This was my first time in the Maldives… despite my global exploits as an air-hostess and an unrelenting attachment to dolphin-friendly tuna, the closest I’d come to the Indian Ocean was Bridget Jones.
Til last week.
Back in November when luxury travel experts Kuoni popped in the inbox promising experiential paradise and a proper tan… they weren’t lying.
A flight, a speed boat and a luggage butler later; our group arrived on the small atoll of Baros. We were a party of eight girlies; two pr’s, five real journo’s and me, all with beaming grins ear to ear.
As resorts go, Baros is undeniably green and luscious. Flanked by towering palm trees and paved in the softest white sand, Baros is every bit a playground for chill-seekers… a path well trodden by those with a disposition for real luxury. My kinda place.
Each of us stayed in an over-the-water villa so when the marketing manager Lisa suggested we go peek inside a beach villa we jumped at the chance. The outdoor bath-tubs in those beach villas were just beautiful, literally a private outdoor oasis to sit and pamper… so tranquil.
Breaking in gently to island life – iPhone still surgically attached to palm – the hotel put together a magical candlelit supper on the beach for our first night.
We met in ‘Sails’ bar after sunset for cocktails. Absurdly I skipped the canapés and focussed on the getting-to-know-each-other banter. So an hour and two champagne refills in I was fairly giggly and missed the opportunity for an obligatory outfit capture {imagine an off-the-shoulder sparkly number and a rosy-cheeked glow}.
Fully libated and guided by stars, we padded our way across the powdery white sand and headed to the waters edge. A signature soundtrack of waves lapped at the shore, the suspicious base tone of my familiar rumble… I was starving.
Supper was seven courses of sensational. Destination dining is officially my new favourite. We ate everything!! Seafood starters, soft-shell crab, spaghetti tuna, steaks the size of my head and more – I’ll never forget that night.
Bed-time was quite frankly a blissful blur.
And after the dreamiest sleep in my pool villa {no. 209} I woke up to sunrise… sans hangover… in air-conditioned tranquility… stepping out to this view…
{Donald the vegetarian shark}
Truth is I packed enough outfit changes for a month at sea.
I’d quickly established pre-flight that I wouldn’t need to invest in exorbitant footwear. So in a bid to appease my credit-card tourettes, I splashed out on some pricey ear-candy instead. Something fishy… and ‘on theme’.
fyi: we need to talk about Kamushki. These pieces attracted so many lovely comments during the trip, they made the perfect partners to my entire vacay wardrobe, so versatile and delicate, well worth the investment.
It was hot.
January – according to google – is the driest month of the year in the Maldives. With barely a whimper of a breeze and the absence of much cloud, we made the most of decadently long lunches.
I rediscovered a taste for fruity gin and tonic, I slurped on coconut water like a modern day Cleopatra… and the ‘tuna three ways’ at Lime Restaurant is a culinary revelation YOU HAVE TO TRY.
Throughout my time on Baros, other than meal times – where restaurant dining has a dedicated dress code – I was never fully dressed. Instead I spent two full days ignorant to the contents of my suitcase and smug-married to vintage Levi jean-shorts and various crochet bikini’s.
The spectacular infinity pool at Lime Restaurant.
Cocktail o’clock on the second night was an event!
By now we’d exchanged life-stories, remembered each others names and re-vised our WhatsApp group title to Maldivas. The hotel encouraged us to meet earlier and catch sunset from the over-the-water Lighthouse Bar. The vantage point from there gave us 360 degree unobscured views of sundown… if you go DO THAT!
I can’t put in to words how beautiful sunsets are in the Maldives.
We opted for signature Lighthouse cocktails and watched in awe as the sun slowly vanished. Supper that evening was on the deck of Lime Restaurant… a private menu of seafood dishes, each punctuated with tasty palette cleaners and to my delight washed down with New Zealand Savignon Blanc! Hallelujah…
Sunkissed/sunburned – jury’s still out – I decided to wear this silky Realisation Par dress for comfort and yanked my hair into a ponytail {where it stayed for the rest of the trip!}
We spent a magical two nights in Baros before continuing on our Kuoni adventure and leaving the island ready for our next resort. I could have spent two weeks no probs. Snorkelling and swimming and sipping Sav Blanc… This place captured my heart in a way I’ve not experienced before.
Baros, I will be back!
Maldives… to be continued
L x
off-the-shoulder navy/gold top NEVER FULLY DRESSED
jean shorts LEVIS
crochet bikini SHE MADE ME
polkadot dress REALISATION PAR
straw bag HEIDI KLEIN
espadrilles HEIDI KLEIN
suede slip-ons TONY BIANCO
silk scarf BEULAH LONDON old
earrings KAMUSHKI
necklace KAMUSHKI
photos captured by myself and the ever willing Emma Lipman
Huge thanks to the entire team at Baros, to Kuoni for this incredible trip and to each of the girlies on this adventure.
In collaboration with Kuoni. All words, styling and creative direction my own.