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Anantara Kihavah Villas entices with award-winning gourmet dining 6 metres underwater

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Maldives.net.mv – With 79 grandiose one bedroom pool villas and expansive residences unravelling over two, three and four bedrooms, the best underwater restaurant on earth and a 3:1 staff-guest ratio, Anantara Kihavah Villas in the Baa Atoll UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve is one of the Maldives most resplendent resorts. For the ultimate adventures above and below the water, guests staying here go from their luxurious Over Water Pool Villa with glass-bottomed bathtubs to an underwater restaurant, aptly named SEA, for award-winning gourmet dining and degustation dinners.

Dining at sea

The mirrored interior reflects the surrounding Indian Ocean marine life as you dine on European cuisine and indulge in paired wine suggestions from the resident Wine Guru. Voted by World Travel Awards 2015 as the World’s Best Underwater Hotel Restaurant, SEA doubles as a restaurant and the world’s only underwater wine cellar, with coveted 360 labels in its collection.

“This incredible restaurant offers the unreal experience of dining underwater—no diving gear necessary,” explains General Manager Jean-Marc Ma-Poon. “We’re very honoured and proud to have been acknowledged by World Travel Awards as the World’s Best Underwater Hotel Restaurant. Our underwater dining adventure is right in the heart of Baa Atoll and the only one in the world on the edge of a natural reef. With more than 100 species of marine life swimming around, no matter what the time of day it is, guests can be sure of great views, with delicious cuisine and an enviable wine selection as well!”

SEA serves lunch and dinner, as well as breakfast on request, while taking in the 360-degree view of the Indian Ocean’s mesmerizing marine life around you. Four-course degustation menus are served under the winning combination of Senior Wine Guru Nilesh Bootun’s expertise of varietals and vines, and the culinary ‘Haute & Nouvelle Cuisine’ experience of the resort’s new Executive Chef, Lamberto Valdez.

Anantara Kihavah Villas

Imbibing with the finest

Where else can you tour the vineyards of the world six metres underwater? For the second consecutive year, Anantara Kihavah Villa’s acclaimed underwater restaurant SEA received the prestigious three star accolade from World of Fine Wines Magazine. In the publication’s World’s Best Wine Lists, over 4,000 restaurants from around the globe were considered for the awards, with just 896 restaurants bestowed a one, two, or three-star accolade, and only 300 wine lists making it into the top three-star category.

The wine awards have quickly become some of the most prestigious awards within the restaurant community. According to World Sommelier Champion Gerard Bassett, the awards are the pinnacle for a restaurant wine list: “These exciting new global awards are rapidly becoming as coveted as Michelin Stars.” The esteemed panel of senior judges this year included some of the

world’s greatest experts, including Alder Yarrow, Elin McCoy, Ch’ng Poh Tiong, Andrew Jefford, Andreas Larsson, Francis Percival, Tom Stevenson and The World of Fine Wine Editor Neil Beckett.

The World of Fine Wines publication comments, “Few restaurants in the world can claim to offer its guests a view as distractingly gorgeous as that offered by Sea Underwater Wine Cellar and Restaurant […] In such a setting, the food and wine needs to be special if it’s to be anything more than a supporting player. But a glance at the fine international cuisine and extensive collection of bottles suggests a remarkable gastronomic as well as visual spectacle—a spectacle where Michel Picard Puligny-Montrachet 2010 is matched with Atlantic salmon mi-cuit, crisp potatoes galette, snow peas trendrils, and an orange and miso reduction.”

Anantara Kihavah’s Senior Wine Guru, Nilesh Bootun, takes great pride and pleasure sharing his passion for wines says, “Our Wine List enables oenophiles to embark in a journey with amazing adventures from Old World to New World by discovering some prestigious selection among 360 labels, handpicked from 20 renowned wine producing countries including the new horizons such as India, China, Thailand and Turkey. Personal taste always varies from each individual but the preference of enjoying young wines (ready to drink) to vintage treasures (at their peak) would be definitely possible with the 90 year of wine history (from 1924 to 2014) having a selection from each decade.”

