#Summer17 is almost here, which means that you have an important decision: Where will you stay on your vacation? For many, a hotel room isn’t a major part of the overall experience (“I’m just here to sleep”), but staying somewhere fun — even if it’s not swanky — can make the difference between a good trip and a great one.
To help you decide where to spend your hard-earned vacation coins, we’ve put together this list of the wildest hotels that you can book right now. (Yep, even the one that’s made of ice! Especially the one that’s made of ice.)
Live out your Aquaman fantasies.
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Have you ever wanted to sleep with the fishes? At the Manta Resort in Tanzania, you can. But that’s not the only thing you’ll be doing. Each “underwater room” is part of a three-level suite that’s just floating in the water. Above the waves, you’ll enjoy a lounge and a rooftop deck, plus warm water that you can dive into right from the suite itself. When you’re ready, you can head on down to the bottom floor, where a cozy bedroom with near 360-degree views of underwater splendor awaits.
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At night, you can pop a Xanax (we were not meant to sleep underwater), turn off the lights, and watch fish swim around you as you drift off to sleep. Don’t worry, spotlights around the windows keep the fish illuminated, and you may even see some “shyer” aquatic friends as the night wears on. A perfect reason to stay up until the early hours of the morning.
If sleeping underwater is a little much, you can always book a hotel with an underwater restaurant. The Conrad Maldives features a fine dining establishment that allows you to eat fish (presumably) while you’re surrounded by them, in a reverse aquarium. Sounds like the beginning of a low-rated horror film but looks pretty, pretty, pretty awesome.
Everything’s better with a giraffe.
What would you like to do on vacation? Visit an animal sanctuary? Meet a baby elephant? Have high tea on a sun-soaked terrace? You can do all that and more at Giraffe Manor in Nairobi. And by “more” we mean you could be joined by a giraffe as you eat dinner, relax with a book, or enjoy a nice walk on the manor’s property.
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Of course, the giraffes do what they want and are bound by the rules of no man, but Giraffe Manor says that the majestic creatures are always ambling around the property, sometimes even sticking their heads into windows to say hello and ask for a treat.
Want to get a similar experience without leaving the states? The Vision Quest B&B in Monterey, California is home to multitudes of animals and (cats! pachyderms!) that have retired from film & television and they’re all very excited to meet you. You can just show up for a tour, but if you feel like staying the night, your continental breakfast will be delivered by an elephant.
Turn your holiday into a work of art.
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You won’t find a pool at Au Vieux Panier, you won’t even find an elevator, but what you will find are rooms that are actual works of art. Handprinted walls, wood blocks, projections — they’re all here and for fair reasonable prices. The best part is that each room is ephemeral, just there long enough for you to enjoy and then completely recreated by a new artist the next year, making for a (relatively) singular experience. With themes that run the gamut from “adultery” to “wind,” there’s no way that you’ll be bored by this art gallery with beds.
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The amenities may not dazzle you like the art will, but the hotel offers a living room for all guests, a rooftop terrace, and, for breakfast, pastries in the kitchen. Plus, if you need a babysitter while you explore Marseille, the owner will be happy to hook you up.
Live like Luke Skywalker.
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If you’re a Star Wars fan, you can’t miss Hotel Sidi Driss, AKA, Luke Skywalker’s childhood home in Tunisia. Not only will you be able to wander through the place looking at all the Star Wars decorations that it holds (Forbes reports that the hotel fell into disrepair after being used in the filming of the original films and was lovingly restored for Attack of the Clones), but you’ll enjoy accommodations that cost around $10 a night. A little more if you want dinner and a visit to the local museum.
Sure, this hotel isn’t brimming with high-end luxury (and the trip advisor reviews suggest that you may want to temper your expectations a little), but sleeping where Luke slept on Tatooine is totally worth it.
Want to go hobbit instead of storm trooper? If you’re traveling to New Zealand, you can rest easy in the Shire at Woodlyn Park. Don’t worry, though: While the hobbit houses seem tiny from the outside, they’re full-sized and spacious on the inside. Kind of like a TARDIS. (Unfortunately, that hotel isn’t a thing. Yet.)
