Underwater Habitats – Poseidon Resorts
Luxury accommodations reside at the bottom of the sea by Rennay Craats.
Water resorts are nothing new. Cruise ships carry thousands of people to exotic destinations aboard their luxurious decks. Countless hotels and resorts have been built on the shores of some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. But now travelers can take it a step further, or more accurately a step deeper. Poseidon Undersea Resort will allow guests to enjoy incredible accommodations between 35 and 60 feet under the water’s surface.
Such an ambitious undertaking has been years in the making and now construction is set to begin mid-year off the shores of a 235-acre private island in Fiji. “It’s never been done before, which is sort of amazing,” says Poseidon Undersea Resorts president L. Bruce Jones. “There hasn’t been a single one-atmosphere undersea resort built.” He and the design, construction and installation branch Poseidon Engineering are eager to change that. The revolutionary resort will consist of two parts: one is underwater and the other is along the shoreline. The twenty underwater suites will be opulent and incredible, using only the finest fixtures, wood, and fabrics. Guests can enjoy rooms ranging from 550 to 1,600 square feet, in which they can lounge and watch fish swim by the transparent acrylic walls and even feed them using an external fish feeder installed outside each suite. The panoramic views are breathtaking, but privacy is protected using a reflective film to prevent others from seeing into the suite through the day, and at night guests can choose to opaque sections of the viewports to increase privacy.
For those guests looking for an even more spectacular stay, the Poseidon’s Lair will make for an unforgettable vacation. This private suite brings luxury and extravagance to a new level, with this two-bedroom underwater bungalow accessed only by a submersible. This $20,000 feature includes a private submarine captain and butler. The rest of the resort consists of a library-conference room as well as a revolving restaurant and bar that will boast five-star cuisine and unbeatable ambience.
While underwater living is fascinating and exciting, guests are not restricted in the least. They can take the elevator to a pier and walk to shore to enjoy the amenities available on land. Underwater rooms are likely to run about $1800 per night, but guests can pepper their stay with fantastic on-shore accommodations to make their vacation more affordable. The shore resort, which is currently 80 percent complete, features twenty individual bungalows with private splash pools, ponds in the entrance area, outdoor showers, and Jacuzzi tubs. “It’s five-star-plus accommodations,” says Jones. In addition, guests can make use of the posh restaurant and bar, health club, and high-end spa facilities along with the executive nine-hole golf course. Resort guests onshore can also access the restaurant and other underwater facilities.
The resort is incredible but the natural splendour of the area is appealing as well. “The island is surrounded by a magnificent lagoon, which is about 7.8 square miles,” says Jones. Guests can enjoy the underwater life via deep submersible tours to nearby coral reefs and walls as well as SCUBA explorations around the resort. To ensure this will always be the case, the developers have taken pains to guarantee the resort doesn’t have a negative affect on the coral reefs and marine life in the area.
Fig 1.1 Poseidon Undersea Resorts (Click to view)
