Nearly all hotels offer package options designed to enhance a guest’s stay and overall experience. But some resorts are offering truly extravagant amenities. From the quirky to the just plain bizarre, some hotels have determined that these odd extras are exactly what they need to set them apart from the rest of the pack.

Even stranger, guests are willing to pay excessive amounts for these services. However weird and wild the offering may be, guests can be certain that they’ll receive a genuinely memorable experience and some seriously unique stories to pass along.

10 Happy Guest Lodge

The name really says it all. At the Happy Guest Hotel in Warrington, UK, the staff just wants to please their guests. They are willing to go the extra mile to make that happen, even if it means accommodating the lonely customer.

The management provides clients with a unique service—a sleeping partner in the form of a goldfish. Guests who opt for this scaly company are charged £5 and a goldfish named “Happy” is placed in their rooms.

The hotel’s website boasts that the world-famous goldfish provides guests with company for the evening and instills a sense of joy in the client, one that creates a truly interesting environment. Guests making a reservation online can book Happy ahead of time to ensure that their little buddy will be waiting in their room upon arrival.

So why a goldfish?

Well, the hotel’s owner believes that this little fish provides a sense of comfort, a sounding board, and unconditional love to the guest after a hard day. The owner states that clients may even find themselves missing Happy between stays. Never fear, though. Happy or his stand-in will be available for your next stay.

9 Family Pillow Fight Package

Combining the nostalgia of a slumber party with the comforts of a five-star resort sounds like the perfect combo. The Ritz-Carlton has long been known as a top hotel, offering several services to enhance a guest’s experience.

However, the Ritz in Palm Beach, Florida, offers some extra-special attention to guests traveling as a family—the family pillow fight package. This package costs a whopping $60 and includes a bag of satin pillows, a CD, and a book of family games to play together.

Although the cost of this family package may seem rather steep, the management at the Ritz believes that it provides an opportunity for families to bond over fun and feathers. Songs on the included CD are meant to rile up the pillow participants, featuring classics like “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.”

8 Swimsuit Vending Machines

We are all familiar with packing in a hurry and forgetting some of the most essential items for a marvelous vacation, like a bathing suit. To avoid taking a dip in your birthday suit or heading over to the hotel gift shop which so often stocks less than stylish options, the Standard Hotel chain has come up with a rather innovative solution—a bathing suit dispenser.

The vending machine offers big name brands like Quiksilver and style options for both men and women. Available in an array of different sizes and colors, the designs are inspired by the look and feel of the hotel chain.

The machine even prints local hot spots on the waistband so that guests can hit the town after their dip in the pool. The trunks and two-piece suits are not cheap, however. Expect to spend at least $75 if you forget your suit.

7 Dog Surfing Lessons

The Su’ruff Camp at Loews Coronado Bay Resort & Spa offers a unique opportunity to give our furry friends a chance to ride the waves. The surfing camp at this San Diego–based hotel caters specifically to Fido, giving him a chance to shred some waves instead of shredding his toys. The owner of the surf academy believes that all dogs have the ability to surf; it simply takes a little training.

The hotel holds an annual dog surfing contest where all breeds can come together and compete for the honor of best surfing pooch. Other pet perks at the hotel include pet walkers, pet sitters, and even a special pet room service menu with all types of canine delicacies. The pets are treated as true VIPets when they come to Loews.

6 Fragrance Butler

Providing the perfect scent for guests is important to the staff at Rosewood Hotel properties. It’s a rather brilliant move given that TSA restrictions severely limit the amount of liquid that a passenger can bring on a plane.

Rosewood Hotels has designed their olfactory experience in a truly luxurious manner, with a fragrance butler serving up a variety of bottled perfumes and colognes.

Available for sniffing 24 hours a day, the butler features top brands such as Hermes, Chanel, Givenchy, and Dior. Each hotel has a curated list of scents that reflect the setting of the resort. If someone wishes to mist themselves in a specific scent, they simply ring up the butler and he will arrive, silver tray in hand.

5 Bird Delivers Engagement Ring

At the Ashford Castle in Ireland, a guest who is planning to pop the question to his significant other has the option to deliver the engagement ring in a truly memorable fashion—by owl. Dingle is a European eagle owl that has been living at the castle since 1999 and has talons large enough to clutch a sizeable rock.

