Move over, Maldives: Saudi Arabia’s luxury Sheybarah Island resort wants be the world’s next eco-tourism destination, complete with dazzling overwater pod villas suspended above the Red Sea

Mar 1 , 2023

The first luxury pod-style overwater villas on Sheybarah Island in Saudi Arabia. Photo: Killa Design

Who would’ve thought Saudi Arabia would become a hyper-luxury marine eco-tourism destination? Dubai-based architectural firm Killa Design conceived these futuristic modular villas on Sheybarah Island

Part of the Red Sea Project, Sheybarah Hotel promises guests unrivalled coral reef and marine wildlife views – but will eco-tourists really take to the oil-rich nation?

As Saudi Arabia’s image overhaul unfolds, it’s clear the kingdom’s rulers are intent on redefining the conservative desert nation as the world’s next luxury tourist destination. Next on the shopping list? The Sheybarah Island resort has installed the country’s first pod-style overwater villas.

Maldivian-style modular villas were delivered by construction delivery and transport specialist Mammoet to the forthcoming destination. Part of the Red Sea Project, Sheybarah Hotel is a hyper-luxury resort on the uninhabited island, located 45 minutes by boat from the mainland.

The uninhabited Sheybarah Island is transforming itself into a hyper-luxury resort destination. Photo: @mammoetglobal/Twitter

Designed by Killa Design, an architecture firm led by Shaun Killa, the overwater villas are heavily inspired by the surrounding dense mangroves, desert flora and coral reefs.

The futuristic pod-style overwater villas of Sheybarah Hotel. Photo: Killa Design

“The circle represents unity, integration and wholeness, giving guests a sense of completion, confidence and harmony,” explained the design team. “These coral-inspired villas emerging from the water’s surface will be made of a polished steel that will reflect the water, the sky and the best part of the project – the reef below.”

The Sheybarah Island is the furthest from the mainland, sitting east of the Red Sea Project’s archipelago.

Sheybarah Hotel is located east of the Red Sea Project’s archipelago. Photo: Killa Design

The developer promises guests unrivaled views of pristine coral reefs, hosting many species of birds, fish and other marine animals. The project helps further goals to reinvent Saudi Arabia as a top-tier marine eco-tourism destination.