41 of Most World Unique Hotels That’ll Infect You With the Travel Bug

Human beings and travel go together like peanut butter and jelly or buttcheeks (thanks, Alicia.) But what happens when the usual, sterile hotel experience just isn’t enough to pique our innate, nomadic interest anymore? Sometimes, we need a little weird to get back into the spirit of traveling, and these unique hotels, motels and, well, “other” have got what it takes to get even the most jaded of seasoned travelers back on the road.

1. WHITEPOD ECO-LUXURY HOTEL IN SWITZERLAND

IMAGE VIA WHITEPOD.COM

Overlooking Lake Geneva in Switzerland are the stilted, geodesic pods of the Whitepod Eco-Luxury Resort. The hillside is dusted with simple, two-room pods, which are heated by wood burning stoves and isolated from the other pods for privacy.

This non-traditional hotel experience is sure to pique the interest of environmentalists or world travelers looking for a unique stay in the scenic Geneva region. Pods for singles, pairs and families are available, but you should book well in advance as the pod reservations fill up quickly.

You’ll want to pack your hiking boots and ski gear, since you’ll be hoofing it up to your pod from the main building (called the Pod-house) once you’ve checked in. For a natural, but not too natural, mountain living experience, definitely consider the Whitepod Resort when planning your Swiss trip.

2. THE CASTLE HOTEL IN CHINA

IMAGE VIA STARWOODHOTELS.COM

A truly modern castle, the Castle Hotel in Dalian, China, is opulence at its best. Scraping the sky with its fairy tale spires, the Castle Hotel will make you feel like royalty from the moment you step inside.

Its amenities are pretty standard for a luxury hotel, but the interior and the view provide a magical experience for any traveler to northern China. You can get your king and/or queen on for as little as $130 a night in their deluxe rooms; you’ll have access to an almost 5,000-square-foot indoor pool, a Kaiser SPA and, at their Royal Cellar restaurant, home-brewed German-style beer.

They’ve got four other restaurants to choose from if German food’s not your thing, including Zhen Bao, the authentic Cantonese restaurant that serves freshly caught seafood. If you really want to feel like a monarch, the Castle Hotel will definitely do that for you.

3. THE OBEROI RAJVILAS IN INDIA

IMAGE VIA OBEROIHOTELS.COM

The Oberoi Rajvilas in Jaipur, India, is 32 acres of fancy built around an 18th century Shiva temple with just about everything you could possibly want to help you relax in this remote area.

Need a massage? They’ve got a spa with seven types of therapies available for you. Since it’s built around a temple, you can take part in real Hindu practices, meditations and yoga sessions.

If you want to really shell out some cash, you can rent the Kohinoor Villa, an 11,377-square-foot enclosure with a private pool and dining pavilion, for around $5,000 a night. The Rajvilas also has private cooking classes available, as well as a guided morning walk through an herb garden, so it’s perfect for people who are looking for a gastronomic experience as well as a straight-up fantastic vacation.

4. SOLENT FORTS IN ENGLAND

IMAGE VIA SOLENTFORTS.COM

Ever wanted to sleep at sea? Maybe in some sort of round, fort-like facility just off the coast and only accessible by boat ride? Then the Solent Forts in Hampshire, England, might be just the thing for you.

It’s a bit claustrophobic, and all of your activities will take place in whichever fort you choose (there are two you can stay on: No Man’s Fort and Spitbank Fort), but if you’re comfortable with a structured itinerary (kinda like a stationary cruise), this’ll be perfect. You can wander the surface of the fort, looking out over the sea, or take a boat ride to the Horse Sand Fort museum and tour it with a group.

This is really a one-of-a-kind experience, as you’re staying in an over 150-year-old repurposed military fort first built when Napoleon was gallivanting all over Europe (although they were completed after the threat of invasion had passed). You can rent the whole place for about $7,000 for one night, or you can rent one room for $500 a night.

5. MIRA MIRA IN AUSTRALIA

IMAGE VIA MIRAMIRA.COM.AU

The Mira Mira “Accommodation,” located in Gippsland Region, Australia, is probably the weirdest bunch of buildings on this list. Choose from one of three themed “retreats” in the middle of the Australian bush to sate your need for nontraditional travel.

Stay in the Cave House, whose front door is the mouth of a . . . screaming? crying? maybe just yawning? person named Magog. Inside, you can choose from two bedrooms: one, the “Bedwomb,” possesses a double bed, and the other, the “The Naughty Room,” features a queen-sized bed with leather and chains (for funsies, I guess).

If that’s not your thing, book the Japanese Zen Retreat, which is situated on a picturesque pond and has a more traditional interior than the Cave House, albeit themed Japanese-style. The final choice, the “Tanglewood,” is an Antoni Gaudi-inspired live-in sculpture on the edge of a forest.

