Let’s exceed limitations for the getaway of a lifetime. Have you imagined what it’s like to sleep with sea creatures surrounding your dreams in reality? Or dine in a restaurant while a scuba diver casually swims past your window? What about the option to sit above or below the ocean (and still breathe without scuba gear) in mere moments?
Welcome to the first-of-a-kind, class of its own, The Muraka. This luxury two-level residence has a master bedroom submerged over 16-feet below sea level in the Indian Ocean. As part of the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort, Muraka pushes the boundaries of technology and exceeds the limits of average imagination. On a whole other level of class, you’ll choose to arrive by private seaplane or travel from the main resort by private speedboat, which you can use for the duration of your stay, before being escorted along The Muraka jetty by your personal island host.
With accommodation options above and below water, a hybrid exists. Above water, enjoy living and dining areas fitting among the world’s most exclusive residences. Tucked among the tropical greenery on the beach, the 2-bedroom deluxe beach villas feature absolute privacy and exclusivity. Each villa has been architecturally designed to sit in harmony with the natural environment. Senses are awakened here, not overwhelmed. An outdoor deck with an infinity pool and on-call spa treatments complete with a fitness trainer to keep you on track.
Winner of the “Maldives Leading Water Villa Resort 2016”, the Rangali Island villa is equipped with a private sun terrace and a plunge pool. Phenomenal self-improvement titan and author of “Money: Master the Game,” Tony Robbins says he starts every morning with a dip in the jacuzzi followed by a cold plunge. If that truly helps you maximize your day (which, as a Robbins self-love fanatic, I whole-heartedly believe it does), why would your vacation routine be any different?
Let’s make our way down the spiral staircase or elevator to your private underwater aquarium and architectural masterpiece. With a 180-degree curved acrylic dome, the master bedroom features floor-to-ceiling windows. What’s that behind your coat in the closet? It’s another unbelievable view of the ocean habitat.
As you explore the depths of the ocean like never before you’ll direct and star in your own documentary. Discover new perspectives, dive or snorkel with a film crew, and document the vibrant reef beyond the glass walls. Experience the reefs by night and explore the enigmatic dark blue waters. Take in the distinctive glow of plankton and corals, as the shy underwater creatures of the South Ari Atoll come out to play.
This is the vacation beyond your dreams. Treat it that way. Don’t rush the experience, take time to connect with your natural surroundings and find peaceful solitude through meditation, relaxation, and yoga. If high-impact is where it’s at for you, boot camp and circuit classes are available along with beach volleyball, table tennis and power walking.
You’ll reach comfort on a whole other level in The Quiet Zone, an adults-only, open-air bar. Complete with comfy daybeds, chilled music and a beach backdrop, this is the place to drink, dine or do nothing.
Two of life’s truest pleasures are good food and good wine. Prove me wrong. Fantastic tapas, fondue, or a platter of your choice, your table is laden with a selection of cheeses, bread accompaniments and wines at the Cheese and Wine Bar. Featuring nostalgic themes and fresh ingredients from the resort’s hydroponic garden, dip into carnivals, candies and youthful temptations – spiked with your favorite grown-up additions.
If you are of the Foodie genre, get ready for a culinary excursion Amuse-Bouche (term definition: “amuse the mouth”). With your own personal chef 24-hours per day, learn the techniques behind celebrity chef Jereme Leung’s world-renowned delicacies in Ufaa Restaurant’s open-sided kitchen.
Ufaa – which means “happiness” in the Maldivian language of Dhivehi – is an innovative culinary concept featuring flavors from the distinctive cultures and provinces of China. This relaxed restaurant and teahouse serve handmade noodles, dim sum and signature hot pots. (You had us at dim sum.)
The ambiance at Ufaa is relaxed and inspired by the island. Catch up over delicious cuisine and a game of mahjong in the teahouse within the restaurant, notably with communal spaces and private dining rooms. Designed for guests with a penchant for all things refined, select exclusive menus were crafted with produce from the Maldivian surroundings and inspired by Chinese heritage.
The complexity of each dish offers the opportunity to pair your meal with wines, equaled in complexity and excitement. Crafted by passionate sommeliers, the beverage menu complements and elevates your dining experience.
Let’s take it five meters deeper… below the sea that is. Dine five meters below the surface of the ocean, in the world’s first undersea restaurant. With panoramic coral garden views and fusion menus matched with fine wines. Ithaa can be reserved for private dining, weddings and special occasions. (A wedding or a monumental anniversary would be life-changing and memorable here.)
Take al fresco dining to a higher level with one-of-a-kind beach events. Indulge in the company of one another with private dining, or take part in our lively dinners right on the beach. Terracotta skies, glittering water and a personal chef, what more do you need? Enjoy this romantic experience and dine between the sand and the stars. Choose a formal candlelit dinner, or live a castaway dream come-to-life on comfy carpets on the sand.
Every Monday at Deluxe Beach Tip, try local short eats, curries and seafood – accompanied by dips and sauces, handmade by women from our neighboring islands. The evening is complete with traditional palm leaf weaving and a Bodu Beru performance at Rangali Bar.
Relaxed dining is available on the white sands of the Deluxe Beach where you choose from a selection of freshly caught local fish, seafood and prime cuts, accompanied by free-flowing beer, soft drinks and the sommelier’s choice of wine.
On Saturday’s a bountiful seafood feast, featuring Maldivian lobsters and shellfish caught off the resort’s shores. Dine above patches of coral and spot the occasional reef shark or stingray passing by beneath. The evening is complemented by free-flowing Ruinart Champagne and live entertainment.
There’s so much to sea and do here (pun intended). Cultural hotspots, diving and snorkeling are among the highlights. Visiting the Maldives is an experience, a journey that will touch your soul. A journey that you can indulge yourself in, and an opportunity to splurge on your mind, body and soul. Resort spas not only match the luxurious environs and the classy touches of their cozy bungalows and sexy villas. Spas in Maldives are an experience in themselves. Sprawling garden spas, with massage rooms merged into their lush tropical surroundings, or one built on stilts over the crystalline waters of the lagoon, it’s for you to choose. Immerse yourself in meditation. Just you and the boundless blue horizon, where the endless sea merges into the sky, with not a speck that distracts you from your mind.
Sound good? Let’s go.
By Michelle Keller