Go to bed counting fish in Reef hotel

Lying in bed beneath the sea is the sort of once-in-a-lifetime view you could experience almost nowhere else.

Reefworld’s underwater suites have stunning views of sea life.

To quote that late, great Australian Peter Allen, I am fortunate to have been to cities that never close down. But before spending the night in a hotel room beneath the Great Barrier Reef, I had never slept underwater.

The world is full of dream-worthy destinations, and this is the time of year when travel dreams are often fulfilled. But after 12 months of a pandemic, international borders are still closed. For the foreseeable future, we will be looking inward.

Stuck in Australia? For many would-be visitors, that possibility is bucket-list worthy in itself. And there are few places anywhere, let alone within our enviable home, that are comparable to a night spent not just at the Great Barrier Reef, but below it, with a unique view of one of the world’s great wonders.

On a purpose-designed pontoon 39 nautical miles out to sea, Australia’s first underwater accommodation includes many features of a good hotel room: a comfortable bed, hair dryer and bathrobes. But it’s the location, four metres underwater, and the full frontal aquatic outlook, courtesy of the floor to ceiling windows in the bedroom and even in the ensuite that makes an overnight stay matchless.

The journey out to Hardy Reef, where the Reefworld pontoon is moored, is memorable in its own right. Traditionally hundreds of day-trippers take the two-hour boat ride from Hamilton Island. (Passengers can also embark at Airlie Beach or Daydream Island.) Past sweeps of idyllic beaches, the journey ends in what seems a heavenly stretch of the middle of nowhere, on a patch of azure water where, depending on the time, shadows of reef may be clearly visible as you approach the pontoon.

For the next few hours, you will share this space with happy day-trippers.

Watch the stars from outdoor beds on the deck of the pontoon.

But when they head home midafternoon, you’re left out at sea with a handful of other overnighters and the on-board crew. That’s when the enchantment begins.

The bustle is over. The air is calm and the reef, no longer teeming with humans but just aquatic life, is yours to explore. From damselfish to giant trevally and even the odd turtle, snorkelling in solitude at this quiet hour is serene and spectacular.

Later, there are drinks on deck as the sun sets, and a beautiful dinner surrounded by fairy lights and stars. The pontoon’s on-board chef works from a fully equipped kitchen, complete with pizza oven and espresso machine.

When it’s time for bed, a dozen or so guests head to the pontoon’s upper deck and sleep under the stars in specially built outdoor beds, and a lucky few head downstairs to the two Reef Suites.

Where else could you lie in bed, curtains open, and watch schools of fish and diaphanous jellyfish gliding past your full-length window?

Beautifully blissful down here beneath the sea, it’s the sort of once-in-a-lifetime view you could experience almost nowhere else.

Need to know

■ Reefworld by Cruise Whitsundays