It gives the phrase 'sleeping with the fishes' a whole new meaning.

An unusual new room has officially opened as part of Africa's first underwater hotel has opened for business.

The three floor little piece of luxury is situated 820ft from the little-known island of Pemba, off the mainland of Tanzania and Zanzibar and the room can only be reached by going down a step ladder.

Located 13ft below the sea, the unique hideaway is not for the claustrophobic.

The top floor is the balcony, perfect for star gazing at night and soaking some rays during the day. The middle floor is where the dining room is, but offers guests the chance to relax and enjoy the sunset.

The newly opened ‘Manta Underwater Room’ - 13 feet (four metres) under the India Ocean - allows travellers to observe shoals of fish drifting past during the day, watch squid and octopus at night, and perhaps even spot rarer underwater creatures lurking in the coral which is developing around the base of the room and its anchoring lines.

The idyllic room costs £960 ($1,500) a night.

It’s not the world's first underwater room, although it may be one of the most remote: The Manta Resort is situated on an idyllic island beach on the northern most point of one of East Africa’s finest island sanctuaries.

With a population of 300,000 in total, the island has a very low level of tourism despite white coral sand and clear waters.

Guests of the Manta Underwater Room sleep in a glass-walled underwater chamber surrounded only by the sea while, above sea level, two additional levels are provided for leisure and recreation.

The roof doubles as a sunbathing terrace during the day and a stargazing spot at night, and without any light pollution means would-be astronomers can enjoy exceptional night-time views.

Sub-aquatic tourism is of growing interest in the specialist hotel sector: The Jules Undersea Lodge off Key Largo, Florida, features three underwater rooms, while the Maldives also has a number of underwater ventures.

Last year Dubai’s space-age underwater project, the Water Discus hotel, designed by company Deep Ocean Technology was announced and there are more in the pipeline.

For now, it’s worth keeping an eye on the Genberg Underwater Hotels Company as it is planning to launch similar rooms around the world.

Watch this (underwater) space.

(dailymail.co.uk)