Treat yourself to a truly unique holiday stay at one of these 12 weird and wonderful hotels around the world.
You’re about to find out that a hotel can be more than just a mere room and furnishings. In fact, you can practically transport yourself to another world when you book a few nights at any of these peculiar places.
Become one with the mountains at Whitepod Hotel – Switzerland
Whitepod Hotel is aptly named for its colony of igloo-esque rooming pods nestled on a Swiss hilltop with stunning views of the valley below. Though you’ll be up in the mountains, you won’t be far from creature comforts as Whitepod is renowned for its cosy amenities and hotel restaurant serving up fine local cuisine. While the hotel is available for booking year-round, you’ll want to make the most of the setting in the winter when you can view snowcapped vistas from your wood-heated pod.
Take advantage of your pod’s relative isolation and unplug from the stresses of everyday life with ample alpine air and a visit to the wellness area. Whitepod is a rare combination of eco and luxury that you won’t want to miss.
Be the captain for a night at Jumbo Stay – Stockholm
You may think you’ve had enough of planes when you land at your destination, but you’ll reconsider if it means you get to sleep in the cockpit and play with all the levers and gauges up close. Stockholm’s Jumbo Stay is an entire Boeing 747 -212B from 1976 that’s been converted into a fully functioning hotel where you can do just that. Don’t worry – the plane has long been retired and is very much a grounded vehicle. The only destinations this Jumbo is flying to are the ones you conjure up in your dreams.
Aspiring pilots will enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime stay in the Cockpit Suite, while aspiring first-class flyers will love the spacious Black Box suite at the back of the plane. If you’re wondering where such a thing could possibly be located, your first thought is probably the correct one. It’s a short walk from Stockholm Arlanda Airport.
Don’t mind the robots at Huis Ten Bosch Henn na Hotel Nagasaki
Catch a glimpse of our near future in this state-of-the-art concept hotel in Japan where robots make up the staff. It’s very simple. All the steps you would have taken with human help is handled with robot help instead, from checking in, to carrying your luggage, to chatting about the weather at reception. To take it one step further, you won’t even have a key. Facial recognition technology will unlock your room door instead.
One of the definitions of the Japanese word “Henn” is “to change,” and this place will certainly change your perception of what’s possible from a hotel. The Radiant Panel Air Conditioning System draws heat from your body when it’s hot, and keep heat from escaping your body when it’s cold. Motion sensors automatically turn off the lights when you’re not around, and the facilities efficiently recycle waste. It’s all part of the surrounding Huis Ten Bosch amusement park’s commitment to being an ‘Eco-Friendly Future City’.
Explore the relationship between fire and ice at Hotel de Glace – Quebec
The icy wonderlands of film and television truly come alive at Quebec’s Hotel de Glace, an enchanting sub-zero universe that’s literally carved from ice and snow, and only appears three months out of the year. Every detail of this hotel contributes to the allure, as all the furnishings are sculpted directly out of ice, and suite rooms feature live fireplaces.
Choose from a simple single room with natural lighting all the way to a premium deluxe arctic spa with beautiful ambient lighting, ice champagne flutes and a private spa. You can immerse yourself even deeper if you choose a package that includes a dogsledding shuttle service. We can’t forget one important detail – your duvet, sheets, pillows and sleeping bags will most definitely not be made of ice, so you’ll be warm and comfortable throughout your stay.
Have an entire room for a reading nook at Book and Bed Tokyo
Have you ever dreamt of becoming a book? At The Book and Bed hotel in Tokyo, this is just about possible. Your bed here is located within a bookshelf crammed with all the material you’ll need for your bedtime reading (in English as well as Japanese).
Like any good library, there’s a book to suit every taste here and unsurprisingly, you’ll find many other bookworms to share your stories with. Far from being a luxurious getaway, this themed hotel focuses on creating a cosy, inclusive environment in which it’s possible to relax in the simplest of ways.
Hotel Kakslauttanen is a Mecca of igloos beneath the Northern Lights – Finland
The coruscating dance of the Northern Lights against the Finnish night sky is a spectacle to behold. At Lapland’s Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, you can appreciate their mystical qualities all night long from the warmth of your glass cabin, shaped in the form of an igloo.
