*In this difficult time, azureazure is here for you. We are committed to helping both our readers and the industries that have been most impacted by the pandemic. Until the crisis is over, we will be publishing relevant content alongside our regular stories, which we hope offer you a few moments of escape. We would like to hear from you. Email us at azure@azureazure.com*

The Republic of the Maldives is an archipelago of about 1,190 coral islands in the Indian Ocean, some 670 km (416 miles) southwest of Sri Lanka. The islands are grouped in 26 natural atolls, ring-like coral formations enclosing a massive central lagoon, which give them a distinctive paradise isles appearance.

Area view of the hotel complex

Baros Maldives, one of these small coral islands, is set in a shimmering blue lagoon, ringed by golden sand and a thriving reef. Travelers can easily reach the island from Maldives International Airport in Male.

The white pinnacle roof of the resort’s iconic lighthouse is the first sight visitors will encounter from their motorboat.

The resort

Just minutes after touchdown, a resort host warmly welcomes guests at the airport and escorts them straight to the island on the resort’s super speedboats, a hassle-free start to their holiday.

Baros Maldives offers 45 beachside residences and 30 water villas.

Guests’ first sighting of Baros Maldives is the white pinnacle roof of the resort’s iconic Lighthouse. The palm-thatched roofs of the guest villas peek out from the verdant foliage as you approach the island. It is the perfect spot for a relaxing respite, a romantic honeymoon, or a renewal of wedding vows ceremony.

Accommodations offer 45 beachside and 30 water villas. The villas are beautifully designed with sandstone and timber to blend in with the natural environment, with large windows letting in the natural light. From the private veranda, guests have direct access to the beautiful lagoon by the beach or by wooden steps from the sun deck. Many villas have private pools.

Baros Premium Pool Villa

Baros Premium Pool Villa

The villas have been designed with sandstone and timber to blend with the idyllic environment

WATER ESCAPES

Baros is the essence of the Maldives, and the ideal island from which to see more of the archipelago. For a seaborne experience, the exclusive 52-feet Princess motor yacht can be chartered for cruising in decadent luxury. With a private saloon, cabin for two and a discreet crew, a cruise on the Serenity is an exquisite way to discover the attractions of the atoll.

Baros is also the gateway to 30 superlative diving sites with a biodiversity of marine life that will thrill even the most experienced diver. It’s the first EcoDive Centre in the Maldives, enabling guests to learn how to conduct Reef Check Surveys and take an active role in conserving the world’s reefs. There are snorkeling and scuba diving in the resort’s lagoon, which is teeming with fish, or on the beautiful house reef, a mere 15 minutes from the beach. Riding in a transparent canoe is an opportunity to observe marine life, plus there is windsurfing—with lessons or solo—waterskiing, and wakeboarding.

Snorkeling is one of the most attractive amenities at Baros Maldives

Other activities available are a dolphin cruise with champagne, big game fishing by twilight, a glass-bottom boat cruise, local island exploration, Maldivian hand-line trolling, Male’ sightseeing and shopping, and private excursions and escapes arranged to guests’ requirements.

Dining

Fine dining in style is the resort’s hallmark. Visitors are not limited to standard menus and meal times, and may dine in splendor in three restaurants, two bars, or in-villa, dinner on the beach or anywhere on the small tropical island, or even on a secluded sandbank in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Visitors can dine in splendor in one of the resort’s three restaurants

Cayenne Restaurant at Baros Maldives

Acclaimed as one of the best restaurants in the whole archipelago, the Lighthouse Restaurant is the hallmark of Baros Maldives, an over-water pavilion with a white sail pinnacle roof. The Cayenne Grill offers alfresco informality with light fare under palm-thatched gazebos above the lagoon, and the Lime Restaurant features Asian-influenced cuisine served by the infinity swimming pool in the wooden deck over the lagoon. The Sails Bar has hammocks and daybeds for relaxing while sipping a cocktail and enjoying the lagoon view, and the Lighthouse Lounge—located on the gallery above the Lighthouse Restaurant—is the best place on Baros Maldives for a sundowner.

The spa

Hidden within lush foliage in the heart of the resort, the Spa specializes in exotic treatments from all over Asia. Enhanced by the setting in a tropical garden with flowing water, the Spa inspires relaxation, inner peace, and calm. The Baros Signature massage is a unique marriage of four different massage techniques: Swedish, Thai, pressure point and hot stone. A resident Yogi leads sessions for groups and conducts private classes in the Spa Pavilion.

**all images are courtesy of Baros Maldives