Underwater living has only appeared in terrible songs (Year 3000 – Busted) and fiction, such as Karl Stromberg in The Spy Who Loved Me, but now you really can dine and sleep with the fishes. Living in the era of luxury and seclusion, isolated resorts are located in some of the world’s most remote locations such as the Maldives and Bora Bora. Investment in luxury resorts in the Maldives has expanded rapidly, and no evidence indicates any halt on demand. Many hotels are booked years in advance, with every new one that opens offering a new unique selling point. It’s worth noting that the Maldives is in fact being affected by climate change in a disastrous way, as the average height of each island is 1.5 meters above sea level. As sea levels rise, this paradise will slowly slip into the sea, so visit it while it’s still here!

Underwater hotel in the Maldives

Conrad Hotel

The Maldives is a great place to start this feature, as its a personal favourite destination of the team at The Luxe Travel. The Conrad hotel was the world’s first underwater restaurant, opened 8 years ago. The first pictures that were published captivated the press and spread like wildfire through the world’s imagination. Ithaa, meaning mother of pearl, can host 12 people under its 270-degree panoramic view . Situated 5 meters below sea level on the seafloor, Ithaa was constructed on a barge on the surface before being sunk down. You may start to question the safety of such a structure; the glass isn’t actually made from glass but rather Poly(methyl methacrylate) which is known as acryl glass. It is shatter proof and extremely safe. The restaurant offers morning bar service, lunch and dinner, including a stunning 6 course fixed menu. Three years ago on its 5th anniversary they actually offered the room to be converted into a bedroom. Since then however it’s reverted back to functioning as a restaurant.

Having covered hotels with underwater restaurants, it’s only natural to cover a resort which has an underwater club.

We present to you Nyima, the world first underwater club, featuring world class DJ’s (that one can imagine will play Under the Sea – Little Mermaid remixes at some point). You can boogie with marine life and Ariel well into the early hours. Nyima itself is a world class resort situated 40 minutes from the island of Mahe. In some respects, Nyima can be considered an eco resort.

Many of its villas have been designed to be at one with nature and fit in well with the island’s natural habitat. Although having an underground club, this doesn’t mean that this place is designed for people who want a thriving nightlife. While there are 7 dining locations to choose from, this is actually far more of a relaxing retreat than a booze driven party island.

Fully Functional Underwater Hotel – Fiji

Having covered dining and dance facilities, the only shell left unturned was in actual fact a fully functioning hotel on the sea floor. One man, Bruce Jones, the president of US submarines, was the man to turn this idea into reality. He has set about creating the Poseidon Undersea Resort which is now under construction on the island of Katafinga in Fiji. By offering a $10,000 dollar reward to anyone that could suggest the perfect location for his resort, Jones managed to kick off the buzz surrounding an underwater resort. The resort’s concept designs look like something from Star Trek, and images of the rising lower hub look much like the opening of the latest Star Wars film.

People visiting the resort need not have any diving experience, as there is a central tower that connects to the sea floor. Each room is aligned in a pod-like arrangement. Each of the undersea suites have accommodation around 561 square feet, equipped with a king size bed, full entertainment technology and a private coral garden with fish feeders. 70% of the structure is made from highly robust yet thin acrylic to give you amazingly clear views over your private coral garden. They recently released news on the improvement of acrylics that has enabled them to improve their resort. So far 150,000 people have signed up for information regarding bookings when the hotel opens. This hotel can only accommodate 7200 guests a year, so potentially there could be a 20 year waiting list! Prices start at $30,000 per couple, per week.

A unique selling point of the resort is its wedding chapel. You can get married on boats, beaches, safaris, you name it and it’s likely happened, but getting married underwater without the use of scuba gear has certainly previously been impossible. Romance has been emphasized when designing the resort, as for many couples this will be a once in a lifetime experience. Weddings can be arranged above or below the sea.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our coverage of the world’s most luxury underwater hotels and resorts. Will you be trying to reserve a room at any of these in the near future?