Not exactly a relaxing vacation: Inside the hotel converted from a prison where guests are punished with physical exercise for the full 'inmate experience'

Death row inmates tried to escape from it during World War II - now brave tourists are paying to spend a night in Latvia's notorious Karosta Prison which has been turned into a hotel.



Guests can enjoy the 'full prisoner experience' in Communist-era conditions - including death threats, warning gunfire and cries of despair from fellow inmates - for just $16 a night.

But a night in the nick isn't for the genteel - visitors have to sign a release form acknowledging that they will be treated as a prisoner, complete with verbal abuse and physical exercise.

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Enjoy your stay! Visitors have to sign a release form acknowledging that they will be treated as a prisoner and verbally abused. Awesome.

Built around 1900, the Karosta Prison was initially used as an infirmary.

But for most of the 20th century, it was used as a Nazi and Soviet military prison, in which hundreds of prisoners were killed. Most were shot dead.



During World War II, the Nazis sentenced Latvian deserters to death at this prison.



It's history was so gruesome, even the solitary confinement room featured a cryptic message above the door: ‘izeja no elles’, Latvian for ‘exit from hell’.



Given the atrocities it harbored, it's no wonder the 'boutique' hotel is now apparently haunted, featuring on an episode of the SciFi Channel’s Ghost Hunters International.



Light bulbs reportedly screw out of their sockets, cell doors open by themselves and the sound of chains can be heard echoing down the halls.



Video blog by Ruben Alonso

Disturbing: Latvia's Karosta Prison was built as an infirmary in 1900 then used by Nazis in WWII to jail and execute Latvian deserters

Luxury: Guests can enjoy the privilege of sleeping on thin mattresses on the cold prison floor

Demanding: Guests who fail to comply with the strict code of conduct are punished with physical exercise and cleaning work around the prison

But rest assured that even though you're sleeping in the Alcatraz of eastern Europe, hotel staff will offer you the best service.

'There is staff in this hotel that...serve the guests friendly and with world class service,' the hotel website boasts.



'You will get to sleep in a room that is iron made and this will include the iron bars.



'Each room is very simple. All you see is a bed, a small dresser and toilet. It is just like an actual prison. With a closed door, you can eat the meal that prisoners used to eat.



'However, this will be done once you have signed an agreement regarding their contract conditions about your stay at this hotel.



'The agreement in staying at the Karosta Prison includes rules like that you should follow their orders and allowing to be insulted and be treated like a prisoner within your stay.



'[If] you disobey their orders, they will force you to do physical exercise or do the cleaning works.'

Punished: The hotel seeks to recreate the prison environment by subjecting guests to verbal abuse and harsh conditions - but hopefully not the executions

Behind bars: Guests can stay as long as they want at this converted hotel, although it is supposedly haunted

Fun: The hotel's website promises guests that 'there is staff in this hotel that are taking good care of all the properties found inside and of course they serve the guests friendly and with world class service'

But the adventure is not for everyone.

One visitor, Liene Tiruma, wrote on Facebook she visited the hotel for a high school trip.



'At first it seemed fun, but after 20 minutes I got really scared that I wont ever get out,' she wrote.



'And they don't treat you better only because you are a girl - nooo.. hard core exercise. And if you skip, you have to do more... and don't even think about complaining!!!'

The prison-hotel conversion model has proved popular around the world, with numerous notorious jails in the U.S., Britain and the Netherlands transformed into boutique hotels, according to the Guardian.

Professional: Hotel staff 'treat' visitors to reenactments of the Nazi and Soviet occupation of the former prison

No privacy: Expect to be monitored around the clock at this 'exciting' hotel















