C o n ra d M a l dives

“Rangali is connected by a 1,640-foot

bridge to its neighboring island,

A
Rangalifinolhu. Together, these
islands form the Conrad Maldives
Resort and Spa.”

The Conrad Maldives underwater suite makes a grand splash.

By Enid Harlow

When you first see the entryway

to Ithaa, you may be disappointed. A small, thatched hut located
at the edge of the Indian Ocean in the Republic of Maldives, the
structure hardly looks like a portal to an underwater world. Yet
that is precisely what it is.
However, let’s go back to the beg inning. The Crown
Company owns Rangali Island, one of the uninhabited islands
of the Republic of Maldives, located in the Indian Ocean
and composed of a double chain of 26 atolls. Rangali is
connected by a 1,640-foot bridge to its neighboring island,
Rangalifinolhu. Together, these islands for m the Conrad
Maldives Resort and Spa.

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 C o n ra d M a l dives
Section Title

In February 2004, Crown Company selected Mike Murphy

of M.J. Murphy Ltd., a design consultancy based in New
Zealand, to design and supervise the construction of a
revolutionary underwater restaurant. Murphy proposed a design
based on his company’s 16-foot-wide acrylic tunnel, a design
concept which had been used to great acclaim in the National
Science Centre Aquarium in Kuala Lumpur. Initially, Murphy
planned to construct the restaurant on the beach of Rangali,
after which the construction would be carefully winched down
into the water on rails. Technical concer ns were raised,
however, and the restaurant was ultimately built in Singapore.
It was named Ithaa, meaning pearl in Dhivehi, or Maldivian,
the national language of the Maldives.

“In February 2004, Crown Company

selected Mike Murphy of M.J. Murphy
Ltd., a design consultancy based in
New Zealand, to design and supervise
the construction of a revolutionary
underwater restaurant.”

Throughout the summer and fall of 2004, its steel structure

was built and painted, concrete ballast was added and acrylic
arches were installed, along with air conditioning.
On Nov. 1, 2004, with construction completed, Ithaa was
transported by an ocean-going barge to the Maldives. After a
16-day voyage, the restaurant, constructed of R-Cast™ acrylic
and weighing 175 tons, arrived. Over the course of one day, 15
Maldivian men loaded an additional 85 tons of sand ballast into
the belly of the structure.
On Nov. 19, 2004, the entire creation was sunk into the sea
and secured to four steel piles that had been vibro-hammered
into the seabed 16 feet below. The next day, divers poured
concrete into the piles to lock Ithaa into place. Crown Company
then built a connecting jetty that would serve as the entrance
to the amazing underwater restaurant. Remarkably, these stairs
withstood the impact of the terrible tsunami that struck the
region in December 2004.

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 C o n ra d Ma l dives
Section Title

Against all odds, Ithaa, the first-ever all-glass underwater

restaurant, had come into existence, and on April 15, 2005, it
proudly opened its doors for business. Now enjoying its fifth
year, Ithaa inhabits a world like no other. Reachable only by a
spiral staircase that descends to a 16-foot depth from a thatched
roof pavilion at the end of a jetty, its transparent acrylic roof and
curved sides provide a 270-degree panoramic view of the
wonders of the Indian Ocean. Tables for two are lined up one
behind another on either side of the transparent walls. With a
seating limit of 14 (if you are counting human beings), it is
intimate. However, outside in the crystal blue water, the count is
limitless. Surrounded by glorious, live coral reefs home to a wide
var iety of creatures, Ithaa is a hotbed of mar ine activity.
Crustaceans and sponges live in these reefs, as well as whale
sharks that can grow to a length of 30 feet or more. Groupers,
eels, turtles and snappers are passing visitors as you dine; moray
eels, stingrays, scorpionfish, puffer fish and lobsters might join
them for a turn around your table. Never will you experience
anything like the color, crystal clarity and extraordinary beauty
of the underwater world within arm’s reach of your table.

“Against all odds, Ithaa, the first-ever

all-glass underwater restaurant,
had come into existence.”

Your four-course meal might start with a champagne

cocktail, followed by Sai tea, a Maldivian tea infused with
indigenous plants and herbs. Ithaa offers fusion Maldivian
cuisine, or local cooking with a Western slant. Cold starters
include seared raw yellowfin tuna with a Maldivian fish glaze,
cooked seared lamb loin with tahini, and Maldivian beach grass
with lime, onion and salt. Among the hot starters, you’ll find a
pan-fried, foot-long samosa filled with vegetables, yellow curry
and dried cumin, lollipop ground fish balls with local spices, and
dumplings of deep-fried marinated ground lamb and rice. Main
courses feature grilled Maldivian lobster with reduced vanilla
and mint cream and gratinated with hollandaise sauce; steamed
reef fish; roast rack of lamb with cracked pistachios and Arabian
red powder; and a poached breast of chicken filled with stewed
dates and pickled lime. A bevy of desserts follow, including as-
sorted chocolate-dipped rosewater candies. Prices range from
$120 for lunch to $150 for dinner, depending on your hotel
meal plan. Children are welcome for lunch, but it’s adults-only
for dinner.

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 C o n ra d M a l dives
Section Title
“The first-of-its-kind underwater
suite measures 16.4 feet by 29.5 feet,
ample space in which to enjoy an
evening examining the wonders
surrounding you.”
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www.IndIanrIvergallery.com
antIquItIesCollection
the ultImate selectIon for
the affluent collector thIs
holIday season
After dinner, should you wish to create a night you’ll remember
for the rest of your life, for a price of $11,710 and with 14 days
notice, the restaurant can be converted into a private underwater
suite for two. Between your champagne dinner and breakfast in
bed, the evening is entirely yours; you and your beloved might
as well be the only two people in the universe, noticed only
by the creatures of the deep silently swimming by. With your
“windows” looking out onto the nighttime depths of the Indian
Ocean lit by starlight and moonlight, what more romantic setting
could be imagined?
The first-of-its-kind underwater suite measures 16.4 feet by
29.5 feet, ample space in which to enjoy an evening examining
the wonders surrounding you. Thanks to the aid of scientists, local
coral reefs are rapidly recovering from the bleaching caused by the
extreme high temperatures of El Niño in 1998, which killed more
than two-thirds of the Maldives coral. While you are nestled in
your double bed under the transparent ceiling of Ithaa’s underwater
suite, take time to welcome back the astonishing creatures that live
in these coral reefs.
This celebration of Ithaa’s fifth anniversary is an opportunity that
should be taken sooner rather than later. Due to its unique location,
Ithaa has an expected life span of only 20 years, particularly since
increasing regional sea levels could threaten the very existence of the
Maldives, the lowest country in the world, within the next few decades.
Make your reservations for the underwater suite soon and enjoy
this truly spectacular view from below.
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