Some hotels offer accommodations that are so unique that the hotels themselves are the reason for booking the vacation. Whether it’s a sphere treehouse dangling from a rainforest canopy, a glass igloo to see the northern lights, or an undersea room one must scuba dive to reach — these lodging options are purposely unusual.
The bizarre hotels from around the world cater to offbeat, adventure-seeking travelers who demand more from lodging than a continental breakfast and free cable TV. These unique hotels boast novel experiences for the wild at heart.
Aurora Borealis All Around You
Are you interested in seeing the breathtaking northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, without roughing it outside in polar conditions? Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort in Finland lets you kick back in a glass igloo and watch Mother Nature’s greatest light show in comfort without the danger of frostbite.
According to the resort’s official website, two- and four-person glass igloos are available for travelers to stay in and catch the spectacular show. Saunas and showers are also available for all guests in a separate building on the property.
The northern lights season lasts from the end of August until the end of April, when the night skies are the darkest.
A German Hotel That Was Once a Prison
Germany’s Alcatraz Hotel advertises that it’s “unique like a fingerprint.” That’s true since this hotel was a former prison with 56 cells that were retrofitted as sleeping quarters.
Guests can choose between conventional hotel accommodations or a cell-type room for the full lockdown experience. The latter has barred windows, prison-looking beds, and a hatch in the original prison door where breakfast can be served through.
The Alcatraz Hotel is within walking distance of Old Town Kaiserslautern in southwest Germany. During rec time — which is whenever one wants — guests can have a drink at the hotel bar, also located behind actual iron bars.
Stay in a Real Boeing 727 in the Jungle
Visitors to Costa Rica’s Manuel Antonio National Park cannot miss the Boeing 727 airframe perched in the trees atop a hillside. The retrofitted plane is the 727 Fuselage Home, the most exclusive room offered at the Costa Verde hotel — or anywhere else in Costa Rica.
According to the hotel’s official website, the vintage 1965 Boeing 727 was originally used to fly passengers for South Africa Air and Avianca Airlines. The jumbo, two-bedroom hotel suite sits atop a 50-foot pedestal. From this height, guests who book the 727 Fuselage Home can step out on the wood deck built on the plane’s former right wing and take in expansive views of the ocean and jungle below.
Not only is the 727 Fuselage Home equipped with a kitchenette, air conditioning, and hand-carved teak furniture from Java, Indonesia, but guests also enter the room via a private spiral staircase up a river rock.
Dangle From the Rainforest in Treehouse Rooms
The rainforest itself rocks guests to sleep when they book one of three suspended spherical tree houses from Free Spirit Spheres in Vancouver, Canada. According to the official Free Spirit Spheres website, they claim to be the first and only manufacturer of spherical treehouses in the world. For those who wonder what living like a canopy-dwelling Ewok from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi would feel like, these sphere rooms will give them an idea.
Free Spirit Spheres features three spheres: Luna, Melody, and Eryn. A network of ropes that function like a spiderweb suspends the structures from the rainforest canopy.
Guests use an elevated walkway to enter the spheres. Inside, you’ll find a small sink and refrigerator, cupboards with dishes, and filtered water in addition to sleeping areas. Although the treehouse spheres do not have bathrooms, a composting toilet outhouse is located at the base of each. In addition, each sphere has its own private three-piece bathhouse located 50 meters from the base.
The Only Undersea Hotel in the United States
Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida is the only undersea hotel in the United States. The hotel is built 30-feet deep on the ocean floor and requires guests to scuba dive to get to one of the two rooms.
Located in the lagoon of Key Largo Undersea Park, Jules’ Undersea Lodge offers scuba training, which costs $200 and includes all diving gear. Certified guests can then scuba dive to one of the two undersea rooms for a three-hour visit or an overnight booking.
Each undersea room with a lagoon view comes stocked with beverages and snacks. Guests — whether staying overnight or just three hours — can have a pizza delivered to their room by a scuba diver. Since the rooms are equipped with Wi-Fi despite being 30 feet underwater, guests are encouraged to bring their cell phones and post videos and pictures of their experience on social media.