There are many birds living on the grounds as the castle has a falconry school. Guests can take classes with the animals to learn about the ancient form of falconry. Of all the birds on the grounds, none is more popular than Dingle, perhaps because of his romantic job.

The three-night proposal package offered by the hotel includes a couple’s massage, champagne, a boat ride, a cozy dinner by candlelight, and the grand finish—Dingle swooping in to deliver the ring. With a cost of around $2,000, this service fills up quickly because it is probably one of the coolest ways to pop the question.

4 V-Day Haters Package

One hotel chain has become creative with their unromantic “I Hate Valentine’s Day Package,” especially for guests who are opting to enjoy this Hallmark holiday their own way.

For those who wish to celebrate the holiday solo, Night and the Time Hotels in New York has quite the evening planned. It begins with a table for one at the upscale restaurant Serafina where the diner will be given a free double shot of liquor upon arrival. If the guest decides that he or she would rather stay in, the hotel sets up the “adult entertainment” channel in the room for 24 hours of viewing pleasure.

The housekeeping staff also offers a special turndown service for the haters, which is known as the “Love Hurts” turndown. It includes black candles, a box of tissues, two mini bottles of tequila, all-you-can-eat ice cream, and a wide array of breakup movies. For the morning after, the hotel staff provides guests with the final hurrah—breakfast in bed and a few self-help books.

3 Best Man For Hire

The Best Man for Hire service at South Carolina’s Wild Dunes Resort ensures that the groom will not be without a companion on the big day. The hotel insists that the groom be fawned over and receive the attention that the bride traditionally gets on her special day.

Thus, the Best Man for Hire package aims at providing the ultimate wingman. This pseudo best man will not disappoint his groomzilla, handling everything from delivering the perfect best man speech to administering CPR on a wedding attendee in trouble.

Obviously, a couple who employs this best man is doing so with a sense of humor and deep pockets because his services are certainly not cheap. The groom can expect to pay $150 per hour, $650 for a half day, $1000 for a full day, and $2000 for a weekend.

2 Personal Oxygen Devices

Although the air in Boston is certainly not as polluted as many other big cities around the world, that is not stopping Boston’s Revere Hotel from selling personal oxygen devices (PODs) to its guests.

For those who want them, the PODs are available at $40 a pop in all of the hotel’s suites. That may seem inexpensive at first, but the PODs contain only 2.5 ounces of oxygen. That’s a full 40 breaths, which comes out to a whopping $1 per inhale.

According to the Revere, the 18-centimeter (7 in) oxygen bottle is sleek and perfect for traveling around town. It fits easily inside a handbag. Apparently, the POD offers a rich, refreshing dose of clean pure air that will revive the busy tourist. The hotel also states that the bottle can be used with one hand and requires minimal effort.

1 Robot Staff

Technology surprises us at every turn. For example, the Henn-na Hotel in Japan uses a robot staff to help guests with their every need. The robots check in guests, carry luggage to rooms, and make cups of coffee. The robots are known as “actroids,” a type of humanoid robot.

The actroids closely resemble young Japanese girls, even down to hand gestures, facial expressions, and speech. The robots are known to giggle at guests’ remarks and have the ability to switch languages between Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean.

The humanlike robots were created at Osaka University and manufactured by Kokoro, the same company that licenses Hello Kitty. The university has been working on the actroids for well over a decade and continuously strives to make them more advanced. The robots even have software to sense moods.

Lee DeGraw is a freelance writer with an inquiring mind. She can usually be found huddled beside a campfire with her nose in a book.

Staying in a hotel is one of life’s luxuries. Hotels are big business and sell the idea of total relaxation in which a customer becomes a guest and the staff will cater to his every need.

Consider how many visitors pass through an average hotel room. Once you get over the horror stories of germs lurking on the TV remote, other tales need to be told about these hotbeds of tragedy and scandal where legends are made and crimes are committed.

Here are 10 hotels with reputations that far exceed any star rating.

