Floating home marks return to Dubai's man-made World islands
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Surrounded by 300 deserted man-made islands, Dubai's newest real-estate wonder has all the amenities of a luxury hotel — plus views of the bottom of the sea.
Dubai is already home to the world's tallest building, an indoor ski slope and man-made islands viewable from space.
[...] while the machine-crafted frond of the Palm Jumeirah archipelago flourished, The World stopped spinning with Dubai's financial crisis of 2009.
Earth-moving equipment rattles over the sandy dunes of one of the first islands after The World's circular breakwater, which offers the project its globe-like shape and stills its currents.
The rest of the islands are deserted until reaching the dock of the development run by Kleindienst, a former Austrian police officer and one-time member of the far-right Freedom Party who has written about making his fortune in stocks.
Plans call for 10 similar villas to be built there, as well as hotels, restaurants, bars and other attractions on empty surrounding islands as part of The Heart of Europe development.
Below, the glass walls of its living room and dining room open out on blue beach chairs and netting allowing a look at the water below.
Coral transplanted from the site of the Burj Al Arab, Dubai's iconic sail-shaped luxury hotel, sits on the lip of the Seahorse under shade, drawing the sea life.