The Ocean Floor –The Next Big Vacation Spot?

Most people love to holiday by the ocean; but now you can take a vacation IN the ocean!  Just off the coast of Fiji, Poseidon Undersea Resorts is building a luxury holiday destination 40 feet beneath the warm, aqua waves of the south Pacific.  Vacationers will be treated to a private plane that will fly them from the airport on Fiji to the Poseidon Mystery Island, where they will begin a week-long experience that they’re guaranteed to never forget.

It’s where we all came from, so would be nice to experience it again

Billed as a “seven star” resort, resort-goers can experience three different types of accommodation during their stay: an island bungalow, an overwater villa, and, of course, the underwater suite.  The underwater suites are connected via elevator to the land above, so even those who have no diving skills (but plenty of money) can experience this underwater paradise.  Everything at Poseidon is top-notch, from the Scandinavian duvets on the beds to the fully-stocked refrigerators in each suite that include a selection of wines, champagne, and gourmet snacks.

The suites themselves are 550 square feet of uber-luxury, with granite and marble in the bathroom, complete with Jacuzzi tub, two sinks, plush bathrobes, loofah sponges, and hydro-spa shower.

Fancy seeing this instead of a view each morning?

For entertainment, there’s a high-definition flat screen television in all of your suites, CD and DVD players, and of course, satellite radio.  The resort features an underwater lounge and library, a theatre area, conference room, and wedding chapel.   You can keep yourself in shape with the above-ground nine-hole golf course, tennis courts, swimming pool and health club, including a luxurious spa.

At $15,000 US for a week at the resort, it’ll set you back more than the average vacation.  But the bookings are reportedly split between the very wealthy and people with a passion for the marine ecosystem who are willing to save up – sometimes for quite a while – to have this once-in-a-lifetime experience.  For the ecologically-minded, the resort offers information about the surrounding waters, coral reefs, and marine inhabitants.

According to reports, Poseidon plans a late 2009 or 2010 opening.

Nope – not that sort of Poseidon!

Never to be outdone, the Emirate of Dubai has announced plans to build a “ten star” underwater hotel called Hydropolis.  The entire complex will consist of a land station where guests will arrive and depart, a train tunnel that will transport guests, and the underwater hotel itself, with 220 guest suites.  The complex will take up as much real estate as Hyde Park currently does, and suites will cost an estimated £4,000 per night.

That does look pretty cool…

Far more than just a hotel, though, Hydropolis will house everything from a cosmetic surgery clinic to a marine biology research centre.  Portions will be above water, and other portions will be below, enabling people to view or study in various environments.  The resort will be open to day visitors as well as hotel guests.  There will even be a children’s area, with information about how important water is to our lives, and how human development has affected various portions of our world.

The land for Hydropolis belonged to the His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and was his last free stretch of beach in this portion of the kingdom.  The Crown Prince coordinated the invitation of nearly 150 companies that are working together to bring this vision to reality.  The developer and designer, Joachim Hauser, has worked on several other projects in the Middle East, and is very enthusiastic about this project, seeing it as a perfect integration of man and nature.

This chap designed it. He does smile

Looking for something that won’t stretch your pocketbook quite so much and that is actually completed?  Try Jules’ Undersea Lodge, off Key Largo in Florida, USA.  This one-time underwater research station has been turned into a hotel – a very small hotel.  The station can reach the surface, but once submerged, access is only available via diving access.  The suite has a “wet room” where once can remove a wetsuit, two bedrooms, and a common room with a small kitchen suite.  However, the lodge boasts hot showers, air conditioning, television, music, and plenty of food and drink.  Your dinner will be brought down to you by the resort’s “mer-chef”, and you also have the opportunity to earn diving certification from one of two agencies: PADI or NAUI.

Be just like Jules Verne…brilliant fun

If you’re visiting Sweden, consider the Otter Inn.  Above the water you’ll see a small, ubiquitous red Swedish house floating on the water.  Inside you’ll find small living quarters, but it’s all for relaxing upstairs, because the bedroom is directly below you.  Climb down a ladder through a round hatchway and you’re in the bedroom, which floats beneath the water (and the little red house) in Lake Mälaren, near the town of Västerås.  There is a small porch with a railing surrounding the house, so no matter where the sun is, you can follow it.  Nothing to block the rays!

Stays in the Otter Inn will put you back £170-240, depending on your choice of being left alone or having dinner delivered to you via boat.  Either way, you’ll have the use of a canoe and time to explore a nearby uninhabited island, and a story and pictures to bring home, as well.

It’s a bit small for a hotel, isn’t it?

If you just want a visit underwater rather than a stay, plan to dine at the Ithaa Restaurant in the Maldives.  Fifteen feet below the surface of the Indian Ocean, this intimate restaurant seats only 14 people, but offers fabulous, 270-degree views of the surrounding area.  Built beside a coral reef, the clear acrylic dome allows diners to sample fine cuisine alongside views that can’t be had anywhere else.

Would you feel right eating fish there?

From simple to luxurious, underwater escapes are gaining in popularity.  Many of the locations that are already opened are booked months in advance, so if an underwater stay appeals to you, be sure to decide on a location and make reservations quickly.

The peaceful lull of ocean waves is something people search for – and are willing to pay very good money for – and the underwater experience takes this holiday favourite one step farther.  Not only that, but you’re almost guaranteed to have the best holiday story and pictures when you return!

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