• The undersea bedroom floor level sits five meters below sea level. Courtesy: Conrad Maldives
    The undersea bedroom floor level sits five meters below sea level. Courtesy: Conrad Maldives
  • The residence's upper level features a twin-size bedroom, bathroom, powder room, gym, butler’s quarters, private security quarters, integrated living room, kitchen, bar and dining, two decks and an infinity pool. Courtesy: Conrad Maldives
    The residence's upper level features a twin-size bedroom, bathroom, powder room, gym, butler’s quarters, private security quarters, integrated living room, kitchen, bar and dining, two decks and an infinity pool. Courtesy: Conrad Maldives
  • The upper level's bathtub faces the direction of the sunset. Courtesy: Conrad Maldives
    The upper level's bathtub faces the direction of the sunset. Courtesy: Conrad Maldives
  • The undersea bedroom offers unobscured marine life spotting opprtunities. Courtesy: Conrad Maldives
    The undersea bedroom offers unobscured marine life spotting opprtunities. Courtesy: Conrad Maldives
  • The upper level features two decks - one on either side - and an infinity pool. Courtesy: Conrad Maldives
    The upper level features two decks - one on either side - and an infinity pool. Courtesy: Conrad Maldives
  • Ever fancied a bathroom with an underwater lookout? Courtesy: Conrad Maldives
    Ever fancied a bathroom with an underwater lookout? Courtesy: Conrad Maldives

A look inside 'world first' underwater residence in the Maldives

The apartment is split between two levels and was engineered by MJ Murphy, a New Zealand-based company that specialises in aquarium technology

Ashleigh Stewart

April 18, 2018

  • English
  • Arabic

Dubai's Atlantis has underwater suites. Singapore's Resort World Sentosa has rooms that look into an aquarium. Zanzibar's Manta Resort has an underwater room.

But the Maldives is taking things one step further and putting an entire residence into the deep blue.

The Maldives has no shortage of underwater living spaces, with at least five underwater restaurants dotted around the atolls. However, that's simply not enough for one of the luxury destination's resorts.

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island has announced a "world first", in building a US$15 million (Dh55.1m) undersea three-bedroom residence.

The bungalow, named Muraka (which means "coral" in Dhivehi, the local language of the Maldives), is split between two levels and was engineered by MJ Murphy, a New Zealand-based company that specialises in aquarium technology.

The upper level features a twin bedroom and bathroom, a king bedroom and bathroom, powder room, gym, butler’s quarters, private security quarters, integrated living room, kitchen, bar and dining, and a deck facing the direction of the sunset. The opposite side of the villa features a relaxation deck facing the sunrise, complete with infinity pool.

The undersea suite houses a king bedroom, living area, bathroom and spiral staircase that leads to the upper level living room – all with premium views of marine life swimming above and around you.

In total, the residence can accommodate up to nine guests. It's due to be completed in late 2018.

But how much will it cost, we hear you ask? Well, apparently it's not quite that simple. When asked about price per night, a statement from the resort made reference to the fact that "every stay is unique and hyper-personalised to the guest’s preferences".

"Thus, a definitive rate cannot be put on the experience and is on consultation with the Muraka personnel team," they said.

The undersea bedroom floor sits five metres below sea level, and its design is similar to the design of the resort's underwater restaurant, with a curved acrylic dome.

“Through our development of the world’s first undersea residence, we continue to shine a light on the Maldives as a luxury destination as well as a cultural and natural wonder for global travellers,” Conrad Maldives general manager Stefano Ruzza said. “We are excited to present Muraka’s unique sleeping under the sea experience to our future guests, providing them with an extraordinary seascape of the Maldives from an entirely new perspective.”

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