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Over the last four years, my wife and I have redeemed nine Hilton free night certificates in the Maldives. We used our certificates at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi in 2024, the Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa in 2023, and the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island in 2021. But this time, we tried something different with our certificates and booked a two-night stay at Baros Maldives, an SLH Hotel.
We primarily chose Baros Maldives as a layover between a seven-night stay at Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa and a four-night stay at Six Senses Laamu. Two key draws were its well-rated house reef and the fact that the property waives speedboat transfer fees on Hilton Honors award bookings.
But from the moment we reached the resort's arrival pier, we were charmed by the resort. Here's what we loved about our stay and why we'll seriously consider returning to Baros Maldives.
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Overwater Villas as Standard Room Awards
At Baros Maldives, you'll find three room types available for the standard room award rate — which now costs 180,000 points per night on most dates. As standard room rates, each of these can be booked using a Hilton free night certificate.
My wife and I redeemed free night certificates from our Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, but you can also earn a Hilton free night certificate through the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.
- Earn 155,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/14/2026.
- Get up to $50 in statement credits each quarter for purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio on your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. That's up to $200 in statement credits annually.
- Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.
- Earn 6X Points for each dollar of purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
- Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases.
- Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
- Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
- Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold status with your Card. Plus, spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn an upgrade to Hilton Honors Diamond status through the end of the next calendar year. Terms and Limitations apply.
- As a Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card Member, you can enroll to receive complimentary National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive® status through the link on your American Express online account. After you're enrolled, you can reserve a rental car by calling National Car Rental directly, using your travel service, or by booking online or through the National Car Rental mobile app. Terms apply.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $150 annual fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 12X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio
- 6X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations
- 4X bonus points on U.S online retail purchases
- 3X bonus points for all other eligible purchases on your card
As you can see, one of the room types you can book for 180,000 Hilton points (or a free night certificate) on many dates is a water villa. The water villas are located on a curved loop off one end of the island.
We found our water villa well-designed and comfortable.
The bed was comfortable, and the central air conditioning was powerful enough to cool the villa during the warm September days.
The smart TV supported logging in with your favorite streaming services.
The bathroom features a door between the shower and patio, as well as a very comfortable bathtub by the window.
Resort-provided materials boasted that much of the furniture at Baros Maldives is custom-made from tropical timber. At the time we arrived, the staff had moved cushions from the outside patio inside due to the stormy weather.
A fruit plate and handwritten note awaited us at check-in.
The resort also provided a cake and a half-bottle of sparkling wine one night after we mentioned we were in the Maldives celebrating our recent wedding anniversary.
But the water villa's patio was by far the highlight. The patio is well-furnished, with a table (complete with a sun umbrella), two lounge chairs, a covered daybed, a clothing drying rack, and direct lagoon access. (Note the missing cushions, which had been moved inside.)
Best of all, we saw dozens of blacktip reef sharks, a nurse shark, and a large ray swim by within about 30 minutes while sitting on the patio around sunset one night.
Related: How to Book Maldives Overwater Villas With Free Night Certificates
Incredibly Accessible House Reef That's Teeming With Life
We were thrilled by just how easy it is to reach the house reef at Baros Maldives. It takes just one or two minutes to swim from the beach to the house reef, which is located just outside a wave break wall. The wall has been around long enough that it's now become part of the reef itself.
Best of all, despite the resort's location near Male, the house reef has plenty of marine life. We seriously felt like we were swimming in an aquarium at points, given the sheer number of fish around us. And we saw at least a dozen blacktip reef sharks during a 45-minute snorkel on the house reef.
The house reef features little to no current, which means you can easily snorkel out and back along the rock wall if you wish. Or, if you get tired, you can return to the beach through one of the many breaks in the rock wall.
All guests can pick up a complimentary mask, snorkel, and fins for use during their stay at the dive shop and marine center. I appreciated that the dive center offered various mask sizes, so both my wife and I got masks that fit well.
We also appreciated that the dive center staff took the time to explain the best places to access the house reef, note a few landmarks we should see (such as a sunken boat that's now used as a coral planter), and answer our questions.
Included Speedboat Transfers on Hilton Award Stays
Baros Maldives is the tenth Maldives resort we've tried over the last four years. At the other nine resorts, we've paid between $130 and $1,021 per person for shared transfers between the Male airport and the resort.
However, we noticed a rather incredible message when looking at available room types at Baros Maldives bookable through Hilton Honors: “Return shared speedboat transfer from the property is included in the total price.”
Interestingly, some other areas of the Hilton Honors webpage for Baros Maldives say “A mandatory shared return speedboat transfers at USD 260.00 inclusive of taxes per pax.” But the resort never mentioned any speedboat transfer fees, and we didn't pay any transfer fees.
We were the only passengers on our boat for a mid-day transfer from Male airport to the resort. Passengers are required to wear lifejackets when the boat is in motion, and the journey was a bit bumpy. So, you'll only get a bottle of water to drink during the boat ride.
