You can consider yourself dashed lucky that you belong to the people of Earth. Why? Because look at all these awesome places the world has to offer! When you go on vacation, finding an exciting new destination is easy-peasy, the only pain in the…um…neck is to choose from the gazillion of jaw-dropping options. So we pick, carefully and meticulously. But what about accommodation options? Most tourists see them as a back-burner issue and go with some mediocre dull hotels, only good enough to drop into sleep after a long day of adventures. Why should you settle for something like that? Just imagine, if the hotel on its own could be an adventure. Challenge accepted? Then HotelFriend presents you the top craziest lodgings ever.
Haunted hotels
These places are living campfire stories, fitting for courageous types, who want to spice things up a little and those who are ready to face and conquer their fears. If you ever wondered, how does it feel to be behind bars – wonder no more. Military Karosta prison in Latvia, one of the scariest in the world, SleepIn Fængslet in Denmark – a former prison infirmary or Ottawa Jail Hostel with its condemned cells will send the chills down the spine of every undaunted guest let alone the faint of heart. The hosts will give you the tour laced with clanking chains and doors shutting of themselves, make a bunk bed for you and introduce you to the historic “footprints” left by prisoners.
Commander Keane [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
Those who have a thing for ghosts should check in to the Langham Hotel in London. In addition to well-furnished British hospitality, two Michelin star Chefs, and classic Tea Room the favorite hotel of Charles Dickens and Princess Diana has 7 standing customers from beyond, Napoleon III among them. At the Chelsea Hotel in New York, you have a chance to meet a ghost of Sid Vicious and stay in the room, where Mark Twain, Stanley Kubrick, Jimi Hendrix, and Madonna spend a night or two. Another option is to visit the Stanley Hotel in Colorado and see for yourself, why it inspired “The Shining” by Stephen King. Goosebumps are included.
Futuristic hotels
The wildest dreams of sci-fi fans come true here, turning them into characters from Blade Runner or The Fifth Element. For example, in Kyoto, Japan you will find a unique opportunity to get exactly 9 hours of good night’s sleep in a futuristic pod, surrounded by minimalistic black & white interiors and staff in kimonos – a touch of Japanese traditions intertwines beautifully with the state-of-the-art capsule hotel.
Another quirky place in Japan is the Henn Na Hotel, Nagasaki, that seems to be run entirely by machines. At the reception, you are greeted by a dinosaur, an android or a little robot – it’s up to you. The robotic hand and porter robots will take care of your baggage. The key to your room is Face ID, while inside a little cute robot awaits you on the nightstand, tending to your requests and turning the room into a smart home. Human staff is also there for you, you can reach them at any time, they just don’t want to spoil the remarkable atmosphere.
The next stop is the Hotel Ještěd in the northern mountains of the Czech Republic. It is an over 1,000 m-high futuristic tower, that offers rooms both with innovative and retro design as well as spectacular landscape overlooking the mountain valley. You can also have a ride in a cable car to reach the top of the tower. Just make sure you don’t get abducted by aliens in the process, otherwise, the staff would have a lot of explaining to do.
Transformer hotels
Sober-minded people would never even think of calling one of these things “a hotel” at first sight. But once you’re inside – you’ll never want to leave again, the ambiance here is unmatched in the truest sense of the word.
We rarely associate planes, ships, and trains with good quality sleep and how wrong we were! These hotels are here to defy stereotypes. The Carska in Poland, as well as Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel in America, offer the guests the accommodations and vibes of a retro-train, where you’ll be squeezed but pleased. Costa Rica’s Hotel Costa Verde is an upcycled 1965 Boeing 727 with luxurious bedrooms and the views of the jungle & ocean. In Norway, there’s a frozen historical ship situated about 60 km away from habited places transformed into a cozy hotel, where lucky ducks can observe Nothern Lights directly from the room. In the US, Queen Mary Hotel’s historic tours on the cruise ship will resemble the splendor of Titanik, without any icebergs threatening your delight.
You’ll be surprised to find out, how many unthinkable things people turn into homely hotels, among them Harlingen Harbour Crane, Santorini’s secluded windmills, houseboats in Amsterdam, lighthouses in Namibia, a water tower in England, vacuum cleaner factory in Berlin, wine barrels in Netherlands and Switzerland, antique Javanese bridal homes in Bali, a Swiss nuclear bunker, even grain silos in New Zealand…Phew! The list could go on forever. So take your pick already! This will be grand no matter what.
Teeny-tiny hotels
Looking at this little objects makes you wonder, whether a bed would even fit in there. Or why would anyone put it there in the first place? You tell us, after having a unique overnight stay to remember. Take the Utter Inn in Sweden, that looks like a floating cottage, but has an underwater bedroom 3m below the surface of Lake Mälaren with fish swimming past glass walls. You can rent a canoe and reach one of the deserted islands nearby or simply enjoy astounding privacy with your loved one.
Dependability [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons
The Tree Hotel is the ultimate treehouse, located 4-6 meters above the ground in the Swedish forest wilderness, offering three amazing options: an UFO Room, the Bird’s Nest Room, and an invisible Mirrorcube Room. Their names say it all. Swedish sauna and dog-sledding make the experience complete. The Dasparkhotel in Bottrop-Ebel, Germany is a budget- and eco-friendly choice at the same time. Located in a public park, the rooms are basically concrete sewer pipes featuring one bed.
Nature lovers will be thrilled to try out unique Bubble Hotels in France and Island, where one can enjoy the 360º panoramas of the woods and stargaze to one’s heart’s content. Somehow every essential facility fits in there: thermostat, running water, electricity, and king-size beds. One more way to kick it up a notch is to spend the night in an igloo village in Germany, Finland or Norway. Artists from all over the world build ice huts from scratch every season, adorning them with astonishing thematic sculptures. Couples may even build a snow lovenest themselves. That’s how you make a trip memorable.
Сome to think of it, the bizarre places to stay are limitless. People sleep in the caves, hang off a cliff in a hammock, relish in royal services of palace hotels, create Instagram posts to the envy of all in avant-garde or surrealist inns. It’s okay if you haven’t tried something like that yet. Makes sense, you didn’t read this article until now : ) Sometimes it’s really hard to shoot Niagara and get out of the beaten path, but it is well worth the effort. Go for it, make your next trip extraordinary in every possible way!