From tree houses to caves, nothing is off limits to hoteliers who think outside-the-box these days. Joining the increasing number of unusual accommodations popping up in the world is a stand-alone suite floating in the Indian Ocean, just off the coast of Tanzania in Africa, with a bedroom that offers views below the water, as well as above.
The Manta Resort on Pemba Island in the Zanzibar archipelago has opened its first underwater room, part of a three-story suite anchored a little more than 800 feet from shore.
Designed by Genberg Underwater Hotels, a Swedish company founded by the artist Mikael Genberg, the small house offers views of both the sky, from a rooftop deck, and the ocean, from a bedroom that extends more than 13 feet below the surface. At sea level, a lounge area and bathroom offer common space above the water.
Spotlights installed just outside of the bedroom windows, which offer an almost 360 degree view, give guests a nightly show of passing marine life. With rates starting at $1,500 for double occupancy, only a handful of guests have been able to stay so far, but their reactions have been good, Matthew Saus, the chief executive of Resort 360, Manta's parent company, said in a statement.
"I would describe the reaction as more in awe of what can happen in the room," Mr. Saus said. "The small stuff is attracted to the light like moths to a flame, and the squid, garfish, pipefish and other predators have a feast every night. We have even had an octopus crawl over one of the windows."
This is not Mr. Genberg's first foray into deep waters. The company's original underwater room began as an art installation that extends almost 10 feet below the surface of Lake Malaren in Vasteras, Sweden, near Stockholm. The Utter Inn was built in 2000 and is still available for overnight stays.
And Genberg is not the only company that hopes to capitalize on submerged accommodations. Water Discus Underwater Hotels, a company based in Poland, announced plans this summer to build hotels in Dubai and the Maldives, which it hopes will include several underwater rooms, as well as lounges and other common areas, much like a scene from "The Spy Who Loved Me," the late-1970s James Bond in which the villain resided in a futuristic underwater compound.
Pemba Island is already considered a fairly secluded destination with a population of just 300,000 and only a few dozen tourists visiting at any time, according to a statement from Resorts 360. It can be accessed most easily from Zanzibar by chartered flights or by sea ferry; guests can then take a boat to the new suite.
"I guess the word for it is privilege," Mr. Saus said in the release. "You certainly do feel privileged to be part of this new world."
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