Dubai to add ‘floating resort’ to its list of attractions

A range of landmarks that attract numerous visitors every year, including the Burj Khalifa, the Burj Al Arab hotel, and the Palm Islands, are located in Dubai.

The glamorous emirate of the UAE will soon boast another glittering landmark in the form of the Sea Palace Floating Resort, with the project consisting of a hotel with six floating glass boat villas. With each boat villa priced at $5.44 million each, the project costs around $163.35 million.

Located near Dubai Marina, the project is being developed by Seagate Shipyard and El Bahrawy Group.

“This is the update and the latest idea of floating horses. It is a mix of a yacht and villa. The villa is licensed as a yacht, not a house. Villas, which have been named Neptune, are 95 percent complete, and the remaining work will be finished in a month, while the whole project is around 65 percent complete,” said Mohamed El Bahrawy, CEO and founder of El Bahrawy Group.

“We put glass at the bottom of the yacht so that the owner can enjoy the underwater views during the day and night and also while he is sailing,” El Bahrawy said, adding that the developer will apply for the approval of the project to Dubai’s maritime authorities upon its completion.

The villas are made up of two floors, a balcony and a roof with an outdoor pool. Each floor is 300 square meter (sqm) which in total makes it 900sqm. The first floor is made up of four en-suite bedrooms. It also includes a kitchen, a living room and two extra rooms for domestic workers.

“We build it on a class certificate or class specification basis. There are 12 classes globally. You can license a villa according to your passport and you can sail to any part of the world as each villa can be separated from the entire project,” added El Bahrawy, who clarified that the hotel will be operated by the company itself.