Humans have always been fascinated by what lies in the depths of seas and oceans. In fact, we’ve taken our fascination up a notch and come up with underwater hotels. The Great Barrier Reef – a coral reef in Australia – is all set to open an underwater hotel.
As kids, a lot of us used to watch Little Mermaid and think how fascinating her life must be. Well, this underwater hotel might just be as close as we might get to living her life.
Representational Image – AFP
The coral reef is composed of 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands. The magnificent hotel will be constructed just off Lady Musgrave Island, south of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Marine Park. The 36-metre floating pontoon will have three levels, one of which will descend three-metres under water providing accommodation for up to 24 people.
Each sumptuous room will have 360 degree views of one of the most treasured coral reef systems on the planet, while upstairs the pontoon will act as a base for snorkeling, diving and glass bottom boat tours.
As per local reports, the state of Queensland is contributing approximately Rs 6.9 crore to help develop the hotel.
AFP
“It will also host an underwater observatory with UV lighting, so visitors can experience the reef at night,” Kate Jones, Queensland State Minister for Tourism, was quoted by LadBible. The Queensland government said the hotel will be operational by April 2020 and a two-day and one-night stay will initially cost $550.
Europe is also set to open its first underwater restaurant which will be the largest in the world. Opening in Norway in spring of 2019, ‘Under’ is half sunken into the sea and has three-foot thick walls. Designed by Snohetta, the walls are made to protect the restaurant from water. The restaurant’s massive acrylic windows give an amazing view of the sea.
Official Site- Under
The building can easily accommodate 80-100 people at a time, and you can gaze out into the sea from the massive 36-feet-wide window in the dining room.
Bahrain also announced that they are all set to open the world’s largest underwater theme park in August. The country announced the launch of the park during a press conference in Diyar Al Muharraq.
Unlike, other underwater theme parks this will have a ‘peculiar attraction’ – a 70-meter long decommissioned Boeing 747. Spanning an area of 100,000 square meters, this plane is the ‘largest ever to be submerged’, according to Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani, Bahrain’s minister of industry, commerce and tourism.