One of the things I loved about our Tahitian honeymoon was the overwater bungalow. You barely had to step out of your room to be knee deep in a lagoon where you fed tropical fish bread from your hand. But what if you could encapsulate yourself in a turquoise bubble and watch fish swimming round from an underwater room. It’s an innovative concept isn’t it?
You may have heard about the single underwater room in Lake Mälaren in Västerås near Stockholm. The Utter Inn (Otter Inn in English) is the brainchild of Swedish artist Mikael Genberg. The single room of the hotel is 3m below the surface of the lake and contains only twin beds. To this day it attracts people from all over the world.
What began as an inspired work of art in a Swedish lake has now reached Pemba – an island forming part of the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Pemba has been separated from the mainland and Zanzibar for decades resulting in an untouched island with a mosaic of forests, hidden beaches and lagoons.
The Underwater Room at the Manta Resort is a private floating island located 2 minutes from the shore and accessed via a traditionally crafted wooden boat. There’s a landing deck at sea level with a lounge and bathroom. A ladder leads up to the lounging area on the roof where you can enjoy sunbathing by day and star gazing at night. You can sleep under the stars to the sound of the waves or head to your bedroom, four meters below sea level, to witness a truly unique experience. A double bed in a glass room provides almost 360 degree views of the reef where you can watch shoals of fish swim by. Sometimes there might be up to three or four layers of species above the reef floor.
So while we say goodbye to the festive period and familiarise ourselves with the usual routine, we can at least dream about this all inclusive gem beneath the sea.
Images courtesy of Genberg Art UW Ltd (Photographer: Jesper Anhede).
Wow sounds amazing. We have been lucky enough to go to the Maldives 3 times and if we could afford it would try this in a flash