Jules’ Undersea Lodge cost: The only underwater hotel in the USA reviews and everything 2023

Jules’ Underwater Lodge is the first entirely underwater hotel facility by Guinness World Records. It costs $1687.50 per couple (includes 12.5% lodging tax) for an overnight stay. In addition, it will cost you equipment transfer fees, like $150 for an iPad, and $300 for laptops. Your pizza dinner will add $175 more to your cart.

Looking for some thrilling moments in life? Want to feel excitement out of the world? The Jules’ Undersea Lodge is the perfect destination in the neighborhood.

The diverse marine environment of the Emerald Lagoon and the experience of scuba diving create happiness together. It’s been nearly 40 years and the underwater hotel has served more than 10,000 visitors.

Today, I am about to discuss the only underwater hotel in the USA, the Jules’ Undersea Lodge. I have also discussed the expenses to bear while on the expedition in Jules’. Let’s see how deep we can dive.

Jules’ Undersea Lodge
Sources: orchidrealtygroup

About Jules’ Undersea Lodge

This is an American hotel in Key Largo, Florida, specifically built on purpose. Jules was named after the novelist Jules Verne and was set to serve in 1986. Though it was built as an undersea research laboratory in the 1970s, the founder of the La Chalupa Marine Research Laboratory finds the facility as an underwater habitat.

Protected mangrove Emerald Lagoon holds a greater part of marine life and preserves a marine environment enriched with numerous reef fishes, animals, and organisms. Deep in the ocean water snakes are seen as well. But the lodge provides you with diving and safety gear for that.

Mr. Ian Koblick, the owner and a co-developer of the lodge explains the safety measures of the underwater facility and ensures that it is monitored 24 hours from the Command Center on land at the edge of the lagoon.

Celebrities have visited and stayed at the lodge including the former Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau, and Rock Star Steve Tyler and Jon Fishman. Staffs are active 24 days and provide necessities including your meal at the right time.

It is the only underwater residential hotel in the USA. The address is, 51 Shoreland Dr, Key Largo, FL 33037, USA.

How much does it cost to stay at the lodge? 

The expenses are mentioned on the official site of Jules’. I have gathered and aligned them in a boxy appearance to make it easier to find out the costs of each and everything related to the undersea lodge.

Two packages of overnight stays are offered. They are,

  1. Jules’ Undersea Luxury Package
  2. Aquanaut Package

Both offer a pizza lunch and the cost includes in the overnight stay packages. But if you are dealing with a special celebration, the lodge authority will provide a special arrangement of lunch and food regarding your recommendations.  Let’s find out the prices given in the boxes below.

No. of PersonsUndersea Luxury PackageAquanaut Package
1 person$1,125.00$1,406.25
2 persons$1,687.50$2,587.50
4 persons$3,150.00$4,275.00

Jules’ Undersea Luxury Package offers more than you need. And the world-famous Aquanaut Package is more pleasing with the chance of achieving the only aquanaut certificate in the world from Jules’. Prices include 12.5% lodging tax per package for all certified divers.

You may have seen the overwater bungalows in Bora Bora or the Bahamas. Now is the time to explore the underwater hotel experience and Jules’ is the only unbeatable option on the list.

Jules’ Underwater Luxury Package

The lodge is full of plenty of food and snacks along with DVDs for entertainment. The Luxury Package offers a great Pizza Meal with stocked soda, water, and iced tea. 

Starting with filing the paper works with your Mission Director provide your things to transport them inside the lodge. Your diving and safety gear with an oxygen tank will be provided by an expert. It was a must to have a scuba diving certificate once. Now you can get your basic diving expertise through an expert at an instance.

Check-in: 10:30 am  

Check-out: 9:30 am

Your pizza will be delivered between 4:30 to 5:00 pm.

The World Famous ‘Aquanaut Package’  

The 24-hour Aquanaut Package was developed to provide a unique overview of the lagoon with three dives and PADI Aquanaut Specialty certification. It is the only Recreational Aquanaut qualification available worldwide. One must meet the skill and requirements to prove and add another certificate to his diving credentials. 

