13 most unusual hotels in the world: photo, description
When planning a trip to any country, the first item on the list is the question of accommodation. But not all travelers will be to the taste of a standard hotel room, typical room service and a continental breakfast. To make your trip memorable, check out this list of the 13 most unusual hotels in the world, which are not only different from ordinary hotels, but also worth the investment and effort.
Palacio de Sal, Uyuni Salt Flats, Bolivia
It's best to stay away from this hotel if you want to cut down on your sodium intake. The entire building is built from pure salt, from walls to floors and furniture. The chalk-white huts blend into the ivory desert landscape of the Great Salar de Uyuni, which stretches in salty oblivion in every possible direction and provides excellent vantage points for stargazing. What can I say: this is a land of salt, a huge amount of salt.
Hotel de Glace, Canada
You don't have to live in an igloo to have a full Canadian experience, although that would probably be a lot of fun, but there are other options. For several months each year, you can experience this sensational Inuit lifestyle at an urban Quebec hotel built entirely of ice and snow.
Even touching the bed frames is cold in a hotel where 500 tons of ice and 15,000 tons of snow include 5-meter high ceilings and intricately carved furniture.
Desert Lotus Hotel, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
The Xiangshawan Desert is probably not the first place to think about when planning a vacation. In winter, temperatures are very low with frequent snowstorms, while summer brings hot, dry weather that causes huge sandstorms. However, these conditions are exactly what makes the Desert Lotus Hotel so unique.
The hotel's repeating white tiles give the building the appearance of a flower opening its petals over the desert. To cope with the permanent dunes, the Lotus Hotel is supported by a steel frame anchored in the sand with no water or concrete.
Tree houses in Kadir, Turkey
On Turkey's idyllic Turquoise Coast, at the end of a pine valley, lies the village of Olympos, where hoteliers specialize in a different type of dwelling: tree houses. These simple wooden bungalows nestled among the branches have long been popular with tourists, and this popularity has not faded over time. Kadir, one of the original hotels, currently manages over a hundred bungalows, as well as several larger huts and dormitories.
Adrere Amellal, Siwa City, Egypt
Sixteen kilometers from the charming town of Siwa is the Adrere Amellal Hotel. Eco-friendly accommodation overlooking Lake Siwa, nestled at the foot of the mystical “White Mountain”, Adrere Amellal has 40 rooms, each decorated in the traditional style of the city, the walls are made of salt stones, and palm trees are used for the roofs. All rooms are unique and different in their design.
The earthen buildings naturally blend into the landscape, while the furniture and furnishings pay homage to talented local artisans. Other features of the hotel include ancient olive and palm groves, Roman springs, and gourmet cuisine.
Given the lack of electricity and telephones, Adrere Amellal is in complete harmony with the surrounding nature, and conveys this mood to its visitors. Torches, beeswax candles and endless stars light up the place, while old barbecue grills keep you warm on chilly evenings.
Aydinli Cave House Hotel, Goreme, Turkey
Explorers looking to unleash their inner caver can stay at the Aydinli Cave House Hotel, which opened in 2008. Situated high above the center of the old village, in the heart of old Göreme, the 14-room family-run hotel is carved from natural stone and traditional Cappadocian stone.
The rooms are decorated in a natural, even earthy style and are named after their origin. For example, the former food and pigeon nest room, called the Divanhorne or living room, offers original carvings and a private terrace with the best view. Before exploring Cappadocia, you can enjoy a traditional Turkish breakfast or enjoy panoramic views of Göreme and the Rose Valley from the hotel's rooftop terrace.
Earthship Biotecture, Tres Piedras, New Mexico
Before we give up Earth for another planet, it would be helpful to check out potential new digs. The Earthship project has been in development since 1960, and in 1997 opened sustainable lodges for visitors and guests (for less than an eternity). Made from recycled or sustainable materials, earthships recycle their own wastewater, generate energy, and grow food. By the way, they are equipped with amenities that are unlikely to be found in space: Wi-Fi connection and TV.
Neemrana Fort-Palace, India
Despite the huge number of resorts with a historical past, New Delhi has a truly unique hotel, the most beautiful of which you can hardly find. Neemrana is a lively and energetic place for magical weekends, holidays, celebrations, and even conferences. With 15 centuries of heritage, this hotel is ideal for reimagining your present and even recreating a different past, thanks to a wonderful location.
All seven parts of the palace have 12 tiers rising to the top of the hill on which the hotel is located, while the garden covers 2.5 hectares. Hanging gardens, two pools that give the impression of approaching the horizon, and an Ayurvedic spa are just some of what makes this hotel one of the most unique and unusual not only in Delhi, but in all of India.
Hang Nga “Crazy House”, Vietnam
With all the twists and turns, tree designs and animal sculptures, the Hang Nga Guesthouse, or Moon Villa, in the Vietnamese city of Da Lat is one of the weirdest places to stay overnight. The hotel is named after its creator, Hang Viet Nga, although it was later nicknamed “The Crazy House” due to its strange design and cavernous interior. The inspiration for this design was the architect's desire to bring people back to nature and remind them to appreciate and not destroy the environment.
The concrete structure is replete with animal-themed rooms, outdoor balconies and a sculpture garden. The architect took the works of Walt Disney and Salvador Dalí into account when planning her building, and guests can stay in one of 10 rooms connected by stairs, bridges and tunnel passages.
Seaventures Rig Resort, Mabul Island, Malaysia
At the top of the Coral Triangle, one of the most scenic dive sites in the world, there is what looks like an oil rig. But in fact, this is not an environmental time bomb at all, but a dream hotel for avid scuba divers. An elevator on this “tower” takes divers into the water, guiding them through the reef system, and all dives are included in the price of this resort. Although not all entertainment takes place under water: the hotel is famous for live music and barbecue evenings.
Kumbuk Hotel, Buttala, Sri Lanka
On the banks of the river Kumbukkan Oya stands a lone, slightly deformed elephant. This strange eco-hotel is built of grass and twigs, and sways slowly in the wind like a clumsy, thick-skinned animal. Up to 10 people can be accommodated inside this two-story building. But real elephants can be observed in the nearby Yala Wildlife Sanctuary. The amazing surroundings, the river and the local facilities including a number of chalets create the perfect environment for tourists to have a unique experience.
Magic Mountain Hotel, Chile
This Chilean hotel is located in a mountain shaped like a volcano. Fortunately, it is not lava that flows from the top, but streams of water, since there is a waterfall at the very top. Over the years, water has washed over the rocks of the “volcano”, and now it is so covered with vegetation that it blends into the background of the forest.
To get to the building itself, you will have to cross the monkey bridge, which is an adventure in itself. All 9 rooms are equipped with modern amenities and large windows, and each has a special name for one of the local bird species.
Hotel Unbalance, Peru
Architects do not get tired of creating outlandish buildings, and in the future the list of unusual hotels will surely be replenished with one more – the Peruvian Hotel Unbalance. Leaning precariously over the edge of a cliff, the Unbalance Hotel will be one of the most unusual places for citizens and tourists in Lima, Peru.
Designed by a Madrid-based firm, the building will literally hang from a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In order not to obscure the much-loved ocean views from the cliffs of Lima, the hotel will be realized with a hollow central part.
According to the architects, the problem of building this hotel is not at all in the lack of balance, as this will be an optical illusion, but in the landscape of the area. According to preliminary data, the hotel will accommodate 125 rooms, as well as premises that will be used as exhibition halls, restaurants and conference rooms.
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