Sleeping with the fishes

Underwater villas are the new hot thing in luxury resorts. Chris Carter reports.

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Conrad Rangali Island offers a more intimate view of the Maldives' diverse marine life
(Image credit: Adam Bruzzone 2014)

Though they're undeniably sexy, it may be time to rethink overwater villas," says Phoebe Neuman in the Robb Report. They first made an appearance more than half a century ago, and are now a mainstay of luxury resorts, in places from Tahiti to Mexico. That's sparked an arms race of sorts among super-luxurious villas "sauna-clad wellness rooms and bathtubs with serious views" have become commonplace. This month, the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort set out to make a splash and go one better with the unveiling of its latest weapon: the underwater villa.

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Chris Carter
Wealth Editor, MoneyWeek

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

You can follow Chris on Instagram.