Facts About Jules Undersea Lodge

Travel - Destinations

By: smacklanburg 23-Jun-2011

How to Enter

When guests visit Jules' Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida, they discover that the name is no marketing gimmick. Just to enter the Lodge, one must actually scuba dive 21 feet beneath the surface of the sea. Jules' really is underwater. Diving through the tropical mangrove habitat of the Emerald Lagoon and approaching the world's only underwater hotel is quite an experience. Even from the outside, Jules' big 42 inch round windows cast a warm invitation to come in and stay a while, relax and get to know the underwater world that so few of us have even visited.

What to Do

Entering through an opening in the bottom of the habitat, the feeling is much like discovering a secret underwater clubhouse. The cottage sized building isn't short on creature comforts: hot showers, a well stocked kitchen (complete with refrigerator and microwave), books, music, and video movies. And of course there are cozy beds, where guests snuggle up and watch the fish visit the windows of their favorite underwater "terrarium". Jules' Undersea Lodge manages to reach a perfect balance of relaxation and adventure.

History

Although the underwater hotel may sound like the latest tourist fun spot, Jules' Undersea Lodge, actually began its existence as La Chalupa research laboratory, an underwater habitat used to explore the continental shelf off the coast of Puerto Rico. The authenticity of the underwater habitat is what really sets it apart from amusement parks and other similar attractions. The mangrove lagoon in which Jules' is located is a natural nursery area for many reef fish. Tropical angelfish, parrotfish, barracuda, and snappers peek in the windows of the habitat, while anemones, sponges, oysters and feather duster worms seem to cover every inch of this underwater world. Guests of the Lodge explore their marine environment with scuba gear provided by Jules' Undersea Lodge and are given an unlimited supply of tanks. Jules' Undersea Lodge may have a comfortable futuristic decor, but its sense of history is inescapable. It is the first and only underwater hotel, but is also the first underwater research lab to have ever been made accessible to the average person.

Air and Water

Habitat operations are monitored by the Mission Director from the land-based "Command Center", located at the edge of the Emerald Lagoon. The control center is connected to Jules' Undersea Lodge by an umbilical cable which delivers fresh air, water, power, and communications. "The entire facility is monitored 24 hours a day by our staff", says Koblick, "the Lodge has independent support systems as well as redundant backup systems. We've taken every step to ensure a safe yet exciting adventure for our guests".

Number of Guests

On an average evening Jules' Undersea Lodge is shared by two different couples, but it can accommodate a group of six friends in the gracious living quarters designed by the award winning firm of Richard F. Geary Interior Designers. Exclusive use of the hotel can also be arranged for couples who want to be the only lovers in the world spending the night alone in inner space - a pretty romantic thought. The Lodge is even available for underwater weddings, with a wedding package that includes flowers and the world?s only underwater wedding cake. The unique setting is perfect for couples who plan to start their married life with a touch of the outrageous, but still enjoy traditional sentiments.