Floating hotels have become something of a trend in recent years -- a trend that well-heeled, novelty-seeking guests can’t get enough of. From over-the-top cities like Dubai to more low-key locales like Bora Bora, hotel groups have extended their interests beyond the ground beneath us; now they’re looking out to sea when considering where to build their next properties.
We've tracked down the top 10 floating hotels that have gone up in recent years and clearly people aren’t afraid to go back into the water.
We've tracked down the top 10 floating hotels that have gone up in recent years and clearly people aren’t afraid to go back into the water.
Six Senses
Soneva Gili, Male, Maldives
Home to one of the largest lagoons in the Maldives, Soneva Gili is the perfect place for a luxury Six Senses resort, famed the world over for pampering its guests within an inch of their lives. Guests reach the secluded floating hotel via a 15-minute boat ride from the capital city of Male, before checking into their own private over-water villas -- most of which are connected to the island via jetties, while the best stand alone in the ocean. The accommodations’ best feature has to be the floating sun decks, which allow guests to catch some rays while bobbing up and down in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.
Punta CaracolPanama, South America
Comprising six stilted "aqua lodges" or cabins complete with palm-leaf roofs, Punta Caracol is the perfect way to get back to nature in virgin territory. Not only are guests able to stay above the shimmering waters of the Caribbean Sea, but they are also able to take in dolphins frolicking in the surf, trips into the rain forests and fishing and snorkeling on the nearby reef. Because the resort is built out of native woods, plants, clays leaves, and bamboo, the resort is completely kind to its environment too.
Bora Bora Lagoon Resort & Spa
Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Dubbed "the ultimate honeymoon retreat," things don’t get much more idyllic than the awe-inspiring Lagoon Resort & Spa on Bora Bora. In fact, the hotel could have been built specifically for a wedding magazine shoot. Built on an islet one mile across from the main island of Bora Bora, the resort is made up of 44 over-water bungalows, as well as beach and garden accommodations on gorgeous stretches of clear white sand beaches. Highly recommended is an end-of-pontoon bungalow, from which you’ll be able to enjoy a view of the looming 2,385-foot Mount Otemanu. Together with first-class spa and dining amenities, this floating hotel truly is a world unto its own.
Dragon Inn Floating ResortSemporna, Malaysia
Built on the sea near Semporna, the Dragon Inn Floating Resort -- or Semporna Floating, as it is otherwise known -- offers guests sumptuous rooms on stilts and a unique paradise island resort with palm-leaf roofing. Not only does the hotel offer every conceivable creature comfort, but the structural design of the hotel affords guests a sense of a traditional Bajau water village -- an experience you won’t find in cloned hotel chains on the mainland. As you’d expect, the hotel offers some of the best diving opportunities on this side of the world, with daily dive trips to the world-famous spots in Sipadan.
Floating & Rotating Hotel TowerDubai, UAE
When it's completed, Waterstudio’s Floating & Rotating Hotel Tower will rise 25 stories off the coast of Dubai. The Amsterdam-based architecture firm specializes in waterborne projects, and its 100-meter hotel concept will be a feat of engineering made with glass and steel, featuring a boulevard ring that connects the shore with the hotel and a floating foundation that measures only 19 feet in depth. The hotel will also rotate one-degree every minute or so, meaning it will be a truly remarkable experience for those privileged enough to enjoy a stay.
Conrad MaldivesRangali Island, Maldives
Set across two private islands in the shimmering turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, it’s hardly surprising that the Conrad Maldives is a favorite among the rich and famous. While some of its amenities are indeed built on land, much of the resort is built with water in mind -- such as the 50 luxurious water villas, the all-glass undersea restaurant and the 21 spa water villas with private treatment rooms. Built in the water 1,640 feet out to sea, the hotel’s water villas enable guests to shut out the rest of the world and enjoy the soothing sound of the waves lapping against the wooden stilts beneath.
AerohotelCan be built anywhere
With global warming threatening population displacement, the allure of waterborne hotels is ever increasing and nobody knows this better than forward-thinking visionaries like Russian architect Alexander Asadov. His solution to the problem is the floating Aerohotel, a spaceship-like hotel concept that is held above the water via an elegant system of supports. By building the hotel above the water rather than on it, the design preserves the environment beneath it and saves the need for any damaging man-made islands to be built. Features of the hotel include hanging gardens, cafes and restaurants, as well as a nifty landing strip for a Zeppelin.
Oberoi UdaivilasUdaipur, India
Positioned in the middle of glittering Lake Pichola like something out of a fairy tale, the five-star Oberoi Udaivilas is arguably one of the world’s most visually stunning floating hotels. Guests at the hotel are treated to the architecture of a traditional Indian palace, complete with romantic courtyards, trickling fountains and manicured gardens. The interior isn’t too shabby either, with embellished domes, hand-painted frescoes, flamboyant mirrors, and authentic artifacts. Guests can choose to lounge in their suite’s own private pools that overlook the lake, or enjoy a spot of yoga and mediation on an al fresco terrace. Even arriving at the hotel is an experience, courtesy of a traditional Kashmiri gondola equipped with champagne and canapés.
ReefWorldGreat Barrier Reef, Australia
While it’s caused something of a stir among placard-wielding campaigners when the concept was first introduced, a project called ReefWorld has been given the go-ahead by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. The brainchild of British architect firm Richard Hywel Evans, ReefWorld will offer a full underwater spa, eight submerged bedrooms, glass-walled bathrooms and a research facility right on top of Australia’s stunning Great Barrier Reef. The hotel also claims to be the world’s first eco-friendly floating hotel, able to generate its own heat and electricity using a mixture of turbines, solar panels and underwater trickle-charge generators.
King Pacific LodgeBritish Columbia, Canada
Built atop a floating barge to avoid impacting the environment, King Pacific Lodge is quite a sight to behold. Enabling guests to experience pristine wilderness without sacrificing on five-star comfort and opting for a shoddy tent, the hotel is accessed via a floatplane, and is towed in to Princess Royal Island from May to October. While it’s certainly not cheap, at $3,842-per-person (CDN) for a three-night package deal, guests are offered 17 oversize suites with king-size beds and hot-tubs, a Michelin-worthy dining room offering local delicacies and fish from the water below, as well as al fresco activities such as fishing, hiking and kayaking. No wonder the likes of Kevin Costner have been spotted here.
