have been with the hotel for many years. Shoutout also to the restaurants’ staff for the great conversations and stories they shared with us on their beautiful country!
2. Food:
Oh dear God, where do I start with the food! We tried all the restaurants at Baros Maldives and I have to say these were some of the best meals I have ever had in my life. You can forget everything you thought you knew about how seafood is cooked and prepare yourself for the experience of a lifetime: from local fish cooked to perfection in Maldivian sauce, lobster bisque that’s prepared right in front of you flambé style, and Sri Lankan seafood curry to iced tiramisu and a tripled flavored, life-changing creme brûlée. Nothing and I mean nothing we had can be faulted. Breakfast at Baros Maldives is equally good with options that I haven’t seen elsewhere in the Maldives like Maldivian, Japanese, Italian, or masala omelettes. Kudos to the F&B staff for a job VERY well done!
3. Unique dining experiences:
As if the food situation at Baros Maldives can get any better (it really can’t!), the resort offers its guests unique dining experiences some of which I am yet to see in other places in the Maldives.
Let’s start with breakfast at the “Piano Deck” — now what’s the piano deck you might ask? It’s a platform hundreds of meters away from Baros in the middle of the ocean where you and your special one can choose to have breakfast surrounded by nothing but the turquoise water of the Maldives (watch the video below to see where it is!). Breakfast at the Piano Deck includes champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and other delicacies that are guaranteed to make this a memorable experience.
Another dining option is on a small sandbank with a similar arrangement for a late lunch/early dinner. Last but not least, what is usually but surprisingly missing from almost every Maldivian resort’s menu? Maldivian food! Well not at Baros! The hotel has a “Maldivian Experience” which is an open buffet dinner featuring exclusively Maldivian cuisine with a live cooking station for curry and an open fire grill for seafood. We didn’t make it to the sandbank but I wholeheartedly recommend breakfast at the Piano Deck and the Maldivian Experience.
4. Spa:
A cozy haven within the resort is the aptly named Serenity Spa. As soon as you finish your refreshing welcome drink, you are escorted to your beautiful treatment room which has the cutest post-massage resting area. My massage was next level — I asked Wati, God bless her magical hands, to focus on my neck and shoulders and I could physically feel the stress and pain leaving my body! I simply cannot recommend Wati enough so please ask for her if and when you go! And do not miss her transcendent head massage — you’re welcome!
5. The size of island:
Whoever comes to the Maldives does so to relax, and I have come to learn that less is more when it comes to resorts over there. With such a small island size, the entire resort can be walked in 10-15 minutes which I believe reinforces their motto to be more of a big family residence than a resort. We only had 5 days there and we already felt like family, seeing the same people everyday and actually remembering their faces adds to that cozy homely vibe that many other hotels seek but sometimes fail at.
If you need more information on Baros Maldives, you can check their website, Facebook, or Instagram, or you can email me at hello@georgerishan.
