Unusual Hotel Rooms Offer Thrills and the Experience of a Lifetime

Calling all thrill-seekers: Bored with the average hotel? Tired of mundane luxury amenities or fancy room service? Then take a look a some unusual hotel rooms that will provide a truly one-of-a-kind experience. From a dangling glass pod on the side of a mountain to a revamped jumbo jet or an underwater bedroom in the ocean: These are just some of the unconventional types of hotel rooms that create memories to last a lifetime and make you the envy of your adventure-loving friends.

Null Stern, Switzerland

At the the Null Stern Hotel, you will quite literally sleep under the stars somewhere in Switzerland. Heralded as the “estate-free hotel room without walls and roof,” your room consists of a comfortable bed with nightstands and lights on a mountaintop. In 2017, the hotel room was located in Appenzellerland, the cheese-making region of Switzerland, however the location changes each year. Weather permitting, your personal butler will drive you to the hotel room location and settle you in to the space.  In the morning, you can wake to the ringing of cowbells in the distance and take in spectacular mountaintop views with absolutely nothing in your sightlines. This unusual hotel room has no walls, no WiFi — and no bathroom. A WC is located about 100 meters from the bed, however. The entire project was conceived by Swiss conceptual artists Frank and Patrik Riklin and Daniel Charbonnier, co-founder of the brand “Null Stern – the only star is you.”

Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room

Skylodge Adventure Suites, Cuzco, Peru

Another one of the unusual hotel rooms available is an adventure that involves sleeping in a transparent capsule, hanging from a mountain in the Andes. the solar-powered capsules, guests have everything they need: Warm and cozy beds for four, a dining area and a bathroom with a sink and dry eco toilet. Besides the views, the hotel provides a gourmet dinner with wine and a wonderful breakfast. Being able to experience the valley from this vantage point gives a unique perspective of the landscape — and is truly an adventurous hotel stay.

Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room

V-8 Hotel, Stuttgart, Germany

Car lovers will delight in the automobile-themed rooms at the V-8 Hotel and V-8 Hotel Classic in Stuttgart, Germany. No two rooms are alike among these unusual hotel rooms that feature decor and furnishings made from car parts. A Mercedes suite or rooms that have themes like Le Mans, a car wash or even a gas station that has an old pump, a bed with car parts and fitting decor– guests will have a one-of-a-kind overnight experience. Built on the site of the former Boblingen Airportthe hotel is in the Motorworld neighborhood of Stuttgart. This provides easy access to the automobile museums nearby. Guests can also take advantage of optional adventure packages like driving the German car of your dreams for a day!

Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room

Jumbo Stay Hotel, Stockholm, Sweden

Sleeping on the plane takes on a whole new meaning at the Jumbo Stay Hotel near the airport in Stockholm, Sweden. Airplane enthusiasts can spend the night in these true unusual hotel rooms installed in a decommissioned 747. A cafe in the plane offers guests and visitors snacks and drinks. The hotel has 27 rooms each with three beds, WiFi and a flat screen TV to watch the departure times for all flights. Much like on a real plane, all guests share a shower and toilet in the corridor — that is unless you book the cockpit suite on the upper deck, which has its own bathroom facilities. (There is also a “black box” room at the back, with en-suite double bedrooms.) Otherwise, guests can delight in the little reminders of its days as a working aircraft, such as signs on the wall and emergency exits.

Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room

Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, Lapland, Finland

Falling asleep under the Northern Lights can be a dream come true at the Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort in the Saariselkä Fell region of Finnish Lapland. Glass igloos and wood chalets make up the unusual hotel rooms at this property, which also has the world’s largest smoke sauna. After a day of outdoor activities like snowmobiling, cross country skiing or a husky safari, guests can settle into a cozy thermal glass igloo with its luxury bed. Some have a bathroom with sauna, and others share shower facilities. Lying in bed, gusts can watch the northern light in winter or the constellations and falling stars in summer. For larger groups, the kelo pinewood chalets include a glass dome for skywatching. The hotel also has two restaurants that serve the culinary specialties of Lapland. The experience is also a wonderful way to disconnect: While the main lodge has WiFi, the igloos are blissfully tech-free.

Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room

The Manta Resort, Pemba Island, Zanzibar

Ocean adventurers will really appreciate the Manta Resort on Pemba Island off the coast of Zanzibar, where the view includes an underwater wonderland as well as a clear sky above.  One of the most unusual hotel rooms available, this one is actually a three-level structure that is plopped in the middle of the sea. Guests – who have their own assigned service staff member — are transported by boat to the structure, whose main level includes a lounge and bathroom. An upper floor has daybeds and shades for lolling in the sun or watching the stars at night. The lower level, however, is the main attraction: an underwater bedroom bubble from where you can watch the mantas and other fish swimming around the reef. Or, dive in and swim or snorkel with the wildlife one-on-one.

Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room

No Man’s Fort, Solent, Isle of Wight, UK

What was once a Victorian Fort 1.5 miles off the coast of the Isle of Wight is now home to 22 luxurious hotel rooms that offer a 360 degree views and a sense of history. Built between 1861 and 1880, the fort was converted into a hotel in 2012. Guests arrive via boat and once checked in, can choose from a variety of activities, from spa treatments to hitting golf balls or catching some rays on the turf-covered rooftop, which also has fire pits, hot tubs and picnic tables. Each of the unusual hotel rooms is stylishly decorated in a unique fashion, many with nautical touches. A lighthouse holds two suites and has a series of lookouts for watching the ships and yachts pass by from inside a cozy space with seating. Inside the main fort, guests can have dinner or enjoy tea or cocktails in the glass topped atrium. Not up for staying the night? Special entertainment performances provide a chance to visit the fort for an evening for a smaller adventure.

Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room

The Udang House, Bambu Indah – Bali, Indonesia

If being out over the open water is a little too adventurous, The Udang (Shrimp) House at the Bambu Indah hotel in Ubud, Bali, might be just right. The floor of the room is made of tempered glass that allows guests to view the breathtaking underwater world of the hotel’s shrimp pond that lies beneath. Watch the shrimp swimming around the bright blue waters from the comfort of your own bed. The house is just one of the teak-timbered units at the luxury, eco resort that sits in a beautiful riverfront location that has views of rice paddies. Use the natural swimming pool, sample organic cuisine, or schedule a Balinese massage. Of course you might just want to hang out in the Udang House, which has an outdoor shower, private porch and, of course, air conditioning and WiFi. All of the houses at the hotel are beautifully adorned with decorative objects and antiques from China, North Africa and Tibet.

Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room

Attrap’Reves, Allauch, France

If you’ve always dreamed of visiting Provence, plan your trip to include a stay at Attrap’Reves, a state-of-the-art bubble that offers comfort and a unique perspective on the countryside. The eco-friendly design of the four different bubbles lets guests sleep under the stars without worrying about humidity, insects or any other annoyances of a night in the great outdoors. From the inside of your bubble – which is inflated with a quiet fresh air blower — explore the galaxy with your own telescope and star chart. Each of the four bubbles, which also offer total privacy, is decorated according to a theme:  Suite Chic & Design, 1001 Nights, Zen, Glamour or Nature bubble. Each bubble comes with a private shower and toilet, along with parking. Attrap’Reves offers unusual hotel rooms for glamping — all the adventure without any of the hardships of a night surrounded only by nature,

Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room

Lapland Hotels Snowvillage, Kittilä, northern Finland

Like a Phoenix from the ashes, the Snowvillage in northern Finland rises from the frozen landscape 200 kilometers above the Arctic Circle each year once the temperature hits -10C in the autumn. This year’s construction had a Game of Thrones theme with the hotel, restaurant, bar and chapel, all carved from ice and encompassing an area of 20,000 square meters. The unusual hotel rooms were carved by ice sculptors from Russia, Poland, Latvia and Ukraine and based around the places and characters from the show. Guests at the hotel, which has about 30 rooms, stay warm and cozy wearing winter clothing and using with thermal sleeping bags. In the morning, there are plenty of hot beverages. The village is always between -2 and -5 degrees celsius, no matter the temperature outdoors. For drinks of the cooler kind, the ice bar serves cocktails “on the rocks” and the restaurant serves delicious dinners. Since the hotel is rebuilt each year, it is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room

Chalkley Treehouse, Lion Sands Luxury Resort, South Africa

Animal lovers will delight in the Treehouses at Lion Sands, in South Africa’s Sabi Sand Game Reserve. Called “the ultimate bush bedrooms,” a stay here is directly under the stars in the open air atop a structure that is constructed for safey from wildlife but still offers a natural and personal view of nature. After a sunset arrival and picnic dinner, the treehouse offers spectacular views of the landscape changing from day to night. The Chalkley Treehouse sits in a Leadwood tree that is centuries old. It provides five-star comfort from which to watch the wildlife wandering about below at night. A field guide is on call overnight via a radio, then, after sunrise  — and a cup of coffee of course —  guests can depart the treehouse. The structure for two has no electricity or wifi and is a little more than 2.5 miles from the main lodge. It’s a rare chance to disconnect and experience nature au naturel!

Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room
Null Stern - The Swiss Alps room