An Actual Underwater Villa is Coming to The Maldives

Move over, overwater bungalows. Sleeping beneath sea level in an underwater villa is the latest travel experience that needs to be bumped to the top of your travel bucket list.

On Tuesday, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island revealed that they are building a new undersea residence immersed 16.4 feet under the Indian Ocean that is expected to open in November 2018 and cost $50,000 for a one-night stay (approx £3,500).

The new underwater villa will be called the Muraka, which means coral in Dhivehi, the local language in the Maldives.

Designed by Ahmed Saleem, the director at Crown Company, and built by Mike Murphy, the leading engineer at M J Murphy Ltd., a New Zealand-based company that specialises in aquarium technology, the new underwater villa will have two stories—one located above sea level and a bedroom suite designed so you can sleep under the sea.

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“The world’s first undersea residence encourages guests to explore the Maldives from an entirely new perspective below the surface of the sea,” Saleem said in a statement. “Through our rich history of being a trailblazer in innovative luxury hospitality, we are proud to remain at the forefront of cutting-edge design, technology and architecture.”

The undersea level will provide panoramic views of the surrounding ocean from the king-size bedroom, living area and bathroom.

“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,” Stefano Ruzza, General Manager at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, said in a statement.

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A spiral staircase leads upstairs to the upper level where you’ll not only find a king-size bedroom, living room, kitchen and bar, but also a twin-size bedroom, bathroom, powder room, gym and dining area with a deck that is situated for optimal sunset views. There’s also room for butler’s quarters and space for a private security detail to sleep. In total, the underwater villa can accommodate up to nine guests.

More into sunrises? On the other side of the villa there is a relaxation deck facing east that comes with its very own infinity pool.

The underwater hotel rooms are a first for Conrad Maldives, but they know a thing or two about building under the sea. The resort's Ithaa Undersea Restaurant, which opened 13 years ago, is located more than 16 feet under the ocean's surface and has views of the surrounding coral garden.

Even though several other hotels around the world including Dubai’s Atlantis, the Palm have underwater suites that look out onto aquarium, Conrad Maldives believes the Muraka will be the world’s first undersea villa.

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While Dubai-based real estate and property management company Kleindienst Group announced plans in 2015 to open an archipelago of 125 floating villaswith underwater bedrooms called “The Heart of Europe” off the coast of Dubai, so far only three of them have been completed. Of those three, one sank in January 2018, while another toppled into the sea while being transported and the third must be supported by sandbags to keep it upright, according to local news reports.

From: Harper's BAZAAR UK