Baros Maldives

We spent a wonderful week at Baros in January and cannot recommend it highly enough. The speedboat journey from the airport was a short 20 minutes and we were assisted by resort staff to get from the airport terminal to the boat. Greeted with a glass of fizz or a delicious fruit drink we were warmly welcomed to the resort and taken to our over water villa where check-in was dealt with by our fabulous staff member Sujata. Sujata and her colleague Saeed looked after us throughout our stay, making sure we had what we needed and that restaurant bookings were made for us at a time to suit. The food in all the venues is delicious and there are plenty of food options for all tastes. The breakfast is incredible and includes all sorts of freshly sliced fruit, hot options to order and a very tempting range of pastries. You can start the day with yoga or watch the sunrise at the same time as shark spotting from the beach or pier. Housekeeping kept our room and deck looking lovely - thank you Ayavind for all your hard work. However the mark of excellent service is how a resort team deal with difficulties faced by guests and boy did the resort shine in that respect. We had a medical issue while we were on holiday and although it was a bit scary for us the staff looked after us incredibly well and made us feel so safe in their hands, the resort medical team were brilliant and we want to thank them, particularly Dr Joseph and his colleagues. The resort management enabled staff to accompany us to Male for a hospital appointment and we are very grateful for their kindness and support at that time. The resort is beautiful and when you decide to venture into the water there is a knowledgeable ‘marine’ team including Shuga who provide equipment and insights into the best snorkelling spots. There are life jackets in your room if you aren’t as confident in the sea and snorkels and fins are provided at no charge. We attended an informative talk on marine life in the region given by the team. This is a very special resort with a very special staff team. You will have an unforgettable holiday if you choose Baros.

It’s hard to put into words just how wonderful BAROS is. This is a truly exceptional resort offering incredible levels of service, outstanding cuisine and a beautiful natural setting. The opportunity to experience such amazing marine life - dolphins, sharks, turtles and so much more made us stay even more magical. Every member of staff we encountered was absolutely delightful. Everyone went out of their way to help making us feel completely at home and genuinely cared for. The service felt warm personal and unscripted with staff always happy to chat and share their knowledge which made our experience feel truly special. In particular Sujata our Villa Butler was exceptional, kind attentive and always ready to help with nothing ever being too much trouble. Shalini greeted us by name every morning in the restaurant and was such a joy while Nandu shared his incredible knowledge and photos of the reef sharks that circled the lagoon every night beneath the Cayenne restaurant. A truly unforgettable experience. Zahn who serviced our overwater villa took time each day to chat with us and offer fantastic snorkelling recommendations and Ainul added beautiful personal touches to our room to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, including his amazing towel origami which made us feel so special. This was our first visit to Baros and it certainly won’t be our last. It was without doubt the best holiday we have ever had and we cannot wait to return.

We just came back from Baros last week as our 16th Island since 2004 We booked Baros as we had heard good things about the house reef , which is always our no 1 reason for choosing an island . My take on the 5* island is that we went B&B as they don’t offer AL . As a Wedding event chef , food is a priority too! Always a pleasure to have another chef cook for me and here the food did not disappoint! Fine dining 7 course in The lighthouse cost us $500 Inc a bottle of red wine Seafood/ steak / Maldivian themed night buffets in Cinnamon cost $350 per night ( drinks extra) Lime À la carte cost $140 per night Inc gls of wine/beer The lighthouse al a carte $160 Inc a bottle of red wine We spent $2,5,000 in 7 nights on food and drink No excursions as we snorkeled the house reef 3 x a day! House reef : some nice corals but a lot of bleached dead rocks. New corals being planted and a sunken boat given a home to a myriad of small fish. For us after 16 islands since 2004 this reef was very disappointing. Easy access for beginners but very short and not much diversity, Reef sharks and a large nurse shark but we did not see the so called resident hawksbill turtle or anything else other than fish despite spending up to 4 hrs a day on the drop off! The best coral was to be found at a right angle from the end of the reef in front of Cinnamon. Though this is in a strong outward current towards the boat/ transit channel, so a strong swim back towards the island , best to zig zag over the coral garden towards the lighthouse where a new coral bed had been planted for their 50th Anniversary 2 years ago! Rooms were average , nothing to write home about but perfectly comfortable. I believe they even have Netflix!!! Aqua de Palma toiletries ( same as the Shangri La chain) Fruit basket , chocolates and fresh flowers daily but no complimentary champagne. Pool was lovely and we had it to ourselves most days ( 6 sunbeds ) Waiter would bring cool towels , water and Evian facial spray to the sun beds . If we wanted a drink we had to go and find a waiter and felt like an inconvenience and had to ask a few times for an ice bucket for my bottle of wine , which at 5* I found very surprising. Each evening between 5 and 6 pm the lighthouse served complimentary canapés with your first drink . We only went once as it cut into our snorkeling time when lion fish and octopus were waking up at dusk Breakfast was great , eye opener shot on arrival Buffet and à la carte and a good selection of juices and Prosecco. I lived on the vast display of fresh fruits , chef would prepare whatever you wanted . My favourites guava, lichees, pink grapefruit and passion fruit. My husband had a different cooked breakfast every day, we skipped lunch every day but most guests ate in the shade of sails bar whilst we had the pool to ourselves! Evening entertainment was low key We played pool one evening, and chess another Three bands played on separate evenings and on Friday evening a jazz band played in the lighthouse whilst we ate our fine dining menu which included Wagu steak and lobster . Flambé at the table ! Over all we had a great week with fantastic weather and good quality dinners . However we can’t quite put our fingers on it but it didn’t quite hit the mark . On our return home we decided never not to go AL in future We have just booked a cheeky little 10days at Reethi Faru premium AL at Xmas!

Baros is a fantastic resort with comfortable rooms, exceptional cuisine from all three restaurants and the extraordinary additional dining experiences and outstanding service from all of the staff we encountered during our ten day visit. All of the staff were polite, helpful and knowledgeable. In particular, Aswad, Shallini, Shimla and Shayan in the resort's restaurants were delightful, while Ainul who serviced our room every day made us feel special with his personal touches and incredible origami skills! However, the real measure of customer service is what happens when things go wrong. In our case, there were a couple of relatively minor but important issues with the water villa we were orginally given, which threatened to spoil our honeymoon but the response from the resort's management was exceptional. This was not easy for them as the resort was virtually at full capacity. Nonetheless, determined to ensure that our experience should be a happy one, they really pulled out the stops and by the end of the holiday we felt truly valued. In particular, our butler, Azzam, made a huge effort to find a solution for us and take away all of the initial stress and anxiety. We would have no hesitation in returning or recommending this resort.

The calm friendly atmosphere at Baros is wonderful. We felt looked after by all the staff, especially Mika and Shinta our butlers, and Sia and Ainul, who looked after our rooms. We enjoyed a snorkel safari and the marine biology talks and the nature walk, with the hydroponic garden a marvel with such an enthusiastic gardener. Thank you to Baros for helping out when a case was delayed from Doha. Also the early breakfast on departure day was very much appreciated. Hope to come again!