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The race to complete the world’s first upscale underwater hotel has now become a four-way event. Istanbul plans to convert the submerged ruins of a former tobacco factory into a seven-story hotel with crystalline vistas of the Bosphorus Strait. The property is also angling to anoint itself “seven-star” status — lending the city some extra gloss when it takes over the mantle (from Linz in Austria) as Europe’s Cultural Capital, 2010. But as we reported last year, China, Dubai and the South Pacific are also vying to break the waves. Shanghai Shimao Wonderland is billing itself as the “world’s lowest altitude hotel,” while Dubai’s Hydropolis is a half-billion-dollar hotel shaped like a jellyfish with 220 rooms, a shopping mall and a missile defense system to guard against terrorists. Meantime, Poseidon Undersea Resort in Fiji looks poised to plunge leagues ahead of its rivals: After several false starts, the sea-floor hotel starts taking reservations this week for stays in September. Located 40 feet beneath the surface of a lagoon, Poseidon will feature a $20,000-per-night suite that is accessible by only submarine — the mooks paying just $1,500 will enter their rooms via an underwater tunnel.
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read more: 02. Sleep | boutique | unusual | 10. Culture | architecture |
