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Unusual Hotels

Going on a vacation is truly an adventure, but what if you stayed in a unique hotel while you were away. Perhaps you find yourself riding an elevator up 60 feet, stepping into your room, only to find that you have an entire panoramic view of Holland’s Wadden Sea. Inside the room, you are met with a touch-screen lighting system, a shower for two, and an outdoor terrace, but what truly makes this room unique lies in the corner of the room. Here, there are controls that let you turn the room in any direction you like. Who would have guessed that you would be staying in a 143,000 pound steel crane!

Sometimes we get bored of the same  old hotel, furnished with a rectangular bed, a stocked mini-bar, and a courteous staff. Sometimes we want something different, and some of us want something very different. Fortunately for us adventurers, hotels around the world are really stepping up their game to provide a unique experience for each of its guests.

For a long time, hotels have tried to attract guests with unique themes like tepees and train cars. One hotel in particular has even gone to the extreme of providing you a night’s stay in a real jail cell. In Latvia at Karostas Cietums, which is an infamous Soviet-era military jail, for $10 a night, you can receive the full experience of staying in an old cell on a threadbare mattress.

Fortunately, not all of these unique hotels offer such great amenities as this old jail, but you will experience a once in a lifetime stay at one of these hotels.

Harlingen Harbour Crane, Netherlands

At this former timber hauling derrick you will find a repurposed bi-level room that is 60 feet high in the sky. Located along the banks of the Wadden Sea off of the Dutch coast, you can enjoy the panoramic aquatic view from inside your luxuriously equipped room. You’ll be surrounded by electronical advances like touch lighting and you can rotate which way your room faces just by a touch of a button.

Giraffe Manor, Kenya

In Kenya, you can stay on land owned by the Langata Giraffe Centre, which is a wildlife conservancy, sanctuary, and reserve. Girafffe Manor is an estate decorated with 19th century furnishings. The rooms themselves are not necessarily done up in any unusual way, but it’s what’s outside that will really catch your eye. Why not go for an afternoon stroll around the grounds while you interact with giant giraffe’s nearby? Guests even get the opportunity to interact with these animals during meal time as well. Sometimes giraffe’s will poke their heads through the windows and eat right out of your hand. Where else can you interact with wild animals like this in such close quarters?

Dasparkhotel, Austria

Who would have ever thought that a concrete drainpipe would one day be a hotel room? Along the banks of the Danube in Ottensheim, Austria you’ll find concrete drainpipes used as hotel rooms that have an electronically secured entrance. You will be surrounded by a leafy green park with nature surrounding you. If you are claustrophobic, however, this may not be the place for you. Each drainpipe is furnished with a comfortable mattress, a lamp, and one tiny skylight. This is truly for those who want an extreme vacation.

Kokopelli’s Cave Bed & Breakfast, New Mexico

At Kokopelli’s you’ll have the opportunity to experience life as a mountain man might have years ago. This wonderful setting is accesed by a cliff-face trail cut into the side of a 65 million year old sandstone formation. Once you are inside the cave you’ll have amenities like a cascading waterafall shower, a flagstone hot tub, 1,650 square feet of living, southwestern-style furnishings, a full kitchen, and washer and dryer. Probably the best amenity that the cave has to offer is the beautiful sunsets and stargazing opportunities you’ll be able to view while you are on the balcony or on the cliff tops.

The Kakslauttanen Hotel, Finland

When you visit Finland and find yourself lodging at the Kakslauttanen Hotel, the indoor space isn’t what you will be necessarily attracted to, it will be the outdoor space. Each dome is just 161 square feet and has one small toilet. But, because of the panoramic thermoglass casing that acts as a roof, you’ll be able to take in the night sky’s right from the comfortable adjustable double beds. These domes especially become popular during the Northern Lights. Imagine yourself and your travel companion enjoying the spectacular show that the Northern Lights puts on as you lay in your bed. This is definitely a must-see experience.

Marmara Antalya, Turkey

The marmar Antalya is a hotel that rotates. It is aided by six enormous electric motors and makes a complete revolution every seven hours. The great Mediterranean views can be enjoyed from every angle as you stay in this ultra modern hotel. The hotel features 24 rooms that all offer great views of the surrounding landscape, and you’ll be able to see all of it because your view will change. As part of the hotel, there is another building behind it that offers lodging for guests, but if you want the experience of revolution, you’ll want to book a room in the first building, as this one doesn’t move.

Jules’ Undersea Lodge, Florida

Located 21 feet below the water’s surface is an old 70’s era research lab that has been turned into a two bedroom capsule in Key Largo that can accommodate six guests. To get to the capsule, guests have to scuba dive down to the entrance. The capsule is 600 square feet and includes all the regular amenities that you would find inside a hotel room. The amenities include a spacious living area with a TV ans stereo along with a furnished dining room. In each bedroom, the lodge makes full use of its unique location with its 42 inch circular windows that offer a view of passing sea life. Who knows, you just might see a shark or a sea turtle swim by.

It seems that wherever you travel to there will be something unique to see and experience. In this case, hotels are not an exception. It’s amazing to see how far advanced our world has become and how creative people are getting. There’s even been talk about hotels in space by 2012! Our knowledge of how hotels are run is definitely changing. There will certainly be more unusual hotels to add to this list in the future, but for now these top the list.