weird hotels
So maybe you’re not quite ready to bed down in a renovated sewage pipe, or a giant replica of an intestine, but you could if you wanted to. Seriously: check out Hotel Casanus in Belgium (casanus.com) and Das Park Hotel in Germany (dasparkhotel.net). Perhaps you’d prefer to stay atop a construction crane. Not for vertigo sufferers, maybe, but for everyone else, there are spectacular panoramic views of Amsterdam at the Crane Hotel Faralda (faralda. com). Don’t sneer; it’s a five-star luxury hotel that regularly caters to billionaires and royals and you have to book way ahead.
In this world of mine is weirder than yours, just about anything can – and has – been made into a hotel room. Like a birds nest made of sticks or a sci-fi-perfect UFO way up in the trees in Sweden (treehotel.com). And there’s more...
Glass-domed igloo
At Kakslauttanen in Finnish Lapland, your personal igloo sits right out on the tundra beneath the magnificent Northern Lights all during the aurora borealis season. kakslauttanen.fi
Luxury tin can
On New Zealand’s remote Banks Peninsula, there’s nothing to distract you from the volcanic mountains, bushwalking trails and inspiring views. It’s so rustic that you get a tin can to sleep in. Well, actually, it’s formerly a humble grain silo, retrofitted with kitchen, balcony, and all the comfy amenities you need. silostay.com
Photo by Nick Simonite
Closer to home, you might try one of these...
Sleep in LEGOLAND
Your colorful bungalow at the LEGOLAND Beach Retreat in Winter Haven looks like it’s made of giant LEGOs. Each cluster of LEGO cottages surrounds a grassy play area with balance beams, climbing nets and more. If you’re up on your LEGO lingo, you’ll also appreciate the cabin names, including Shark the Suit Guy, Ocean King and Sea Captain. Legoland.com/florida
Sleep beneath the star(fish)
The world’s only undersea hotel is less than three hours away on Key Largo at the top of the Florida Keys. At the Jules Undersea Lodge you get to sleep with the fishies (through your porthole window) and your doors are actual round ship’s hatches. Hungry? No worries; your pizza is delivered by a SCUBA diver. Amenities include dive lessons in the hotel’s private lagoon, marine biology presentations, and all the fun of the upper Keys. jul.com
A bed in the cockpit
Even if you don’t book a room in the cockpit of its McDonnell Douglas MD-80 fuselage or the 1965 Boeing 727, the famous Hotel Costa Verde near Costa Rica’s Manuel Antonio National Park is a fabulous family destination. The El Avion pub-style restaurant is the fuselage of a C-123 Fairchild airplane, and the kids will love the patio restaurant with its mind-boggling art- tile floor featuring giant local animals, birds, and butterflies. costaverde.com
A berth on The Queen Mary
This ship, permanently at anchor in Long Beach, California, is no replica. It’s the original, dating back to 1929, and it’s reportedly the most haunted ship in America. You stay in a real ship’s cabin, dine in the ship’s dining rooms, walk the promenade and poke around the historic exhibits from bow to stern. At night you can join a ghost tour or other themed event. The 4th of July is a huge deal, with fireworks. queenmary.com
Little red caboose, anyone?
The Featherbed Railroad Caboose Bed and Breakfast in Califor- nia Wine Country is a dream glampsite for railroad fans. Each of the super-cool vintage Santa Fe and Southern Pacific railroad cars has its own theme, from Casablanca to Harley Davidson to the Wild West. Of course, they all have featherbeds. featherbedrailroad.com
Put the kids in jail
The Liberty in Boston, formerly the Charles Street Jail, incarcerated seriously bad criminals in its day. Now it’s all fancied up as a luxury hotel, but the original three-story arched windows, bars and catwalks are still there. Dine in Clink or Alibi or alfresco in The Yard. libertyhotel.com
Sioux Indian teepee
Marfa is a tiny desert town in West Texas famous for the mysterious orbs that appear in the night sky. Choose a Sioux-style teepee, an artisanal Mongolian yurt, a vintage trailer or a luxe safari tent at El Cosmico (see photo, facing page). A great time to go is the last weekend in August for this year’s Marfa Lights Festival. elcosmico.com
Parents: stay out!
The kids get to sleep in cool tents (with their own personal televisions) right inside your KidKamp Suite at the family-focused Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine Texas. Other themed suites feature log cabin and wolf den decor. Rates include admission to the guests- only water park and lots of activities. greatwolf.com
The Trojan Dog?
Forget the Trojan Horse. Your family of four (and your dog, of course) can stay in the belly of the world’s largest beagle at the Dog Bark Park Inn (see photo below). From a kids’ point of
Trojan Dog House
view, this has to be the most adorable hotel room on the planet. They have all kinds of themed amenities, including dog-shaped cookies. It’s in Cottonwood, Idaho. www.dogbarkpark.com