 

Dreaming over the ocean

Also voted by World Travel Awards 2015 as the Leaving Villa Resort in the Maldives, poised over a lagoon with sweeping ocean views are 40 Over Water Pool Villas, arranged in a grand circular formation and interlinked by an overwater bicycle pathway. A tall arched doorway reveals vaulted ceilings and dark hardwood floors, leading to the main bedroom where each villas opens up onto a wraparound deck, and it’s there that Anantara Kihavah Villas epitomises Maldivian luxury. Furnished with a queen-size daybed that swings from the ceiling, hammocks that hang over the lagoon and a ladder that drops you straight into the water, this is where your dreams take a holiday.

The piece de resistance, however, is found in the bathroom. Fronted by floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors with step-through access to an oversize plunge pool, it features a glass shower with intricately engraved doors and sweeping Indian Ocean views, an outdoor rainforest shower, his and hers vanities, a cream chaise lounge and a glass-bottomed bathtub that peers down into the sparkling turquoise waters; a quick glance down and you can see tropical fish, a turtle, or even a spotted eagle-rays sweep along the bottom of your tub.

Anantara Kihavah Villas offers exceptional food and wine pairing while staying in the award-winning stylish resort haven of private pool villas, just 35 minutes by seaplane with Maldivian Airways from Male.


 

 

 

 

Cooking

Chef Giorgio Servetto brings Michelin-starred dining to Atmosphere Core’s underwater restaurants

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A rare culinary moment will unfold in the Maldives as double MICHELIN-Starred Chef Giorgio Servetto brings his distinctive approach to creative, environmentally grounded dining beneath the surface of the Indian Ocean, in an exclusive underwater collaboration with Atmosphere Core.

Chef Giorgio Servetto will introduce a Garden-to-Sea Immersion concept rooted in circular cuisine and zero-waste precision. He will take over two of the region’s most celebrated underwater restaurants, for exclusive lunch and dinner experiences: Only BLU at OBLU SELECT Lobigili from 7th to 9th May 2026, followed by M6m (Minus Six Metres) at OZEN LIFE MAADHOO from 12th to 14th May 2026. The culinary extravaganza will also include a signature Crab Dinner Experience at the HUDHU BAY, also at OZEN LIFE MAADHOO.

Presented as a five-course menu at both Only BLU and M6m, each dish will trace Chef Servetto’s culinary journey, translating his philosophy into refined and sophisticated expressions. Developed in partnership with Atmosphere Core culinary team, the menus will prioritise island-grown produce. Hydroponic greens cultivated on Maadhoo Island, fresh vegetables sourced from local farms, and sustainable catch from the Indian Ocean will reinforce a transparent and measurable commitment to environmental accountability.

“Creativity begins with listening—to the land, the sea, and what they give you,” says Chef Giorgio Servetto. “My cuisine is about simplifying. When you respect ingredients fully, every element finds its purpose and flavour becomes clearer. You are a guest in nature’s elegant dining room. It is especially exciting to bring this experience to the Maldives for the first time with Atmosphere Core, where serving food in this underwater realm makes the journey feel even more special.”

Born and professionally shaped in Liguria, Italy, Chef Giorgio Servetto is known for an approach to cooking that is both disciplined and deeply curious. He is a great wine enthusiast and a dynamic presence in the kitchen, driven by an openness to learning, cultural exchange, and continuous research. This passionate pursuit of excellence has earned him rare distinction: he remains the only chef in Liguria to hold both a MICHELIN Red Star and a MICHELIN Green Star, and the only one to be awarded Red Stars at two different restaurants.

Bringing together MICHELIN-level gastronomy and tangible island sustainability leadership, this collaboration extends beyond a single culinary moment. It reflects Atmosphere Core’s broader commitment to embedding conscious dining principles across its portfolio.

