Until recently, few people would say that the hotel “makes” a vacation. Traditionally, they serve as a base. A house with many amenities away from the native hearth, where you can relax and unwind after a busy day. But in this bold new world, international interconnectedness and Instagram, all of this is changing. Hotels are beginning to take center stage in the leisure process, and more and more people are doing their best to find the most unusual.
Thanks to the efforts of hotel owners around the world, vacationers can now wake up anywhere, whether underwater, in the mountains or even in space. But in this list, hotels are considered not so much in size as in strangeness, quirkiness and individuality.
- 1 Capsule Inn, Osaka, Japan
- 2 Crane Hotel Faralda, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 3 Galactic Suite Space Resort, Barcelona
- 4 Bivacco Gervasutti, Mont Blanc, Italy
- 5 Skylodge Adventure Suites, Cusco, Peru
- 6 The Park Hotel, Ottensheim, Austria
- 7 Hotel CasAnus, Antwerp, Belgium
- 8 The Dog Bark Park Inn, Idaho, USA
- 9 Icehotel, Jukkasjärvi, Sweden
- 10 Null Stern Hotel, Grison, Switzerland
Capsule Inn, Osaka, Japan
Since 1979, Japan has been leading the way in capsule hotels – accommodation based on efficiency and simplicity. But despite the fact that they claim to offer a “top-notch hotel experience,” it’s hard to ignore the fact that the room essentially resembles a large washing machine. Or perhaps a more accurate description is that it’s like being in a morgue – the main difference is that you have to check in every day at 10 a.m.
It is not surprising that the capsule hotels are not designed for rich and famous people. As another similar hotel, Capsule Value Osaka admits on its website that their customers are mostly people who are “late for the last train,” “want to feel more comfortable than in an internet café,” or simply “looking for a cheaper option.”
There, at least, you can expect a high level of comfort and cleanliness, because human-sized microwave ovens are known to be easier to wash than regular hotel rooms.
Crane Hotel Faralda, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Everyone knows why so many people go to Amsterdam. For most, this means visiting one of Amsterdam’s many coffee shops (which sell substances with stronger effects than caffeine) or “smart” stores (which sell substances that are significantly stronger than caffeine). But there are also those few who give literal meaning to their desire to get high by booking a room at the Crane Hotel Faralda.
The hotel overlooks the NDSM Wharf area. Captures not only the view that can be seen below, but also what can be seen around. In the upper part there is a hot tub and, of course, a rope for those who love extreme and want to jump from the tap. And if you need to go to the center of Amsterdam, there is a free ferry that will take you there in 10 minutes. The rooms on Faralde are relatively inaccessible (as you would expect, given the fact that they are built into the tower crane). The hotel has only three suites, each of which has its own unique theme and design.
Covering 36 square meters and two floors of elegant and stylish design, the Free Spirit Suite is located above the Oy River, offering an incredible view of the city. The secret number (former engine room) is the perfect nest for blue and green lovers. Finally, the black and gold suite “Mystique”, trimmed with leather, offers an atmosphere more suitable for lovers who prefer whips and chains.
Galactic Suite Space Resort, Barcelona
First, a small correction needs to be made: as the name suggests, the Galactic Suite Space Resort is not actually located in Barcelona. The company was founded in 2007. Waiting for potential guests of this star room takes place in different places. Before going into space, guests spend a few weeks at an astronaut training center – not in a gloomy inner warehouse, but on a tropical paradise island.
Guests fly in Earth orbit 15 times a day (or every 90 minutes). This includes watching sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes, which admittedly can be done from the comfort of your home by watching this video on YouTube. The main difference, of course, is that guests of the Galactic Suite Space Resort can see this while experiencing weightlessness.
Most importantly, it all looks safe. The guest is given a Velcro suit that allows you to hold on to the walls. The main thing is that the guest does not confuse the gateway with the door to the bathroom!
Bivacco Gervasutti, Mont Blanc, Italy
The capsular Bivacco Gervasutti (similar to the scene from the 1993 drama Alive) looks like a fuselage that crashed very hard into the mountains. Named after the famous climber Giusto Gervasutti, it seems to be located unsafely on the Frebusa Glacier in Mont Blanc, at an altitude of 2835 meters above sea level. And, remarkably, this is not the first residential complex built on this site. Bivacco Gervasutti replaced a much more Spartan wooden structure that was built in 1948 in memory of Gervasutti.
Unlike the unfortunate survivors of The Living, guests of Bivacco Gervasutti can devote their waking hours to recreational pursuits. Due to its mountainous position, there are fantastic trails and hikes, and all this against the backdrop of magnificent alpine landscapes. And despite its remoteness, Bivacco Gervasutti isn’t as cut off from the world: its solar power provides an internet connection for those who need to check their email or urgently seek help.
With an area of 30 square meters, this remarkable design is designed for 12 people and is equipped with two bedrooms, a living room and a dining area. Despite the comfort, no one will say that this is the most luxurious hotel in the world. And it’s probably safe to assume that his guests don’t need to balance their sleep weight appropriately so that the capsule doesn’t accidentally fall into the glacial abyss below.
Skylodge Adventure Suites, Cusco, Peru
If you’re one of those people who enjoys living on the edge, Skylodge Adventure Suites might be the perfect choice for you. Since 2013, the hotel’s 3 suites offer stunning 360-degree views of Peru’s picturesque Sacred Valley of Cusco. Each room is made of aerospace aluminum and weather-resistant polycarbonate and has a length of seven meters, a height of almost two and a half meters, absolutely durable and completely transparent (except for the hidden, fortunately, bathroom).
