Jules’ Undersea Lodge is an American hotel located in Key Largo, Florida and is the only underwater hotel in the United States. It is 30 feet (9 m) deep on the ocean floor and guests have to scuba dive to get to their rooms. The hotel is located at the bottom of the Emerald Lagoon and was opened in 1986. The hotel’s name comes from the novelist Jules Verne, author of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Scuba certification is required for entrance as the front door is located 6.4 m underwater.
The entire structure of Jules’ Undersea Lodge is underwater, sitting up on legs approximately five feet off the bottom of the protected lagoon. The Lodge is filled with compressed air, which prevents the water from rising and flooding the rooms. A five by seven-foot “moon pool” entrance on 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. Designed for comfort, the air-conditioned living space has two private bedrooms and a common room. The eight-by-twenty-foot common room is a multi-purpose room providing the galley, dining, and entertainment areas.
Jules’ Lodge is equipped with an intercom, WiFi, Amazon Fire Stick, and DVD’s so you can watch some of our suggested movies. But the main focus of attention is the big 42-inch round window that graces each room. “Waking up to view a pair of angelfish looking in your bedroom window is a moment you’ll never forget”, states Koblick.
The staff of Jules’ Undersea Lodge remains on duty 24 hours a day to provide whatever services the quests may need. If you choose to include a prepared meal the Lodge’s luxury packages include the services of a “mer-chef” who scuba dives down to the hotel to prepare and serve a gourmet dinner. Birthday or anniversary celebrations often include surprise bouquets of flowers and cakes.
Jules’ has had over 10,000 overnight guests in its 30 years of operation. Today, many certified divers who are interested stay in the Jules’ Underwater Lodge, and some who meet the skill and bottom time requirements and participate in underwater experiments in the MarineLab can elect to receive specialty diver recognition from PADI or NAUI as a Recreational Aquanaut.
According to jul.com; en.wikipedia.org. Source of photos: internet
