/ / / /

The Original Underwater Hotel is Still Alive and Kicking

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: Emerald Lagoon [map], Key Largo, FL, United States, 33037
October 1, 2010 at 1:12 PM | by | Comments (0)

What better way to follow up yesterday's story on the latest Space Hotel with an update on the progress of another ambitious category of hotels? Underwater Hotels!

Fortunately for you adventure-seekers, underwater hotels seem to be more "do-able" than Space Hotels. While Istanbul, Dubai and the Bahamas have still not opened their planned underwater hotels, we have seen an underwater suite open at the Conrad Maldives.

However, if you truly want an underwater hotel experience, the place to be under the sea remains the Jules Undersea Lodge (named after explorer Jules Verne) in Key Largo, Fla. We discovered this place way back in 2003 and it looks like not much has changed since then or since the hotel first opened (as evidenced by this photo found on their website.)

Guests still have to scuba dive 21ft down to the bottom of a lagoon before swimming into the hotel's "entrance."

From there:

A five by seven foot “moon pool” entrance in the floor of the building makes entering the hotel much like surfacing through a small swimming pool. Divers find themselves in the wet room, the center of three compartments that make up the underwater living quarters.

The wet room, as the name implies, is where divers leave their gear, enjoy a quick hot shower and towel-off before entering the rest of the living area.

The lodge is really just a giant suite with two tiny private bed rooms and a main common room. All rooms have with telephones intercoms, TVs and books and giant 42" inch round windows. They even have iPod docking stations too!

If you're worried about safety (and you should be) the hotel monitors the joint 24-7 ensuring that guests have fresh air, water, power, and communications back up to land.

Overnight stays start at $475 a night but beware, check-out time is an early 10 am. If you've been down to the Jules Undersea Lodge sometime after the year 2000, send us some updated pics!

Comments (0)

Post a Comment

Join the conversation!

Not a member? .
Use of this Site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (effective 3/21/12) and Privacy Policy (effective 3/21/12). © Condé Nast. Your California Privacy Rights. All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast.
Ad Choices