Eccentric hotels are not just the ones that ask you to pay a fortune to stay over night. Come on, everybody’s been in a hotel at least once in their life, and we all know hotel rooms are pretty much standard, with facilities that vary according to price. But there are a few hotels out there that really stand out, whether through design, or location, or unusual facilities they offer. Let’s have a look at ten awesome, eccentric hotels you have to see before you die.
1. Controversy Tram Hotel
If you have a thing for public transportation, this is the place to be. Located about an hour away from Amsterdam, Netherlands, this fantastic Bed & Breakfast offers accommodation in converted tram and train cars, as well as a video library built inside an escape pod from an oil rig.
2. Iglu-Dorf Engelberg
Open from Christmas day till April (snow conditions permitting), this is only one of the seven igloo villages built by Adrian Gunter across Andorra, Germany and Switzerland. Experience life in the snow and the peacefulness of the mountains and stay a couple of nights in one of the igloos that gets rebuilt and redecorated each year.
3. Sala Silver Mine Underground Suite
Situated in the middle of Sweden, 120 km from Stockholm, the Sala silver mine is one of the world’s best preserved mines. You can sleep in an underground suite built 155 meters deep into the bowels of the Earth, in a cold, dank, but fascinatingly beautiful environment. Experience a bit of industrial history in this eccentric setting!
4. Spitbank Fort
Formerly a sea fortress in the Solent, guarding the waters around Portsmouth, UK, this massive, imposing structure has been converted into a luxury hotel. And while it may empty the bank, this unique hotel is worth every penny. With nine rooms, three bars, three restaurants, and spa facilities, it will make your stay unforgettable.
5. Bats and Broomsticks
This is definitely Goth-heaven, but even “normal” people can enjoy this spooky bed & breakfast in Whitby, North Yorkshire. After you’ve had breakfast by candlelight you can go on a Dracula-themed tour of the town where the ship that brought Stocker’s vampire to England ran aground.
6. Karostas Cietums
Did you ever ask yourself how life in a Tsarist military prison might have been? Well, we can tell you this: it wasn’t easy. Now you have a chance to experience it at Karostas, on the Western coast of Latvia, complete with historically accurate activities and overnight stays in the detention facilities (that have remained unchanged since the prison was in use!)
7. Ariau Amazon Towers Hotel
This is the largest tree-house complex in the Amazon Rainforest, with houses built at tree-top level and connected through 4 miles of sturdy wooden catwalks. Enjoy the amazing view and feel connected to the wonderful flora and fauna in a unique way, without disturbing the fragile ecosystem. You can find this unique hotel 35 miles from Manuas, Brazil.
8. Woodlyn Park
Woodlyn Park is a landmark of New Zealand culture, and it offers four different, yet equally eccentric (and exciting!) types of accommodation: a 1950’s Bristol Freighter plane refurbished into two motel units, The Waitomo Express – a 1918 rail carriage turned into a motel unit, The Hobbit Underground Motel, complete with round windows and underground dwellings right out of Middle Earth, and last, but not least – a beached boat.
9. Utter Inn
Everyone’s heard of floating houses. But how about floating hotels with an underground aquarium-room for guests? This was the idea of Swedish artist Mikael Genberg, and is basically a small red house floating on lake Mälaren in Västerås, Sweden, connected to a single room three meters under water. It can only take one pair of tourists at a time, but it provides an unforgettable experience.
10. Dog Bark Park Inn
Situated in Idaho, USA, this hotel is built in the shape of a beagle, and is a landmark of the state. If you ever want to spend a few nights inside the body of a giant wooden dog…this is the place to go. Who needs Trojan horses when you’ve got the Dog Bark Park Inn?
