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.
A whole host of unique hotels awaits you, offering weird and wonderful experiences for adventure seekers and luxury lovers alike.
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 favorite funa nd unique stays around the world.
The most unique hotels in Europe
Icehotel, Sweden
You’ve heard of ice bars, but did you know there are also ice hotels? The first one popped up in Sweden back in 1989, when artists hand-carved it out of massive ice blocks cut straight from the nearby Torne River.
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, they rebuild it 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. Top artists from around the world meticulously sculpt them 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 here.
- Unique features: each art suite is a truly one-of-a-kind masterpiece, and there’s 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.
Imagine a gorgeous countryside getaway in Oxfordshire where you’re literally hanging out in the treetops—welcome to the ultimate treehouse retreat. Whether you have kids or are a kid at heart, these treehouses have all the luxe touches you need to keep everyone smiling.
Each one features open-plan lounges and wood-clad bedrooms. Kids will go nuts for the custom bunk beds, but the real highlight? Two heated outdoor tubs outside on the deck. There’s even an intercom in your room, so you can kick back, listen to the sounds of nature, and have drinks or room service delivered.
- Unique features: 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 castle. It played host to kings and queens, including Henry VII, Charles II, and Elizabeth II.
Now it’s a luxury hotel, where you can rest your head within walls steeped with history. Arriving here truly feels like stepping back in time, as you walk through the original portcullis and into the stunning landscaped grounds.
Set within 12 acres of manicured parkland, this property is the perfect place for romantic strolls along the topiary hedges. There’s also 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. It’s perfect for keeping the chill out of those heavy stone walls.
- Unique features: 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. Set in the enchanting UNESCO-protected city of Matera, this hotel is as magical as it comes. It overlooks the dramatic Gravina canyon and is surrounded by medieval churches and Baroque palazzos. The rustic dwellings themselves date back to the 13th century.
The cave rooms 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.
Eat breakfast 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!
- Unique features: rooms set within candlelit 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 stargaze 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.’ This mobile vehicle has a glass roof and takes you deep into the forest, all the better for catching those elusive Northern Lights. (That also means the best time to book is between late August and early April to get the full hotel experience.)
Equipped with a double bed, small kitchen, and bathroom, you have everything you need for a night above the Arctic Circle. You can indulge in the ultimate spot of stargazing. It truly is an experience like no other.
- Unique features: 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.
- Unique features: this remote location and sci-fi architecture
- Rate per night: From $153/night
The most unique hotels in the US
The Venetian Resort Las Vegas
The adult playground of Las Vegas is famed for its themed hotels. 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. No doubt, the Venetian offers one of the most memorable hotel stays you can find.
- Unique features: you get to stay in a detailed replica of Venice!
- Rate per night: From $57/night
Pioneertown Motel, California
Movie buffs will love this unique desert property in Pioneertown. Originally created as a permanent film set in the 1940s to cater to the growing demand for Western movies, this spot just outside Joshua Tree National Park in California is now a hipster hangout for creatives.
This quirky motel, which has hosted Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, is charmingly rustic. Outside, it still features the original planked buildings, made of railroad sleepers. But take a peak inside and you’ll be treated to pure cowboy chic.
Think cowhide rugs, woven throws, and staggering desert views that stretch all the way to the San Bernardino mountains. Come nightfall, head to neighboring Pappy & Harriet’s, the live music mainstay where Paul McCartney and Arctic Monkeys have played.
- Unique features: immerse yourself in Hollywood western lore.
- Rate per night: From $222/night
Madonna Inn, California
The Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo is for fans of kitsch. This cult Californian hotel is famed for its over-the-top interiors. Each of the 110 rooms and suites has inventive names that hint at what you’ll find behind the door.
Jungle Rock resembles an untamed forest, with a waterfall rock shower and tree-bark-colored furniture. While, the 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.
- Unique features: historic Californian architecture and maximalist kitsch aesthetics
- 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.
It’s 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 are made from hand-carved teak, while the curved walls are lined with wood paneling. Lending the room a warm, cozy vibe.
My favorite spot is 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.
- Unique features: rub elbows – or wings – with the local monkeys and toucans as you relax in the treetops
- 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. It’s surrounded by the incredible nature of the neighboring rainforest.
The hotel itself has been built to make the most of its location, with floor-to-ceiling glass walls bringing those captivating, mist-strewn views straight into your bedroom.
This is the place to be if you want to get up close and personal with the local wildlife. Whether that’s birdwatching from the hotel’s panoramic terrace, or discovering dozens of species of butterfly in the on-site garden, you’ll find it all here. Plus, the hotel is a great home base for spending the day exploring one of the property’s numerous hiking trails.
- Unique features: stay up in the clouds and spot tropical butterflies and birds from the panoramic terrace
- 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. It floats serenely on the waters of Lake Pichola. You’ll probably recognize the elegant white building from the James Bond film Octopussy, as tt served as a key filming location. But this hotel is about so much more than Hollywood glitz and glamour.
This place is steeped in history. The royal dynasty of Mewar originally built it in 1743 as a summer escape, and it became a hotel in the 1960s. Today 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.
- Unique features: a floating hotel that was once the stomping ground of a royal dynasty where you get your own personal butler!
- Rate per night: From $324/night
The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
With its pristine islands and the crystal-clear waters of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives already feels blissfully otherworldly. The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island elevates the experience with a unique underwater suite—you can literally drift off to sleep alongside the fish.
The split-level Muraka Residence at The Conrad has 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 seen.
- Unique features: stay in a suite totally submerged underwater.
- Rate per night: From $644/night
The most unique hotels in Africa
Kruger Shalati, South Africa
Imagine staying on a luxury train-turned-hotel right on a historic bridge over the Sabie River in Kruger National Park—yep, that’s Kruger Shalati. From here you’ll get to enjoy some spectacular views, from the beautiful landscapes to roaming. wild animals.
The hotel itself is one of the coolest I’ve ever seen, too. The luxury décor features Art Deco glamour, with four-poster beds and geometric detailing. Every carriage even has its own bar and Juliet balcony. But the real showstopper? The infinity pool right on the bridge, built where they used to park a water tank.
- Unique features: the 24 ‘Train Carriage Suites’.
- Rate per night: From $228
Marriott Mena House, Egypt
What makes Marriott Mena House unique is it’s amazing location right by the pyramids. You can sip your morning coffee or relax by the pool in the shadow of the Giza pyramids. In the hotel’s suites, you don’t even need to leave your room to catch a glimpse of them!
Serene views and location aside, the hotel itself has plenty of its own lore. Kings, queens, emperors, celebrities, and presidents have all stayed here since the hotel opened in the 19th century. It’s not hard to see why, either. This 5-star property offers everything from luxury spa treatments to world-class dining and lush gardens.
- Unique features: unparalleled views of the Giza Pyramid.
- Rate per night: From $445/night
Note prices are accurate at the time of writing (May 2025) and are subject to change.
