If you like adventure, you may want to stay in a hotel that’s a lot more than just a place to lay your head down at night – in fact, it just might be the highlight of your entire vacation. From igloos to treehouses, caves, and even a vintage airplane, these unique lodging options will transform an ordinary stay into an unforgettable experience of a lifetime.
Hotel Costa Verde - Quepos, Costa Rica
At Hotel Costa Verde in Costa Rica, you can sleep in a luxuriously refurbished 1965 vintage Boeing 727. The airframe, which can accommodate up to six guests, has been transformed into a fantastic two-bedroom, two-bathroom suite complete with hand-carved teak furnishings and a fully-equipped kitchenette. It also features an ocean-view terrace where you can relax and watch monkeys, toucans, and sloths in the surrounding treetops. The plane sits upon a concrete podium jutting 50 feet up into the jungle canopy, making it feel as if you’re flying when you look out the window.
Key Amenities:
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Ocean-view terrace
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Fully-equipped kitchenette
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3 cliff-side pools on the property
Road, Provincia de Puntarenas, Quepos, 60601, Costa Rica— +506 2777 0584
The Manta Resort - Pemba Island, Tanzania
Can you imagine sleeping in a room encapsulated within an aquamarine-hued bubble, and waking up to watch reef fish swim by? At this underwater hotel, you can do just that. The floating structure offers three levels, each providing a unique experience. At sea level, the landing deck features a bathroom facility and lounge area. A ladder leads up to the roof where you can soak in the sun during the day, or gaze at the star-filled night sky after dark – an incredible sight with amazing clarity. Downstairs, you’ll lie on a soft bed surrounded by glass for nearly 360-degree views of the shoals of reef fish and other fascinating creatures like batfish, trumpet fish, and even the magnificent manta ray. Underwater spotlights at night attract some of the more unusual ocean inhabitants, like squid. Sometimes octopuses even attach themselves to the glass panes. When you’re not gazing out at the surroundings, enjoy the incredible diving.
Key Amenities:
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3 levels, including a roof-top sundeck
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360-degree underwater views in the bedroom
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Easy access to top diving sites
The Liberty Hotel - Massachusetts, Boston
Boston’s famous Liberty Hotel was the former home of the Charles Street Jail, whose inmates were the likes of Malcolm X and Boston Mayor James Curley. The jail was built in 1851 but closed its doors in 1990 due to overcrowding. Seventeen years later it was transformed into the high-end establishment it is today, while still showcasing much of the original structure. Guests can dine in remnants of the original jail cells at the hotel’s eatery, or sip a drink in the bar that was once a drunk tank. If you’d like to experience what it was like to stay here back in the day, just ask to stay in one of the rooms that include parts of the real jail, albeit with luxurious touches. The hotel is located in one of the most charming neighborhoods in the city, close to many Boston attractions.
Key Amenities:
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Historic property
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On-site restaurant and bar with quirky jail features
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Central Boston location
V8 HOTEL Classic - Stuttgart, Germany
The V8 HOTEL Classic, located in the heart of Stuttgart’s Meilenwerk, and known as an international hub for car dealers, offers an oasis for car lovers. The V8 HOTEL Classic features 34 elaborately and authentically decorated rooms with themes based on some of the most famous automobiles. You’ll find a ‘70s Cadillac drive-in movie, a Mercedes-Benz car wash, and even one for “Love Bugs,” with a Herbie-shaped VW bed. The hotel also houses a brewery, cooking school, restaurant, and a hall with classic cars. MOTORWORLD Stuggart is housed here too, where classic car collectors can bring their vehicles for repairs and park them in glass viewing boxes so that visitors can watch. In 2018, V8 HOTEL opened a second, larger location, making the original now the V8 HOTEL Classic.
