The world’s most spectacular floating hotels

By Nosmot Gbadamosi, CNN
Updated 5:25 PM EDT, Mon April 23, 2018
<strong>Spectacular floating hotels: </strong>Conrad Maldives' Sunset Water Villas are suspended on stilts over the Indian Ocean.
Spectacular floating hotels: Conrad Maldives' Sunset Water Villas are suspended on stilts over the Indian Ocean.
Courtesy Conrad Maldives
<strong>Infinity pool:</strong> Each of Rangali's 50 villas has an infinity pool. Even when you're indoors, you can view the water though a glass floor in the living area.
Infinity pool: Each of Rangali's 50 villas has an infinity pool. Even when you're indoors, you can view the water though a glass floor in the living area.
Courtesy Conrad Maldives
<strong>Underwater restaurant: </strong>There are only 12 seats at Conrad Maldives' Ithaa undersea restaurant, and all of them have equally fantastic views of the ocean overhead.
Underwater restaurant: There are only 12 seats at Conrad Maldives' Ithaa undersea restaurant, and all of them have equally fantastic views of the ocean overhead.
Courtesy Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
<strong>Taj Lake Palace:</strong> Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, India, was used as a film location in the 1983 James Bond film "Octopussy."
Taj Lake Palace: Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, India, was used as a film location in the 1983 James Bond film "Octopussy."
Courtesy Taj Lake Palace
<strong>Pleasure palace: </strong>Built in 1746 as a pleasure palace for Prince Maharana Jagat Singh II, the Taj Lake Palace has 66 rooms and 17 suites, all with views of the lake.
Pleasure palace: Built in 1746 as a pleasure palace for Prince Maharana Jagat Singh II, the Taj Lake Palace has 66 rooms and 17 suites, all with views of the lake.
Courtesy Taj Lake Palace
<strong>Manta Resort: </strong>Tanzania's Manta Resort has a watertight underwater room submerged four meters below the surface of the Indian Ocean.
Manta Resort: Tanzania's Manta Resort has a watertight underwater room submerged four meters below the surface of the Indian Ocean.
Courtesy Manta Resort
<strong>Swedish design: </strong>Seven years in the making, the room was designed by Sweden's Genberg Underwater Hotels.
Swedish design: Seven years in the making, the room was designed by Sweden's Genberg Underwater Hotels.
courtesy Jesper Anhede/Genberg Art UW Ltd
<strong>Good Hotel London: </strong>Good Hotel opened in London's Victoria Docks in late 2016, having traveled by barge from Amsterdam across the North Sea.
Good Hotel London: Good Hotel opened in London's Victoria Docks in late 2016, having traveled by barge from Amsterdam across the North Sea.
Courtesy Good Hotel London
<strong>Good deeds:</strong> Good Hotel has a 10-month training program to help the long-term unemployed get back into work.
Good deeds: Good Hotel has a 10-month training program to help the long-term unemployed get back into work.
Courtesy Good Hotel London
<strong>Salt & Sill: </strong>Sweden's Salt & Sill is found in the Bohuslan Archipelago of around 10,000 islands. Some rooms have their own ladder leading straight to the sea.
Salt & Sill: Sweden's Salt & Sill is found in the Bohuslan Archipelago of around 10,000 islands. Some rooms have their own ladder leading straight to the sea.
Courtesy Salt & Sill
<strong>Swedish luxury: </strong>Salt & Sill's other big draw is its man-made lobster reef measuring around 40 square meters and a catamaran hosting a floating sauna.
Swedish luxury: Salt & Sill's other big draw is its man-made lobster reef measuring around 40 square meters and a catamaran hosting a floating sauna.
Courtesy Salt & Sill
<strong>Beach Villa Ocean Suites: </strong>Resorts World Sentosa's Beach Villa Ocean Suites are part-submerged along one side of Singapore's S.E.A. Aquarium.
Beach Villa Ocean Suites: Resorts World Sentosa's Beach Villa Ocean Suites are part-submerged along one side of Singapore's S.E.A. Aquarium.
Resorts World Sentosa
<strong>Amenities: </strong>The Ocean Suites still come with all the amenities you'd expect from five-star luxury including Wi-Fi, 24-hour in-room dining and 24-hour personal butler services.
Amenities: The Ocean Suites still come with all the amenities you'd expect from five-star luxury including Wi-Fi, 24-hour in-room dining and 24-hour personal butler services.
Resorts World Sentosa
<strong>OFF Paris Seine:</strong> Moored near Austerlitz station, boat hotel OFF Paris Seine is 80 meters long and has 54 rooms.
OFF Paris Seine: Moored near Austerlitz station, boat hotel OFF Paris Seine is 80 meters long and has 54 rooms.
Courtesy OFF Paris Seine
<strong>Sunset Suite: </strong>Its Sunset Suite is a wash of orange from walls to soft furnishings. It's the work of trend forecaster Tal Lancman and haute couture designer Maurizio Galante.
Sunset Suite: Its Sunset Suite is a wash of orange from walls to soft furnishings. It's the work of trend forecaster Tal Lancman and haute couture designer Maurizio Galante.
Courtesy OFF Paris Seine
<strong>Salt & Water catamarans:</strong> Serbian design studio Salt & Water are developing houseboat-style catamarans for use on inland water including lakes and rivers.
Salt & Water catamarans: Serbian design studio Salt & Water are developing houseboat-style catamarans for use on inland water including lakes and rivers.
Courtesy Salt & Water
<strong>Choose your own adventure: </strong>Docked onto a central floating hotel with a reception and restaurant, each catamaran can be detached and navigated for a more private experience.
Choose your own adventure: Docked onto a central floating hotel with a reception and restaurant, each catamaran can be detached and navigated for a more private experience.
Courtesy Salt & Water
<strong>Solent Forts: </strong>Solent Forts, off England's south coast, began life as three man-made sea fortresses commissioned in the mid-19th century to see off a French invasion that never materialized.
Solent Forts: Solent Forts, off England's south coast, began life as three man-made sea fortresses commissioned in the mid-19th century to see off a French invasion that never materialized.
Courtesy Solent Forts
<strong>Vacation island:</strong> Two of the three fortresses have been turned into private vacation islands with bedrooms, bars, restaurants, rooftop hot tubs and spas.
Vacation island: Two of the three fortresses have been turned into private vacation islands with bedrooms, bars, restaurants, rooftop hot tubs and spas.
Courtesy Solent Forts
The world's most spectacular floating hotels
CNN  — 

