In the Maldives you sleep and eat under water

How about a vacation below sea level without getting wet? On the Maldives there are unusual offers - from a spa to a suite under water.

Although the first luxury resorts were established late in the Maldives, this segment has grown particularly strongly in recent years. Today, about one in four of the 100 or so hotel islands specializes in luxury, with exquisitely appointed bungalows, private pools, spas and fine cuisine.

An exquisite hideaway has to come up with something if it wants to stand out from the competition. The trend is to offer something special. Some rely on resort-owned luxury yachts or personal butler service. Others are looking for something out of the ordinary - and have gone below sea level to do it.

We took a closer look at four special ideas that caught our eye. What they have in common is that you can go below sea level without diving, without snorkeling, without even getting your feet wet.

Underwater Restaurant "Itaah", Rangali, Ari Atoll

Unique - that's a rather overused term. Truly unique, however, is the world's first underwater restaurant: dining among fish. It is located in the Maldives, in the lagoon of the " Conrad Maldives Rangali Resort ". And it is indeed completely underwater. Even its roof is two and a half meters below the water surface.

The "Itaah" restaurant, which translates as mother-of-pearl, is not a building with just a few peep windows. Rather, the arched, 12.5-centimeter-thick Plexiglas roof that extends to the floor offers a 180-degree panoramic view of the underwater world. You feel like you're right in the middle of it, and you are.

If you want to dine among coral and schools of snapper, soldier fish and mackerel, you should make reservations in advance, at least 14 days in advance. The restaurant is a hit, with guests coming from all over the world.

Certainly also because the cuisine can keep up with the spectacular ambience. The four-course lunch menu as well as the five-course dinner offer excellent Maldivian-Western fusion cuisine, accompanied by wines.

For those willing to spend upwards of $10,000 for an overnight stay - the underwater restaurant "Ithaa" can be refurnished into a private, spacious underwater suite upon request. After all, the price includes a champagne dinner and breakfast ...

Underwater restaurant "Itaah" on Rangali, Ari Atoll: The 4-course lunch menu costs $195, the 5-course dinner menu in the evening costs $385, www.conradhotels.com

Underwater Spa, Huvafen Fushi, North Male Atoll

Sensory delights also await below the waterline at Huvafen Fushi. And no one needs to dive for that. As one of the younger hotel resorts in the Maldives, they've also created a unique attraction here to stand out. In times when spa and wellness have become a matter of course, a spa hardly makes a splash. But the "world's first underwater spa" does.

It begins at the end of a wooden walkway, in the middle of the turquoise lagoon. On their stilts, the wooden bungalows seem to float above the water. Thanks to large glass panes, you are also visually very close to the element of water.

The center of the wellness temple is reached by descending a staircase illuminated by rainbow-colored light effects to the seabed. In the spacious treatment room, panoramic windows provide a view of the underwater world. Deep relaxation in its purest form!

Underwater spa on Huvafen Fushi, North Male Atoll, a 60-minute massage costs from US$95, www.huvafenfushi.com

Submarine Tours Rangali, Ari Atoll

Painted orange-red and white like a clownfish, plus a cuddly futuristic design that could have come from a space cartoon. But "Nemo", the name of the submarine measuring just under four meters in length, is a piece of solid German engineering. Thus, on closer inspection, the diving dwarf makes a very professional impression.

The first version was successfully put into service a few years ago at Lake Helene in Brandenburg. The new Nemo N100 submarine was built by the German company Nemo Tauchtouristik based in Frankfurt (Oder) exclusively for the "Conrad Maldives Rangali Island" and has been in service there since December 2010. According to the luxury resort, this makes it the only location in the world outside Germany to offer submarine dives to guests.

Nemo can dive up to 30 meters deep and has room for three people: Two passengers and a captain. Short briefing from the pilot, take a seat in the back, close the three acrylic domes - and off you go on a dive to the coral reef. The domes provide the passengers with a 360-degree panoramic view of the passing underwater world.

Submarine Nemo on Rangali, Ari Atoll: The 30-minute dive trip with the submarine costs $495. Info: www.nemo-100.de and www.subaqua-divecenter.com

Wine cellar Manafaru, Haa Alifu Atoll

Considering that the Maldives rise a maximum of just two meters above sea level, a full-fledged underground wine cellar, with a restaurant to boot, is something special in the island kingdom. The hotel "The Beach House at Manafaru Maldives", which belongs to the Waldorf Astoria Collection, has such a wine cellar.

Even if one does not see it in the wine cellar because of its situation in the island center - here the wines are stored and tasted two and a half meters below the sea level. Treasures are usually stored underground, and the wine cellar is a kind of treasure trove.

At the evening wine dinner in "The Cellar," sealed off from tropical heat and constantly cooled to 14 degrees Celsius, there is not only the right wine for each course, but also explanations from sommelier Kamal Malik. Blind tastings round off the seminar (with lots of tips on which of the wines goes with which food and why) - after a five-hour dinner under the sea.

A wine cellar dinner costs from $230 per person for a five-course meal with accompanying wines, Wine Cellar on Manafaru, www.beachhousemaldives.com

Accommodation: "Conrad Maldives Rangali Resort", South Ari Atoll: 7 nights Beach Villa with breakfast including flight and seaplane transfer from 3394 euros, www.sub-aqua.de ;

Huvafen Fushi Maldives, North Male Atoll: 7 nights Beach Villa with breakfast including flight and transfer from 2546 Euro, "Beach House Maldives", Manafaru Island, Haa Alifu Atoll: 8 nights in a water bungalow with breakfast including flight and transfer from 2689 Euro