There’s nothing better than planning your next vacation, but do you ever get the feeling you’re hankering after something a little different than your average beach hotel or city break? These unique hotels will make your next trip extra special.
Offering weird and wonderful experiences for adventure seekers and luxury lovers alike, a whole host of unique hotels awaits you.
From floating lake palaces in India to glass igloos in Lapland and romantic cave-rooms in Italy, there’s something to suit every taste and budget. Read on to discover my list of the most out-of-this-world hotels for a stay like no other.
The most unique hotels in Europe
Icehotel, Sweden
You’ve heard of ice bars, but did you know you there’s also ice hotels? The original is the Icehotel in Sweden, which was hand-sculpted from vast ice blocks harvested from the nearby Torne River in 1989.
Today it remains one of the world’s most unique hotels, a cross between a luxury property and an ever-changing art installation. Open from December – April and built anew each year (the property melts as soon as the warmer weather arrives in spring), there are around 20 standard ice rooms to choose from, each with a simple design.
My top pick would be one of the 12 art suites, which are meticulously sculpted by top artists from around the world to create fantastic, completely original hotel room masterpieces. One year you could be sleeping in an ice-carved candy store, another in an igloo manned by huskies. No two experiences are ever the same there.
- Star rating: 8.7
- Unique amenities: art sweets offer a truly one-of-a-kind masterpiece, a bar made entirely of ice
- Rate per night: From $119
The Fish Hotel, United Kingdom
At some point in our childhood, everyone has had a fantasy about sleeping in a treehouse – now that fantasy can become a reality thanks to the beautiful treehouse rooms at The Fish hotel in the English Cotswolds.
Set amidst the trees in this gorgeous Oxfordshire countryside retreat, these are treehouses made for kids and grown-ups alike, complete with plenty of luxury touches that will keep the whole family happy.
Each of the three treehouses – which are accessed by a rope bridge – have been designed to blend in with the natural surroundings, with open plan lounges and bedrooms clad in wood. Kids will love sleeping in the specially made bunk beds, but the best feature has to be the two heated outdoor baths on the deck.
The rooms are fitted with an intercom, so you can lie back, soak up the sounds of nature and get drinks and room service delivered straight to your tub.
- Star rating: 9.5
- Unique amenities: the experience of sleeping in a treehouse, or staying in Boaty McBoatface – a luxury hut with its own private lake
- Rate per night: From $285/night
Amberley Castle, United Kingdom
This hotel in the English countryside dates back to 1103 and used to be a real-life castle, playing host to kings and queens including Henry VII, Charles II, and Elizabeth II over the years.
Now it’s a luxury hotel, where you can come to rest your head within walls steeped with history. Arriving here feels like stepping back in time, as you walk through the original portcullis and into the stunning landscaped grounds.
The property is set within 12 acres of manicured parkland, which feel as if they’re made for romantic strolls along the topiary hedges, and there’s a charming croquet lawn beneath the battlements. Ask to book the Chichester room, which features an opulent four-poster bed, antique furnishings, and an original fireplace, perfect for keeping the chill out of those heavy stone walls.
- Star rating: 9.0
- Unique amenities: step back in time and stay like royalty, in the Chichester room
- Rate per night: From $310/night
Sextantio Le Grotte Della Civita, Italy
It doesn’t get much more romantic than a stay at this cave-hotel in Italy, where the rustic dwellings date back to the 13th century. Set in the enchanting UNESCO-protected city of Matera, the setting is as magical as it comes, overlooking the dramatic Gravina canyon and surrounded by medieval churches and Baroque palazzos.
The cave-rooms themselves are starkly simple, making the most of those curved honey-colored walls with minimal, pared back furniture. The romance is amped up a notch by the fact that each room is lit by dozens of candles and lanterns – just don’t come expecting a TV or a mini-bar, as the rooms are purposefully free from any tech.
Breakfast is eaten in the rock-hewn church that the caves are clustered around, before you head out for a day of exploring and trekking in the nearby Murgia National Park. Bellissima!
- Star rating: 9.6
- Unique amenities: rooms set within candellit caves in the ancient city of Matera, a great place for a digital detox
- Rate per night: From $176/night
Apukka Resort, Finland
If you’ve always dreamed of seeing the Northern Lights, this might just be the world’s most spectacular place to catch them. Set in the heart of Lapland, the resort is made up of a series of glass-roofed, igloo-style cabins, where you can star gaze from the comfort of your own bed.
There are private saunas and hot tub sessions in the snowy wilderness, as well as horse-drawn sleigh rides, but the jewel in Apukka’s crown is undoubtedly their ‘aurora wagon’, a mobile vehicle with a glass roof that’s driven deep into the forest, all the better for catching those elusive Northern Lights.
