The Conrad Maldives underwater suite makes a grand splash.

When you first see the entryway to Ithaa, you may be disappointed. A small, thatched hut located at the edge of the Indian Ocean in the Republic of Maldives, the structure hardly looks like a portal to an underwater world. Yet that is precisely what it is.

However, let’s go back to the beginning. The Crown Company owns Rangali Island, one of the uninhabited islands of the Republic of Maldives, located in the Indian Ocean and composed of a double chain of 26 atolls. Rangali is connected by a 1,640-foot bridge to its neighboring island, Rangalifinolhu. Together, these islands form the Conrad Maldives Resort and Spa.

In February 2004, Crown Company selected Mike Murphy of M.J. Murphy Ltd., a design consultancy based in New Zealand, to design and supervise the construction of a revolutionary underwater restaurant. Murphy proposed a design based on his company’s 16-foot-wide acrylic tunnel, a design concept which had been used to great acclaim in the National Science Centre Aquarium in Kuala Lumpur. Initially, Murphy planned to construct the restaurant on the beach of Rangali, after which the construction would be carefully winched down into the water on rails. Technical concerns were raised, however, and the restaurant was ultimately built in Singapore. It was named Ithaa, meaning pearl in Dhivehi, or Maldivian, the national language of the Maldives.

Throughout the summer and fall of 2004, its steel structure was built and painted, concrete ballast was added and acrylic arches were installed, along with air conditioning.

On Nov. 1, 2004, with construction completed, Ithaa was transported by an ocean-going barge to the Maldives. After a 16-day voyage, the restaurant, constructed of R-Cast™ acrylic and weighing 175 tons, arrived. Over the course of one day, 15 Maldivian men loaded an additional 85 tons of sand ballast into the belly of the structure.

On Nov. 19, 2004, the entire creation was sunk into the sea and secured to four steel piles that had been vibro-hammered into the seabed 16 feet below. The next day, divers poured concrete into the piles to lock Ithaa into place. Crown Company then built a connecting jetty that would serve as the entrance to the amazing underwater restaurant. Remarkably, these stairs withstood the impact of the terrible tsunami that struck the region in December 2004.

Against all odds, Ithaa, the first-ever all-glass underwater restaurant, had come into existence, and on April 15, 2005, it proudly opened its doors for business. Now enjoying its fifth year, Ithaa inhabits a world like no other. Reachable only by a spiral staircase that descends to a 16-foot depth from a thatched roof pavilion at the end of a jetty, its transparent acrylic roof and curved sides provide a 270-degree panoramic view of the wonders of the Indian Ocean. Tables for two are lined up one behind another on either side of the transparent walls. With a seating limit of 14 (if you are counting human beings), it is intimate. However, outside in the crystal blue water, the count is limitless. Surrounded by glorious, live coral reefs home to a wide variety of creatures, Ithaa is a hotbed of marine activity. Crustaceans and sponges live in these reefs, as well as whale sharks that can grow to a length of 30 feet or more. Groupers, eels, turtles and snappers are passing visitors as you dine; moray eels, stingrays, scorpionfish, puffer fish and lobsters might join them for a turn around your table. Never will you experience anything like the color, crystal clarity and extraordinary beauty of the underwater world within arm’s reach of your table.

Your four-course meal might start with a champagne cocktail, followed by Sai tea, a Maldivian tea infused with indigenous plants and herbs. Ithaa offers fusion Maldivian cuisine, or local cooking with a Western slant. Cold starters include seared raw yellowfin tuna with a Maldivian fish glaze, cooked seared lamb loin with tahini, and Maldivian beach grass with lime, onion and salt. Among the hot starters, you’ll find a pan-fried, foot-long samosa filled with vegetables, yellow curry and dried cumin, lollipop ground fish balls with local spices, and dumplings of deep-fried marinated ground lamb and rice. Main courses feature grilled Maldivian lobster with reduced vanilla and mint cream and gratinated with hollandaise sauce; steamed reef fish; roast rack of lamb with cracked pistachios and Arabian red powder; and a poached breast of chicken filled with stewed dates and pickled lime. A bevy of desserts follow, including assorted chocolate-dipped rosewater candies. Prices range from $120 for lunch to $150 for dinner, depending on your hotel meal plan. Children are welcome for lunch, but it’s adults-only for dinner.

After dinner, should you wish to create a night you’ll remember for the rest of your life, for a price of $11,710 and with 14 days notice, the restaurant can be converted into a private underwater suite for two. Between your champagne dinner and breakfast in bed, the evening is entirely yours; you and your beloved might as well be the only two people in the universe, noticed only by the creatures of the deep silently swimming by. With your “windows” looking out onto the nighttime depths of the Indian Ocean lit by starlight and moonlight, what more romantic setting could be imagined?

The first-of-its-kind underwater suite measures 16.4 feet by 29.5 feet, ample space in which to enjoy an evening examining the wonders surrounding you. Thanks to the aid of scientists, local coral reefs are rapidly recovering from the bleaching caused by the extreme high temperatures of El Niño in 1998, which killed more than two-thirds of the Maldives coral. While you are nestled in your double bed under the transparent ceiling of Ithaa’s underwater suite, take time to welcome back the astonishing creatures that live in these coral reefs.

This celebration of Ithaa’s fifth anniversary is an opportunity that should be taken sooner rather than later. Due to its unique location, Ithaa has an expected life span of only 20 years, particularly since increasing regional sea levels could threaten the very existence of the Maldives, the lowest country in the world, within the next few decades. Make your reservations for the underwater suite soon and enjoy this truly spectacular view from below.

Conrad Hotels & Resorts, 960.668.0629, www.conradhotels1.hilton.com

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