Rock to sleep in an alien pod.
If you’re looking for a hotel that will gently rock you to sleep, look no further than the handmade pods at Free Spirit Spheres on Vancouver Island. If there’s something that sounds more relaxing than bedding down in a gently swaying room that’s hidden high among the trees, we don’t know it!
Seriously, this is like aliens and ewoks — that’s hard to beat!
Enjoy the comforts of a gurgling volcano.
If you’ve dreamed of staying in a volcano without having to deal with the floor being lava, then the Montana Magica in Chile may be the place for you. It’s nestled deep in the rainforest, and all the rooms peek out of a man-made volcano that explodes with “spa waters” instead of molten rock. Outdoor hot tubs abound, treks into the jungle are encouraged, and, if you’re looking for a thrill, the world’s longest zipline is only minutes away! (Plus, you may get to meet the world’s smallest deer!)
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Yes, a crane can be cozy.
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All the comforts of home…well, if home was a non-functioning crane that featured vividly painted rooms, huge bathtubs, and a jacuzzi at the top. This Amsterdam hotel is an excellent place to enjoy a space cake and some panoramic views.
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Unwind among the clouds.
If you believe that the journey is the destination, then the Skylodge Adventure Suite may be the perfect place for you to relax. Well, provided that you’re not terrified of heights. But let’s start slow: To reach this Peruvian hotel, you either need to climb nearly 1500 feet or take a three-hour hike and use ziplines to get to your 8-person sky capsule in the midst of the Sacred Valley.
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A capsule? Hell yeah! You may not find any concierge services or show tickets here, but what you’ll get is a bed in the sky. Each of the hotel’s capsules hang more than a thousand feet off the ground and will afford you panoramic views that you never thought possible.
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We know what you’re thinking: Is there a bathroom? Yep! It’s shared and it’s basic. And yes, it’s also surrounded by transparent glass. Plan accordingly.
Spend a night in your own fortress of solitude.
Not much for the heat? Then escape to Sweden and try Icehotel’s cold rooms, which are made completely of the cold stuff — from the chairs to the bed to the glasses — and run between -5 and -8 Celsius. Don’t worry, though: While you can’t run around naked (the best part of staying in a hotel), you’ll be warm enough when you sleep because you’ll be curled up in a thermal sleeping bag which is placed on top of reindeer skins. Plus, there’s a free entrance to the hotel’s sauna. What could beat that?
The perfect place for preppers.
If you’re a prepper (or just enjoy watching them on TV), you’ll love the rooms at Austria’s Das Park, which are made of converted sewage pipes. Sure, it may feel a little bit like you’re staying in a cell (there’s a skylight!), but the rooms are cozy, brightly painted, and, most of all, an experience that you won’t soon forget. (Hopefully for good reasons and not because you get caught in a 13 Cloverfield Lane situation.)
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Enjoy the thrill of high-speed racing even while you nap.
Three words: race. car. beds.
Two more: for. adults.
Sold? You should be. Pack your bags for the V8 Hotel in Stuttgart, Germany.
Enjoy yourself on a plane (for the first time in your life).
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If you’re more into planes than cars, you may want to spend the night in this renovated jumbo jet. We know sleeping on planes sucks, but the Jumbo Stay, located in Stockholm, Sweden is no ordinary plane.
If you book early enough, you could be on cloud nine in the most luxurious room of all. That’s right: The cockpit is available, and it is spectacular.
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Go to sleep facing the pool, wake up looking at ocean waves.
The fact that this hotel is beautiful is nice. The fact that it’s got a huge pool is great. But what’s best about The Marmara Antalya (Turkey) is that it features a revolving building that moves 24 hours a day. It may not be fast enough for you to notice, but you can’t deny that the hotel’s promise that you can go to bed facing the pool and wake up facing the sea isn’t at least a little bit intriguing.
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