Amateurs travel for relaxation. Instead, use those airline miles to explore the unexplained, weird, and cool in the world. When you finally take that vacation time, why waste a single minute not exploring some real “WTF” in the world. I’ve had strange hotel experiences before, but it’s always gross-strange or creepy-stranger. I’ve never been lucky enough to stay in a cool-strange hotel.
Never again, next time I’m planning to see one of these must-visit hotels around the world.
Propeller Island City Lodge, Germany. The website describes this place as “an aesthetic sensation for the eye and the ear.” The rooms all have different themes, but they go way beyond “nautical” or “gold.” Guests here stay in rooms with slanted floors and suspended furniture. They completely covered one room in mirrors “Caution: Very Sexy!” the website warns.
Henn-na Hotel, Japan. Robots are most of the staff at the hotel. The website assures the robots will “warm your heart!” One cool feature is that when you register, facial recognition software memorizes your face so you don’t need a room key. One of the front desk robots in a velociraptor which should be all the convincing you need to book a room.
Magic Mountain, Chile. You can find this magic volcano in the forests of Chile. Instead of lava, water erupts from the crater at the top of the mountain. Moss and greenery surround the hotel’s rustic rooms and shared spaces. It’s in a private nature reserve and near-by guests can mini-golf, horseback ride, and go whitewater rafting.
Utter Inn, Sweden. A Swedish artist developed this single-room underwater hotel. It looks like a traditional ice fishing hut from the surface. Inside is a ladder down to underwater accommodations. It’s in a lake, so the underwater views aren’t tropical fish swimming through clear turquoise water. Instead, expect murky water filled with perch and trout.
Crane Hotel, Netherlands. Housed inside an actual decommissioned crane, this hotel has three suites available for booking. The refurbished (I’ll say, it now has a rooftop jacuzzi) crane is next to the Jj River in Amsterdam. It turns to give guests ever-changing city views, and in the summer there’s bungee jumping off the top.
Manta Hotel, Zanzibar. If perch and lake-water aren’t your speed, try the Manta Hotel’s underwater room. A three-day stay is the minimum, but that’s just enough time to soak up the full experience. The room has three levels: one floating atop the water, one beneath and a rooftop deck for sunbathing and star gazing.
Kokopelli’s Cave, New Mexico. This single accommodation was blasted and drilled into the side of a sandstone cliff in New Mexico. The website warns that it’s a part of nature so chipmunks, hummingbirds and ring-tail cats may all pass through the cave during your stay. It’s only accessible by hiking, but the views of the desert are worth it. But if the thought of staying somewhere remote is too much for you, there are plenty of quirky hotels in Orlando, Florida. Westgate’s Orlando resort has plenty to offer to all tastes, budgets, and traveler styles, making it a must-stay.
Hotel Costa Verde, Costa Rica. “Still more monkey’s than people…” is the hotel’s slogan. Guests can book a room in a decommissioned Boeing 727 from 1965. In case the flight to Costa Rica left you with a hankering for more in-plane time.
Palacio del Sal, Bolivia. Forget ice hotels. This is the first salt hotel built in the world. Maybe it’s a no brainer, but it’s near the world’s largest salt flat. They built most of the hotel features from salt blocks: walls, floors, furniture, and sculptures. There’s also a strict rule prohibiting licking the building to prevent degradation.