Summertime Sleeping Underwater in Sweden.

(Dive Travel Business News - July 5, 2012) -- Lake Mälaren, Sweden -- Underwater hotels are still largely a product of a vivid imagination. Several are in the planning stage or are currently under construction. Swedish artist and sculptor Mikael Genberg definitely had a vivid imagination when he constructed his one-bedroom Utter Inn (in English, Otter Inn) on a Swedish lake near Stockholm in 2000. The Utter Inn is an all-in-one hotel room / art piece / and marine life observation station.

Guests of Utter Inn arrive at the port of Västerås (about a 90 minute drive from Stockholm) and are met by the Utter staff for the 1 km inflatable boat ride to the hotel. After receiving all the instructions guests need, they are then left in privacy at the hotel.  Not that guests are totally stranded: There’s a small row boat to explore the lake and the Utter staff is always a phone call away.

From the shores of Lake Mälaren, the Utter Inn looks like a bright red white gabled Swedish-style cottage (resembling more like a garden shed) stuck improbably in the middle of the lake. The visible section of the Inn includes a kitchenette (with small fridge and cooktop), toilet and little dining area surrounded by an outdoor terrace.

But it's the guestroom that's the real selling point of the Utter Inn, accessible by crawling through a hatch on the floor and down a ladder to the sleeping quarters three meters (10 ft) under the water. Essentially a watertight box, the guestroom contains only two twin beds and a table. Panoramic windows on all four sides looking out into the Swedish Lake Mälaren allow guests to watch fish and other aquatic life swim by.

While staying at the Inn, guests have the opportunity to use an inflatable canoe to visit the closest uninhabited island, swim, sunbathe upstairs on the outdoor deck, bird watch or watch the fish (both upstairs and downstairs). Guests won't see tropical fish out the window - they are more likely to view the antics of freshwater pike and perch. 

Guests can bring their own food,  but no cooking is required at this getaway. If guests prefer deluxe accommodation, they will be delivered a full Swedish dinner by boat in the evening and an ample breakfast in the morning. While water is provided, guests are advised to bring their own beverages.

The Utter is truly a singular experience and is a wildly popular destination during the summer months. Reservations well in advance are recommended.  A typical night's stay at the Utter Inn costs $212 per person. For more information visit Private Island Online.com

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