The Muraka at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island brings the bedroom below the surface of the Indian Ocean while keeping much of the residence above water. Announced in 2018 as a $15 million project, the two-level villa placed its underwater suite about 16.4 feet, or five metres, below sea level. The resort announced its opening in November 2018. It was conceived as a place to stay, sleep and spend time beneath the water, extending an idea the resort had already explored with its underwater restaurant.
Named the Muraka — or “coral” in the Maldives’ local language Dhivehi — it aims to provide guests who travel here with an “intimate and immersive experience of one of the Earth’s most breathtaking marine environments.”
The residence includes a gym, bar, infinity pool and butler’s quarters. An ocean-facing bathtub continues the connection with the water above the surface, while the submerged bedroom offers the most unusual outlook.
A spiral staircase connects the levels, and the resort also lists a private elevator. Below the surface, the bedroom sits within a curved acrylic enclosure, with adjoining spaces that continue the view into the surrounding water. The 2018 design description gave an upper-level area of 550 square metres and an underwater area of 102 square metres. Above, decks face the changing light across the ocean; below, the view comes from looking outward through the transparent structure.
Introducing the project in 2018, then-general manager Stefano Ruzza said: “We are excited to present Muraka’s unique sleeping under the sea experience to our future guests, providing them with an extraordinary seascape of the Maldives from an entirely new perspective.”
Early publicity described capacity for nine guests; the resort’s property listing now specifies eight guests across three ensuite bedrooms, two above water and one below. Underwater design specialists M.J. Murphy Ltd were involved in the project, following their work on the resort’s Ithaa restaurant. Ithaa opened in 2005, thirteen years before The Muraka’s debut, giving the residence a predecessor on the same property.
The villa was designed like Ithaa, with a curved acrylic dome possessing a 180-degree panoramic view of the encircling marine life.
The Muraka belongs to a small and varied group of accommodation designs that place water on the other side of a bedroom window. Other examples cited in contemporary coverage included the Manta Resort’s three-level underwater room near Pemba Island, aquarium-facing suites at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai, and two-storey Ocean Suites at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore. These offer different settings: an aquarium is a managed display, while a room submerged offshore looks into the surrounding sea. Conrad markets The Muraka as an undersea residence, a description that reflects its combination of bedrooms, living areas and private facilities rather than a claim that no underwater room existed before it.
Ahmed Saleem, the chief architect and designer of the submerged residence, said: “Through our rich history of being a trailblazer in innovative luxury hospitality, we are proud to remain at the forefront of cutting-edge design, technology, and architecture.”
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island occupies two islands connected by a footbridge in Alif Dhaal Atoll. At The Muraka’s launch, the resort described twelve restaurants and bars, including Ithaa, and two spas. The residence was introduced within that established resort, with access to a wider set of dining and leisure facilities beyond its own rooms.
The property opened as Hilton Maldives Resort and Spa in 1997, marking Hilton’s entry into the Maldivian market. The later Conrad identity and underwater projects form successive chapters in the resort’s development.
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, Rangali Island, Rangali 20077, Maldives; +960 668-0629
An underwater room looks into a living setting
The underwater bedroom changes the direction of an ordinary sea view. Instead of looking down from a balcony or across a beach, guests look through the dome into water surrounding the room. The 180-degree curve extends that view above the bed as well as to either side. The resort also describes floor-to-ceiling windows in the underwater bathroom and walk-in closet, plus a separate viewing tunnel. These spaces offer different viewpoints within the same submerged level.
Above water, the layout opens onto an infinity pool and sunrise and sunset decks. Moving between the two levels is therefore part of the architectural experience: the horizon, outdoor air and open deck give way to an enclosed room with marine life beyond its walls. The attraction is the change in perspective, rather than a promise that a particular animal will appear outside at a particular time.
Two levels with different views
The residence combines an unusual bedroom with the facilities of a private villa: living and dining areas, a kitchen and bar, gym, butler accommodation and a dedicated arrival jetty. These features explain the emphasis on the word residence. A group can share the property while sleeping in different settings, with only one of its three bedrooms below water.
That arrangement is useful to understand when looking at the photographs. A picture of the submerged master bedroom does not mean every bed has the same underwater outlook. Likewise, a view of the pool shows the above-water portion of the property, not a second underwater space. The two levels work together as one accommodation. The opening marked the completion of a specific hospitality project in 2018; its design can be appreciated through the relationship between those spaces, the transparent dome and the surrounding ocean.
Further reading: Conrad Maldives: The Muraka.
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