In the 1980’s there was a craze for waterbeds which were seen as the ultimate sexy way to sleep. Waterbeds were really invented as a thesis project and then caught on in the general population for some unfathomable reason, probably because they featured in quite a few of Hollywood’s movies and television shows as an inducement to seduction.
Now, in 2022, you can fall asleep not just on a waterbed, but on a comfy deluxe king size bed in the calming tranquility of the sea. Underwater hotels in exotic destinations are the 2020’s fad across the globe.
Affluent adventurers can enjoy subaquatic experiences that are both glamorous and unique. Guests can spend their time in underwater hotel rooms, reveling in the serenity of the ocean and observing the colorful undersea life up close–really up close.
These pricey hotels offer five-star amenities and unparalleled levels of comfort. They’re scattered all over the world and its seas; but there is only one underwater hotel in the USA, it’s the oldest, and it’s definitely not luxurious.
Jules’ Undersea Lodge is located in Key Largo, Florida. It is 30 feet (9 m) deep on the ocean floor. The hotel, if we want to loosely call it that, is located at the bottom of the Emerald Lagoon and was opened in 1986. The hotel’s name is a nod to Jules Verne, author of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
You can even get Recreational Aquanaut qualification while staying at this “hotel”. Today, Aquanaut Hotel guests must scuba-dive to reach the facility, and a nearby land base offers diving lessons for people who are unfamiliar with the activity. Years ago, non-scuba diving guests were taken down to the lodge breathing air pumped down from the surface through a long hose similar to a garden hose, but this practice was discontinued and now all guests must scuba-dive to the lodge entrance five fathoms below.
Jules’ Undersea Lodge formerly was actually an undersea marine lab that operated off Puerto Rico in the 1970s, La Chalupa Research Laboratory. The lodge features a 2 bedroom 1 bath retreat that can be rented for a night.
But not all underwater hotels are this spartan. In fact the 5-star variety that are scattered globally have all the perks and amenities of surface 5-star facilities and guests may not want to come back up to sea level since the underwater hotels rooms, suites, and lounges are now havens of design and opulence, from offering 24-carat gold soap to the opportunity to sleep in a turquoise-enclosed aquarium.
And it goes without saying, they’re also a marvel of engineering. Among the most famous are The Manta Resort in Tanzania, Atlantis, The Palm in United Arab Emirates, the InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland, China and the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island.
A room at one of these luxury underwater hotels can cost up to $50,000 a night.
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