Equipped with a double bed, small kitchen, and bathroom, you have everything you need for a night above the Arctic Circle, where you can indulge in the ultimate spot of stargazing. It truly is an experience like no other.
- Star rating: 9.1
- Unique amenities: each room has a glass roof making this one of the best places to see the Northern Lights
- Rate per night: From $275/night
Hotel Ještěd, Czech Republic
This eye-catching architectural marvel of a hotel is perched 1,012 meters above sea level, on top of Mount Ještěd in the Czech Republic.
The unique property was the vision of renowned architect Karel Hubáček, who decided to place a television transmitter, restaurant, and hotel all in one tower. The result is this striking building, which looks like it’s come straight off the set of a science fiction movie.
Thrill-seekers will particularly love the arrival at Ještěd, which can only be accessed via a cableway (though if you’re even a tiny bit afraid of heights, I recommend you don’t look down). Each of the sleekly decorated rooms, which feel like luxe spaceship compartments, comes with slanted windows to make the most of those snowy mountain views.
The restaurant also features panoramic windows that almost make it feel like you’re eating outside.
- Star rating: 8.9
- Unique amenities: this hotel’s remote location and architecture looks like something straight out of sci-fi
- Rate per night: From $153/night
Most unique hotels in the United States
The Venetian Resort Las Vegas
The adult playground of Las Vegas is famed for its theme hotels, where you can stay in everything from an Egyptian pyramid to the Eiffel Tower. But perhaps the most famous of them all is The Venetian.
This hotel is a staggeringly impressive replica of Venice, featuring imitations of all the city’s most instantly recognizable landmarks, including the Rialto Bridge and the Doge Palace façade.
Here, as you wander along the Grand Canal and listen to the opera-singing gondoliers, you could be forgiven for thinking you’d been transported to the Italian city itself. Take a ride in one of the gondolas and indulge in a spot of retail therapy in one of the many shops before heading to the grand neo-classical pool deck.
The rooms here are no less luxurious, with over 4,000 suites. The best ones come with sunken living rooms and elegant Roman tubs.
- Star rating: 8.7
- Unique amenities: an immersive experience into one of Vegas’ most iconic places: a detailed replica of Venice
- Rate per night: From $57/night
Pioneertown Motel, California
Movie buffs will love this unique desert property in Pioneertown, which was originally created as a permanent film set in the 1940s to cater to the growing demand for Western movies. Now the spot just outside Joshua Tree National Park in California has become a hipster hangout for creatives and Angelenos looking for a weekend getaway with a difference.
This quirky motel – which was part of the original set up and hosted the likes of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry back in the day – is charmingly rustic and still features the original planked buildings that were made up of railroad sleepers.
The interiors, meanwhile, are pure cowboy chic. Think cowhide rugs, woven throws and staggering desert views that stretch all the way to the San Bernadino mountains. Come nightfall, it’s time to decamp to neighboring Pappy & Harriet’s, the live music mainstay where Paul McCartney and Arctic Monkeys have played.
- Star rating: 9.1
- Unique amenities (highlight unique features in a short & snappy way)
- Rate per night: From $222/night
Madonna Inn, California
If you like outrageously kitsch décor and fun theme hotels, you need to add the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo to your list of must-visit spots immediately. The cult Californian hotel is famed for its over-the-top interiors, with 110 rooms decorated in an array of different styles.
All of the rooms and suites have inventive names that give a clue as to what you’ll find behind the door: Jungle Rock is designed to look like an untamed forest, with a waterfall rock shower and tree-bark colored furniture, while Love Nest is an all-pink boudoir with a floral wallpapered bathroom (even the sink is covered in flowers).
The rest of the property is just as delightfully wacky, with a Gold Rush-themed steakhouse with curved fuchsia banquettes and a gold chandelier and Barbie-pink tennis courts. More is definitely more at the Madonna Inn.
- Star rating: 8.7
- Unique amenities: historic Californian architecture
- Rate per night: From $139/night
The most unique hotels in Latin America
Hotel Costa Verde, Costa Rica
When it comes to the world’s coolest hotels, Costa Verde has to be right near the top of the list. Nestled in the middle of the Costa Rican jungle sits a vintage 1965 Boeing 727 airframe, which has been refurbished to house the spectacular two-bedroom Fuselage suite – definitely my top pick of rooms if you’re visiting the hotel. Jutting out from a 50-foot pedestal above the tree canopy, the views here literally make you feel like you’re flying.
