North Malé Atoll · 75 villas · 25 minutes by speedboat
Baros Maldives
One of the original Maldives resorts, open since 1973 and still one of the most loved. A small, green island 25 minutes from the airport, with 75 villas, a house reef right off the beach and The Lighthouse restaurant. Couples and adults are the focus; children are welcome from age eight.
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Voted the number two resort in the world and number one in Asia by Travel + Leisure readers in the 2026 World's Best Awards.
Travel + Leisure, July 2026
01Why Baros
Baros opened in 1973, when the Maldives had only a handful of resorts. Half a century later, it still tops reader polls, and nearly a third of guests are returning visitors. The formula is simple: a small, lush island, a short boat ride from the airport, warm and discreet service, and one of the best reefs you can swim to from the sand.
The style is classic rather than trendy, with thatch, timber and four-poster beds. If you want sharp modern design or a big pool scene, look elsewhere. If you want a calm island that feels looked after, Baros is hard to beat.
02House reef
More: diving in the Maldives.
03Villas
| Villa | Units | Size | Highlight | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deluxe Villa | 23 | 89 sq m | Garden with daybeds and outdoor shower | Beach |
| Water Villa | 15 | 92 sq m | Private stairs into the lagoon | Overwater |
| Baros Villa | 5 | 103 sq m | Four-poster bed, own beach parasol | Beach |
| Water Pool Villa | 15 | 126 sq m | Private pool and veranda daybed | Overwater |
| Baros Pool Villa | 8 | 134 sq m | Infinity-edge plunge pool, canopied daybed | Beach |
| Baros Suite | 7 | 200 sq m | Private pool, built for seclusion | Beach |
| Baros Residence | 1 | 270 sq m | Two bedrooms, pool, butler, boat cruise | Beach |
| Baros Two-bedroom Retreat | 1 | 280 sq m | Two bedrooms, pool, butler, boat cruise | Beach |
Each villa type has its own listing below. See also the best overwater villas.
04Dining
The landmark restaurant you see from the boat, with a resident sommelier. Dinner nightly.
Upstairs above the restaurant from 5 pm, for Champagne, cocktails and canapés.
A thatched gazebo over the lagoon: wagyu, lamb, lobster and fish, plus teppanyaki.
Breakfast, local dishes, curries, seafood and wood-fired pizza.
A wooden cabana in the palms with hammocks, open from 10 am.
The Piano Deck over the lagoon, a beach barbecue or a sandbank dinner with a private chef.
Food at Baros leans classic and very good rather than experimental. The Lighthouse is the one to book for a special night, and a private sandbank dinner is the island's signature romantic set-up.
We compare meal plans for your dates when we quote. See also fine dining in the Maldives.
05Days on Baros
The island also has a library with a pool table and a small gallery of antique Maldivian maps and artefacts, a nod to its long history. A nurse is on site and a doctor on call.
Sustainability is practical rather than preachy: recycled water for the gardens, heat recovery for villa hot water, biodegradable cleaning products and glass bottles instead of plastic.
06Our honest view
07Getting there
08FAQs
About 25 minutes by the resort's own speedboat from Velana International Airport. A Baros representative meets you at arrivals, and because it is a boat, the transfer works at any time of day or night.
Seventy-five: 23 Deluxe Villas, 5 Baros Villas, 15 Water Villas, 15 Water Pool Villas, 8 Baros Pool Villas, 7 Baros Suites, the Baros Residence and the Baros Two-bedroom Retreat. Thirty-two of them have a private pool.
Only from age eight, and there is no kids club. Baros is built for couples and adults, which is a big part of its calm feel. Families with teenagers who snorkel tend to enjoy it.
Excellent, and right off the beach. The reef rings the island close to shore, beginners get a protected area, and turtles and reef sharks are often seen. The dive centre has run since 1979 and is a PADI Five Star Gold Palm centre.
The Lighthouse for fine dining with a resident sommelier, Cayenne Grill over the lagoon for grills and teppanyaki, Lime for relaxed all-day dining and pizza, the Lighthouse Lounge for sunset drinks and Sails Bar in the palms. Private dinners can be set up on the Piano Deck or a sandbank.
It is one of the classic honeymoon islands. It is small and quiet, close to the airport, and has private dining on a sandbank, sunset sails on the Nooma dhoni and couples treatments at Serenity Spa. A Water Pool Villa or Baros Suite is our pick.
Travel + Leisure readers voted Baros the number two resort in the world and number one in Asia in the 2026 World's Best Awards. It also won a British Airways Holidays Customer Excellence Award in 2025.
Couples who want to swim from the deck should book a Water Pool Villa. For space and privacy on land, a Baros Suite. The Deluxe Villa is the simplest way in, with a private garden and outdoor shower.
HolidayVibe Maldives is a trusted brand in the Maldives travel industry, a Malé-based agency licensed by the Ministry of Tourism (MOT.O1.RS.TA.25.RD9933). You deal with one local team from the first message to your transfer home.
We are luxury travel experts in the Maldives who know these islands villa by villa. We put the villa, transfers, meal plan and current offers into one written quote, often better value than booking sites.
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More guides: luxury Maldives holidays · compare luxury resorts · overwater villa cost · package builder
Written by Abdulla Maseeh, HolidayVibe Maldives. Updated 27 October 2026. Villas, sizes, venues, services and sustainability from the Baros fact sheet (June 2026); awards and opening year from Visit Maldives and Hotelier Maldives; minimum age and reef detail cross-checked with independent reviews. We confirm every villa, meal plan and transfer at the time of booking.
| Check In | 12:00 pm |
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| Check Out | 12:00 pm |
