8 Best Underwater Hotel Rooms Around the World
Here in the 21st century, "the best underwater hotels around the world" is a real subject and not futuristic hypothesizing. Over the past few years, top tourist destinations worldwide have been building up their underwater offerings, giving travelers and locals alike new chances to experience sea life and the ocean floor in very different ways than the typical scuba diving and snorkeling excursions of yesteryear.
While Dubai might be the first place that comes to mind when you think of underwater hotels, several international locations and a spot in the U.S. have started offering this kind of unusual marine experience. Sure, maybe you've swum in the Indian Ocean before, but have you ever slept on the ocean floor looking up at a constellation of exotic reef fish, completely immersed in their world as an almost invisible observer?
Courtesy of Courtesy of Atlantis, The Palm
While some underwater hotel rooms will run you quite the tab, other submerged accommodations have more reasonable prices — well, as reasonable as underwater rooms at resorts can be. Read on for the best underwater hotels around the world that are giving you the chance to see places like Dubai, the Florida Keys, Fiji, and more in an entirely new (refracted) light.
Atlantis, The Palm — Dubai
Courtesy of Atlantis, The Palm
Like the lavish architecture and lifestyles Dubai has become known for, the underwater hotel rooms at Dubai's Atlantis, The Palm provide an opulent environment for visitors to revel in the resort's 3-million-gallon aquarium. Guests can choose between two underwater suites, the Poseidon or Neptune, for a three-story space with only floor-to-ceiling windows separating them and the stingray-filled Ambassador Lagoon, an aquarium home to more than 65,000 sea creatures. And for even more incentive to book one of the underwater, 1,776-square-foot suites, you'll receive complimentary 24-hour private butler service, airport transfers, private cabanas at the resort's pool, beach, and water park, and in-suite check-in.
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, The Muraka — The Maldives
Justin Nicholas / Courtesy of The Muraka
The Muraka villa, part of Hilton's Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort, is a bi-level residence with rooms both above and below the surface of the Indian Ocean. The underwater portion features a luxurious bedroom, bathroom, and living area with floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic views of sea life. The Muraka, which means "coral" in the native language of Dhivehi, isn't the only undersea attraction this resort has to offer, with the property's Ithaa Undersea Restaurant serving lunch and dinner 16 feet below the ocean's surface.
Hotel Utter Inn — Sweden
Courtesy of Utter Inn
Less than a mile from the mainland in V?ster?s, Sweden, Hotel Utter Inn is a tiny red cottage floating in Lake M?laren. Guests get ferried out to the anchored, one-room accommodations in an inflatable boat, then you can hop in the lake for a swim or sit on the deck to watch the sunset. You'll want to bring your own dinner picnic, as once you're left at this floating hotel room, you're there for the night. Breakfast can be pre-ordered and provided to guests in a cooler. Descend a ladder to your bedroom, about 10 feet underwater, where twin beds accommodate two people, and windows on all sides allow for viewing marine life. This property accepts guests from April to October.
Cruise Whitsundays Reefsuites — Australia
Courtesy of Reefsuites
The Reefsuites, operated by cruise company Cruise Whitsundays, are located 40 nautical miles from Arlie Beach, between Cairns and Brisbane, Australia. Arrive at the Reefsuites — part of a pontoon attraction called Reefworld — via a short cruise through a couple of the Whitsundays (74 small islands in total make up this archipelago). There are two suites submerged about 13 feet below the water; choose from a king or twin beds. Both suites deliver prime opportunities to view the fish and other marine life that make their home in the Great Barrier Reef. All meals (lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, breakfast, and morning tea) and a guided snorkeling excursion are included in the all-inclusive room rate.
The Manta Resort — Tanzania
Courtesy of The Manta Resort
The Underwater Room at The Manta Resort markets itself as subverting the fishbowl, turning the lens on guests to be observed by fish in a below-sea dreamscape. A short boat ride from shore, this three-level room is situated in a marine conservation area off Pemba Island, part of the Zanzibar Archipelago in Tanzania. With two outdoor decks, one at sea level and the other on the roof, guests have 360-degree views both overlooking and looking through the Indian Ocean. Meals are served at pre-arranged times, and the underwater hotel room's security guard will be anchored nearby during your stay.
Resorts World Sentosa Ocean Suites — Singapore
Courtesy of Resorts World Sentosa
The 11 underwater suites at this luxury hotel in Singapore are tucked beside the SEA Aquarium and Adventure Cove Water park and feature two stories — one above and one below water — to offer guests the "best of both land and sea." The upper level has a living area connected to an outdoor patio and hot tub, and the lower, underwater level provides guests with views of over 40,000 marine creatures. The suites come with personalized butler service to complement your relaxing stay.
Jules' Undersea Lodge — Florida
Named after author Jules Verne, who wrote "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" among other adventure and science fiction novels, Jules' Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida, is unlike any other hotel. Because the lodge used to be a marine research facility, the accommodations offer unique views of a protected mangrove lagoon and natural nursery area for reef fish. Keep in mind, a stay at this Florida underwater hotel isn't for the passive traveler: Jules' Undersea Lodge is the self-professed first and only underwater resort where your room is only accessible via scuba diving. The staff stays on duty 24 hours to ensure safety and high-quality experiences. The small underwater hotel has a maximum occupancy of four guests for the two private rooms and shared spaces, a wet room, and living room with 42-inch round windows in every area. Underwater pizza dinner delivery is included in the room rate.
Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland — China
In an abandoned quarry about 20 miles from Shanghai, Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland is a feat of modern engineering, with 16 underground floors, two of which are underwater. The six underwater suites and underwater public spaces, including an underground pool, all feature windows looking out into large, custom-built saltwater aquarium tanks, making up the area of the property called The Lagoon. Every night at 7:30 p.m., the five-star resort puts on an intricate water show that's free for guests to view.