The Maldives is set to become home to the world’s largest underwater restaurant, with the opening of a luxury, five-star, adults-only resort. When the Hurawalhi Island Resort opens this November, one of its attractions will be the “5.8” undersea restaurant named after its watery location: The unusual dining destination is set 5.8 meters (i.e. 18 feet) below a lagoon. To visit the restaurant, guests enter a little hut on the jetty and climb down a spiral staircase.
The restaurant, which seats up to 16, will allow diners to take in their marine surroundings through a transparent, domed ceiling as they enjoy a multi-course tasting menu.
If the concept sounds familiar, that’s because The Maldives is already home to the world’s first undersea restaurant, the Ithaa Undersea Restaurant at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort, a big sister property to Hurawalhi.
Likewise, the Hurawalhi restaurant is being designed by the same architects MJ Murphy, who specialize in aquarium designs. Built in New Zealand over 10 months, the 410-ton megastructure traveled to The Maldives by cargo ship and was lowered into the sea earlier this spring.
Overseeing the resort’s cuisine is executive chef Shannon Batten, a New Zealander who has cooked for Bill Clinton, the British royals, Rod Stewart, Bob Geldof, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, and foreign heads of state.
The resort features 90 villas that come with modern conveniences like king-size beds, air conditioning, internet access, private porches, and flatscreen TVs. Hurawalhi Island Resort and Spa is located in the Lhaviyani Atoll. Watch “5.8” being lowered into the sea below. —Relaxnews
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