Where To Stay?
Baros Island is part of the North Male Atoll, home to the capital Male. Baros, an island offering a small dose of Paradise, is home to the Baros luxury hotel . The quiet, peaceful and stunning beaches circling the perimeter are perfect for relaxing and sunbathing. With facilities such as a Dive and Water Sports Center, courtesy of the hotel, tourists can make the most of the clear, warm Indian ocean lapping the island. Or guests can submit to pure relaxation through the variety of spa treatments, complimentary morning yoga classes and infinity pool offered by the resort.
When To Go?
The best weather is between November and April. The high season falls between December and March. The monsoon runs from May to October, peaking around June. It is worth paying higher prices and sticking to the dry season as there is nothing to do on a rainy day except drink, work out or scuba dive.
Travel Tips
When you are deciding on a Maldivian resort, take as much care as you would when choosing a cruise ship or renting a villa. There is only one resort on each tourist island, so if you’re unhappy with it, you can’t just check into another one.
To avoid disappointment, be specific. Ask how far the beach is from the home reef. On some islands, you may have to walk through several hundred yards of knee-deep water to reach a reef where you can swim and snorkel. Ascertain the size of the island and the size of the resort. Larger ones will feel less claustrophobic. Insist on knowing the nationalities of the other guests. Most visitors come from Europe and Asia on package tours, and some islands are national ghettos. Unless you want to spend a week among Italians or Germans (and eating pasta or wurst), choose an island that caters to several nationalities.
Don’t come to the Maldives expecting to island-hop: scheduled boat services between the islands and Malé are limited, though each resort has a fleet of motorboats for touring, dive expeditions and ferrying guests to and from the airport.
Travel Information
Visas: Most nationalities will require visas but these are free and can be obtained on arrival for maximum stay of 30 days.
Public holidays: New Year’s Day; Eid-ul-Fitr; First day of Ramadan; Muslim New Year; Huravee Day (Feb); Eid-ul-Adha; Martyr’s Day (April); Independence Day (26 July); Prophet’s Birthday (June); National Day (Oct/Nov); Republic Day (11 Nov).
Local dishes: Fish and rice are the staple foods of the Maldives and local dishes usually comprise fish curry, fish soup and variations thereof. All tend to be spicy. The consumption of alcohol is illegal unless you have a permit (only issued to foreigners resident in the country). However alcohol is available in resorts to non-Muslim guests.
