3 Reasons We Dig Africa’s First Underwater Hotel

Underwater hotel rooms don’t need much hype. The thought of an exclusive living space in an exotic location is always enough to have us scrolling reviews and Google image results for the rest of the work day. When a link to the photo feature of Africa’s first underwater resort flew into our inbox, we knew immediately we had no choice but to make sure it reached you as well.

Located off the East African coast in Mozambique, the “Underwater Room” supplies unreal views in every direction, above and below water, and an experience that cannot be matched in this day and age. We’ve assembled 3 reasons (as if you need any) as to why Africa’s first hotel room below sea level deserves your attention, if not your vacation funds in full.

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“Or you’ll be swimming with the fishes!” Photo: Jesper Anhede

1. Anything underwater is automatically interesting (I’d say delightful as well but there are certain creatures down under that may or may not fall under that adjective). But seriously, anything underwater automatically has a better story than it does on land. Ask anyone who has unintentionally dropped their iPhone in water about how that reality came to be. This hotel room is no different, except that it still functions perfectly and is located in a part of the world that’s just a tad bit nicer than the bottom of the pool at your uncle’s New Year’s Eve party.

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Kind of an intimate photo but we’ll take it. The sky deck, that is. Photo: Jesper Anhede

2. Africa has fantastically undiscovered sights and surf at reasonable prices. Jesper Anhede, the travel photographer behind the entire photo shoot, originally flew to the area with the intention of starting a surf school. For those of you looking to experience a truly liberating trip as well as catch a few waves, look no further. The current nightly rate is $900 a night for one person and $1,500 for couples.

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“Babe, phone the front desk and tell them we’ll take two more nights and a priest — we’re getting married.” Photo: Jesper Anhede

3. You’ll get to chat with dolphins. If you sleep talk then you’ll get to sleep talk with dolphins. Aforementioned dolphin conversations will take place while your significant other rubs your feet and tells you that you’re the best for checking Whalebone’s website every day and for finding out about stuff like this. Did we mention all of this is occurring underwater?

Ultimately, what you (and yours) do with vacation time is up to you. We can’t force you to get on a plane to a beautiful island off of Africa and we can’t force you to hop on a sailboat that swings you a short distance out to this gem of an accomodation. But we can say that we’ve seen your Facebook and Instagram photos lately, and it would seem that a trip like this just might do you some much needed good.

Check out all of Anhede’s photos, here, and explore booking arrangements at The Manta Resort.