Key Amenities:
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Car themed-rooms
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Home to MOTORWORLD
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On-site restaurant and bar
Charles-Lindbergh-Platz 1, 71034 Böblingen, Germany— +49 7031 3069880
Treehotel - Harads, Sweden
You’d be hard-pressed to find a child’s treehouse that looked like this. Here in Harads, Sweden architects transformed your typical treehouse into something strange and somewhat futuristic. Each is unique, like the Mirrorcube. This hideout sits among the trees, camouflaged by mirrored walls reflecting its surroundings. The base is made up of an aluminum frame around the tree trunk, with walls covered with reflective glass. Other suites include one that appears to be constructed of branches and twigs to resemble a bird’s nest and another that looks like a flying saucer. It’s truly one of the most amazing treehouse hotels in the world.
Key Amenities:
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Unique treehouses with electricity
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Easily explore the Lapland forest
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All meals are available at Treehotel Guesthouse
Hang Nga ‘Crazy House’ - Vietnam
The Hang Nga Guesthouse has a crazy, twisting tree-like design with animal sculptures all around it that earned it the nickname “Crazy House.” The architect’s inspiration was said to come from the desire to bring people back to nature and to remind them to appreciate the environment, rather than destroy it. It features animal-themed rooms that are connected by a series of ladders, bridges, and tunnel passages. The bizarre fairy-tale-like house resembles a giant tree, incorporating elements that represent natural forms like mushrooms, animals, spider webs, and caves.
Key Amenities:
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Animal-themed rooms
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Eco-conscious accommodations
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10 guest rooms
03 Đ. Huỳnh Thúc Kháng, Phường 4, Thành phố Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng 66115, Vietnam— +84 263 3822 070
Woodlyn Park - Waitomo, New Zealand
Woodlyn Park offers a rather eclectic selection of accommodations, including a WWII patrol boat, a converted railway carriage, one of the last Allied planes to make it out of Vietnam – now transformed with two rooms, and a ‘50s polystyrene-clad freighter fully refurbished into two self-contained units, making up the world’s first hobbit motel. Film buffs will appreciate the underground hobbit hotel inspired by the home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins from JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings tales that was built two years after the final film’s release, and continues to attract scores of visitors.
Key Amenities:
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Home to the world’s first hobbit motel
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Access to glow worm cave tours
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Located near several restaurants and bars
1177 Waitomo Valley Road, Waitomo Caves 3977, New Zealand— +64 7 878 6666
Palacio de Sal - Uyuni, Bolivia
You’ve probably heard of hotels made of ice, but a hotel made of salt is definitely something more than a little different. Palacio de Sal is located on the world’s largest salt flat, built from the construction material that was most readily available. It took one million salt blocks measuring 14 inches, mortared together with saltwater to construct it. The walls, floors, ceilings, and most of the furniture, are all made of salt. There is also an on-site spa and restaurant.
Key Amenities:
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Located on the world’s largest salt flat
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Breakfast included
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Heated swimming pool
Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita - Matera, Italy
In the Sassi of Matera, a complex of rocks, caverns, and grottoes in Southern Italy, this four-star hotel blends into the landscape, built right into cliffside caves. Each room is uniquely restored and filled with furniture made from antique wood, handmade linens, and candle lighting. While you won’t find a TV, you can indulge in a massage treatment right in your own cave-dwelling, complete with soft new-age music, herbal teas, and essential oils for total mind and body relaxation.
Key Amenities:
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Enjoy massage treatments in cave dwellings
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Typical Southern Italian breakfast
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Candlelight dinners served in a deconsecrated church
Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort - Saariselka, Finland
Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort is where you’ll find the famed Igloo Village with Glass and Snow Igloos as well as one of the world’s largest log restaurants. From late August to late April, guests can typically watch the Northern Lights in comfort from their very own igloo, surrounded by spectacular and exotic Lapland scenery. The igloos also offer an incredibly peaceful night’s sleep with the snow helping to muffle sound from the outside world. The resort offers a variety of winter safaris including husky, reindeer, snow tank, and snowmobile safaris.
