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TRAVEL
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February15
The Villas
Baros originally opened in 1973 – the
third resort of its kind in the Maldives;
it was then revamped in 2005. Now
boasting a total of 75 villas, it has
become a favourite destination for
those looking for luxury, romance and
seclusion; in fact, it was named “World’s
Most Romantic Resort” by World Travel
Awards in 2012, and is ranked number
one in TripAdvisor’s “Top 10 Hotels for
Romance in Asia” and fifth in the same
website’s “Top 25 Hotels for Romance
in the World”.
We stayed in one of 15 over-water pool
villas, featuring our own infinity pool on
a spacious sunbathing deck with direct
access to the ocean and a front-row seat
to every sunset. In addition to having a
dedicated villa host on call 24/7, the
room included an iPod docking station,
a programmed iPod and Bose surround-
sound system, plus a selection of books,
complimentary Wi-Fi and a library of
DVDs to go with the large-screen TV –
clearly, everything you’d need for total
relaxation and luxurious isolation (that
is, if you’re not using Wi-Fi for work…).
However, with a personal plunge pool
and private verandah, who really needs
electronics anyway?
You really can’t go wrong with a
Baros beachfront villa, either; in fact, if
I have the chance to go back, I’d like to
give the beach villa a go for a different
experience. The benefit of the beach
villas is the fact that you can walk right
out your back door and plunge into the
part of the lagoon where the colourful
sea colony is at its most bustling. Just
snap on your snorkel gear and you’re
good to go. Although it was nice to have
a ladder from our over-water villa deck
into the water, we didn’t end up using
it much; rather, we found ourselves
snorkelling from the beachside, where
there’s more sea life.
That said, the advantage of an over-
water villa is total seclusion – there’s
literally not one soul in sight and the
deck overlooks an endless horizon.
It has also become the quintessential
Maldivian resort experience to stay over-
water, so there’s a good chance your
heart is set on it. I don’t blame you – it’s
incredible, and, if you’re going to splurge
on an over-water villa at some point in
your lifetime, this is the place to do it.