You will get your Pizza Meal included in the package and a special lunch from the Hideout Restaurant next door.

If you are not familiar with the term ‘Aquanaut’, you may find this useful on your adventure. 

Pizza Time only!

For those not looking for an overnight stay, a 4-hour pizza lunchtime is good enough to explore a unique and extraordinary experience of getting lunch bottom at the sea. The entrance is a similar 21 feet underwater front door and the skill of utilizing the experience of scuba diving.

Your Pizza Experience is $175 per meal at the Jules’ Undersea Lodge and it costs $430 for a couple that includes all taxes.

Check-in: 10:00 am  

Check-out: 2:30 pm

Additional Charges

In addition to your stay package, you may need to pay some extra bucks for a few items. Many of us like to preserve our memories of traveling and doing exciting stuff by gathering them in videos or still pictures. Your devices are allowed here too.

The rental costs for your devices like phones, laptops, and cameras will be similar to those given in the box below.

ItemsPrices
Cell PhoneFree
iPad$150
Laptop$300
Camera (non-water-proof)$200

Lodge details

According to the official statement of the lodge authority and visitor’s reviews, the lodge features a unique structural formation underwater that has a 5’×7’ moon pool for the entrance of the lodge. The structure is sharp 30’ below the water and the front entrance is 21’ which takes only around 100’ diving through the water.

The whole facility consists of two capsules and one entry/wet room at the entrance. The living room accommodates 4 people at most and is separated into two compartments. Both have a 42” circular glass window each to observe the marine life and fishes at the bottom of the lagoon.

The common room features a kitchenette, a fridge full of soda and water, a coffee bar, a microwave, snacks and so much more! The facility is monitored with a 24/day CC camera at the entrance.

For entertainment, there’s a whole DVD set and cassettes on underwater-themed movies. There are a couple of phone lines to communicate with the Command Center in case you require something. Visitors are provided with underwater skincare items and instructions.

There is WiFi connectivity at the bottom of the lagoon that provides a really strong network, probably more than you’d expect. Electronic stuff like your phones, tablets, and laptops are accepted inside the lodge. Safety manuals will be thoroughly described by your guardian.

Activities at the facility

Down to the bottom of the lagoon, there are a couple of fun activities to enjoy what thousands did. Jules’ Lagoon EcoTour and Jules’ Eco Excursion are both of them. The Eco Tour offers you a guided tour and a private visit to the diverse ecosystem of the lagoon.

Reservation of the package will cost $110 per person and a minimum of 2 persons are required for the adventure. This includes no gear. Gera rental requires $35 in addition to the package price.

Jules’ Eco Excursion will bring life to your experience of the underwater visit and give you a historic tour around the facility. The specialty of the lodge will be briefly described as a part of the expedition.

I’m not a scuba diver. Should I go to the underwater lodge?

Once it was required to be a certified scuba diver to enter the lodge. These days, professional divers are there to help you with that problem. Basic diving skills and instructions can be taught through their experience and education.

The little expedition would ask only for patience and heed to the instructions of the expert.

The primary diving instructions and pre-diving training would take place before the jump. Once all the gears are set, the dive starts showing thumbs signing and waving before the face.

Deep Blue says, if you are not a certified diver, you can take the Discover Scuba Diving Course for certification.  

Operational Hours and Closures

It’s been more than 35 years on this day, and the underwater facility is still lodging people in their excitement. Jules’ Undersea Lodge is open since 1986.

The hotel is closed on Mondays and weekends. The rest of the week it remains open. Operational hours and closures are mentioned below.

DayOpening timeClosing time
Tuesdays8:00 am1:00 pm
Wednesdays-Sundays8:00 am3:00 pm
MondaysClosedClosed

Except for Mondays, the lodge will be closed for the following dates of the year.

November 24, Thanksgiving Day

December 25, Christmas Day

*The day before Christmas, the last day of the year, and the very first day, the facility will provide shelter to your excitement at a fixed time, 8:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Other Specialty Programs and their prices

The PADI specialties are only available at Jules’ Undersea Lodge. These are a few that makes you an expert on your life experience and add extra credits. I have detailed some of the PADI specialties the underwater lodge is hosting. I have gathered the price information of these specialty programs. Let’s learn a little about them.