Key Amenities:
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Glass and Snow Igloos
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Chance to see Northern Lights
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Variety of winter safaris and cold weather activities
BaseCamp Bonn - Bonn, Germany
BaseCamp Bonn is the only hotel in the world that offer indoor camping in themed caravans, Airstreams, and night trains. It features two VW minibusses, two U.S. Airstreams, and original night sleepers – all decorated by film set designer Marion Seul. Themes include everything from Flower Power to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Big Ben. They’re housed in and around a former storage facility, creating a unique indoor caravan park. Enjoy the complimentary vegetarian breakfast spread before exploring the Cologne and Koenigswinter region.
Key Amenities:
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Indoor caravan park
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Themed caravans, Airstreams, and sleeper trains
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Breakfast included
The Windmill - Scarborough, United Kingdom
Ever thought about spending the night in a windmill? This 18th-century accommodation offers suites in The Windmill tower. While there’s been a windmill on the site for four centuries or so, the current structure dates from 1794 when Thomas Robinson built a new mill. The mill stopped grinding corn in 1927, becoming a bakery at one point, later for storage, but gradually falling into disrepair. It was nearly knocked down for a home development, but in 1985 it was saved, renovated, and transformed into a bed and breakfast. The balcony suite is accessed by external steps winding around its side, with the balcony offering 360-degree views over Scarborough, including Olivers Mount, The Castle, and North Bay.
Key Amenities:
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Breakfast included
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Suite featuring 360-degree views
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5-minute walk to the town center
Utter Inn - Vasteras, Sweden
The Utter Inn is a floating, underwater hotel set in a Swedish lake near Stockholm. The single room lies nearly 10 feet below the surface of Lake Malaren in Vasteras and contains just twin beds and a table. It’s said to stimulate the “most typical of Swedish dreams: to have a small Swedish red house with white garbles on your own island.” You’ll spend the night in an underwater aquarium with panoramic windows in every direction. Guests of the inn arrive at the port of Vasteras, and are then taken on the short journey out to the hotel across the lake, given an inflatable boat, and instructions, and are then left alone.
Key Amenities:
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Single underwater room with twin beds
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Inflatable boat provided
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Unmatched peace and tranquility on Lake Malaren
Dog Bark Park Inn - Cottonwood, Idaho
Dog Bark Park Inn owner Frances Conklin says, “This is the only place one can sleep with 26 dogs and still get a good night’s rest.” At this hotel dubbed the “largest beagle in the world,” guests sleep in the inn that’s shaped like a giant dog. It offers a dog theme throughout, including carved dogs and dog-shaped cookies. In case you’re wondering, real, live dogs are allowed. The establishment states that “responsible pets arriving with their well-behaved humans are welcome to stay with prior approval.”
Key Amenities:
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Dog-friendly
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On-site gift shop selling carved wooden dogs
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Family-owned and operated
2421 Business Loop 95, Cottonwood, ID 83522, USA— +1 208-962-3647
Out'n'About Treehouses Treesort - Takilma, Oregon
These treehouse guestrooms located in southern Oregon near the California border, are probably quite a bit more upscale than your childhood hideout. Each one is unique with different designs, is family-sized, and comes complete with a bathroom, kitchenette, and beds. Some of them can only be accessed via a swinging bridge and a network of zip lines. Owner and developer Michael Garnier says he has the biggest concentration of treehouses in the world, claiming, “Nowhere are there as many treehouses in one locale.”
Key Amenities:
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Over a dozen treehouse options
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Family-sized treehouses with kitchenettes
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Breakfast included
300 Page Creek Rd, Cave Junction, OR 97523, USA— +1 541-592-2208
New Dungeness Lighthouse - Dungeness, Washington
If you’ve ever wanted to be a Lighthouse Keeper, here’s your chance. Located at the tip of the 5-mile-long Dungeness Spit in Sequim, Washington, it’s one of the very few that allows families to be Lighthouse Keepers for a week. The Light Station has been continuously staffed 24 hours a day since 1994 by people serving as volunteer Keepers at their own expense in one-week shifts. Maximum capacity is 7, with three main bedrooms, a bedroom in the basement, a fully-equipped kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and two bathrooms.
Key Amenities:
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Be a lighthouse keeper for a week
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Opportunities for wildlife watching and photography
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Epic sunsets and star-gazing