10 Dreaming of The Shining

The classic horror film The Shining was released in 1980. It is the story of a family who moves into a remote hotel for the winter and the supernatural events that follow. The film was based on a book by Stephen King and was inspired by an equally unsettling hotel visit.

In 1974, King and his family were on a trip to the Rocky Mountains National Park. Heavy snowfall forced them to stop at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.^[1]

As in the book, they were the only guests in the vast building. King was awakened in the night by a terrifying dream in which his young son Joe, screaming in fear, was chased through the hotel’s endless corridors. Based on this experience, King wrote the novel The Shining that was published in 1977.

Stanley Kubrick made several changes to the original story line when producing the film. King hated the film, describing it as “a Cadillac with no engine.”

Room 217 where son Danny sees visions became Room 237 in the film. Timberline Lodge in Oregon was used for outside shots of the fictional Overlook Hotel. King went on to produce a TV miniseries of The Shining, which was filmed at The Stanley.

Still known as “America’s most haunted hotel,” The Stanley Hotel is a popular destination with ghost hunters and film fans. Mrs. Wilson is a ghostly chambermaid said to lurk in the famous Room 217. Paul, a former handyman, is the ghost who flickers the lights in the concert hall. Kubrick’s film plays on a loop in guests’ rooms as a continuous reminder of the night that Stephen King came to stay.

9 War And Peace

The Grand Brighton Hotel in Brighton (aka the Grand Hotel) was hosting British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative Party for their annual conference. It was 1984, and the IRA was at the height of its terror campaign to protest against British occupation of Northern Ireland. Plans were made to bomb the hotel with Thatcher as the target.

Patrick Magee and an unknown female checked into the Grand under false names. They requested Room 629, one floor above Thatcher’s suite and central to the hotel. A 9-kilogram (20 lb) gelignite bomb was planted behind the bath panel with a VCR timer. It was set to go off 24 days later.

The explosion ripped through the building at 2:53 AM on October 12, 1984, killing five and seriously injuring at least 30. Thatcher was unhurt and defiantly arrived at the conference to give a rousing speech. The IRA claimed responsibility, stating:

“Today, we were unlucky. But remember, we only have to be lucky once; you will have to be lucky always.”^[2]

Police identified Magee’s fingerprints from his hotel registration card. He was found guilty and given eight life sentences. Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, a peace agreement, he was released in 1999.

Jo Berry is the daughter of Sir Anthony Berry, who died in the bombing. Today, Magee works with Jo’s charity Building Bridges for Peace to help resolve conflict around the world.

8 Pink Palace Protest

The Beverly Hills Hotel is a Hollywood legend. Painted candy pink and flanked by palm trees on Sunset Boulevard, it was built in 1912. It features the Polo Lounge where Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack would hang out and where Marlene Dietrich broke the ladies’ dress code by wearing trousers. Tucked away in the tropical gardens are 23 infamous bungalows.

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton occupied Bungalow 5 with a regular order of two bottles of vodka for breakfast and two for lunch. When eccentric billionaire recluse Howard Hughes stayed in a bungalow, he would order sandwiches to be left for him in a nearby tree.

In 2014, the hotel’s new owner, the Sultan of Brunei, came under fire when his country made homosexuality punishable by stoning. Celebrities including Elton John and Ellen DeGeneres called for a public boycott of the hotel. The mayor asked the city to push for a compulsory sale. The owners ignored protesters and vowed to stay open as guests dwindled and noisy demonstrations were held.

A few years later, the backlash was over as stars were drawn back to the hotel’s old-school glamour. Protesters have moved on, and the Pink Palace keeps rolling out the red carpet.^[3]

7 Picture Perfect

Opened in 1893, the most photographed hotel in the world is Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City. The hotel’s romantic design is based on French castles in the Loire Valley. During World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met there to plan the Invasion of Normandy. Stalin was invited but failed to attend.

