Inside the deserted sea forts and oil rigs which have since been converted into stunning luxury hotels
These abandoned sea forts and disused oil rigs have all been given a spectacular new lease of life, after they were stripped out and re-purposed to become luxurious holiday destinations
THESE are the incredible hotels where you're guaranteed a sea view room, since they're all floating miles out into the ocean.
These abandoned sea forts and disused oil rigs have all been given a spectacular new lease of life, after they were stripped out and re-purposed to become luxurious holiday destinations.
The sturdy forts were once the last line of defence in a naval attack, whilst the rigs had past lives as lucrative money spinners.
But now they all share a luxurious purpose, after they were stripped out and transformed from rusting metal skeletons into dream destinations.
Spitbank and No Man's Fort once defended our nation's waters, but now the former forts, situated in Portsmouth Harbour, have been lovingly converted into plush hotels.
The structures, built in the mid 1800s, once warded off Napoleon III's Navy, but their military days are now long behind them.
Spitbank Fort, decommissioned in 1982, was transformed after its current owners snapped it up in 2010, with a dream to convert it into a unique, boutique hotel.
The refurbished fort boasts a rooftop hot tub, and staff at the hotel even greet their lucky guests with champagne on arrival.
The fort features a viewing deck, fire pit and heated pool on its top deck, whilst the hotel's eight enormous rooms boast king-size beds and luxurious fittings.
And the incredible guest house is currently listed on , with a 50 per cent discount currently in place for members to access a full-board sea fort experience at bargain prices.
Meanwhile, No Man's Fort has also undergone a stunning transformation, after the island was converted into a 27-bedroom retreat by its current owners.
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The once-impenetrable island is now a luxury hotel, featuring a spa, champagne bar and fire pit on its top deck, offering an experience to rival any you could find on dry land.
But it's not just rusty old forts which have got the luxury conversion treatment, however, with disused oil rigs also making incredible luxury getaways.
Looking further afield, the Seaventures Dive Resort in Malaysia is a former-rig which has been converted into a 25-bed hotel.
The rig offers panoramic views of the stunning ocean, and allows guests the chance to jump right in to the world of scuba diving whenever they please.
And architects and designers have bold plans to follow in this rig's footsteps by developing other abandoned structures into environmentally-friendly homes and hotels.
Malaysian designer Ku Yee Kee produced a series of concept shots depicting revitalised rigs, which could make green homes for the world's growing population once their drilling duties have dried up.
But, as incredible as these examples are, nothing can rival the sheer ridiculousness of these sea fort residents, who turned an abandoned structure into their very own country.
The residents of HM Fort Roughs, a World War 2 line of defence six miles out from the Suffolk coast, .
The structure, known as Sealand, isn't formally recognised as a micronation but the family living there is determined to prove to the world that their fort is a sovereign state.
If you get sick of the pressure of modern life, you could certainly do worse than snapping up an abandoned sea fort, sticking a flag in it and declaring yourself a member of the rig's royal family.