Baros Hotel

Maldives

Spend a week at Baros and you’ll find that clichés can be a very good thing. Palm trees sway in the wind, white beaches fringe the shoreline and aquamarine waters stretch into the blue sky. It’s blindingly beautiful.

You’ll arrive at the resort by speedboat – a 20-minute crossing from the Maldives’ main island, Malé. Once a small coconut plantation, the interior is lush and green with shrubs, trees and flora. Today, Baros is home to both overwater and beach villas and a spectacular living house reef. While on other islands you’d need to take a boat to get friendly with fish, here you can quickly swim the 15m out from shore. Float above the coral with complimentary snorkelling gear and watch schools of exotic fish dart past. If you’re lucky, you might spy a turtle or a blacktip reef shark lurking in the shadows. Back on land you can explore the entire island on foot in less than an hour, before chilling in a hammock in the shade.

Dining options bump the romantic vibes up a notch: feast on tuna tartare laced with truffles on the beach by candlelight or watch the sun set at The Lighthouse restaurant, perched over the ocean. A delicate lobster bisque is rich and smooth, while Wagyu beef flamed tableside is quite the show. As for bedding down, beach villas are huge and come with outdoor showers but the overwater option is still the best. Some have private infinity pools and all have steps leading straight into the ocean, meaning you’ll be lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves crashing beneath. Doubles from £519.

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