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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Read more:
Hotel review: Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Company%20Profile
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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