Sleep with the fishes in the world’s first underwater villa

THE MURAKA

Travelers heading to the Maldives will soon be able to spend their entire vacation under the waves, if they wish.

Recommended Videos

The tiny Indian Ocean country already lets you dine in the depths of the deep blue sea, and later this year you’ll be able to book a room there, too.

Brought to you by the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort, the residence is said to be the first of its kind in the world.

It’ll be called “Muraka,” which means “coral” in the local language of the Maldives, will be able to accommodate up to nine guests. The undersea residence aims to offer “an intimate and immersive experience of one of the Earth’s most breathtaking marine environments,” Conrad Hotels & Resorts said in a release.

It adds: “Muraka is designed to blend into its environment, giving guests’ unparalleled views of the Indian Ocean at every turn. With vibrant colors and a diverse array of marine life all around, Muraka’s residents will be able to sleep alongside the wonders of the abundant and colorful marine life that inhabit the sea.”

The residence is designed as a two-level structure with space above sea level as well as below. Five meters (16.4 feet) beneath the waves, you’ll find a king-size bedroom, living area, bathroom, and spiral staircase that leads to the upper-level living room.

Views from the bedroom promise to be stunning, with the 180-degree transparent surrounds offering panoramic views of the Maldives’ rich, marine environment, as shown below.

(PRNewsfoto/Conrad Maldives Rangali Island) Conrad Hotels & Resorts

The upper level, meanwhile, offers a twin-size bedroom, bathroom, gym, butler’s quarters, private security quarters, integrated living room, kitchen, bar, and dining area, as well as a deck “that purposely faces the direction of the sunset for optimal viewing pleasure.”

On the opposite side of the villa guests will find a relaxation deck that faces the direction of sunrise, which you can enjoy while immersed in the deck’s infinity pool.

If that wasn’t enough, the upper level also features an additional king-size bedroom, together with a bathroom with an ocean-facing bathtub.

“Driven by our inspiration to deliver innovative and transformative experiences to our global travelers, the world’s first undersea residence encourages guests to explore the Maldives from an entirely new perspective below the surface of the sea,” said Ahmed Saleem, chief architect and designer of the undersea residence.

Prices for a stay at the Muraka have yet to be revealed, but it’s safe to say that most of us will need a lottery win to have any chance of staying there.

Editors' Recommendations

Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Synthetic spider silk could help solve the world’s plastic pollution problems

There’s no doubt that Earth has a plastic problem. The total amount of plastic thrown away each year is enough to circle the Earth four times. Americans alone throw away some 35 billion plastic bottles every 12 months. Could spider silk help?

That might sound like a non-sequitur, but it doesn’t have to remain that way. In Finland, researchers from Aalto University and the VTT Technical Research Center have developed a new nature-inspired material which could one day be used to replace nondegrading plastics. The material, which possesses firm and resilient properties similar to plastic, is made from wood cellulose fibers and the silk protein found in spider web threads.

Read more
Future underwater robots could charge their batteries by eating fish poop

The U.S. Navy is interested in underwater robots which could be used for a wide range of applications, from surveillance missions to carrying out inspection or exploration tasks. But, just as is the case with airborne drones, underwater robots face one of their biggest challenges in the limited amount of battery life that they possess. This severely limits certain possibilities, particularly when it comes to long-haul missions which require them to stay submerged for lengthy periods of time.

Fortunately, a solution may be on hand -- and while it’s far from glamorous, it could nonetheless prove to be a game-changer for swimming robots when their power reserves run low. The idea: To utilize microbial fuel cells which feed on organic matter on the seabed. In practical terms, what this means is that it would power itself by chowing down on fish poop.

Read more
How to format the microSD card on Tapo security cameras

One of the most compelling features of Tapo products (like the Wire-Free 2K Outdoor Cam and Indoor/Outdoor Cam) is support for local storage. Many Tapo security cameras let you install a microSD card, so you don't have to rely on cloud storage to save all your videos – instead, they're neatly stored right on your camera. Before you can start using local storage, however, you'll need to format your microSD card. Tapo has some pretty strict requirements for how this works, but the process itself is remarkably simple.

Ready to start saving all your video clips locally? Here's how to format the microSD card on your Tapo security camera.

Read more