Underwater Restaurant

Ithaa, which means pearl in Dhivehi, is a mostly acrylic undersea restaurant secured five metres below sea level at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island in Rangalifinolhu, Maldives. The five-by-nine meter restaurant has a capacity of 14 people and is encased in R-Cast acrylic which is a transparent acrylic roof offering 270° panoramic view. The restaurant was designed and constructed by M.J. Murphy Ltd. – a design consultancy based in New Zealand – and was opened on April 15, 2005. Meals range in cost from US$120.00 (lunch for hotel guests on Full Board meal plan) to US$150.00 (dinner for hotel guests on Bed & Breakfast meal plan).

Ithaa’s entrance is a spiral staircase in a thatched pavilion at the end of a jetty. The tsunami which followed the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake topped out at 0.31m below the staircase entrance, and caused no damage to the restaurant.

In April 2010, it was made possible to sleep in Ithaa for the night at a rate of US$11,710 per night. Ithaa continues to operate as a restaurant but could be closed for one evening for guests wishing to stay overnight.