Adventurous types who have always dreamed of living under the sea can live out their fantasy in this stunning holiday villa more than two miles off the coast of Dubai.
The jaw-dropping hideaway, called a Floating Seahorse, features underwater bedrooms and bathrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows that allow for mesmerising views of marine life.
By the time the ambitious project is complete in 2018 there will be more than 125 floating villas, which cost as much as £2.2million each, linked to a man-made archipelago, called the Heart of Europe, in the Persian Gulf.
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These photos offer a look inside the a one-bedroom Floating Seahorse that has been installed 2.5 miles off Dubai’s shore. It is the first partially-submerged villa of its kind.
Visitors will be able to spend the night as early as this autumn once the project’s first phase wraps up.
In the largest villas, each measuring 4,000 square feet, the underwater level has a master bedroom and bathroom, with a freestanding tub and heated mirrors, and a guest room and connected bathroom.
The middle deck, called the sea level, has an open-plan layout with a living room, dining room, fully fitted kitchen and bathroom, plus an exterior deck for sunbathing and a ladder for climbing in and out of the sea.
On the upper level, guests have a glass-bottom hot tub which looks down into the living room, a relaxation area, external shower, kitchenette and minibar. Some of the space can be converted into an outdoor bedroom.
Guests won’t feel like they’re staying on an island, however, as each villa is luxuriously appointed and equipped with the latest technology.
If they get bored of island or sea views, they will have access to high-speed internet and satellite TV.
Guests won’t have to worry about the heat, either, as the villa is equipped with air conditioning.
Each villa will have butler service, room service and a personal chef will be available upon request.
Ninety of the 131 Floating Seahorse villas will be situated at St Petersburg Resort at heart-shaped St Petersburg Island.
Inspired by the Maldives, the island will be surrounded by villas, which will be connected by floating jetties.
Measuring six million square feet, the Heart of Europe is a cluster of six islands (Main Europe, Monaco, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and St Petersburg), in ‘The World’ – 300 man-made islands still under construction in the shape of a map of the world. The cluster of islands lies just to the north-east of the Palm Jumeirah development.
Designed by European architects, the Heart of Europe is owned by real estate developer Kleindienst Group.
It is intended to be a charming holiday retreat with sandy white beaches, shallow lagoons, swimming pools, tropical gardens, luxury hotels and resorts, restaurants, bars and shops.
The Heart of Europe will be home to the world’s first climate-controlled streets, with technology that will drop artificial rain or snow on streets and plazas.
Connected by bridges, the car-free islands will be able to accommodate as many as 16,000 people at once.
