If it is your idea to get away from it all and be pampered thoroughly then this is place to be. For me it was a bit of a mixed bag - not really because of the hotel but I think we should have stayed at a slightly more energetic place as we had our two boys along. Besides snorkeling there was not much else for them to do and not much company either as we were surrounded by older couples or honeymooners for whom this place is a perfect fit.
The day we left the weather was rough and on such days it may be difficult for tweens and teens. Many of the movies and books available are in German so be sure to carry something with you - the boys were happy that they could play on the iPad and had books on their Kindle.
My husband and I enjoyed both the place and the hospitality. The only thing that rankled was that my watch went missing - it wasn't an expensive one but I had more of a sentimental attachment to it.
We went on a dolphin spotting cruise from Baros. Though we saw a quite few dolphins, it fell short as there was nobody to help identify the dolphins or explain their habits and behavior.
All the same we returned home rested and rejuvenated and boys could tell their friends at school that they swam with sharks!

We stayed here Oct 2012 for 5 nights as part of our honeymoon (we also stayed elsewhere in the Maldives), and thought the resort was exactly as the brochures say, well worth it and you get what you pay for. The thing we would point out is the exceptional service we received from the assistant manager. (long story- short version), my new wife had a meltdown over a few things she felt might spoil our perfect honeymoon and the assistant manager and others bent over backward to accommodate us and make us really enjoy our experience at Baros. Just for that we thank you and would recommend this island to anyone looking for a luxury resort in the Maldives at a good price.
As for other specifics - well the food selection was broad, good quality, good value (for an island) and there was plenty of it. The new over water villas with pool were spectacular (the wife prefers these, while I prefer the sand in the feet beachside bungalows), and the staff were very friendly, talkative and made you feel very welcome. The facilities - gym, dive shop, and bars were all great.
A small Island that even when full seemed empty, great location (no sea plane delays), and over the top service when required.
The spa - well I had the best massage I have every had - Balinesse style and hard - it was like i was transported to another dimension and wish i had more of them.
If I were to complain it would be about things that are more a personal preference and will be up to you to decide. eg; the islands is small and compact, there is no swimming pool if you dont like the ocean swimming (different to snorkelling)...The only thing I did notice was the airconditioners were noisy (more so than i was used to) so there is really little to complain about really :)

Just as you are doing now I read through the reviews of so many resorts in the Maldives as I researched where best to spend our honeymoon. As not on a limitless budget, bang for buck was important.

It will be no surprize that Baros is a fantastic location, ticks all the boxes for the reasons others have listed. As such we had an ideal honeymoon and I would recommend it.

But you fly along way and pay a lot of money (best price for us was from Destinology after a bit of haggling) to have that experience and having not stayed at other venues in the Maldives its hard for me to say its unique or even significantly better than other resorts having read glowing reviews for them as well. So I think you probably will have a good time at a fair number of the resorts listed here. After all its the natural environment, sea, beaches etc make mark the Maldives out as so special.

On reflection a week was just about right. The reasons why its so special, small, remote and quiet also ultimately make it a short stay location, from our perspective anyway. Especially as we had 2 days of rain and we were glad there wasn't more.

Unforgettable snorkling, we did it every day and never got bored. Got burnt.... but not bored of seeing sharks, turtles etc. And its free! Do take an underwater camera. Also went fishing on an evening boat trip and I'd recommended that, though not for the excitement of catching fish, which was rare, but seeing the sunset out at sea.

Finally, factor in Baros is only a 25min boat ride from the airport which at the end a 12 hour flight is a real bonus. That alone could swing it as a choice for some people.

My wife and I went to Baros for our Honeymoon and we couldn't have asked for more. When doing our research on what Island we should go for the main point for us was to find somewhere that was intimate and idyllic we eventually came across Baros. It is a 30 minute speedboat ride away from the capital Male. It is a very small island with a maximum of 70-80 huts (when we went). You can walk around the whole Island in around 10mins. We stayed in a beach hut which is literally a few feet from the beach and water. I dont know if it has changed now but when I went each hut had there own section of private beach with beach chairs numbered with the hut room numbers so it was clear who they belonged too. Although we knew it wasn't a private beach as such, I did think it was clear that everyone had there on section to relax on and one morning when we were preparing to chill out on the beach we came across another couple who had usurped our chairs and our section of beach and I must re-iterate was directly in front of our hut. I must also add that it did not in anyway spoil my vacation just annoying for a few hours. A little petty I know but hey the chairs were numbered. The huts themselves were not too aesthetically pleasing but you go to the Maldives to take in the breathtaking scenery so that did not bother me. A lovely outdoor waterfall effect shower was great. The food was good. I can still taste the Maldivian fish curry now. A wonderful spa and massage area overlooking the water. You must definitely have a massage. A lovely bar area with live entertainment. A very warm and relaxed environment. We did not find any insects during our entire stay. They do spray the island with insectiside once a week which I did not find any bother at all. There are cheeky Herons on the Island who tend to their number too's on the hut varanda porch. I get the feeling they do not like to share the Island with the Human intruders and that is there way to show their displeasure.

I have to admit I went to Baros a few years ago now and I didn't check tripadvisor because of my trust in the excellent tour operator Kuoni. I see that it is number one on the list for Islands on the North Male Atoll which is great credit to the management. I can also see by looking at the pictures that they have added more huts and have generally improved the whole resort. So if your looking for true peace and serenity Baros is the Island to go for and when I do go back to Maldives it will definitely be Baros.

Kam, London