Ever wanted to sleep amongst manta rays inside the world’s largest aquarium? How about unwinding in a floating sauna in a Swedish archipelago of 10,000 islands?

As hotels compete to create ever more awe-inspiring and Instagram-worthy spaces, some architects are turning their engineering focus to building on water.

Situated in prime locations around the world, these nine floating hotels are either permanently docked on water, wholly mobile or partly submerged below sea level and make a most interesting place to stay:

1. Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, India

Taj Lake Palace: As loved by Roger Moore-era James Bond.
Taj Lake Palace: As loved by Roger Moore-era James Bond.
Courtesy Taj Lake Palace

Floating like a huge spectral white mansion in the middle of an Indian lake, it’s easy to see why this palace was chosen as a backdrop for the 1983 James Bond film “Octopussy.”

Its history is as seductive as the sights it offers. Prince Maharana Jagat Singh II built the hotel in 1746 as a pleasure palace, legend has it, for hosting his dalliances with beautiful young women. It was restored to its opulent former glory in the 1970s.

Guests are greeted with champagne as they arrive via private jetty, while attendants wait with embroidered umbrellas to escort them indoors. There are 66 rooms and 17 suites, all with views of the lake.

Inside, there are plush pillow-strewn sofas, along with exotic paintings, carved white marble terraces, a stunning courtyard and spa. Its chefs blend the ancient cooking techniques of royal cuisines with signature local dishes.

All that extravagance not enough? The hotel can arrange special sightseeing tours around Udaipur city in one of its effortlessly cool vintage cars, including a 1948 Jaguar.

Taj Lake Palace, Lake Pichola, 5 Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001, India; +91 (0) 294 242 8800

2. Manta Resort, Tanzania

<strong>Bedroom in the sea: </strong>The Manta Resort on Pemba Island, off Tanzania, offers guests the chance to stay in a Swedish-designed underwater bedroom.
Bedroom in the sea: The Manta Resort on Pemba Island, off Tanzania, offers guests the chance to stay in a Swedish-designed underwater bedroom.
courtesy Jesper Anhede/Genberg Art UW Ltd
<strong>Moving wallpaper: </strong>The daytime view is of shoals of reef fish such as bat fish and trumpet fish.
Moving wallpaper: The daytime view is of shoals of reef fish such as bat fish and trumpet fish.
Courtesy Jesper Anhede/Genberg Art UW Ltd
<strong>Night vision: </strong>At night, spotlights outside the bedroom windows attract and illuminate the shy crowd.
Night vision: At night, spotlights outside the bedroom windows attract and illuminate the shy crowd.
Courtesy Jesper Anhede/Genberg Art UW Ltd
<strong>Swedish inspiration: </strong>The company behind this design also launched The Utter Room in 2000, another underwater room in the middle of a lake in Sweden.
Swedish inspiration: The company behind this design also launched The Utter Room in 2000, another underwater room in the middle of a lake in Sweden.
Courtesy Jesper Anhede/Genberg Art UW Ltd
<strong>Sky deck:</strong> The three-level floating structure has a sky deck on the roof, and incredible views of the stars at night.
Sky deck: The three-level floating structure has a sky deck on the roof, and incredible views of the stars at night.
courtesy Jesper Anhede/Genberg Art UW Ltd
<strong>Middle of the ocean: </strong>Well, not quite middle of the ocean. The underwater room is located 250 meters off shore.
Middle of the ocean: Well, not quite middle of the ocean. The underwater room is located 250 meters off shore.
Courtesy Jesper Anhede/Genberg Art UW Ltd
<strong>The Blue Hole: </strong>The room floats above The Blue Hole, which resort representatives say is an anomaly in the coral reef -- "A perfectly protected spot" that's a circular hole inhabited by large coral heads and vibrant marine life.
The Blue Hole: The room floats above The Blue Hole, which resort representatives say is an anomaly in the coral reef -- "A perfectly protected spot" that's a circular hole inhabited by large coral heads and vibrant marine life.
Courtesy Jesper Anhede/Genberg Art UW Ltd
<strong>Back at the island: </strong>The rest of the resort is located on the coast of Pemba Island. The recipient of only a few dozen foreign visitors annually, the island has a population of 300,000 and is the world's largest producer of cloves. In addition to cloves, mangoes, coconuts and other fruit are grown on plantations on the island.
Back at the island: The rest of the resort is located on the coast of Pemba Island. The recipient of only a few dozen foreign visitors annually, the island has a population of 300,000 and is the world's largest producer of cloves. In addition to cloves, mangoes, coconuts and other fruit are grown on plantations on the island.
Courtesy Jesper Anhede/Genberg Art UW Ltd
Underwater hotel room opens off Tanzania coast

Built on the little-known Pemba Island off Tanzania and Zanzibar’s mainland, Manta Resort boasts many eye-popping details but none more breathtaking than its Underwater Room.

Designed by Swedish company Genberg Underwater Hotels, the room was seven years in the making and is a fol