Inside, the furnishings have all been crafted from hand-carved teak, while the curved walls are lined with wood paneling, lending the room a warm, cozy vibe. My favorite spot has to be the outdoor terrace, which has views all the way to the ocean – sit out there with a cold beer or a glass of wine and keep an eye out for the cheeky resident monkeys and toucans.
- Star rating: 8.6
- Unique amenities (highlight unique features in a short & snappy way)
- Rate per night: From $147
Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador
Ever dreamed of staying in the clouds? Well, you can at this remote Ecuadorian lodge, which is hidden away amongst the Chocó-Andean Cloud Forest. A three-hour drive from Quito, on arrival it feels as if a boutique hotel has been taken and dropped right in the middle of a jungle, surrounded by the incredible nature of the neighbouring rainforest.
The hotel itself has been built to make the most of its location, with floor-to-ceiling walls of glass bringing those captivating, mist-strewn views straight into your bedroom. This is the place to come if you want to get up close and personal with the local wildlife, whether that’s birdwatching from the hotel’s panoramic terrace, discovering dozens of species of butterfly in the on-site garden, or spending the day exploring one of the property’s numerous hiking trails.
- Star rating: 9.0
- Unique amenities (highlight unique features in a short & snappy way)
- Rate per night: $784
The most unique hotels in South Asia
Taj Lake Palace Udaipur, India
There is something so magical about the first time you encounter the Taj Lake Palace in India, floating serenely on the waters of Lake Pichola. You’ll probably recognize the elegant white building from the James Bond film Octopussy, where it was used as a key filming location, but this hotel is about so much more than Hollywood glitz and glamour.
Steeped in history – it was originally built in 1743 as a summer escape by the royal dynasty of Mewar, before being converted into a hotel in the 1960s – it remains one of the world’s most beautiful and unique hotels. The tranquil spot feels a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city of Udaipur, when in reality it’s just a short boat ride away.
But frankly, you won’t want to leave once you set foot here, where every guest is treated like genuine royalty with their very own butler.
- Star rating: 9.3
- Unique amenities (highlight unique features in a short & snappy way)
- Rate per night: From $324/night
The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
Paradise islands and the crystal-clear Indian Ocean make any stay in the Maldives a blissfully otherworldly experience. But this hotel takes the whole experience up a notch by adding in a first-of-its-kind underwater suite. So you can literally sleep with the fishes.
The split-level Muraka Residence at The Conrad features an outdoor deck with an infinity pool and an ocean-facing tub upstairs. Head down the spiral staircase, and you’ll find yourself beneath the ocean in the main bedroom. A true architectural marvel, the bedroom has been designed as your own private aquarium, with a 180-degree curved acrylic dome.
Expect to spot shoals of fish swimming above your bed as you drift off to sleep. It’s hands-down one of the most breathtaking views I’ve ever encountered.
- Star rating: 9.1
- Unique amenities (highlight unique features in a short & snappy way)
- Rate per night: From $644/night
The most unique hotels in Africa
Kruger Shalati, South Africa
Views don’t come much more spectacular than those at Kruger Shalati, a luxury train hotel on an historic bridge that spans the Sabie River in the South African Kruger National Park. From here, you can spot wild animals as they roam under the bridge, coming to drink from the river or wallow in its depths. As for the hotel itself, it’s one of the coolest I’ve ever seen, housed in a disused train carriage that harks back to the golden era of travel.
The décor is grounded firmly in Art Deco glamour, with four-poster beds and geometric detailing. Every carriage has a small bar area with its own Juliet balcony, but my favorite spot has to be the circular infinity pool on the bridge. Built on what was once a stand for a water tank, it offers spellbinding views over the meandering river and wild plains below.
- Star rating: 9.6
- Unique amenities (highlight unique features in a short & snappy way)
- Rate per night: From $228
Tsala Treetop Lodge, South Africa
To close out our list of unique places to stay, head even further south from Kruger Shalati to Tsala Treetop Lodge. What makes this place so special is that your room is situated right at the tree line of the Tsitsikamma Forest canopy. Each suite is connected by a wooden walkway which puts you right among the lush treetops themselves.
Plus, each room is complete with its own private plunge pool, observation deck, and fireplace. You can complete your unique and cozy stay with luxurious amenities and excellent dining. And while the Tsala Treetop Lodge offers an immersive experience in nature, it’s also located near the Plettenberg Bay, giving easy access to swimming, surfing, and the local elephant sanctuary.
- Star rating: 9.7
- Unique amenities (highlight unique features in a short & snappy way)
- Rate per night: From $446/night
