French hospitality company Louvre Hotels Group is preparing to open hundreds of luxury accommodations at the heart of “the world’s largest eco-theme park” – the US$240m (€216.2m, £166.8m) Funtasy Island development in Indonesia’s Riau Islands.

Louvre’s luxury hotel complex will include 341 five-star villas under the Royal Tulip brand and a 183-room Golden Tulip hotel with a 260-seat restaurant. Constructed primarily from wood and bamboo, the buildings will be linked by a wooden walkway that zigzags across the island’s shallow bay.

Funtasy Island – which extends over 328 hectares – has been masterplanned by Singaporean practice WOW Design Studio “in the spirit of the film Avatar” and is being developed by Seven Seas Funtasy Development and the Funtasy Island Development Company. The resort, which was originally scheduled to open last year, is now in the final stages of construction.

The island will feature eight eco-zones, including a multi-sensory rainforest. There will also be land and river-based safaris, snorkel and scuba zones, an interactive dolphin habitat and an aquarium where guests will be able to swim with whale sharks.

Eco-themed activities will include aquaculture tours in the surrounding waters, as well as nature trails allowing visitors to explore the island’s unspoiled environment, with the developers stating 70 per cent of the islands remain in its natural state.

When it opens, Funtasy Island will have 1,200 holiday villas and apartments in total, in addition to shopping, dining and live entertainment facilities and a spa centre.

Guests will only be able to access the island by crossing into Indonesian waters from Singapore, located 16km away, and the island will have its own customs and immigration zone.

A host of other nature-inspired resort projects are under development in Indonesia, including a “Narnia-like” immersive theme park in Jakarta by themed entertainment specialists Zeitgeist Design + Production (ZD+P), a lavish hillside resort in Bali and an Alila Seminyak beachside resort, also in Bali.