Our $27,000 Vacation to the Maldives for ~$4,300 & How You Can Do It Too: Part 11 – Dining Under the Sea

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Daraius and I used our miles and points to have a fabulous honeymoon in Bora Bora.

We heard that the Maldives Islands rivaled the beauty and splendor of Bora Bora, so we planned a trip to decide for ourselves!

The Maldives is known for its luxury resorts, and most resorts have their own private island.  There are beautiful white sand beaches and crystal clear blue water.  The islands also have fantastic snorkeling and scuba diving!

We booked 5 nights using Hilton points at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island.  The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is a 30-minute seaplane ride from Male, the capital of the Maldives.  We booked this trip to make the most of our Hilton points before the Hilton devaluation last year.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Dining With the Fish Was an Unforgettable Experience!

Our $27,000 Vacation to the Maldives for ~$4,300 & How You Can Do It Too Index:

The Maldives are located in the Indian Ocean, just south of India.  Getting to the Maldives is a long journey, but the trip is definitely worth it!  Daraius and I have been to many beach destinations such as Bora BoraMaui, and Kauai on miles and points, but the Maldives tops them all!

Traveling to the Maldives is also very expensive, but you can do it for much less than the retail cost!  This trip would have cost us ~$27,000, but we only paid ~$4,300!! These series of posts will show you how you can also take a trip to the Maldives on miles and points!

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant

Daraius and I had tried to save money at the Conrad by eating a big breakfast, light lunch, and a moderate dinner.  We actually ended up spending only ~$125 a day for all 5 of us to eat (have a big breakfast as late as possible which was free because of our Hilton Gold status, skip lunch, and have bar food for dinner!), which was pretty good considering that 1 meal goes for ~$30 a person and up.

Since we had saved money on our other meals, we decided to have 1 splurge meal at the Ithaa Undersea Restaurant.  We made lunch reservations, and we ate so much food at lunch that it filled us up through dinner.  The restaurant is located off the main island.

This wasn’t cheap and was ~$200 per person.  Dinner is even more expensive at $300+!

You can save even more money by having just a cocktail (~$90) at the restaurant.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Ithaa Was the World’s 1st Underwater Restaurant

When you enter, there is a small waiting area.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Relax Here While You Wait for Your Table

The table was very pretty with freshly cut flowers!

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
The Table in the Waiting Area Had a Unique Design, It Looked Like Flowers Floating on Water

As we were waiting, we took a few pictures.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Ready for Our Underwater Dining Experience!

We were all so excited for our meal!

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Dining at Ithaa Was Our Big Splurge on the Trip

You have to take your shoes off to help minimize noise in the restaurant.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Leave Your Shoes at the Door

We then walked down a small spiral staircase and into the restaurant.  The restaurant only had 8 to 10 tables.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
We Almost Had the Entire Restaurant to Ourselves

There was only 1 other family eating with us.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Dining 16 Feet Below Sea Level

There was a lot of coral all around.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
The Coral Was So Colorful!

We saw all kinds of fish, including zebra fish.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
A Zebra Fish Stopped by to Say Hello

Big fish…

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
I Called This One “Grumpy Fish” Because of the Mean Look on Its Face
…little fish…
Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
I Loved Its Long Pointy Nose
…and schools of yellow fish.
Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Schools of Neon Yellow Fish Also Swam by to See What We Were Having for Lunch

After admiring the fish for a while, we were treated to our 1st course, split pea soup.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
This Was My Favorite Part of the Meal!

The soup was delicious!  In between courses, we took in the fantastic views.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Every Direction You Looked There Was Something Interesting to See

We were all so excited!

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Ithaa Was Rated “The Most Beautiful Restaurant in the World” by the New York Daily News in 2014

Our 2nd course was quail and mushroom ragout.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
The Quail and Mushroom Ragout Was Tasty

It was going to be scallops but they substituted with quail due to my fish allergy.  Our 3rd course, or the main course, was either chicken with a peppercorn sauce, mashed potatoes, and vegetables or lamb.  I chose the chicken…

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
An All-American Meal: Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, and Broccoli. Yum!

and Daraius had the lamb.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
The Portions Look Small but Were Very Filling

For dessert, we had a chocolate mousse cake and white & dark heart shaped chocolates.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Last but Not Least: Chocolate Mousse Cake

It was a really cool restaurant and I am glad we went.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
What’s Daraius’ Favorite Time of the Day?  Dessert Time!

