The visitors to the Conrad Maldives, Rangali Island resort, can now book an underwater hotel villa for themselves. The villa is named Muraka, and it features an expansive curved acrylic roof and allows the guests to sleep underwater with a view of the ocean. The Muraka villa is located near the Ithaa underwater restaurant which was designed by the same team. It has a similar design like the restaurant and consists of a large suite above the water and a smaller one underneath.
It can accommodate up to nine guests. The upper portion of the suite is indeed luxurious, however, the lower level is the one where everyone would want to stay in. The smaller suite is situated 5 meters under the water and can be reached by elevator or spiral staircase. The lower level has a master suite with one bedroom, bathroom, and a lounge. There is a curved acrylic dome window which offers a view of the marine life. The bathroom also has a window to provide the views so that while you are in the toilet, you don’t miss out on a spectacular view.
The underwater section of Muraka weighed around 600 tons and was built on terra firma and then sunk into the position using a crane. The interior was handled by Yuji Yamazaki (YYA) and was kept muted to reduce the glare. The floor has a silk carpet, and the whole idea is to focus on the view as much as you can. YYA said, “People don’t go to a theater to see the theater, they are there for the show. We had to make sure that the guests can have underwater views from every vantage point of the room. More than 75 percent of the wall, ceiling surfaces are made of clear acrylic. The glare and reflection on clear acrylic had to be minimized, and views to the ocean had to be secured. We also wanted to give a sense of comfort. We looked at many interior designs from a private jet to classic Italian luxury cars, from which we learned about good details in confined spaces.”
This is not the first underwater accommodation, and there are others called Manta Resort and the Aquarium de Paris’ underwater bedroom. However, the Muraka is perhaps the most impressive one till date. According to Designboom, a night’s stay at the Muraka underwater villa will cost you $50,000.