Specialty CoursePrice
Jules’ Habitat Inner-space Diver Specialty$395 per person $295 per person (for lodge guests)
The Habitat Specialty Program$95 per person
The Aquanaut Specialty Program$825 per person (double occupancy) $950 per person (single occupancy)
Underwater Maintenance Distinctive Specialty$175 per person $150 (for lodge guests)
Labs in the Lodge Excursion$150 (up to 2) $50 (additional guest)
Jules’ Undersea Garden Specialty$125 per person

Jules’ Habitat Inner-space Diver Specialty is not a prerequisite for the divers. This is a specially arranged program to,

  • Develop neutral buoyancy skills and
  • Enable planning and executing tasks underwater safely

The Habitat Specialty Program teaches about the various marine habitats and their necessity for marine exploration. This academic course is given by the Mission Director and offers lessons on marine structures and their importance and usability.

The Aquanaut Specialty Program is the only Aquanaut certification test by Jules’ Undersea Lodge. This includes the course with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is suggested to book the program one month before your visit.

The Underwater Maintenance Distinctive Specialty program is a one-day PADI specialty that teaches to learn the importance of proper buoyancy. The program is designed by MSDT Daniel Blezio.

Labs in the Lodge Excursion fulfill your curiosity about marine life, the one you can see and you cannot. There is Jessica Pulfer, a marine biologist, who will be happy to teach you everything about the ecosystem.

Finally, Jules’ Undersea Garden Specialty/Excursion program is exclusively offered to the Jules’ Undersea Lodge guests where they get to know the endless possibilities and the miracle of natural herbs and the planet underwater.

Jules’ Undersea Lodge see fish

Gift Shop and Others

Key Largo Undersea Park got a gift shop as a merchandising sector of the undersea lodge. They provide t-shirts, rash guards, hoodies, and sweatpants.

There are books, wood and glasses, and mugs with sea life sculptures shaped. They even provide special towels for the guests of the lodge.

Marine Lab short sleeves t-shirts are priced at $20 for small, medium, large and extra large sizes. And it cost $22 for the 2XL and 3XL sizes sequentially. Water bottles are also a product by the Marine Lab with a logo printed over them. Bottles are at $18 for a standard size. 

There are special sunglasses, hats, dolls, shoes, and snacks at the shop.

Pro Divers are welcome! Dive Professionals are welcome to the lagoon. They can use the lagoon’s calm and quiet water to train their students or can arrange a competition. There will be a fixed cost to claim the facility’s accommodation. Expenses will be similar to those given in the box below.

CriteriaCost
Day Use$40
Dive Master in Training$30
Night Dives$50 per person
Instructors$35
Tanks$12
Weights$6

Reviews

9 out of 10 people marked the facility with a 5-star rating and the satisfaction rate is 100%. You barely will find any of the visitors making a bad statement about the lodge. A review of early March by TNBetty is attached on Trip Advisor, the experience of a lifetime! She said the couple had a great time and found good communication with the staff.

A professional diver Aida exclaimed about the experience with a cool accent and suggested warm clothes that the inside is also cold. 

Bob S made it 2nd time there a few years back, and he was stunned with the experience the 2nd time as well.

Other than these, there are plenty of reviews on Yelp, a connection midway to people through business and information.

Other Underwater Hotels and Resorts around the world

Jules’ is the most ancient undersea stay for over 35 years. And the structure was made long before the ‘70s. Nowadays, the advancement of technology and the requisite of luxury and comfort have invented a few more pleasuring and recreational hotels and resorts all over the world. A few of them are built underwater making some difference. A list of the most known undersea hotels and resorts is given below. They are pampering and highly costly.

  1. Atlantis the Palm, Dubai
  2. Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, Maldives
  3. Poseidon Undersea Resorts, Fiji
  4. Huvafen Fushi, Maldives
  5. InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland, China

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