Our parents really enjoyed it!

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
We All Had Water With Our Meal Because Drinks Were Pricey

Not long after they brought out lunch, the servers brought something else out…

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Surprise!

It was a cake that said “Congratulations!”

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Congratulations on Your Graduation!

No, no…I’m not pregnant…. I just finished my MBA!  Neither of my parents finished college, so this was a big achievement for me and my family.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
A 1st Generation College Graduate Celebrating Her MBA!

It was so sweet of Daraius to surprise me!

After lunch, we were able to take lots of pictures in the restaurant because the other family dining with us had left.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
It Was Time to Say Goodbye to the Fish

My mom and Mark could not have been happier…

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
We Were Glad We Splurged on This Meal

I was glad we had made the reservation, even though it was expensive at $195 per person plus service charges.

Daraius:  I much preferred the food at Villa Mahana in Bora Bora as a memorable splurge meal.

Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Thanks Daraius for Such a Thoughtful Treat!

How You Can Do It Too!

Our favorite way to get to the Maldives from the US is with American Airlines miles on Etihad or Qatar Air.

If you’re willing to book separate award tickets (i.e. 1 award ticket from the US to Hong Kong & another from Hong Kong to the Maldives), you could even fly on Cathay Pacific or Malaysia Air using American Airlines miles to the Maldives.  

Here are ways to get lots of American Airlines miles.  And here’s my series on using American Airlines miles.  It could also be worth using an award booking service to book the flights for you.

You can also use Alaska Airlines miles on Emirates or Cathay Pacific. And folks say you can get the Alaska Airlines credit card multiple times.

We used United Airlines miles because we wanted to go to India first.  But folks who only want to fly from the US to the Maldives would likely use American Airlines miles or Alaska Airlines miles.

1.   Using American Airlines Miles

Link:   American Airlines Award Chart

A flight from the US to the Maldives costs:

  • 45,000 American Airlines miles 1-way in coach
  • 67,500 American Airlines miles 1-way in Business Class
  • 90,000 American Airlines miles 1-way in First Class

You can use American Airlines to fly many different ways to the Maldives, including on Etihad, Sri Lankan, Qatar, Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airways.  If you want to book on Etihad, first find the available flights on the Etihad website and then call American Airlines to reserve the tickets.  See this step-by-step guide for more information.

2.   Using Alaska Airlines Miles

Link:   Alaska Airlines partner award chart to Middle East

From the US to the Maldives you’ll pay:

  • 42,500 Alaska Airlines miles 1-way in coach (Emirates)
  • 50,000 Alaska Airlines miles 1-way in coach (Cathay Pacific)
  • 62,500 Alaska Airlines miles 1-way in Business Class (Cathay Pacific)
  • 70,000 Alaska Airlines miles 1-way in First Class (Cathay Pacific)
  • 72,500 Alaska Airlines miles 1-way in Business Class (Emirates)
  • 90,000 Alaska Airlines miles 1-way in First Class (Emirates)
You can book Emirates flights on the Alaska Air website, except for Cathay Pacific, which has to be reserved by calling Alaska Airlines customer service.  See this post for more ways on using Alaska Air miles to get to the Maldives.

And folks say you can get the Alaska Airlines credit card multiple times.

3.   Using United Airlines Miles

Link:   United Airlines award chart

To fly from the US to India, you’ll pay:

  • 42,500 United Airlines miles 1-way in coach
  • 70,000+ United Airlines miles 1-way in Business Class
  • 140,000 United Airlines miles 1-way in First Class

Here’s a post on how to use United Airlines miles.

And here’s how you can get the airline miles and hotel points for your trip to the Maldives!

Bottom Line

The Ithaa Undersea Restaurant has fantastic views of Maldivian ocean life.

Paying ~$250 per person after fees was expensive, but it was worth it to treat our parents.  We had such a big lunch that it also filled us up for dinner.  It was a very unique experience and we are glad we did it.

Our parents weren’t big on snorkeling, so this gave them the chance to see the underwater life.  However, if we return to the Maldives I don’t think we would do it again.  You can find much better views by just swimming out to the reef with your snorkeling gear.

The food was good, but not that much better than the bar menu at the Rangali Bar.  And I still preferred my BBQ Chicken Quesadilla to the main course I had at Ithaa!

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