Dining in an unusual ambience has always been an exciting trial, whether be it with your family or with your special someone. Consenting the taste, the world is full of such spots like this, where the food is served with a side of something extra – sand in your toes, a hidden courtyard, fresh alpine air, volcano views and here adds another one – under the sea, while you watch the marine life swim by ! Isn’t it exciting ?
Yes, Maldives has got a restaurant called Ithaa, where you literally get to dine under the sea ! And the ambience is absolutely exceptional !
Carrying the slogan of World’s first undersea restaurant, Ithaa is seated 16 feet below the sea level. With 180-degree panoramic views of the sea life, this restaurant offers a lifetime experience to its visitors for sure. Just imagine the thrill of dining along with the sight of some colourful reef fish, sharks, and turtles swimming around you !
But, the restaurant has got an arrangement for only 14 people to dine at a time and its dinner is priced at US$400 per person. Because of the hotel’s limited seats, guests are requested to ensure their bookings before their embarkations. The restaurant has a got a dress code also, which is smart-casual and you are expected to walk bare feet on its wooden flooring.
Now you must be thinking how possibly such a structure could be made under the sea ? All credits in this regard goes to the Southeast Asian country of Singapore. The hotel’s construction work began in May 2004, on a dry land of Singapore and it took 5 to 6 months to be completed. On November 1, 2004, Ithaa was lifted onto an ocean-going barge to be transported to the Maldives, which took 16 days to arrive. At this point, Ithaa weighed 175 tonnes. Then it was carefully dropped into the ocean with an additional 80 tons of sand ballast to make it sink.
Awarding this superhuman effort, Ithaa was rated ‘the most beautiful restaurant in the world’ by the New York Daily News in 2014. The designing cost of the restaurant was approximately $5 million !
Ithaa is a part of The Muraka Hotel, which is connected to Conrad Maldives Rangali Island. ‘Muraka’ means ‘coral’ and The Muraka Hotel is as unique as its name. On your arrival at the Island, you will be welcomed with open arms to dive in to experience this heaven under water. With ocean-facing bathrooms, an underwater bedroom and other 5-star facilities such as a private gym, the beauty of this place is just beyond words. The resort covers miles of fine white sand beaches and will offer you numerous Instagramable moments !
Ithaa – the under water heaven is not only confine to the visual opulence, but with its Maldivian and International cuisine it also satiates its guests’ tastebuds. The menu here is loaded with non-veg dishes such as Agnolotti of duck, Yellowfin tuna, Angus beef with truffles etc. And yes, vegetarians do not have to get disappointed, as the restaurant has ample of vegiterian dishes as well.
Coming to the restaurant’s dessert section, it has many incredible and unique offerings. Honey roasted pumpkin cheesecake served with almond milk is a must-try. In addition, you should not miss tasting some of their exotic dishes like Bolivian cru Sauvage chocolate and kaffir lime panna cotta, which is a coconut and chocolate-infused dessert.