In recent years, the hotel has attracted a new army of fans thanks to an antique mailbox in the lobby. Korean drama Goblin: The Lonely and Great God has 250 million viewers across Asia. The show is filmed in Quebec with the hotel and mailbox forming part of a major story line. Korean visitors flock to the lobby as part of the official Goblin city tour to grab a selfie with this unusual star of the show.^[4]

6 House Of Scandal

Meghan Markle stayed at the exclusive Cliveden House before her wedding to Prince Harry. But the classic English country house hides a shady past. Early owner William Waldorf Astor—known as America’s richest man in 1890—gifted Cliveden to his son Waldorf and Waldorf’s wife, Nancy. Their house parties were legendary, and the aristocratic, politically influential attendees were known as the “Cliveden Set.”

In July 1961, Secretary of State for War John Profumo was a guest. Stephen Ward, Cliveden’s resident osteopath, was staying nearby with model and showgirl Christine Keeler and Yevgeny Ivanov, a Russian intelligence officer.^[5]

The trio joined the party. Keeler and Profumo began an affair, but Keeler was also sleeping with Ivanov. At the height of the Cold War, this was a major security breach.

Profumo denied any wrongdoing. But Keeler sold her story to the press, and Profumo was forced to resign. The government was put under increasing pressure, and Prime Minister Harold Macmillan also resigned. Stephen Ward was arrested for living off immoral earnings and committed suicide. Bill Astor suffered ill health due to stress and died in 1966.

The Astors abandoned Cliveden, and it was gifted to the National Trust. Today, it is a five-star hotel and spa where you can leave your worries behind for around £1,000 a night.

5 High Art

Artist Damien Hirst has designed an exclusive suite at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The “Empathy Suite” costs $100,000 per night, making it the most expensive hotel room in the world.^[6]

It is a two-story, 836-square-meter (9,000 ft²) residence with a 13-seat curved bar and a media area for 52 people. Included is 24-hour butler service, an outdoor pool overlooking the Strip, and $10,000 in resort credit. Another feature is the two bull sharks preserved in a tank of formaldehyde built into a wall.

High rollers with at least a $1 million line of credit at the Palms get to stay for free.

4 Mean Queen’s Castle

Leona and Harry Helmsley were New York real estate moguls who owned the Empire State Building and the Park Lane Hotel. In 1981, Harry gave Leona the Helmsley Palace Hotel. Leona starred in TV ads for the hotel as the “Queen of her Palace.”

Staff nicknamed her “The Queen of Mean” due to her legendary rudeness and her habit of firing anyone who crossed her.

Builders went to the press after she refused to pay them. They claimed she had charged the cost of repairs at her private home to the hotel, thereby avoiding tax. Leona was tried for federal income tax evasion in 1989. At her trial, employees lined up to give evidence against her. A housekeeper claimed that Leona had said: “Only little people pay taxes.”^[7]

Leona was convicted of three counts of tax evasion and other related counts and served 19 months in prison. The Queen of Mean died at age 87 and left $4 billion to charity.

3 Cold Comfort

In the Swedish village of Jukkasjarvi, 200 kilometers (124 mi) north of the Arctic Circle, stands the ICEHOTEL. It has 1-meter-thick (3 ft) walls constructed with ice from the Torne River. Every year, it melts away and is rebuilt in a different design. Around 40 artists are selected to carve spectacular ice sculptures.

If you choose a “cold” room, the temperature is -5 degrees Celsius (23 °F). Guests sleep on a bed made of compacted snow and ice, topped with reindeer skin. There is the option of a “warm” room where you can admire the frozen art minus the chill.^[8]

2 Diana’s Final Hours

The Ritz Paris overlooks the Place Vendome. Since 1898, it has hosted guests such as Oscar Wilde, Noel Coward, Cole Porter, and Coco Chanel. During World War II, the Nazis occupied Paris and took over the hotel. Staff promptly smuggled out fine wines and hid them in a secret cave on the Left Bank.

After the death of Charles Ritz in 1976, the hotel was sold to Mohamed Al-Fayed, an Egyptian businessman, in 1979. In 1997, Princess Diana began dating his son, Dodi. One night, the couple dined at the Ritz and was pursued by photographers. They made a last-minute decision to leave for Dodi’s apartment. Henri Paul, deputy head of security at the Ritz, personally drove them. Their Mercedes hit the 13th pillar of the Pont de l’Alma tunnel, killing all three.

