A friend of ours just sent us some pictures of this amazing restaurant in the Maldives. It's completely underwater so you can eat dinner surrounded by coral, fish, rays and all kinds of sea creatures. Ithaa, at the Conrad Maldives Resort & Spa on Rangali Island, is a tube made almost entirely of glass and secured five metres below sea level.
It was designed by New Zealand-based design consultancy M.J. Murphy Ltd, built in Singapore, transported by sea (a journey which took 16 days), then sunk into the harbor two years ago. You enter the restaurant through a thatched pavilion at the end of a jetty, then descend a spiral staircase.
'Our guests always comment on being blown away by the color, clarity, and beauty of the underwater world in the Maldives,' says general manager Carsten Schieck, 'so it seemed the perfect idea to build a restaurant where diners can experience fine cuisine and take time to enjoy the views - without ever getting their feet wet.'
Even though it weighs 175 tonnes plus 85 tonnes of sand ballast, it's small (5m x 9m) and seats only 14 people, so advanced reservations are strongly recommended. RM
Image: copyright Mike Murphy, Conrad Maldives Resort & Spa
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