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TRAVEL
216
February15
Romantic Indulgences
The folks over at Baros sure know how to make your stay
special. They’re willing to go above and beyond to make
your holiday everything you want it to be; and if you don’t
know exactly what you want, they’ll help you figure it out by
offering some ultra-romantic suggestions. Here are three
ways to ramp up the romance level during your stay, and
spoil yourselves silly.
1. Private Cruise
Don’t miss a sunset tipple onboard one of the resort’s boats,
Nooma
, a traditional handcrafted Maldivian sailboat, or
Serenity
, a luxury motor yacht. While many couples opt for
dinner cruises or half or full-day chartered sailing excursions,
we enjoyed a private, one-hour pre-dinner sunset sail – with
champagne, of course – on
Nooma
, which was both romantic
and relaxing.
There are plenty of other boat experiences available too.
If your partner is a dolphin lover, have the Baros Guest
Experiences team arrange the “Sunset Dolphin Cruise” with
champagne and canapés – you’ll surely score major brownie
points. And if fishing’s your thing, choose a “Fishing by
Twilight” outing with a “catch your own dinner” plan. Guests
who don’t mind getting up early can also learn the traditional
Maldivian method of fishing with a hand line during a “Hand
Line Trolling at Dawn” excursion. Whatever floats your boat!
Wedding and Vow Renewal Celebrations
Baros’s dreamy setting makes it an ideal destination for both wedding and
vow-renewal ceremonies and receptions. In fact, the resort has becomequite
popular for its vow renewals, which can be done at a variety of locations
on the island, including The Lighthouse, the beach, the sandbank or on
the
Nooma
sailboat. Leave the details to the Baros staff, or work with them
on choosing a menu, a wedding cake and other important arrangements.
When you’re at Baros, be sure to check out
the
MaldivianLounge
, amini-museum that’ll
give you a better sense of Maldivian culture.
With displays of locally made artefacts and a
collection of authentic antique maps of the
islands, the lounge adds an extra dimension
to your tropical island getaway.
2. Sandbank Dinner
If the weather permits, treat yourselves to a private dinner for
two on Baros’s sandbank. Accessible by boat, it’s straight out
of something on
The Bachelor
(the American TV series with
exclusive, over-the-top dates) – a “you only live once” sort
of thing. Though the rain kept us from our own scheduled
sandbank dinner, the Baros team was able to prepare Plan
B – a lovely dinner in a vacant beach villa, complete with our
own private chef who prepared our meal in front of us – the
same delicious five-course meal (US$695 for two) we were
meant to enjoy on the sandbar. A lovely night, despite the rain.
You can also arrange a sandbank breakfast or picnic lunch
if you’d prefer a daytime excursion to the secluded sandbar.
3. Couple’s Spa Treatments
The Spa at Baros Maldives is hidden in a lush, tranquil setting
and is absolutely beautiful. An extensive array of over 15
massages is available, plus a vast selection of facials, scrubs,
hand and foot therapies, and other treatments. We opted for
the Baros Signature Massage (a soothing blend of Swedish,
Thai pressure point and hot stone massages) in one of the
four private spa suites, especially designed for couples. Each
spacious suite has two change-rooms, a bathroom and a
steam-bath, plus an outdoor relaxation area with a rain shower
and an outdoor tub. In-villa spa treatments are also available.
Sandbank dinner
Sunset cruise on Nooma
The Spa at Baros