Futuristic underwater hotel resort for Philippines

Developers are about to build a giant underwater resort off the coast of the Philippines, according to a report in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Singapore-based financier Paul Moñozca is heading a group of international investors planning to start a futuristic underwater resort off the island of Palawan.

The project, dubbed “Last Frontier Resort,” is expected to bring in a total of US $1 billion in investments spread across a 10-year period and is worthy of our Top 10 hotels of the future feature.

“The blue print encompasses a strict adherence to protect the environment and the biodiversity of Palawan,” the group said in a statement.

“Groups of scientists from the Philippines and around the globe are part of the project’s protective strategy especially focused on its long stretches of coral reefs which have previously encountered illegal dynamite and cyanide fishing,” it added.

In the planning stage since last year, the investors have identified a group of islands in the Calamianes cluster as the site for development.

According to the paper, the first phase calls for semi-submersible units called Sea Spiders, which will be built by a US firm that specialises in submarines, to serve as observation decks, each spider catering to 30 tourists.

The second phase of the project will include a 100-room underwater hotel in partnership with a high-end boutique hotel brand spread over a cluster of seven islands.

Suite-size rooms will have a 270-degree view of the ocean underwater with 20-to 40-meter visibility. These rooms will be connected by underwater corridors. A further 85 rooms will be built on another cluster of seven islands.

Developers expect the project to be completed by 2013.