By Katherine Dorsett
Instead of getting away from it all, go underneath it, and escape to some of the world's unique underwater restaurants and hotels.
You'll have to wear scuba gear and a bathing suit or use a boat to get to some of these undersea retreats.
Jules' Undersea Lodge
Feel like a superstar at this resort. Celebrities such as Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Jon Fishman of Phish and former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau have visited this underwater lodge in Key Largo, Florida.
To reach Jules' Undersea Lodge, you must scuba dive 21 feet down. You'll enter through a 5-foot-by-7-foot opening at the bottom of the lodge, where you'll be greeted with amenities you'd find at an above-ground hotel: a cozy bed, a telephone, books and a VCR/DVD for movies.
You'll breathe easy inside this air-conditioned lodge, which is filled with compressed air to prevent water from flooding the rooms.
Visitors must scuba dive 21 feet beneath the water to reach Jules' Undersea Lodge.
The living quarters include two private bedrooms, a wet room where divers leave their gear and take a shower, and an 8-foot-by-20-foot multipurpose room for dining and entertaining.
One couple named their baby Jules after discovering that their recently conceived child had accompanied them to the underwater hotel. Another couple's visit inspired them to change careers and open a dive shop, according to the owners.
A night's stay costs $400 to $500 per person, depending on the package.
Ithaa Undersea Restaurant
Ithaa Undersea Restaurant sits 16 feet under the Indian Ocean.
Watch sea life swim around you as you dine in this underwater getaway.
Set in a picturesque corner of the Maldive Islands, Ithaa Undersea Restaurant claims to be the world's first all-glass underwater dining establishment.
This luxury restaurant, which has welcomed thousands of diners since 2005, sits 16 feet deep in the Indian Ocean and is surrounded by sea life and a coral reef.
The six-course dinner menu often features French dishes from executive chef Nicolas Boutin and is priced at $320 a person. A lighter three-course lunch menu is available for $195 a person. Both meals include one glass of bubbly champagne.
If you're dining at lunch, don't forget to bring your sunglasses. The sun's rays illuminate the water and make the restaurant so bright inside that diners and the wait staff need eye protection.
Utter Inn
The Utter Inn is located on Lake Mälaren in Sweden.
If you're looking for a simpler underwater experience, consider the Utter Inn in Västerås, Sweden, which is a single-room hotel containing just two twin beds and a table.
This underwater spot, which looks like a small red house above the water, lies nearly 10 feet below the surface of Lake Mälaren and can be accessed only by boat. Panoramic windows in all directions allow guests to watch fish and other aquatic life swim by.
During your stay, hang out on the above-water deck to sunbathe, read or fish. Guests are also invited to use an inflatable canoe to explore a nearby uninhabited island.
No cooking is required at this getaway. Instead, order dinner and have it delivered.
A typical night's stay at the Utter Inn costs $212 per person.
Poseidon Undersea Resort
Poseidon Undersea Resort is scheduled to open in late 2012, according to the developer.
Sleep next to exotic sea life at Poseidon.
This underwater five-star luxury hotel in Fiji, set to open in late 2012, has been marketed as the "world's first sea floor resort."
The 24-room Poseidon Undersea Resort will sit 40 feet below the crystal clear waters of a Fijian lagoon, next to a coral reef.
Guests will be required to spend two nights in the underwater hotel and four nights at a more traditional beach resort and over-water bungalows on a 222-acre island called Poseidon Mystery Island.
The high-end hotel will feature an underwater restaurant, library and theater area.
Above the water, visitors can check out wine-tasting classes and a nine-hole golf course, or be pampered with spa treatments.
Be prepared to open your wallet wide at this resort. The cost for this exclusive experience is $15,000 per person (when sharing a room) or $30,000 a couple.
Forbes Island
Forbes Island in San Francisco offers dining both above and below the water.
Reachable only by boat, Forbes Island off Pier 39 in San Francisco offers above- and below-water dining.
Featured on "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," the island was once home to millionaire Forbes Kiddoo.
On the menu are French culinary classics like coq au vin or filet mignon with a truffled Bordelaise sauce, local seafood such as halibut or Pacific Coast salmon, and a large wine list.
In the underwater area, guests can peer through several portholes while dining in a dark wood-beamed room accented by a giant gas fireplace and a large collection of nautical antiques.
Above the water, dine outside or in rooms with spectacular views of San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz, Coit Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge.
The price range for an entree is about $20 to $39. Wines by the glass start at $9.
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