When you tire of stargazing, venture out into the Arctic wilderness on a reindeer safari, visit Santa’s busy office or tear through the snow on a snowmobile.
Tune your motoring instincts at V8 Hotel – Stuttgart
Don’t just dream of waking up in a Cadillac or a Benz one day– do it! The V8 hotel, located in Stuttgart, Germany, gives you the chance to do just that, albeit with a bit more legroom and slightly less bodywork than you can expect on your standard factory edition ride. Here, you can choose amongst 10 different car suites to catch some shut-eye in – styled after various racing themes.
While in the area, complete your motoring experience with a visit to the nearby Motorworld Stuttgart, where car fantasies reign supreme.
All hands on deck aboard the Queen Mary Hotel – California
The Queen Mary is a former ocean liner that first sailed in 1936, before being used as an American troop carrier during the Second World War. A mammoth construction that is slightly larger than her ill-fated predecessor, The Titanic, The Queen Mary made over a thousand transatlantic crossings before her retirement.
Since 1967, this giant of the seas has been used as both a hotel and museum at her home in Long Beach, where her 3 towers cast a haughty shadow over the modern Californian skyline. While you’re aboard, there is no shortage of events, history tours and dining areas to tickle every fancy.
Sleep in a toadstool or tree stump at Norrqvarn Hotell & Konferens – Sweden
On the surface, Norrqvarn Hotell & Konferens is a standard hotel with state-of-the-art conference facilities. Scratch beneath the surface, however, and you will find 2 intriguing accommodation options to tickle your curiosity and imagination – a toadstool and a tree stump.
The cold Swedish winter means that it’s best to book these rooms between May and September when you can also take advantage of the great Swedish outdoors. Drawing on fairy tale references, the Troll stump and Mushroom cabins, as they’re known here, make for a relaxing stay by the banks of the Göta Canal, near Lyrestad. You decide whether you’ll live here happily ever after.
Reach for the skies at Crane Hotel Faralda – Amsterdam
After an intense process of renovation, this old crane opened in 2014 as the luxury hotel, Faralda. It’s located 50 metres high above the NDSM industrial wharf, a mecca for artists, skaters. and hip start-ups.
The hotel’s three suites – ‘Secret’, ‘Free Spirit’ and “Mystique’ – are extravagantly furnished and offer access to an outdoor jacuzzi and the best panoramic views you’re likely to find in all of Amsterdam. And, if you’re a thrill seeker, the Faralda even has its very own bungee jumping facilities.
A journey to the centre of the earth at Sala Silvermine, Sweden
The principal sleeping area of Sala Silvermine, located near Stockholm, is rather modest – a quaint 15-room hostel. But, if you tunnel 155 metres underground, you’ll find a secluded chamber unlike any other you’ve stayed in before.
As the deepest hotel room in the world, The Mine Suite is perfect for those travellers seeking a bit of quiet away from any other snoring guests or distractions. Mobile phones are non-functional way down in this hole, so your only communication with the world above is via a walkie-talkie with the 24/7 reception, who will even come down every morning to deliver a freshly cooked breakfast.
Stay protected at Spitbank Fort – UK
A naval fort built to defend Portsmouth Harbour attacks of Napoleon III, the Spitbank Fort is now one of the most unique and exclusive hotels in the UK. Not least because you need to climb aboard a private boat to find it.
There are only 9 bedroom suites, but they all feature super-king size beds, high-riveted redbrick ceilings and only the plushest of furnishings. Outside of the bedroom quarters, there’s three bars, a wine cellar, several game rooms and a rooftop hot-tub to help you pass the time.
But, undoubtedly, Spitbank Fort’s crowning jewel is the huge red lighthouse above, offering stunning views of England’s south coast.
There you have it. 12 truly weird and wonderful hotels to take your trip to the next level.
Still looking for more interesting hotels? How about a stay in a castle? Take a look at some of these!
*Note: These rates are based on search queries made on KAYAK.com.au on 5 October 2018. The prices are quoted in AUD. Flight prices are based on results for a return economy flight search. Hotel prices are for double occupancy and include taxes and fees. Prices are subject to change, may vary, or no longer be available.