We reached the resort in about 25 minutes, where staff members greeted us with cold towels and our choice of fruit juice or sparkling wine.
Related: How To Book Qatar Qsuite Awards to the Maldives for Just 85,000 Avios
Stellar Live Music
We're pretty used to Maldives resorts having a DJ or a couple who sing and play guitar performing in the afternoons or evenings. So, I was intrigued to see that the live entertainment on a Sunday night at Baros Maldives was a five-person classic rock band.
We stopped by Sails Bar to grab a drink and listen for a bit on the way back from dinner. We ended up ordering more drinks and hanging out at the bar until the end of the show.
The band (The Kabans — although with a couple of guest members) was extremely talented. Like, easily the best band I've ever seen play a resort or bar. One highlight: A couple requested a song that the band wasn't familiar with. So, during their break, the band researched and learned the song. They came out and performed the song for the delighted couple.
Later, a Baros staff member joined the band to practically sing live karaoke. The band expertly played around the staff member's rendition.
In speaking with the Sails bartender — who is clearly a professional and a joy to watch make drinks — we learned Baros Maldives has live music four nights a week from different Maldivian bands who are based in Male. Turns out, this performance was a test for this band, and the resort would certainly invite them back.
Related: 9 of My Favorite Travel Products
No Motorized Carts
I like to walk whenever possible, especially since I strive to get at least 10,000 steps each day. But, especially given the relatively narrow pathways at many Maldivian resorts, walking can become unpleasant when you frequently must step aside to let carts pass.
So, it was a real treat to find no golf carts at Baros Maldives. Room service and housekeeping use simple motorized tricycles, but these bikes are quiet, and the staff usually stop until you've walked past.
Hilton Perks at Participating SLH Properties
SLH properties you can book through Hilton Honors don't offer all the same perks as standard Hilton Honors hotels, especially if you have Hilton elite status. But, Hilton members can expect the following perks at participating SLH hotels, including Baros Maldives:
- Earn Hilton points on stays booked through Hilton Honors
- Free Wi-Fi (complimentary for all guests at Baros Maldives)
- Space-available room upgrades (only for Hilton Gold and Diamond members)
- Complimentary late check-out (subject to availability)
- Continental breakfast for you and up to one additional guest (only for Hilton Gold and Diamond members)
Related: How To Get Hotel Elite Status for Free (or Almost Free)
We didn't get an upgrade to a higher category room (such as a water villa with a pool) with Hilton Diamond status. But we did get what seemed to be one of the best-located water villas in the category we booked.
Due to having Hilton Diamond status, Baros Maldives treated our booking as a bed and breakfast rate. So we got access to the full breakfast buffet and a la carte menu each morning at Lime. Given food and beverage costs in the Maldives, having breakfast included is a big plus!
You can order several items from the menu — we tried egg dishes and an acai bowl — and then select other items ranging from hashbrowns and bacon to sushi, sashimi, and Maldivian dishes from the buffet.
How I used credit cards at Baros
I used The Business Platinum Card® from American Express to pay for $88.65 of incidentals I'd charged to my villa — forgetting that I'd already used my quarterly up to $50 Hilton statement credit. So, unfortunately, I don't know whether or not it would've triggered the credit.
Then I used my Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card to pay for the remaining on-site incidentals I'd charged to my villa. Unfortunately, Amex didn't consider Baros Maldives to be “hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio.” As such, I earned 3 points per dollar instead of 14.
Related: 14 Exciting Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) Properties Bookable With Hilton Honors Points
It's One of the First Resorts in the Maldives
The Maldives wasn't always the luxury travel destination it is today. So, when Baros Maldives originally opened in 1973, it was just the third resort in the Maldives.
The resort underwent significant renovations in 2005 and joined the Small Luxury Hotels of the World collection in 2006.
The resort has evolved significantly since it opened. But it's still Maldivian-owned and 60-70% of its staff are Maldivian (which is a higher percentage than you'll find at most Maldives resorts). The resort claims many of its staff have been with the resort for over two decades and that almost a third of its guests are repeat guests, both of which are impressive statistics.
As part of its deep connection with Maldives history, the resort hosts a small museum in its so-called Maldivian Lounge.
The maps and artifacts in this one-room museum are certainly worth a peek during your stay, and I'm glad they're being preserved.
Our Take
Over the last four years, my wife and I have stayed at ten different Maldives resorts, and I've been surprised to find just how unique an experience each offers. But we were frankly surprised by how much we enjoyed our time at Baros Maldives.
The Maldivian-style architecture makes the resort visually appealing in an understated way. The house reef snorkeling is excellent and easily accessible. The amount of marine life you'll see not only on the house reef but also from water villas and jetties is impressive. We loved the live music one night and the Monday-night management cocktail the other night. And we couldn't get over the chill, authentic vibe of the resort.
If the resort continues waiving speedboat transfer fees on Hilton award stays and treating water villas as standard room awards, we'll strongly consider using Hilton free night certificates to return for another stay on our next Maldives trip.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (Rates & Fees)
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