In terms of what apartments offer their tenants, the sky is the limit. Staying overnight comes with gourmet food and wine (though it may be best not to drink until the person is safe – locked in a capsule) and a professional bilingual guide who can say “don’t look down” in the language of your choice. But Skylodge Adventure Suites are aimed not so much at gourmets as at adrenaline lovers, couples who want to get a romantic but active holiday, or couples who want to bring their soul mate to a heart attack so that it looks like an accident.
It should be remembered that getting to the place of residence and back is not so easy. To get to the apartment, residents must choose between a 400-meter climb of via Ferrata and a dangerous trail that requires nerves of steel and lightning gates.
The Park Hotel, Ottensheim, Austria
It’s fair to say that most people go on vacation to take a break from everything that happens in their lives. It’s also fair to say that most people wouldn’t give up their money for the privilege of staying overnight in a converted concrete sewer pipe. It’s fair to say that most people will never visit the Das Park Hotel.
Honestly, 9.5-ton suites are more like where you can climb as a last resort during a nuclear apocalypse: when the doomsday clock reaches midnight and mushroom clouds begin to bloom in the sky. The décor, consisting of a high mattress and a lamp, does not cause extravagant delight. But there is an electrical outlet to charge your mobile phone or flashlight. But still, there’s plenty of room to stretch out and wait for the nuclear clouds of dust to fly by.
Well, at least the hotel is in a decent location? Not really. Located on the site of an old sewage treatment plant (who would have thought). However, there is one thing that can be attributed to the Das Park apartments: they have been thoroughly cleaned since their initial use.
You can also try the sister sewer pipes located near Essen in neighboring Germany.
Hotel CasAnus, Antwerp, Belgium
Continuing the theme of waste, the fourth hotel takes the shape of a giant anatomically precise intestine designed by Dutch artist Joep van Lieshout. The organ, known as CasAnus, sprawled in the middle of a marshy area known as the Verbeke Foundation Statue Park.
Aesthetically it’s… pretty disgusting. On the outside is a colon made of wood, polyurethane foam and polyester reinforced with fiberglass. The colon from the outside looks raw, red and pulsating. Inside it is pure and white, unlike human. But this did not affect his huge popularity, especially among married couples (for unknown reasons). It is estimated that between 200 and 250 people stay there every year. Breakfast is provided (provided that it can be digested) and the colon includes a double bed, central heating and shower.
But CasAnus isn’t the only lieshout opus: in an interview with Vice, he talks about his BarRectum, the perfect bar for those who love nothing but enjoying an icy Belgian beer in a comically large anus. There are no plans to expand BarRectum yet.
The Dog Bark Park Inn, Idaho, USA
Located on the outskirts of the small town of Cottonwood, Dog Bark Park Inn is a paradise for those who understand who is man’s best friend. The fact that the hotel is designed for dog lovers only vaguely hints that it has the shape of a giant dog. And if that’s not enough, what really sets this hotel apart is that in order to access the room, the guest has to climb the stairs and enter through the dog’s rectum.
Being inside, you’ll find a predictably puppy interior, including a cozy niche located in the muzzle. And hotel owners Dennis and Francis will offer a wonderful range of dishes.
Icehotel, Jukkasjärvi, Sweden
It was inevitable that some Arctic housing would be included in this list. And despite the phenomenal beauty of norway’s Kaxlauttanen Igloo resort, Sweden should ultimately be honored for founding the world’s first ice hotel in 1989. Unlike the polar ice caps, the Icehotel rejuvenates every year and the rooms take on a completely new shape. Guests are offered a choice between cold and warm apartments, depending on how much they want to cool off. Every year, each suite is skillfully and skillfully restored, and updated by the world’s best artists.
Since ice apartments maintain temperatures between -5 and -8 degrees, it is recommended that guests spend one night in a cold room between two nights in warm rooms and stay warm during the first and last night. Because nothing destroys the vacation like hypothermia, and the hotel staff coming the next morning does not want to find a “shining” icicle instead of a guest.
It’s funny that the hotel’s restaurant isn’t made of ice, probably because no one has figured out how to make a working ice oven, and because people like it better when their food is served hot. But there is also a fully equipped “Icebar”, where all drinks are served in ice glasses. Fortunately, he has a floor of snow rather than ice to avoid slippery unwanted encounters with other guests.
Null Stern Hotel, Grison, Switzerland
If Icehotel impresses with its design and ingenuity, then Null Stern Hotel impresses with the fact that it has neither. Is it an art installation, a hotel or a combination of the two? The hotel room consists only of a bed and a bedside room, located in an open mountainous area. Null Stern is located at an altitude of 2 kilometers above sea level. Completely destroying the hope of spending the day on the beach. But there is something to do: take a walk, talk or wait for the unfortunate butler to bring breakfast to bed (although, frankly, no one knows about it).
If you’re looking for luxurious amenities, five-star comfort, and plenty of other entertainment, you should head somewhere else but not here. However, if you decide that Null Stern is the place for you, you will need to book a room in advance. Everything will be canceled if it rains.
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It’s good that the world is full of wonderful and sometimes funny places like these, because we humans are also wonderful and funny. Obviously, we need to break out from time to time, look into an alternate reality, fall asleep and wake up in a strange place. And now we have a wider choice.
Some of us enjoy premature check-in to a capsule hotel like a morgue: accommodation similar to what will someday be our place of rest. Others enjoy hanging out in a tower crane overlooking Amsterdam’s bohemian paradise, climbing into a capsule overlooking Peru’s Sacred Valley, or rehearsing the film “Alive” in a capsule on Monte Bianco. For some of us, there’s nothing better than going into space and maybe never coming back. But there are also those whose idea is to have a good time – it’s to go to a giant self-service sewer, anatomically accurate intestine or climb the rectum into a dog.
And these are just a few examples. There are much stranger and more wonderful places suitable for everyone who are waiting for their visitors. The challenge is to find them.