At the inquest into her death in 2007, coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker released footage from the Ritz’s 43 security cameras. One of the last images of the couple shows them in the hotel’s gold-mirrored elevator with Diana smiling and relaxed.

The hotel was closed for four years in 2012 for a refurbishment costing 200 million euros.^[9]

1 Death In Vegas

Stephen Paddock, 64, arrived in Las Vegas in late September 2017. He checked into Suite 135 (and later Suite 134 as well) on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel. On October 1, from the 32nd floor, he carried out the deadliest mass shooting in US history. Fifty-eight people died, and 851 were injured as they gathered for a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip.

At 10:05 PM, shots were heard and automatic gunfire was captured on video footage. Police stormed the room and found 23 weapons. Surveillance cameras had been set up outside his room. Paddock smashed through windows and fired 1,100 rifle rounds into the crowd below. Then he shot himself.^[10]

He was described as a millionaire property developer whose father had been on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Neighbors at his retirement community in Mesquite called him “weird.”

Hotel owner MGM Resorts filed lawsuits against more than 1,000 victims claiming that it could not be held liable for any deaths, injuries, or damages. Victims’ lawyers described it as “verging on unethical.” Litigation has now been suspended, and MGM Resorts is hoping to reach a settlement with the victims.

I’m a true crime enthusiast and lover of words.

Tourist accommodation is big business worldwide. Switch on the computer or turn on the TV, and you are bound to find advertisements for the “best hotels.” Most people look for fairly standard options—comfort, good Wi-Fi, breakfast, and maybe a pool or spa.

However, in the quest to secure the tourist dollar, accommodation operators around the world have come up with some unique and imaginative hotel ideas. Some are only for the adventurous, while others cater to children and kids-at-heart. From fantasy designs such as a UFO, a sandcastle, and even an oversized beagle to a night in a volcano or even a toadstool, there are now some truly unique hotels across the globe.

Here are ten unusual and quirky hotels to spark your imagination.

10 Sleep In A Bookshelf

Many of us like to curl up with a good book in bed before drifting off to sleep. However, in Tokyo, book lovers can actually sleep for the night in a bookshelf.

The first “Book and Bed” opened in Ikebukuro in 2015 to provide a quiet and unusual accommodation option. The concept of crawling into a bookshelf for the night became so popular that the hostels are now available in six locations across Japan. They provide a huge collection of books for guests to choose from before climbing into their “shelf” to read for the night.^[1]

The private bunks are surrounded by plywood bookshelves, with very basic bedding provided. The largest of the cubbyholes are just 1.8 by 1.2 meters (6 ft x 4 ft), so you will certainly be “curling up” with your book for the night.

9 Sleep In A Toadstool Or Tree Stump

Fancy falling asleep in the middle of a mythical fairy ring? A hotel in Sweden houses its guests in fantasy toadstools and tree stumps. The Norrqvarn Hotel by the Gota Canal looks fairly unconventional at first glance. It also provides a couple of quirky cabins for a very unusual stay.

A chainsaw artist crafted rooms fit for a troll out of wood, concrete, and plywood within the grounds of the old mill. Red and white spotted mushrooms or gnarly tree stumps provide alternative guest accommodations by the canal. The cabins look like something straight out of a children’s storybook.^[2]

Inside, the cabins make for fairly comfortable rooms, which, surprisingly, can sleep up to four people. Given the cold Swedish winters, this might be one unique accommodation experience best reserved for the warmer summer months.

8 Faralda Crane Hotel

Looking to combine your hotel stay with a little adrenaline-filled activity? Amsterdam hotel guests can book a room in a disused crane in the city’s old industrial center as well as take in a spot of bungee-jumping from the top.^[3]

The 45-meter-high (148 ft) crane in Amsterdam-Noord has been converted into three boutique hotel suites, and the top of the crane features a Jacuzzi and a bungee-jumping platform. Entry to the suites is via a glass elevator. Just don’t look down.

Despite the very industrial beginnings of the hotel, it does now boast “high-end luxury.” The crane does tend to sway in the wind, though. Guests are even able to operate the crane in order to swing it around for a better view over the city.

