Bandos

Bandos had a major overhaul during 2005 which added some accommodation and an extension to its facilities. The look of the resort is a good balance between formal and casual styles. The reception has a modern set of conveniences such as internet hotspot, plasma TV, conference hall, etc. but this hasn't affected the plain natural beauty of the resort which hasn't been compromised at all. The general feel is of tranquil accommodation with private beach areas shaded by tall palms and other vegetation. The main bar and coffee shop are well-placed near the water, the bar generally being a  hive of activity until the early hours of the morning. The restaurants, while not particularly inspiring in their decor, do serve a range of quality dishes.

This resort has plainly made a great deal of effort to accommodate families, with a childcare facility run by female staff who, in addition to providing daycare, will provide babysitting in the evenings if required. Some of the rooms in the junior and standard class have an interconnecting door for families who are split up between rooms. The resort is popular with families to, so children who are a bit too young to take part in some of the older activities will likely have other children their age around to play with.

Activities

Bandos has one of the major dive centers in the Maldives, even having one of the few decompression chambers in the country. There is a good range of courses from  PADI beginner courses to expert re-breather courses. The dive center here is both a PADI Gold Palm Resort and a Platinum Facility of the International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers.

Accommodation

48 Junior suites are available, and are ornately decorated, with a  color scheme of yellow and ochre, a solid wood four-poster bed and a sense of style that makes them feel very homely. The only downside is that the beach in this section of the resort is completely submerged at high tide, but this is a small matter for most I should think. There are 84 standard rooms adjacent to the beach and another 19 that are not beach fronted. They are pleasantly furnished with tiled floors and balconies. These standard rooms alternate between twin and double  bed layout to provide for families again.

The 48 circular Beach villas are the latest accommodations to have been added to the resort. These two-storey rooms, with an upstairs bedroom complete with sea balcony, have been carefully and tastefully done to provide a superior look and feel. The bathrooms are half inside and half outside the villa, and are complete with thatched roof jacuzzi. For those who like to lounge by the pool all day there are 24 Garden villas are mainly based alongside the relatively new swimming pool.

Baros

On top of the sheer beauty of this island, the food and service here is puts it within the elite group of resorts in the Maldives. One of the focal points of the resort is the lighthouse restaurant, which has a white peaked spire, making it the only non-thatched building on the resort. Thsi restaurant is split between two levels with a lounge bar on the top level, offering panoramic views, and the lower-level haute cuisine restaurant serving a menu of Mediterranean and Asian fusion dishes. The other restaurant - the Cayenne Grill - prepares a range of meat, seafood and vegetarian dishes to your own specification and serves you at one of the individual thatched pavilions at the waters edge.

Your first impression of Baros is raised further when you arrive at your accommodation for the first time. There are 30 water villas, 20 Baros villas, 24 Deluxe villas, and a single pool villa. Every room in this resort is just a few strides away from beach or lagoon and each has a large decked verandah complete with a daybed. The attention to detail and quality of the workmanship cannot be overstated, and walking into these rooms for the first time may give you the idea that you have walked into a magazine article for some chic hotel. There designer fittings, concealed plasma TV, quality coffee maker, and more importantly for me, a well-stocked wine cooler. Combine this with the 24 hour room service and the well stocked wine cooler, and its not surprising that many guests stay put by their rooms for days on end.

Activities

The dive school is run by PADI and offers an introductory dive in the lagoon for beginners and open water certificates. There are approximately 30 dive sites within reach of Baros which offers good potential for some interesting dives. The resort also has a resident Marine Biologist providing talks on the local marine life and accompanying the snorkeling trips and excursions on the house reef.Snorkeling is excellant here, with the reef, which runs around most of the island, being easily accessible.