Editor’s note: This article was first published in November 2013; the opening date of the Manta Resort underwater room (1 November 2013) and its price of $1,500 a night are from that time and may have changed.
At The Manta Resort, on Pemba Island in Tanzania (Africa), there is a hotel room that takes its guests 4 metres below the surface. It is an exotic experience that very few people will ever get to enjoy. The room sits at the bottom of a three-level floating structure 250 metres off the coast, in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
Above and below each of the room’s eight windows there are spotlights that light up the marine life around the platform.
From the underwater space, guests can climb a ladder up to sea level, where there is a bathroom and a lounge, and then carry on up to the roof deck to sunbathe or gaze at the stars at night.
The floating structure was designed by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg, who has already built similar projects.
For this project, which has been open since 1 November, the artist looked for the most remote place with crystal-clear waters on earth, and found it on a coral reef off Pemba Island.
A room costs $1,500 for a single night.
And if what we want is a good underwater restaurant, there is one in the Maldives 14 metres below the surface, with set menus ranging from 195 to 320 dollars per person. Ordering à la carte costs a little more, and you will need to call up to 30 days in advance to book a table.
See also: The 9 most original and innovative restaurants
Featured image: Dependability, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
