No, Maldives is not a dish. It is a tiny Asian nation comprising of hundreds of small islands in the Indian Ocean. It is also home to one of the most amazing beaches in the world with crystal-clear blue water full of beautiful marine life. It houses a sizable tourism industry, and now it is going to be home to the biggest underwater hotel in the world giving breathtaking views from underwater. The Hurawalhi resort will have this worthy addition and boost the beautiful little tourist attraction of the area to new heights.
The resort is located in Lhaviyani Atoll of the Maldives archipelago and is currently under-construction. When completed, the hotel will offer fifteen 105-square feet underground villas to tourists to come and enjoy the views around the place. Each villa will have luxurious interiors, private sun decks and offer incredible views of the ocean and the sunset over Maldivian skies. None of them will be underwater as only the restaurant portion will be submerged. It is composed of a steel base with an acrylic dome and offer views to over 24 people upon completion. Food, however, will be prepared on land as expected and taken down via a stairwell which provides access to the restaurant via a jetty in the vicinity. It will also be possible to hold weddings, social events and even use it as a honeymoon suite. Can you imagine that?
There has been a previous example in the country with Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Resort that is also put to a similar use. However, the Hurawalhi will be bigger and much more submerged in water. Interestingly, the submarine restaurant was constructed in New Zealand and not in Maldives and just getting it to the right place was a feat of engineering itself. Logistics company GAC explains that the delivery of the underground unit alone took 12 months and four trucks to accomplish. It was transported via a huge shipping vessel to come to Maldives. Once it arrived at the destination, it took a dedicated team of engineers, divers and workmen to install it under 5.8-meter depth. The construction took almost ten months itself and both the restaurant and hotel and due to be opened later this year.