Set over a freshwater shrimp pond, Udang House (also known as the Shrimp House) at the Bambu Inda Hotel features a bedroom with glass floor panels that reveal a panorama of underwater activity. The rustic-looking suite, made from teak wood, aims to create a “fishing village experience”, kitted out with lamps made from authentic shrimp baskets and a random boat paddle and fishing net by the foot of the mosquito-netted bed.

Guests can also enjoy natural sunrays by day and the moonlight by night thanks to a bathroom with a glass-tiled roof and an open air shower. The house is located by a fresh water fountain that feeds its natural pool.

The eco-friendly hotel’s historic houses are former Javanese bridal homes built by native Indonesians more than a 100 years ago and offer a tranquil retreat in natural surroundings. Each of the houses was handpicked by the owners - Canadian-born jewelry maker John Hardy and his American wife Cynthia Hardy. The houses were relocated to Bali and restored in 2005. The hotel sits on the Sayan Ridge amongst rice paddies, minutes from the town of Ubud, with views of the Ayung River, a Hindu temple and the volcanic edges around Mount Batu Kau.

The collection ranges from the mini-home style Kuda House for solo travellers to the stately Kuno House featuring high ceilings with an aura of “Javanese royal opulence” and the four-story Pagoda built with floor-to-ceiling windows on all four sides offering views of the surrounding forest.

Unusual glass interiors have been a popular design feature in various luxury venues around the world. The Manta Underwater Room at the Manta Resort, off Pemba Island in Zanzibar, is located about 13 feet below the surface of the Indian Ocean. Guests stay in a glass-walled, underwater chamber while above sea level two additional levels provide a space for leisure and recreation.

The Niyama resort in the Maldives boasts the world’s first underwater nightclub, with glass wall interiors set inside the Indian Ocean. It is accessible only by boat.



The nightclub at The Niyama resort (niyama.peraquum.com)

Diners at the Ithaa restaurant at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island can enjoy views of coral gardens and fish in the Indian Ocean from 16ft below water through a glass archway ceiling, while the Sentosa Resort in Singapore offers 11 two-storey "Ocean Suites", each with a window onto the hotel's aquarium.

The Jules Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida, is completely submerged beneath the sea and features a 42-inch round window in each room, giving guests a view of the diverse marine life surroundings. Set 21 ft below water, guests must scuba dive to a five by seven ft pool opening at the bottom of the lodge to enter the hotel.

Ten hotels for nature lovers

Giraffe Manor, Kenya

Said to be the world’s first giraffe hotel, this property is home to eight Rothschild giraffes. Guests at the 140-acre estate, run by Tanya and Mikey Carr-Hartley, must prepare themselves to share the breakfast table and feed the giraffes, and can also get up close and personal with them from the second floor bedrooms. As well as the herd of giraffes, the manor plays host to warthogs, exotic birds and the elusive bush buck.



Giraffe Manor (CATERS)

Loisaba, Kenya

Popular with honeymooners, Loisaba's 'star bed' is completely exposed to the elements, standing on an elevated, open-air platform in the middle of a 60,000-acre private reserve in Kenya. Newly married couples are also invited to request an al fresco champagne bath for two in the bush.

Green Magic Nature Resorts, India

Set in a tropical rainforest, this eco-friendly resort sits at an altitude of about 4,125 ft at the top of the Fintser Hills in southwest India. Its four treehouses were built as huts with thatched roofs and are interconnected by rope bridges. Each includes a double bedroom, an attached bathroom with toilet and shower, wash basin and running water as well as a carpeted veranda. Guests can view 500 acres of surrounding greenery from the treehouse. Meals are prepared from organic local crop and served utensil-free on banana leaves.



Green Magic Nature Resorts (Alamy)

Sabuk, Kenya

Lodges at Sabuk are only partially covered to provide guests with exposure to their dramatic surroundings whether they're reading on the terrace or dozing in bed.

Lions Sand Game Reserve, South Africa

At Lion Sands Game Reserve, the Chalkley Treehouse contains the comforts of a five-star lodge in a dramatically wild (but secure) location. Guests are led to the treehouse at sunset, where drinks and dinner await them, and are then free to enjoy a night under the stars.



The Chalkley Treehouse, South Africa (lionsands.com)

Malori Deck, South Africa

The Malori Deck is a raised deck in the middle of the 100,000-hectare private game reserve of Tswalu Kalahari, South Africa. Guests can sleep under a thatched overhang, should rain look likely, or along the deck which is completely open. The deck is reached by a game vehicle and there's ample space for couples to enjoy their sundowners from the terrace as their chef prepares dinner.

Fannaråkhytta, Norway

At an altitude of 6,784 feet on the Fannaråken mountain, this cabin is Norway’s highest holiday lodge. The long trek to the cabin is made worthwhile by the unmatched views of the Hurrungane peaks, the Smørstab and Jostedal glaciers, and the 250 mountains of the Jotunheimen National Park, including two of Northern Europe’s highest.

All mountain cabins in the area offer bunk beds, or mattresses on the floor if there are no more beds available, for sleeping accommodation. The staffed lodges, such as Fannaråkhytta, serve breakfast and dinner.



Fannaråkhytta (Alamy)

Hotel Arctic, Greenland

Hotel Arctic is located just off the edge of the Ilulissat Icefjord. Guests can watch icebergs drifting by from inside their Igloo cabins, which are isolated from the rest of the hotel, at the end of a wood bridge looking out across the Disko Bay. They are made of aluminium, and include modern comforts such as electric heating, a bathroom and shower, television, radio, as well as tea- and coffee-making facilities.

The hotel has had a host of famous guests, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and pop singer Björk.

Bloomfield Lodge, Australia

Bloomfield’s 17 rooms offer rainforest views and total seclusion. Guests can slip away to the secluded Kangaji Beach or take a river cruise along the Bloomfield River, one of the Coral Coast’s most beautiful.



Nkwichi Lodge (Nkwichi Lodge)

Nkwichi Lodge, Mozambique

A hand-built property by the shores of Lake Niassa, Mozambique, Nkwichi Lodge stands by a 600 square-kilometre game reserve that houses elephant, reedbuck, leopard and more than 300 species of bird.

Jade Screen Tower Hotel, China

This four-star hotel is found at the top of Yuping Mountain, the highest peak of China’s Huangshan range. The hotel’s main draw is its picturesque landscape view of the rising and setting sun, as well as an ancient pine tree nearby believed to be 1,500 years old. Other features include a small shopping atrium, sauna and massage centre, bar and a couple of restaurants.



Jade Screen Tower Hotel (Alamy)

Travel Guides app

Download the free Telegraph Travel app, featuring expert guides to destinations including Paris, Rome, New York, Venice and Amsterdam

Follow Telegraph Travel on Twitter

Follow Telegraph Travel on Facebook

Follow Telegraph Travel on Pinterest

Follow Telegraph Travel on FourSquare