Inside, you’ll be privy to a beautiful, fairy tale-like array of lights and the ability to sleep under the stars in the “Crystal Bedroom” with a glass spire above your head. It’s cheaper to go mid-week, and it’s about $152 a night with packages requiring a two-night stay.

This is definitely the right place for someone looking to enjoy large-scale art installations while also enjoying Australia’s natural beauty.

6. KEIO PLAZA HOTEL IN JAPAN

IMAGE VIA KEIOPLAZA.COM

The bright and colorful Keio Plaza Hotel’s exhibits are enough to entice even the gloomiest traveler to smile. But what makes this hotel “weird” isn’t its cultural celebrations, but the special rooms you can rent that will transport you into a children’s TV show: the Hello Kitty rooms.

Fluffy, pink and positively adorable, the Hello Kitty rooms and suites are the perfect getaway for a big fan or just for someone looking for the princess treatment while in Japan. Everything, and I mean literally EVERYTHING, is Hello Kitty themed, right down to the lampshades and humidifier.

There’s even a swag bag of Hello Kitty themed stuff you can take home with you when you leave (and they sometimes have special edition Hello Kitty dolls depending on the time of year). It’s a pretty rad setup, and, if you’re at the Shinjuku Keio, you’ll be smack in the heart of one of the most bustling, exciting cities in the world.

7. HUILO HUILO BIOLOGICAL RESERVE IN CHILE

IMAGE VIA HUILOHUILO.COM

In the Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve, deep in the Patagonian Rain Forest of Chile, you can stay in a beautiful lodge room suspended in the trees above the ground. Not only do you get to sleep in an absolutely beautiful natural environment, but the money you spend goes to support conservation efforts to protect endangered wildlife, like the Huemel, a species of deer that lives the farthest south of any in the world.

If you’re more of an athletic person — which, if you’re not, I would recommend you become before taking the journey to Huilo Huilo — you can stay for as little as $55 per night in the Canopy Village accommodation and live in a group setting, almost like a rain forest hostel. If you’re looking for a more private experience, the Reino Fungi lodge is a great place to stay, with a beautiful view of the forest from its balcony.

No matter what kind of vacation you’re looking for, be it hiking in the mountains or relaxing in remote wilderness, the Huilo Huilo Reserve is a terrific locale for the traveler seeking an unconventional vista.

8. LA BALADE DES GNOMES IN BELGIUM

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Built by an eccentric architect who originally opened a restaurant in the Durbuy, Belgium area, La Balade des Gnomes is a ten-room hotel with rooms starting at $56 a night.

The rooms are all fashioned after myths or fairy tales, including Le Cheval de Troie (the Trojan Horse) suite where you literally stay in a giant wooden horse with windows. Other rooms involve a bed “floating” on an indoor pond, gnarled, wood-carved rooms like a witch’s cabin and the Sur un quartier de Lune, a room meant to make you feel like you’re sleeping in fantasy space.

Its creator, Dominique Noel, said, “I wanted the hotel to be almost imaginary, with a youthful essence and work harmoniously with nature,” and I think he achieved just that. It’s a fantastical, beautiful, weird place, and it’s perfect for the unconventional, quirky traveler.

9. GAMIRASU CAVE HOTEL IN TURKEY

IMAGE VIA GAMIRASU.COM

Situated in Cappadocia, Ayvali, Turkey, and originally a monastic retreat used in the Byzantine Era, the Gamirasu Cave Hotel is a unique experience, partially because of its history and partially because you’re actually staying in caves.

They’ve been smoothed down and hollowed out, but you’re inside a mountain nonetheless. It’s also the only hotel in the Cappadocia region to have a Byzantine Orthodox church from the 11th century.

It also hasn’t been renovated much, so the kitchen and the dining hall are actually the ones the monks used, so if you’re into religious historical sites, this is a great place for you. Rooms start at around $210, but for the experience, that price is definitely worth it.

You can even get a bit of a farm-stay out of it by traveling to the local farms and learning to make wine, jam and bread from locals.

10. THE FIVE HOTEL IN FRANCE

IMAGE VIA THEFIVEHOTEL.COM

Much like the Keio Plaza Hotel, the Five Hotel’s exterior is fairly innocuous. But, as we all know, what’s on the inside is what counts.

The Five’s rooms are something straight out of Star Trek, complete with slick silver accents and spacey mood lighting. Luxurious, comfortable and futuristic as hell, the Five’s minimalism makes it one super stylish place to stay in France.

Now, Paris isn’t a bizarre place to stay or even a relatively exciting experience for the seasoned traveler, but the Five Hotel is a fantastic place for the newbie who wants a strong start to their travels. The “Cocooning Classic Room” designed for one person on a double bed is around $160 a night, with the most expensive room, the “One by the Five Suite,” maxing out at around $500.

11. KUMBUK RIVER HOTEL IN SRI LANKA

IMAGE VIA KUMBUKRIVER.COM