Getting bored of the ‘same, same’ feel when it comes to hotels and hostels? Then this article is most definitely for you with 10 weird places to stay listed from around the world. It features capsules, pods and wigwams and just about everything in-between.

Wigwam Motel – Holbrook, Arizona

This motel is located along the famous Route 66 and has been welcoming travellers for over 50 years. It is now even listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The motel has 15 retro wigwams with each one containing a full bathroom, shower, cable TV, heat and air conditioning.

Wigwam website

(left: Wigwam Motel courtesy of DB’s travels)

Medieval Hotel Dětenice – Prague, Czech Republic

All the rooms in this hotel have a medieval feel and are a lot more interesting than a boring chain hotel. Most of the furniture is made of wood and there’s a rustic, middle-ages feel to the place. Rooms are lit bycandle-light and there is even a medieval banquet and entertainment laid on for guests.



Palacio de Sal- Colchani, Bolivia



You’ve heard of ice hotels, but this hotel is built entirely out of salt! Even the chairs, tables and beds are made of sodium chloride. The hotel hosts 16 rooms with en-suite bathrooms, heating and electricity. There is also a bar and a recreation room where billiards, chess and other games are at the guests’ disposal. It has won several awards for being one of the most unusual hotels in the world.

(picture from psyberartist)

Das Parkhotel – Ottensheim, Austria

Most people think of sewage pipes as being dirty and unhygienic, but one person decided to turn several of them into a hotel. Each drainpipe contains a double bed and storage space. Bathrooms, a cafeteria and a bar are located nearby so you have everything at your disposal. What’s more you only have to pay as much as you think your stay is worth.

Das Parkhotel Website



9hours – Kyoto, Japan



Imagine having your daily schedule already planned out for you. This happens at 9hours! You have 1 hour to shower, 7 hours to sleep and 1 hour to get yourself ready before leaving – the alarm will make sure of this! Each visitor sleeps in a futuristic pod with computerised lighting to aid sleeping. It’s not so strict though as guests are allowed to linger for up to 17 hours in a single stay, but just not in the capsules.

(source: Mathieu Thouvenin)

9 hours Website



Can Sleep – Lake Skanderborg, Denmark

The Skanderborg Music Festival is held in Denmark every August. Festival goers listen to the likes of Lenny Kravitz and Eric Clapton and enjoy a few beers alongside the concert. When the visitors are slightly tipsy and want to retire to bed, they can do so in an actual beer can! The cans are set out in six-pack communities and each can is 12.5ft high and contains a circular double bed. The furniture is all from IKEA and the walls are decorated in bubbly wallpaper.



Kolarbyn Eco-Lodge – Sweden

If you’ve ever wanted to be at one with nature and live for a couple of nights in a forest then this is the hotel for you. There’s no electricity or running water and you have to go and chop your own wood. Imagine a few nights away from mobiles and other gadgets and just relaxing in the wilderness in front of a roaring fire. There are also tours in the winter that visitors can go on.

To discover more of the great outdoors in Sweden, check out our itinerary for backpacking Scandinavia.

(source: Glisglis)



Les Roulottes de la Serve – Ouroux, France



Have you ever thought about staying in an old fashioned gypsy-style caravan? There are several caravans to hire and each one has its own personality. Each one is filled with beautiful carved furniture, trinkets and elaborate lamps and mirrors. There’s also a carpenter’s workshop on the grounds where the caravans are built.

Les Roulottes website

Capsule Hotel – The Hague, Netherlands

These orange capsules used to be known as oil rig survival pods in the 70s, but now they’re being used as hotel suites! There are several options; from basic to one based on the escape pod used in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. This capsule even contains a disco ball, TV and the ingredients to make yourself a Martini. Up to three people can sleep in one of the pods.

(source: drhenkenstein)



Sandcastle Hotel – Weymouth Beach, Dorset

If you’ve tried all the other places and still aren’t satisfied with the novelty level then there’s always the sand hotel in Dorset, England. The hotel was created by sculptor Mark Anderson and actually has no roof so you have to hope that the weather stays nice. Everything is made of sand…even the bed and the ‘pillows’, but at £10/night it’s so cheap that you can’t really complain if you’re finding sand in weird places for days afterwards.







Bio:

This has been a guest post by Will Thoms from hungryhouse, the UK’s leading online takeaway platform that features restaurants across the country including Birmingham, Nottingham and Glasgow.