The Manta Resort - Sleep With the Fishes Inside Tanzania's Extraordinary Underwater Hotel Room

Forget everything you know about underwater experiences. The Manta Resort's Underwater Room isn't a restaurant where you dine below sea level for an hour, or a spa treatment with a glass floor novelty. This is a genuine floating bedroom, anchored 250 meters offshore in the Indian Ocean, where you spend the night four meters beneath the surface while reef fish, octopuses, and the occasional squid cruise past your bed.

The concept started as an art project in a Swedish lake – artist Mikael Genberg's "Utter Inn" – designed to flip the aquarium script and let fish observe humans for a change. What began in Lake Mälaren migrated to Pemba Island in 2013, where it became something far more ambitious: a three-level floating structure that lets you live, not just visit, underwater.

The Island Nobody Visits

Pemba sits off Tanzania's east coast in the Zanzibar archipelago, producing 70% of the world's cloves. Despite having half a million residents, you'll rarely encounter more than a couple dozen foreign visitors. The island keeps its secrets close – pristine beaches, untouched coral reefs, forests dotted with ruins from 17th-century Arab rule. Locals call it the "magic island" for its reputation as a center of traditional medicine and wizardry.

The Manta Resort occupies the island's far north, perched on a hilltop above turquoise water and white sand. This isn't a polished five-star resort. There's no bling here. What you get instead: a family atmosphere, personal service (you're assigned a "Service Fundi" who looks after you throughout your stay), and direct access to some of the world's best diving. The property includes garden rooms, seafront villas, a spa, a pool, and a beach lounge where you can dig your toes into warm sand.

A Floating Island

The Underwater Room floats in a protected marine conservation area known as the Blue Hole, a clearing in the coral reef about 12 meters deep.

You reach it by boat – a short ride from shore to your private floating island. The Swedish-engineered structure is built from sustainably sourced hardwood and runs partly on solar power, designed to minimize impact on the fragile reef below.

From the outside, it's a striking sight: a wooden platform riding the gentle swells, topped with a sun deck, anchored above gardens of coral.

You're completely isolated here, 250 meters from land, surrounded by nothing but ocean. A security guard stationed nearby ensures your safety, and you're given a mobile phone to stay in touch with resort staff. But mostly, you're alone with the sea.

Below The Surface

Climb down the ladder and you enter another world entirely. The underwater bedroom sits four meters below the surface, encased in nearly 360 degrees of glass.

A double bed centers the space, positioned so you can lie back and watch marine life from every angle. The glass panels reveal the reef in intimate detail – parrotfish grazing on coral, groupers drifting past, trumpetfish hovering vertically in the current.

When darkness falls, underwater spotlights switch on, illuminating the reef and attracting nocturnal species. The effect transforms the bedroom into a glowing bubble suspended in black water, while curious creatures drawn to the light perform their nightly routines just beyond the glass. It's silent down here – surreal and mesmerizing in equal measure.

The room has developed its own ecosystem. Three batfish have taken up permanent residence around the structure, using it as protection from predators.

A trumpetfish named Nick regularly patrols the windows, peering in at the strange creatures inside.

Throughout the day, schools of reef fish glide past. The view constantly shifts as different species appear and disappear into the blue.

At Sea Level

The middle deck, positioned at the waterline, houses a shaded lounge area and bathroom. The facilities include an open-air freshwater shower and an eco-friendly marine toilet – everything designed to function off-grid without harming the surrounding environment. A fully stocked bar fridge keeps drinks cold. Meals arrive by boat and can be served on whichever deck you prefer, breakfast and dinner delivered to your floating doorstep.

This level serves as your transition space between the underwater world and the open air above. You can step directly into the ocean from here for a swim, then retreat to the lounge when you need shade. Everything's calibrated for comfort while maintaining respect for the ecosystem supporting you.

Under The Stars

The rooftop deck offers something equally spectacular but entirely different. By day, it's a sunbathing platform where you soak up African warmth surrounded by endless ocean views. By night, it becomes an observatory.

Pemba's remoteness means zero light pollution. The stars here reveal themselves in staggering clarity – a dense blanket of light you simply don't see near civilization. You can sleep up here if you prefer, under that brilliant sky, rocked gently by the waves lapping at the structure below. It's a completely different experience from the underwater bedroom, but no less extraordinary.

The Reef

You're provided with snorkeling gear – mask, fins, and a kayak for exploring the immediate area. The Underwater Room sits within a coral reef conservation area, part of the Pemba Channel's protected waters. The resort's location in northern Pemba gives access to some of the world's premier diving sites, with pristine reefs that remain largely unspoiled.

The coral gardens surrounding your floating room host the same species you watch from your underwater bedroom window. You can slip into the water and swim among the parrotfish and groupers, explore the reef formations, and understand the ecosystem from within rather than behind glass. A portion of your booking fee funds marine conservation through the Kwanini Foundation, supporting coral reef monitoring and education initiatives on the island.