Radio  1  DJ  Matt  Edmonson  and  his  new  wife  Bryony  got  to  grips  with  a  luxury  kind  of life on  the magical Maldivian island of Baros... 

For our honeymoon, we hoped for the cliché of a sun-drenched paradise isle and in our search for the 

perfect destination we visited travel agents, asked friends and scoured the web. 

We kept coming across the Maldives as a picture-postcard location, but when we saw Baros we called off the search. It’s a tiny island resort  with  individual  Water  Villas  sitting  over the  ocean offering complete privacy, amazing scenery, great beaches, vibrant marine life and speedy transfer time from the airport. Every box was ticked! 

  

ULTIMATE ARRIVAL 

No sooner had we landed on the island of Malé, than we were greeted and escorted to a boat which brought us to the Baros shore in just 20 minutes, the coolest and possibly most seamless arrival on holiday we’d ever had.  From  the  moment  we  arrived,  it  became clear  this  was  the  most beautiful place we’ve ever visited in our lives. 

The  island  itself made  us  think  of  those  dream  sequences  in movies  of  what  heaven  looks like – where everything is in soft focus. Except we really were in paradise. 

  

LIFE'S A BEACH 

Walking along the jetty to our Water Villa, we looked down to see crystal-clear water with a turquoise shimmer and stingrays and tropical fish swimming around above a pure white sandy bed, it was like nothing we’d ever  seen  before.  Inside  the  villa,  the  décor was  in-keeping  with  rustic Maldivian style, but with all the luxuries of a honeymoon resort: an enormous twice-the-usual-size bed, air con, iPod speakers and a television. 

Our bathroom had a huge bath with a little window looking out over the ocean and a blind for privacy – but no need since the view was one big expanse of sea. Stepping on to our decking we discovered another double bed which formed the most luxurious sun lounger we’d ever laid on, and an infinity pool which seemed to stay at the perfect temperature all the time, as well as steps down into the sea. 

At  certain  times  of  the  day  we  could  see  a  tiny  sandbank,  almost  like  a  little  desert  island, just  a short walk through the water away. We discovered other larger sandbanks dotted around the island and one day went on a boat to one for breakfast before a sunrise yoga session. 

  

FLOAT ON  

I’d never tried yoga before, but I figured if I was going to learn how to bend over backwards, a remote island in the middle of the Indian Ocean was probably the place to do it. Luckily, we had a very patient instructor! 

  

It was the first of many firsts for me; I had never been scuba diving before so a tour of the reef by the resident  marine biologist  was  a  real  eye-opener.  She  talked  us through  the  varieties  of  fish and their homes; showed us a cleaning station where smaller fish clean the big fish; we saw sharks and at one point a turtle even came up to say hello. It was the most incredible experience. 

The resort gives you your own snorkel gear when you arrive on the island so you can literallysnorkel 

everywhere  from  your  villa  to  the  restaurant  to  the  spa.  We  also  went  on  a  dolphin  sight seeing cruise where we travelled out on a speedboat, which felt very James Bond-esque given the location. The dolphins came and jumped out of the water doing flips, swimming alongside the boat. 

  

RELAXED ROUTINE 

Although  we  did  some  form  of  water  activity  most  days,  the  rest  of  our  time  took  on  a blissful schedule  of  eating  and  relaxing  in  the  sun.  As  each  day  faded  into  sunset  we  would head  to  the beach bar where there were double bed loungers on the waterfront. There we sat back with a game of Bananagrams, sipped cocktails and studied the ocean. 

One day we saw a stingray come up to us and on another we watched crabs making a home in the rocks. That’s the beauty of this island, even when there’s seemingly nothing to do, there’s always something to see. 

  

FOODIE HEAVEN 

The food was mouth-watering with lots of fish fresh from the ocean, as well as something for every 

taste bud. Baros hosts visitors from all over the world, so the breakfast menus are really diverse, with 

anything from curry to pancakes on offer. Likewise in the evenings we sampled from a seafood or a 

barbecue buffet, or chose to eat at one of the three restaurants. 

The Lighthouse had to be one of our favourite experiences, you can eat on the top deck looking down at the sea which they illuminate so you can see all the fish. After dinner we'd head back to the beach bar where there would be entertainment in the form of a singer, drummer or band. 

  

FOREVER MEMORIES 

It can be hard to find a holiday where you forget about your life at home, slow down and completely disconnect with the outside world, but Baros is so beautiful and relaxing with friendly, attentive staff and such a sense of privacy and peace that all you can do is lament on the fact that a place like this 

really exists and then savour every second of it. 

The island was apparently close to full capacity during our stay, but somehow it felt like we were the only  people  there.  We  have  a  fantasy  now  where  we  go  back  and  see  all  the  staff,  sit  on  a sun lounger and look out over the ocean. 

  

Even if we don’t physically make it back there I know we’ll always remember its magic. Although,our honeymoon pretty much ruined every other holiday we’re ever going to go on with its greatness, it was so good I’m sure nothing will ever compare.  

Source : Wedding and Wedding Flowers, 29th July 2014