The Maldives has a new luxury hideaway offering the ultimate in tropical pampering and pottering
It’s not uncommon for diners at nearby tables in restaurants, or new arrivals on the way to their seats, to appraise your selection as the waiter places it before you. But it’s quite something else to have your perfectly cooked fish surveyed by its own brethren from the flood-lit waters encompassing your intimate perch on the bed of a lagoon.
This is 5.8 Undersea Restaurant, the signature eatery of Hurawalhi, the latest luxury retreat in the Maldives, and the dining experience is as captivating as the vibrant congregation ducking and weaving beyond the glass.
As the name suggests, we’re dining nearly six metres under the shimmering surface of Lhaviyani Atoll’s pristine lagoon, a 40-minute flight in the resort’s own seaplane from the archipelago’s international airport on the main island of Malé.
While underwater dining is not a new experience in the Maldives—a destination that counts a brunch hot spot, a jazz club and even a spa among its underwater venues—5.8 trumps them with the imaginative cuisine of shy German chef de cuisine Bjoern van den Oever, a veteran of Michelin-starred kitchens.
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His degustation menu, packed with flavour and innovation and paired with excellent wines, is served to no more than 10 couples per sitting in the intimate setting.
It’s all very sophisticated, but that’s what you’d expect from an unapologetically adults-only, all-inclusive retreat. With its world-class dining and crisp, intelligent service, Hurawalhi sets itself apart from many of the sun-kissed settings of the sprawling Indian Ocean nation.
But most important is the resort’s ability to keep other people’s little darlings out of the picture. The barring of children under 15 leaves beaches free of sand castles, mealtimes undisturbed by temper tantrums, and long, lazy mornings uninterrupted by ear-piercing squeals to savour.
