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Imagine if you could take a five-star luxury vacation in the middle of any body of water around the world? Well, this is no longer just wishful thinking but a reality thanks to a French company that set out to create the first floating and completely self-sustainable hotel suite.
Anthenea is a 538-square-foot fully recyclable floating pod that runs completely on solar polar and that, unlike yachts or boats that cause oil and gas pollution, has no environmental impact on the underwater ecosystem. According to the company, Anthenea can stay afloat indefinitely thanks to five south-facing solar panels and two electric propulsion pods. Its dome shape is based on the principle of “surface tension” found in nature and is the best shape to resist extreme weather conditions on the water.
Inside, the capsule has three living spaces—a bedroom, a living room, and a rooftop that serves as a lounge area. The bedroom features a circular bed that’s seven feet in diameter and a circular soaking bathtub that can be filled with fresh or seawater. The living room area has a wet bar and a sofa for lounging and soaking in the views. But the most notable interior features are probably the windows that allow for a 360-view as well as a smaller 10-foot underwater window. The pop-up top-level solarium can seat up to 12 people which makes it the perfect spot to entertain a group of friends.
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Anthenea requires no navigational knowledge or nautical experience and because it has a stabilizing ballasten, seasickness will not be an issue. The pod can adapt to a wide range of temperatures—from -22F to 104F—and is entirely made from sustainable materials.
Related: Why You Should Book Sustainable Travel Accommodations
The pod took 15 years to create by naval architect Jean-Michel Duacancelle. He was inspired by the 1977 Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me where the villain, Karl Stromberg, lives under the sea.
If you’d like to test run the pods, you can do so in 2021 (all spots for 2020 are now booked) on the Côte de Granit Rose in Brittany, France. Prices start at $350 per night. And if you can’t wait until then, you can purchase your own floating suite from $535,000.
