Holiday Destinations

Manta Resort offers a private island where you sleep beneath the waves

Manta Resort offers a private island where you sleep beneath the waves
The Manta Resort recently unveiled its Underwater Room (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
The Manta Resort recently unveiled its Underwater Room (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
View 12 Images
The real draw is the bedroom on the bottom level, which sits four meters (13 feet) beneath the surface of the water (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
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The real draw is the bedroom on the bottom level, which sits four meters (13 feet) beneath the surface of the water (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
The floating hotel room is actually situated in the center of a blue hole, an area of the coral reef approximately 50 m (164 ft) wide where the sea drops to 12 m (39 ft) deep during high tide (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
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The floating hotel room is actually situated in the center of a blue hole, an area of the coral reef approximately 50 m (164 ft) wide where the sea drops to 12 m (39 ft) deep during high tide (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
With a few scattered coral heads below and a full reef surrounding them, guests are sure to see all kinds of marine wildlife right outside their bedroom window (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
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With a few scattered coral heads below and a full reef surrounding them, guests are sure to see all kinds of marine wildlife right outside their bedroom window (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
Each window even has underwater spotlights on the outside that attract and illuminate nearby sea creatures at night, so guests can watch them as they drift off to sleep (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
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Each window even has underwater spotlights on the outside that attract and illuminate nearby sea creatures at night, so guests can watch them as they drift off to sleep (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
The Manta Resort recently unveiled its Underwater Room (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
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The Manta Resort recently unveiled its Underwater Room (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
The real draw is the bedroom on the bottom level, which sits four meters (13 feet) beneath the surface of the water (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
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The real draw is the bedroom on the bottom level, which sits four meters (13 feet) beneath the surface of the water (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
The unusual new room floats almost 250 m (820 ft) away from the coast and is held in place by several anchoring lines leading to the ocean floor (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
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The unusual new room floats almost 250 m (820 ft) away from the coast and is held in place by several anchoring lines leading to the ocean floor (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
At sea level, the landing deck in the middle contains a lounge area for resting and dining, as well as the suite's bathroom (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
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At sea level, the landing deck in the middle contains a lounge area for resting and dining, as well as the suite's bathroom (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
The floating hotel room is actually situated in the center of a blue hole, an area of the coral reef approximately 50 m (164 ft) wide where the sea drops to 12 m (39 ft) deep during high tide (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
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The floating hotel room is actually situated in the center of a blue hole, an area of the coral reef approximately 50 m (164 ft) wide where the sea drops to 12 m (39 ft) deep during high tide (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
Besides a double bed to lie on, the room features two large windows on each wall, giving an almost total 360-degree view of the water around it (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
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Besides a double bed to lie on, the room features two large windows on each wall, giving an almost total 360-degree view of the water around it (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
With a few scattered coral heads below and a full reef surrounding them, guests are sure to see all kinds of marine wildlife right outside their bedroom window (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
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With a few scattered coral heads below and a full reef surrounding them, guests are sure to see all kinds of marine wildlife right outside their bedroom window (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
Guests can also climb a ladder onto the top deck to lay out in the sun or gaze up at the stars during the night (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
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Guests can also climb a ladder onto the top deck to lay out in the sun or gaze up at the stars during the night (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
View gallery - 12 images

Underwater accommodations seem to have become a trend among hotels in recent years, but a resort off the coast of Tanzania is now putting a unique spin on the concept. The Manta Resort recently unveiled its Underwater Room, a three-floor suite that floats beside a thriving coral reef and boasts a submerged master bedroom surrounded by windows to view the local sea life.

Located on the tropical Pemba Island in Zanzibar, the resort's most standout feature is the natural coral reef lying just off its beach, which attracts numerous divers and snorkelers to its villas. To construct an enticing off-shore suite though, the Manta Resort enlisted the help of Genberg Underwater Hotels, a Swedish company that previously erected a similar structure on a lake in its home country. The unusual new room floats almost 250 m (820 ft) away from the coast and is held in place by several anchoring lines leading to the ocean floor.

The floating hotel room is actually situated in the center of a blue hole, an area of the coral reef approximately 50 m (164 ft) wide where the sea drops to 12 m (39 ft) deep during high tide (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
The floating hotel room is actually situated in the center of a blue hole, an area of the coral reef approximately 50 m (164 ft) wide where the sea drops to 12 m (39 ft) deep during high tide (Photo: Jesper Anhede)

The top two floors of the Underwater Room are paneled in local hardwood and rest above the surface of the water. At sea level, the landing deck in the middle contains a lounge area for resting and dining, as well as the bathroom facilities. Guests can also climb a ladder onto the top deck to lay out in the sun or gaze up at the stars during the night.

Of course, the real draw is the bedroom on the bottom level, which sits four meters (13 ft) beneath the surface of the water. Besides a double bed to lie on, the room features two large windows on each wall, giving an almost total 360-degree view of the water around it. Each window even has underwater spotlights on the outside that attract and illuminate nearby sea creatures at night, so guests can watch them as they drift off to sleep.

Besides a double bed to lie on, the room features two large windows on each wall, giving an almost total 360-degree view of the water around it (Photo: Jesper Anhede)
Besides a double bed to lie on, the room features two large windows on each wall, giving an almost total 360-degree view of the water around it (Photo: Jesper Anhede)

The floating hotel room is actually situated in the center of a blue hole, an area of the coral reef approximately 50 m (164 ft) wide where the sea drops to 12 m (39 ft) deep during high tide. With a few scattered coral heads below and a full reef surrounding them, guests are sure to see all kinds of marine wildlife right outside their bedroom window. According to the resort, some coral has already begun forming on the room's anchoring lines and a few of the reef's more unusual inhabitants, like octopus and Spanish dancers, have been spotted attaching themselves to the glass.

As you can probably guess, the cost to enjoy your own secluded, half-submerged hotel suite isn't cheap. Spending one night in the Underwater Room costs US$1,500 for two people on top of the regular cost of the resort, which varies depending on the time of year and duration of your stay. At the moment, the Manta Resort is taking reservations from now until Jun. 30, 2014 if you want to find out for yourself what it's like to sleep underwater in your own private island.

Sources: Manta Resort, Genberg Underwater Hotels, Jesper Anhede

View gallery - 12 images
8 comments
8 comments
BigGoofyGuy
I think that is way cool. It is out of my price range but something I could dream about staying at.
piperTom
"...windows to view the local sea life"? Judging from the included pics, the local sea life consists largely of bikini babes. While that IS my personal favorite, I expect guests are expected to provide their own.
Ianspeed
Oh yeah, oh yeah, who's in the Goldfish bowl now! lol, I love it, though I'm not sure I'd want take my mum on holiday with me ha ha. Damn I want to buy that plaice...(pun intended) :-)
Jay Finke
Wow that does look really cool, and would be the perfect end to a day of scuba diving !
ezeflyer
Floating hotels similar to this one could float in the Doldrums where the deep sea is placid and see whales, dolphins, sharks, marlin, sailfish and more large sea creatures. I would equip each with a large cage for swimming in.
Nelson Hyde Chick
Give it a decade or two, between coral bleaching and acidification there will be no wildlife to see through the underwater windows.
jimfortcollins
great idea. my question, " is security included in the rental price" you never know who might be lurking above and/or below the water. an armed guard nearby might be nice
Timea Pekla Süli
Van a hálószobádban akvárium? És ha az "akváriumban lenne a hálószobád?