7 Hang Nga Guesthouse

Initially, the Hang Nga Guesthouse in Da Lat, Vietnam, may look more like something out of a nightmare. Inside, it is designed to resemble something out of Alice in Wonderland and other children’s stories. There are no straight lines, and the curvy internal layout looks like something out of an Escher drawing.

The Crazy House, as it is known to the locals, was designed by a Vietnamese architect who created a somewhat surrealistic guesthouse resembling a large, gnarled tree from the outside. Inside, the house resembles a forest, with spiral staircases and bridges connecting the various levels, in a virtual maze of rooms and garden walkways. As you explore the tunneled hallways, you will find toadstools, spiderwebs, and even eagles throughout the ten themed guest rooms. There would certainly be no shortage of things to dream about.^[4]

6 Silo Stay

You could be forgiven for thinking a serviced apartment complex outside Christchurch, New Zealand, was actually a grain storage depot—not really somewhere you would think of staying for the night. However, the shiny, round, silver silos have actually been repurposed to provide a unique accommodation experience.

From the outside, the nine grain silos look like unlikely accommodation. But they have actually been converted to provide award-winning eco-friendly accommodation. Guests enjoy a living area including a kitchen on the ground floor, with a bedroom and bathroom on the upper level. The hatch of the silo opens to provide a starry view from bed, as well as an effective cooling system in the warmer months.^[5]

5 Sleep In A UFO

Science fiction and space enthusiasts might enjoy the opportunity to spend the night in a UFO. A number of UFO-themed hotels have appeared around the world to cater to sci-fi fans or guests just looking for something a little different.

A Welsh couple purchased a container from the London Olympics, which they renovated to provide a UFO-styled Airbnb. The “Spodonic’s” decor includes space suits and LED lighting to set the extraterrestrial theme inside the UFO-shaped accommodation.^[6]

A similar UFO option is available in a Swedish themed hotel, which also offers guests the opportunity to sleep in a bird’s nest or a giant bauble swinging from a tree. A Chinese “UFOtel” gives guests the opportunity to enjoy underwater views in their partially submerged UFO.

4 Tree Pods In Cornwall

For those not adverse to swinging in the air for the night, a tree pod may be an attractive accommodation option. The Lost Meadow Tree Pods in Cornwall, UK, are bauble-like rooms hoisted three meters (10 ft) into the air.^[7]

The tree tents are halfway between “glamping” and hotel. While you have a conventional bed to sleep on, kitchen and bathroom facilities are located on the ground below. The tree tents’ construction is based on the designs of early airships. Guests climb a narrow staircase to their rooms, which contain a bed and a wood burner to keep the cold at bay.

A part of the wall can be lifted back to enjoy views over the forest or enjoy the sunrise with your neighboring wildlife. You will, however, need to come out of your pod to spend a penny or make the morning coffee in the communal kitchen.

3 Dog Bark Park Inn

We’re all familiar with the term “sleeping in the doghouse,” but a US bed-and-breakfast gives a whole new meaning to the phrase. In Central Idaho, dog lovers can enjoy the novelty of sleeping inside a giant beagle.^[8]

The two-story beagle-shaped building is known affectionately as “Sweet Willy” to the locals. A wood-carving couple specializing in dog carvings eventually extended their passion to create a unique dog-themed accommodation.

Operating as an Airbnb, the guesthouse has a very dog-themed decor, right down to the bone-shaped biscuits you are served. The top floor of the building allows you to take in the views across the area from Willy’s snout.

2 Volcano Hotel

Deep in the Chilean rainforests, you might not be surprised to come across the odd volcano. However, tourists looking for a Hobbit-like experience can try staying in a vine-covered mountain. Complete with a waterspout simulating a volcanic eruption, Chile’s Montana Magica Lodge is located in a remote nature reserve.

The conical hotel may seem authentic but is man-made, complete with vegetation planted down the walls of the building.^[9] Tiny, gabled windows peek out from the guest rooms between the natural foliage. Amenities include hot tubs carved out of tree stumps and a golf course through the surrounding rainforest.

You almost expect a hobbit or a woodland elf to jump out and greet you on arrival. Guests must navigate a swinging rope bridge to access the rainforest hotel. Hopefully, there isn’t a mythical troll at one end of the bridge.

