From Oil Rig to Luxury Resort

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It really takes a tropical storm or hurricane to kick things up and of course you would evacuate everybody to shore well in advance of such an event."

He says the experience of being on the Rig Resort "would not be substantially different than cruise ships where it usually takes a day or so to get your sea legs."

Entertainment—above the water

Rather like a cruise ship, once you get to the rig, effectively in the middle of nowhere, you're stuck there until the end of your stay. But fear not, there will be plenty to do from sailing, parasailing, Moth racing, windsurfing, jetskiing, waterskiing and sport fishing to lazing around at the roof-top's white sand "beach", which includes an infinity edge pool, shallow sunbathing areas, deep water training facilities and lap pools.

Other amenities include a grand ballroom for weddings and events, state-of-the-art fitness center and spa, luxury shopping, nightly entertainment, gaming casino, a stargazer lounge and exquisite dining including a catch-it/grill-it gourmet service.

...and below

Seating areas in front of each guest room surround the stabilizing water core which doubles as a deep-water pool for exotic evening shows, similar to Cirque du Soleil's Las Vegas ‘O'. In addition to scuba diving and snorkeling a dive bell will provide below-rig adventures for close-ups of the abundant marine life.

Minimalist is the new luxury

The structure of the luxury guest rooms is based on the concept of sea barnacles attached to rocks and ship hulls. The prefabricated rooms would be transported to the platform within a standard cargo container, then unfolded and extended, or transformed, at the destination rig.

Space is at a premium so a sofa used by day expands into a bed at night, sliding into place over the hot tub so you can watch the evening performances taking place in the deep-water pool. A viewing "port" can be extended from each room to take in ocean life - and retracted if the weather turns bad.

If you're itching to book your next holiday on the Rig Resort you're in for a bit of a wait. While Douglas Oliver says the Hardy group has researched the feasibility of the project and has been positive about it, we'll have to wait for the global economy to pick up before we see it become a reality.

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