The World's Coolest Underwater Hotel Rooms

Underwater suites, Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland, China

 

One of the most ambitious buildings ever created, the Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland was designed by the same team as Dubai’s iconic Burj Al Arab. Built within an abandoned quarry in Songjiang, the five-star luxury hotel spans 18 storeys, only two of which are above ground level. And two floors lie submerged beneath a 33-foot-deep (10m) aquarium which is filled with exotic marine life.  It has two underwater suites where guests can soak in private views of the colourful reef fish, small black-tipped reef sharks and sting rays. 

 

But it’s not just the underwater suite guests who get to ogle the aquarium's mesmerising tropical marine life up close. The hotel has a tranquil underwater restaurant, Mr Fisher, where guests can immerse themselves in the wonders of the ocean. Diners sit next to full-length glass windows that look out onto the pretty corals and swirling fish as they feast on (yep, you guessed it) top-quality seafood.

 

 

As well as its dreamy underwater realm, the so-called “groundscraper” hotel has other unexpected features including a rock climbing wall that scales up the quarry's rock face and a huge glass “waterfall” atrium which runs down the entire length of the quarry. The Intercontinental Shanghai Wonderland boasts serious eco-credentials too: most of the energy is renewable, while the architects chose this site to preserve the landscape. The ceiling is covered in greenery to help it blend into the surrounding countryside.