1 Book A Sandcastle

As children, many of us may have dreamed of living in the sandcastles we built on the beach during our summer vacations. In the Netherlands, it is possible to book one of two specially crafted sandcastles for your night’s stay. The temporary sandcastles were originally built in 2015 as part of an annual sandcastle-making festival in the inland towns of Oss and Sneek.^[10] Curiously, neither town is anywhere near the sea.

Zandhotel sculptors rebuild the elaborate sandcastles each summer, allowing guests to stay in rooms made entirely from sand. The sandcastles are complete with elaborate turrets and moats. The walls and ceilings have been treated to prevent crumbling, and the rooms are adorned with sand sculptures. The sandy floors are covered with rugs, so there is no need to take sandy feet to bed with you at night.

Lesley Connor is a retired Australian newspaper editor, who provides stories for online publications and her travel blog.

We have compiled a list of some special, unique and unusual hotels from around the world. They can be found from Bavaria to Zanzibar.

Wherever your travels take you, whatever you have in mind: For almost every desire, no matter how extraordinary it may be, there is a right hotel. We take you on a journey through the world’s 10 most bizarre hotels.

10. Sand Hotel on Weymouth Beach

A dream of sand.

Let’s start our list with the most ephemeral hotels around the world – the sand hotel on Weymouth Beach in England. The place is considered a stronghold for sandcastle builder: The sand sculptures on Weymouth Beach are loud.

In addition to the impressive oversized sculptures, a hotel built by a whole team consisting of the best sand castle farmers of the world, within a week entirely of sand. 1,000 tons of sand was used in this case and a wall was formed along with high castle archway, ornaments and towers.

The interior consisted of sand beds and a complete lounge area, also formed of sand. The hotel offers a night under the stars, including sea view for £ 10 onwards. The only downer was probably that the castle builders had built no toilets. You might also like: 10 of The World’s Spectacular Beaches.

9. Salt Hotel in Bolivia Luna Salada

But after getting a taste?

Our second hotel lives up to its name. All the walls are made ​​of salt blocks, even the floor is sprinkled with salt crystals. Out of about a million salt blocks were built in the hotel, even for the furniture and ceilings, salt is used.

Located on a hill in the village of Colchani, from where one has a fantastic view of the famous salt lake. The Salt Hotel Luna Salada is unique in the world and offers one thing: Calm and relaxation amid salt you can feel your own body circulation and can let you go completely. For further relaxation there is a large saltwater pool and a sauna.

An overnight stay costs around $150, but only the experience that this hotel is worth the price.

8. Waldseilgarten Höllschlucht in Bavaria

One of the most extraordinary places to stay in Germany.

Would you like to spend the night outside in the great outdoors? Then you’ve come to the right place. But beware if you are afraid of heights, “Sleeping in the tree” is the style of hotel Waldseilgarten Höllschlucht.

Here you can sleep in so-called “Portal Edges” which are suspended from the thick branches of free standing trees. The ascent and descent is only possible with the help of rope and a previous climbing course. From up here you have the breathtaking mountain scenery Pfronten.

For $300 per night this is one of the sportiest whereabouts that you have ever seen. Here is another list, you surly like; 10 of the most romantic honeymoon places.

7. Magic Mountain Hotel in Chile

The mysterious mountain in the forest.

The Hotel Montana Magica Lodge in Chile is probably better known as Magic Mountain Hotel. It is located in Huilo Huilo Reserve in Patagonia

Here life is like in the Shire of JRR Tolkien “The Lord of the Rings”: In a grassy hill in the woods. The hotel is built like a mountain and accessible only via a suspension bridge. Surrounded by a dense forest area in Chile looks like the Montana Magica Lodge, as when they had grown themselves out of the ground. A waterfall makes its way from the top to the foot of the mountain. The construction consists exclusively of sustainable and high-quality materials and is in harmony with nature and the magic of the forest.

A single room costs the equivalent of 215 U.S. dollars. This unique hotel is not only aimed at eco-tourists, but also to adventurous travelers looking for something special. You may like; 10 must see places around the world.

6. Tree Hotel in Sweden

A night at designer tree house.

