Top 10 Weird and Wonderful Hotels

If you are looking for a hotel with a difference that will enhance your travel experience, look no further for here we present you a list of our top 10 unusual hotels that are out-of- the- ordinary, weird yet wonderful hotels. Hotels that are ‘different’ and not the run of the mill, brick and mortar ones necessarily! Scroll down and take your pick from this list of wacky hotels we have zeroed in on. Each one of these hotels will provide an ‘out of this world’ experience!

Das Park Pipe Hotel, Austria
How does the idea of spending a night in a sewage pipe grab you? Sounds weird doesn’t it? Well the Das Park in Linz, Austria is a unique concept conceived by Andreas Strauss wherein concrete sewage pipe sections have been turned into comfortable rooms equipped with all the trappings that a normal hotel room would have: double beds, fresh linen, warm blankets and soft lights. The only setback is that the toilets and baths are outside a few feet away but the upside is that you ‘pay as you wish’ and leave however many Euros you can afford for this unusual experience. The Das Park hotel is located by the Danube amidst scenic surroundings and is operational between May and October.

So head to Linz if you want a restful night at the Das Park after having been ‘drained’ out during the day!

Giraffe Manor, Kenya
Ever wanted to get up close and personal with a giraffe? Well here’s your chance. The Giraffe Manor is a 19th century ivy-covered mansion situated just a couple of miles outside Nairobi on a sprawling 140 acre property. The 5 rooms and 1 suite are elegantly furnished and are not any different from hotel rooms anywhere else. So what is different? From your room on the second floor you may want to nuzzle against the soft coat of a Rothschild giraffe or maybe share your toast at breakfast with the giraffe poking his head through the large bay window. Where else in the world would you be able to do that?

Accommodation at the Giraffe Manor is limited and doesn’t come cheap at approximately USD 300 per person per night. But then, the chances of rubbing shoulders with celebrity residents and giraffes are not exactly everyday events, are they?

Dog Bark Inn B & B, Cottonwood, Idaho, USA
Dog lovers are going to just love this one. The Dog Bark Inn B & B is built in the shape of a beagle and you will have to climb to the second floor to gain entrance! Quite the novel idea, the Dog Bark Inn was conceived by Dennis Sullivan and his wife Francis and Toby the 12 feet tall beagle guards Sweet Willy – officially known as the Dog Bark Inn.

Located on US Hwy 95 in Cottonwood, Idaho USA, this is where you will sleep in a dog, watch the kids play in the loft (in the dog’s head!), eat sumptuous freshly baked dog shaped cookies and enjoy being in the doghouse for once!

Jules Undersea Lodge, Florida
Fancy sleeping with the fish? In Jules Undersea Lodge you could probably do just that! Located in Key Largo, FL the Jules Undersea Lodge is the first underwater hotel, actually a research lab turned into a hotel, and is 600 square feet big. Housing 2 double rooms and a common room the hotel offers amenities like air conditioning, TV, showers and a well stocked galley. To enter you will have to dive 21 feet below the surface and if you are not a certified diver, no worries, the establishment offers classes where you can learn just enough to get you into the hotel. And oh yes, don’t worry you can breathe normally as there is supply of air through ‘hookah’ lines.

Jules Verne would certainly be very proud to know that his novel ‘20,000 Leagues under the Sea’ was the inspiration for this hotel!

Hotel de Nesle, Paris, France
Be transported back into the Paris of artistes, painters and writers. Stay at the Hotel de Nesle in the heart of Saint German des Pres and experience the bohemian Paris you always read of. The 20 rooms in the hotel are all decorated in different styles - some have Moliere’s caricature on the walls looking down on you, others are reminiscent of a hamman or Turkish bath, while the Notre Dame room has murals painted in bright turquoise and yet another depicts the tale of Arabian Nights. Each room is a different theme, authentically and artistically done up, telling a story of its own.

