Here, accommodation becomes the highlight of your journey. Forget about an ordinary room with a view. In these hotels, you can sleep underwater, inside an ice sculpture, within a mountain, or… have breakfast with giraffes. Here are the TOP 5 most unusual hotels in the world.
Just a dozen or so years ago, a luxury hotel was primarily associated with five stars, a marble lobby, and suites with panoramic views. Today, more and more travelers are searching for something far more valuable—experiences. These cannot be bought anywhere else in the world. That’s why properties have emerged that completely redefine the concept of accommodation. In some, you fall asleep several meters below the ocean’s surface. In others, the walls are made of ice. Elsewhere, giraffes peek through your window at breakfast.
TOP 5 most unusual hotels in the world
Here are five of the world’s most extraordinary hotels that prove the stay itself can be the purpose of the journey.
1. Icehotel, Sweden – a night in an ice palace
In the far north of Sweden, in the small town of Jukkasjärvi, a hotel is built every winter that, just a few months later… disappears. The Icehotel is constructed from scratch using thousands of tons of ice extracted from the Torne River. Each room, meanwhile, is designed by artists from around the world.
Guests sleep on beds made of ice blocks, covered with reindeer skins and equipped with professional thermal sleeping bags. Inside, the temperature is around minus five degrees Celsius. However, for most visitors, the cold quickly becomes secondary. What matters is the awareness that each night is spent in a work of art that will no longer exist in a few months.
Accommodation prices start at around $500–600 per night. However, the most exclusive art suites cost significantly more.
2. InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland, China – luxury hidden in a quarry
This is a hotel that, instead of rising above the city, descends several floors underground. It was built inside an abandoned quarry near Shanghai and is considered one of the greatest achievements of contemporary hotel architecture.
Most of the rooms are located below ground level. However, the two lowest floors are hidden beneath the water’s surface. The windows offer views of sheer rock walls and an impressive waterfall cascading into the former quarry.
You usually have to pay from around $450 to over $1,000 per night for accommodation, depending on the season and the type of apartment. Here, the greatest luxury is not gold or marble, but the spectacular architecture that cannot be mistaken for any other hotel in the world.
3. The Muraka, Maldives – a dream beneath the ocean’s surface
This is probably the most exclusive accommodation in the world. The Muraka is not a classic hotel room, but a private, two-level residence, with the main bedroom located about five meters below the surface of the Indian Ocean.
Through the panoramic acrylic walls, you can observe the coral reef, stingrays, colorful fish, and sometimes even sharks, all without leaving your bed. This experience feels more like staying in a luxurious aquarium than in a hotel.
Price? Just a few years ago, it was around $50,000 per night. Currently, depending on the date and package, a stay can be booked from around $12,000 per night, which still makes The Muraka one of the most expensive accommodations in the world.
4. Montaña Mágica Lodge, Chile – a hotel resembling a fairytale volcano
It looks as if it grew straight out of the forest. The building is shaped like a moss-covered mountain, with a waterfall constantly flowing from its peak. To enter, guests must cross a rope bridge suspended above the rainforest.
The hotel is located within the Huilo Huilo reserve in Chile. It is designed to blend almost seamlessly with the surrounding nature. The interiors are finished with wood, and the atmosphere resembles a scene from a fairy tale or a fantasy film.
Accommodation usually costs from around $250 to $500 per night. However, the main attraction remains the feeling of staying inside a magical mountain hidden among the Chilean forests.
5. Giraffe Manor, Kenya – breakfast with giraffes
This is one of the most recognizable hotels in the world, although it doesn’t impress with futuristic architecture. Its biggest attraction is its residents… with long necks.
On the grounds of a historic estate in Nairobi, Rothschild’s giraffes roam freely, approaching the dining room windows every morning and peeking inside in search of treats. Guests can feed them almost by hand, and breakfast photos here are among the most iconic images from Africa.
This is an intimate hotel with a small number of rooms, so reservations often need to be made up to a year in advance. Prices start at around $1,400 per person per night and include full board as well as a range of additional attractions.
TOP 5 most unusual hotels in the world – when the hotel becomes the destination
Not long ago, a hotel was simply a place to rest between visiting various attractions. Today, the roles are increasingly reversed. It is the unique accommodation itself that is often the main reason for the trip.
An underwater bedroom in the Maldives, an ice suite in Sweden, a hotel hidden in a quarry, a fairytale mountain in Chile, or breakfast with giraffes in Kenya all show that modern luxury is no longer just about the highest standard of service. The most valuable currency has become emotions, memories, and stories that cannot be experienced anywhere else.
