China is Boeing's biggest challenge 0:57
(CNN) --
From taking to the skies with a new look to fly for another airline, to being recycled for parts or being moved to an airplane graveyard, the possibilities for retired planes are seemingly endless.
Some have been converted into restaurants, museums, cafeterias and even party venues.
But this private jet turned luxury villa, perched high on a cliff near Nyang-Nyang Beach on the Indonesian island of Bali, may be one of the most beautiful aircraft transformations to date.
Credit: Felix Demin/Private Jet Villa
The Boeing 737, which was part of the fleet of the defunct Mandala Airlines, was acquired by promoter Felix Demin in 2021 and moved to a remote location.
With two bedrooms and a pool, the Private Jet Villa by Hanging Gardens, which sits 150 meters above sea level, is available to rent beginning in April, with nightly rates starting at around $7,000.
A jet turned into a villa
This retired Boeing 737 turned private villa will be available for charter starting in April, with prices per night starting at around $7,000.
Credit: Felix Demin/Private Jet Villa
Demin, also the owner of the Bubble Hotel Bali hotel chain, says he initially thought about buying a private jet for personal use, but soon saw the potential to transform the aircraft into something truly special.
This is what it's like to live on a plane
"Even before buying it, I thought it was possible to turn it into some kind of unique object, and I decided to focus on creating a villa," he says, before explaining that during the search alone he found about twenty similar aircraft scattered around Indonesia.
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Ultimately, Denim settled on a Boeing 737 that had been purchased by an Indonesian investor and agreed to buy it.
However, transporting the plane from its location in Bali to a cliff several kilometers away was no easy task.
"We had to disassemble it after consulting with the Boeing team," he explains.
"We loosened 50,000 screws."
According to Demin, who has lived in Bali for about eight years, the whole process took about two months of planning, while the transport itself, involving two cranes, a huge platform, several specialists and a police escort, took about a five days total.
"It was the five most sleepless days of my life," he says, adding that much of the operation took place at night.
dangerous position
The retired jet was converted into a two-bedroom property.
Credit: This retired Boeing 737 turned private villa will be available for charter starting in April, with prices per night starting at around $7,000.
Credit: Felix Demin/Private Jet Villa
"The truth is that Bali has very narrow roads and many cables that hang quite low," he explains.
"We had a group of people use special equipment to raise the cables higher so the plane wouldn't touch them during transport."
Once the plane was assembled on site, on the southernmost coast of Bali, he was able to strip down much of the interior to complete the lengthy renovation work.
Demin says he went to great lengths to make sure the interior matched his original vision.
The family of five traveling the world in a small plane
"I want people to experience the 'wow effect' with every second they spend in this unusual place," he says.
The villa is accessed by a staircase that goes up the wing to the main entrance.
Inside there is a living room with a bar, a sofa bed and a glass portal, as well as two bedrooms with dressing rooms.
The aircraft cabin was converted into a large bathroom, with additional portholes so that those inside could see "overboard".
It also has lounge chairs, an outdoor seating area, and a fire pit.
"Everything was done for the sole purpose of getting exactly the look that was originally planned," adds Demin.
Social Media Sensation
The cockpit was converted into a large bathroom with additional portholes.
Credit: Felix Demin/Private Jet Villa
The unique project has garnered a lot of attention on social media since it was unveiled, leading to some rather unusual incidents on the ground.
"One day I came and saw a broken fence and 150 people sitting on our plane," Demin says, before describing how a paraglider once jumped from the plane's wing.
Although Demin stresses that the plane has been subjected to numerous security checks, its dangerous position, as well as the various shared images of influencers walking through the wing or with their legs dangling out of the plane door have caused rejection.
Demin explains that he installed a barrier on the rock for security purposes.
But he says he's been having trouble hiring someone to install a glass barrier in a wing perched on a cliff.
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"The biggest problem is the glass barrier along the contour of the wing itself and along the contour of the rock," he says, admitting that "everyone is afraid to do it."
"There are certain difficulties with this, particularly with the wing. But we'll do it anyway, as soon as we find someone brave enough to do it."
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Villa interiors.
Credit: Felix Demin/Private Jet Villa
After years of painstaking work, Demin can't wait to welcome his guests to his private villa, which is set to open in April.
This comes a year after a British Airways plane was dismantled and reborn as a unique event space for hire at the private Cotswold airport in the UK.
For its part, the Jumbo Stay Hotel, a former Boeing 747 converted into a hostel/hotel, opened near Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2009.
Boeing 737