This quaint little hotel plays by its own rules: they take bookings only on the phone, serve no breakfast, have no TVs or telephones, some rooms have attached baths and some don’t. The rates are highly affordable starting at Euro 69 for a single room. It’s not the Hilton, but it’s comfortable and funky and an experience by itself. So the next time you are in Paris, stay at the Hotel de Nesle and let your artistic and quirky side take over.

V8 Hotel, Stuttgart, Germany
Vroom, vroom… car enthusiasts are in for a treat at the V8 Hotel in Stuttgart. Germany is known for its cars, from the Mercedes Benz to the BMW and Audi and this 4 star hotel has 34 rooms car-themed that are bound to find favour with all car lovers. So sleep in a car and be surrounded by car memorabilia as most of the rooms are based on cars themes like gas stations, car washes and even a movie drive in! The rooms range from being wacky to cool, but all are comfortable and cater to the inner desire of every boy who ever dreamed of zooming around in a high powered car.

How’s that for living life in the fast lane?

Flush Hotel, South Korea
The weirdest hotel must be the Flush hotel locates just outside Seoul in South Korea. Constructed in the shape of a toilet bowl the Flush hotel was created by Sim Jae Duck in the interest of spreading sanitation awareness in the world. An interesting point to note is that the proceeds from the Flush Hotel are distributed to poor countries to up their sanitation quotient. Staying at this hotel doesn’t come cheap – at a whopping USD 50,000 per night at least you can be sure your contribution will not go ‘down the drain’.

Ice Hotel, Sweden
The Ishotellet Ice Hotel in the little village of Jukkasjärvi in Sweden is all that it promises to be: unusual, funky, interesting and yes, pretty darn cold. Rebuilt every year, the hotel is made entirely of huge hunks of ice carved out of the nearby Torne River. The beds in the rooms whose walls are of ice are also made of ice. As - are the pillars in the lobby, the chandelier and the reception counter, the corridor that leads to the famous Absolut Ice Bar where the bar stools, the counter and the glasses in which you’re served your poison are basically all ice sculptures. And if that’s not n-ice enough for you, there’s the Ice Chapel and Ice Sauna too.

All these pleasures are open to guests only between December and May. In May, as the sun comes out brighter and warmer, the hotel is dismantled and only rebuilt in the cold of December when the frozen Torne is able to provide the building blocks of the world’s fanciest igloo.

If you were wondering who in their right minds would choose the Ishotellet over balmy Hawaii – apparently many! The Ice Hotel is a huge success. Lots of people are happy to check in, sip their vodka at the Absolut Bar, and then make their way to their rooms to turn in for a surprisingly snug night in a hotel sleeping bag. The hotel also provides clothing for visitors who underestimated just how cool it is to be an Ice Hotel guest!

Capsule Inn, Tokyo, Japan
Space comes at a premium in Tokyo, so trust the Japanese to come up with the idea of the Capsule Hotel. The Capsule Inn at Akihabara in Tokyo is a comfortable one to rest your weary head. And no, even though it sounds like it, the narrow capsule consisting of a comfortable mattress, a tiny mounted TV and a control panel by your side to switch on/off lights and radio. The toilet though a shared one is relatively clean, your luggage will be held in safe keeping in lockers and on check in you will get a towel and toothbrush. At USD 30-40 per night, it’s really not a bad deal in the expensive city of Tokyo!
Try it.

Magic Mountain Hotel, Chile
If you like the sound of cascading waterfalls, stay at the Magic Mountain Hotel in Southern Chile. Set in the middle of the Huilo Huilo nature Reserve, the Magic Mountain hotel has a 4 star rating and is a unique hotel with unusual architecture and interiors where wood and other natural material have been used. This hotel is a volcano shaped structure with water cascading down from the top and consists of nine rooms that all have stupendous views of the rain forest from large windows. Great for outdoor lovers, the Magic Mountain has ‘hot tubs’ giant tree barks dug out and filled with warm water to soak in, a mini golf course to perfect your putt and loads of opportunities to go hiking into the surrounding forests.
Priced at approximately USD 120 for a room night, it’s a pretty good price to pay to live in this fairy tale hotel.