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Picture this. Someone, let's call her Emma, is a couple of feet below the Coral Sea. All around her, there is the swelling and heaving of water, which radiates in sparkling blue azure and sways as if threatening to sweep everything away. At a distance, a monster fish is making its way. It opens its long and pointed mouth to reveal rows and rows of sharp-pointed teeth. Emma’s heart is now racing, and she quickly retreats, only to hit her legs on the king-sized bed. She comes back to her senses and rolls over, this time fully prepared to enjoy the unfolding underwater scene.
Well, Emma is not swimming, snorkeling, or scuba diving. Actually, Emma has no contact with water at all. Instead, she is all safely snug in one of the rooms that form part of Australia’s first underwater hotel. Here’s what is known about this super-sizzling innovation in the Land Down Under.
What Makes Australia’s First Underwater Hotel A Sensation
The Great Barrier Reef is not called “Great” for no apparent reason. The only living structure visible from space is a world-famous gem no one deserves to be ignorant about. Of course, there are ten ways and more one can explore the Great Barrier Reef. One cool way, however, is to experience the underwater adventure while staying inside Australia’s first underwater hotel. Known as Reefsuites, Australia’s new kid on the block offers an experience that is in every imaginable way dreamlike. At a distance, the hotel may first look like a ship from one of the world’s most popular cruise lines. But no, it is not as huge, even if it may look glossier and glamorous.
The hotel doesn’t have many suites, just two, but these two are all below the pontoon and well inside the blue waters. And since the suites come with walls all made of clear, see-through glass, guests will enjoy the super amazing views all around, with fish gliding scaringly as if determined to break the glass barrier. Aside from the two suites below the pontoon, Reefsuites also has up to 28 tents where one can book and sleep under the moonlight while the hotel sways and swings to the musical movement of the sometimes billowy waves. Of course, staying above the pontoon comes with much less cost but, fortunately, not much less pleasure. We’ll not even mention the super relaxing sea breeze that will be glazing over and the enchanting, star-draped sky.
Other Things You Should Know About Reefsuites, Australia’s First Underwater Hotel
Reefsuites opened in December 2019 to provide an intimate underwater experience that will stay in the mind forever. Sleeping 15 feet below the surface of the water and waking up to a shark’s teeth on the glass is an experience that one may not want to exchange for the world. While it can be mortifyingly scary for some, it is just the kind of danger many will want to eagerly court. That is not to mention the chance to enjoy a one-of-a-kind sunset while surrounded by rippling miles of beautiful turquoise water. Needless to say, the color effect will make the best painting by Picasso, or the most picture-perfect city in Switzerland, look average.
And while there’ll be a sumptuous dinner to enjoy at Reefsuites, the real joy might be in seeing the reef fish savoring their dinner only a few feet away. Still, that is not to say that everyone has been singing about Australia’s newest sensation. Environmental concerns have persisted. Photos reveal that the world's largest coral reef system has been changing for the worse, making it one of the soon-to-be-extinct places one should make a priority seeing right now before they disappear forever. Plus, with the increased tourist numbers the underwater hotel is generating, these concerns may just be legitimate. However, and if this can be reassuring, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority usually approves such investments only after carefully assessing their probable ecological impact.
How To See Australia’s First Underwater Hotel
Those who want to spend a night or two underwater at Australia’s Reefsuites should first make their way to Hardy Reef. Often, this trip is made from Australia’s Whitsunday Islands, a beautiful cluster of islands located about 34 miles off the Queensland coast. But for someone coming from, say, Brisbane, getting to Reefsuites may almost look like an ordeal. The trip will involve a 95-minute flight to Arlie Beach before another three-hour boat trip.
- How Much To Pay For A Two-day Stay At Reefsuites? A 2-Day Great Barrier Reef Reefsuites Experience price starts from $743.07.
Reefsuites is an investment project of Cruise Whitsundays, which conceived this floating hotel idea after Cyclone Debbie had wreaked havoc in 2017 and crushed Reefsuites’s popular predecessor, Reefworld pontoon. Here’s the thing. There are a dozen places from which to explore Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. None, however, will match the experience at Reefsuites.