Anupam Banerjee, Vice President Food & Beverage, Atmosphere Core, expands, “This kind of culinary experience feels very natural to us. We are focused on bringing conscious dining into everything we do. Our approach to circular cuisine comes from working closely with what’s grown on our islands and what the sea provides responsibly. Collaborating with Chef Servetto has been inspiring. His way of thinking aligns instinctively with ours, and together we’ve designed something enriching, grounded and memorable, a new experience that our guests can genuinely enjoy and take with them.”

The venues themselves complete the immersion. One of the Maldives’ largest under ocean restaurants, Only BLU offers a cobalt-washed dining room framed by drifting marine life, while M6M delivers a sophisticated, limited-seat experience six metres below the surface, where ocean panoramas replace traditional décor. In both settings, dining becomes a sensory experience, focused and deliberately unhurried.

Easily accessible from Velana International Airport, OBLU SELECT Lobigili and OZEN LIFE MAADHOO offer seamless entry points for travellers seeking meaningful travel. Whether for a fleeting escape or an extended stay, the collaboration positions Atmosphere Core at the forefront of a new gastronomic language where creativity, sustainability and sense of place are inseparable.

In an age where luxury dining is being redefined, this underwater takeover makes a compelling statement, the future of fine dining isn’t louder, it’s deeper.

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Food

A short escape from Malé: Iftar by the ocean at Villa Nautica

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This Ramadan, Villa Nautica invites guests to gather for an overwater Iftar experience at Lagoon Restaurant, offering a relaxed setting to break fast just a short journey from Male’. Located a quick speedboat ride from Malé, the resort’s close-to-city convenience makes it an easy choice for families, friends, and teams looking for a peaceful island atmosphere without a long transfer.

Set over the water, Iftar by the Ocean is designed around variety, bringing together a generous spread that balances Ramadan favourites with a broader mix of flavours, so guests can return across the month and still find something new to enjoy. The experience is welcoming and unhurried, shaped by warm service, open views, and the simple comfort of sharing a table at sunset.

Iftar is priced at USD 59++ per adult, with children aged 3 and under dining free and children aged 4–11.99 receiving 50% off. For group gatherings, discounts apply for reservations of 12 adults or more, making it well suited for corporate Iftars and larger family meet-ups. Return transfer between Malé and Villa Nautica is included.

For more information, please visit villaresorts.com.

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Drink

German winemaker Patrick Heitlinger to headline exclusive dinner at SO/ Maldives

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On 07th March, SO/ Maldives collaborates with Germany’s prestigious family wineries, Weingut Heitlinger and Burg Ravensburg, to present an intimate and stylish Winemaker’s Dinner a celebration of modern Pinot set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Maldives.

In a refined fusion of European heritage and island glamour, SO/ Maldives will host third-generation winemaker Patrick Jacklin Heitlinger and his wife Lilly for a singular evening dedicated to craftsmanship, storytelling, and exceptional wine.

At the heart of Weingut Heitlinger lies a philosophy of balance, tradition reimagined for the modern palate. As a proud VDP estate, the winery is known for its biodynamic approach and its expressive Pinot wines that range from vibrant estate selections to complex single-vineyard masterpieces.

Hosted in the fashion-forward surroundings of SO/ Maldives, the evening unfolds as an intimate encounter between vineyard and island. Guests will indulge in a meticulously curated five-course menu, each dish artfully paired with Heitlinger’s celebrated Pinot wines revealing layers of texture, minerality, and character.

Between courses, Patrick and Lilly will share personal stories of their heritage in Tiefenbach, of vineyards kissed by German sunshine, and of a family legacy that continues to evolve with grace and ambition.

SO Maldives

This collaboration is more than a dinner it is a meeting of worlds: German terroir and Maldivian glamour, biodynamic purity and contemporary luxury, heritage and haute living.

Seats are limited for this exclusive one-night affair.

For more information or to book your perfect getaway, please visit so-maldives.com or contact so.maldives.reservations@so-hotels.com or call +960 664-9100

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