Do you have the dream since your childhood to have a private tree house? This dream can be fulfilled in northern Sweden now. In the quiet village of Harada’s, hotel room hanging up to six meters height from the trees.

The various rooms in the Tree Hotel are designed respectively by different architects. One room is called “Mirror Cube ‘and is particularly spectacular because its outer sides are completely mirrored and the rooms are completely arranged by the reflections in the landscape. To make this intervention natural as much as possible, a special ultraviolet foil was used to protect birds about to fly.

However, this is also reflected in the price, which is around $550 per night. You may also like 10 of The World’s Most Beautiful Tree Houses.

5. Ice Hotel in Sweden

Stay-cool.

We stay in Sweden and take you to where it is really cold. The Ice Hotel includes a whopping 6,000 square meters of snow and ice. Bundled up in a thermal sleeping bag you stay here on icy beds.

The ice hotel is about 13 km from Kiruna in Jukkasjärvi. Every year in November the ice hotel is newly built by artists. The ice is polished, sanded and carved up as the hotel rooms for the guests arise. Just because of this effort the hotel counts among the most exclusive in the world.

With its interior decoration made ​​of snow and ice sculptures also it is one of the most beautiful places to stay. A very special highlight is the own ice church of the hotel where even weddings take place. Because of the cold temperature, hotel for children under the age of 12 is not suitable.

A weekend costs around $1000, about 50,000 visitors each year take an ice room. Here is another list of ten coldest places around the world, you may like this.

4. Giraffe hotel in Kenya

Hotel on Safari.

A hotel with tame wild animals in their natural environment is available only in Kenya. Nowhere else in the world can you see giraffes up close?

As early as the morning, the giraffes are frolicking in the vicinity of the hotel, because they know that there will be food. On every breakfast table of guests, food for the animals is also available; the feeding is equipped at all the windows and doors of the hotel. This provides great interaction with the animals: you can pet them and take pictures and maybe you even can have one of the famous giraffe kisses.

The prices for an overnight stay vary according to season, however, lies in the higher price ranges, since it also supported by a foundation for the protection of the graceful creatures.

3. Kakslauttanen hotel in Lapland

An igloo made of glass.

The Kakslauttanen Hotel with his igloo village in Finland, where you can visit the best of deepest Finnish winter. You can experience warm igloo made ​​of glass in the winter wonderland.

Some rooms are equipped with an outdoor swimming pool. With a little luck you can admire the northern lights even at night. But even without the northern lights the view of the starry sky above northern Finland is clear from your bed.

Locally, exciting snow tours, from husky dog rides to snowmobile are available. Prices start around from $200 per night . Here is another list, you might like; 10 most beautiful villages of Europe.

2. Sala Silvermine in Sweden

Sleeping in the mine.

A suite in a silver mine or sleep in the underground: The Silvermine Underground Lounge in Sweden Sala, some 120 kilometers north-west of Stockholm, is probably the lowest-hotel in the world. What was silver mine earlier, is now a hotel about 155 meters depth.

It is advised by the management to take warm clothes, because outside the hotel rooms in the tunnel temperature is about three degrees. Your cell phone will have no reception down there, but do not worry, thanks to wireless devices; you are in constant contact with the surface.

The silver work of Sala is open all year round for groups and accommodation bookings. Prices range, depending on accommodation, at around 4,290 Swedish crowns. You may also like the list of 10 Most Scenic Drives in Europe.

1. Manta Underwater Room in Zanzibar

Under the sea.

The last hotel of our list exceeds all hotels mentioned so far on uniqueness and exclusivity. Off the coast of Tanzania you can have a bedroom underwater.

The hotel is in Manta Resort in Zanzibar a raft off the coast. The raft is divided over three floors. However, no matter if you are on the roof terrace for sunbathing or in the bedroom, you stay under water.

Manta Underwater Room is definitely one of the hotels that you will not want to leave during the holiday. A look at the underwater world of the Indian Ocean is crystal clear, and at night it ensures little floating lamps for a beautiful atmosphere. At the same time the soft light also attracts shy animals such as the octopus.

The accommodation costs for underwater experience can revolve around $1200. You may also like; 10 most amazing underwater hotels and relaxing resorts.