Ithaa - Dine Under The Sea

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Imagine, slurping your favorite cuisine under the deep blue sea, while shoal of fish entertain you by dancing hay via. Does it seem like a dreamworld? Well! It's, just another interesting innovation by an extraordinary human mind. Explore the world's first undersea restaurant - Ithaa in Maldives

Ithaa, which means 'pearl' in Dhivehi, is the world's premier mostly acrylic undersea restaurant, secured five meters below sea level, at the Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa in Rangalifinolhu, Maldives. This innovative restaurant was created by MJ Murphy Ltd., a design consultancy based in New Zealand - the first of its kind in the world. It is part of a rebuild of Rangalifinolhu Island, one of the twin islands that make up Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa.

Ithaa is reached by a wooden walkway from the nearby over-water Sunset Grill Restaurant. Diners begin their meal with a cocktail on a specially constructed deck over the ocean and then descend to the restaurant by a spiral staircase where the mouthwatering menu is served. The transparent arch, seats 14 people and provides a feeling of being completely at one with the underwater world. The menu in Ithaa
is a blend of local spices and Maldives traditional flavor with a western twist to create a fusion cuisine. It's an attempt to create a fusion cuisine that one could find in the best restaurants in London or New York.

Ithaa is surrounded by a vibrant coral reef and encased in clear acrylic, offering diners 270 degrees of panoramic underwater views. Its distinctive feature is the use of curved transparent acrylic walls and roof, similar to those used in aquarium technology, to put dinners face-to-face with the stunning underwater environment. Ithaa is currently working on a coral garden on the reef to add to the spectacular views of the rays, sharks and many colorful fish that live around the reef near the restaurant.

The acrylic tunnel was first designed for the Kuala Lumpur National Science Centre, which is the world"s largest aquarium tunnel. The total weight of the restaurant when it was lowered into the sea was 175 tons and 85 more tons of sand have been placed inside the belly of the structure to sink it into the sea. The total cost to build Ithaa was around million. The estimated life span of the restaurant is just 20 years, so don't delay book your seats before it becomes a history