Read at your own risk. Staying in hotels equally, if not more, inspiring than your destination may lead to extreme laziness, lack of tourism, excess alcohol consumption, increased pool time, outstanding food and a desperate need to return to your destination, so that you can actually visit! Unfortunately, with many of these, they’ll also require a second mortgage and don’t take points. These are the most inspiring hotels we’ve found anywhere in the world…
IceHotel Jukkasjarvi, Sweden
Located in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden, The IceHotel is truly something to behold. No two experiences at the hotel are the same, due to the fact that the hotel truly melts every year. True art.
Year after year, a group of pure ice artisans form the IceHotel, offering guests one of the literally coolest places to sleep. If you’re going to stay in an ice hotel, make sure to grab a drink at the Svedka Bar to keep you warm. Prices start around $325 a night.
Bambu Indah Glass Floor UdangHouse , Bali
As far as instant awesome goes, setting up camp along the remote rivers and rice fields of Bali, only to find a glass bottom room, in a private villa, certainly qualifies. There’s an unlimited mix of adventure, cuisine and serenity in one of the most sought after places on earth.
By venturing to authentic Bali, your eyes aren’t the only thing to be rewarded, with rates for the gorgeous glass bottom Udang house starting at just $195 per night. Dang!
Hotel Kakslauttanen, Finland
These are not your average igloos. At the Hotel Kakslauttanen you’ll find yourself in a luxurious, all glass igloo staring through an uninhibited view of the skies, oh by the way, that view will also most likely include the Northern Lights…
Though it looks like a village of spaceships, this luxe winter hotel sells out well in advance, fetching rates that start at $900 per night. That’ll have you seeing stars in no time!
Giraffe Manor, Kenya
Tables of two often turn into tables of three, where free roaming giraffes decide to join the party for breakfast, lunch or dinner. If you’ve ever wanted to feel like you’re on safari without leaving your hotel room, this is your best bet.
You’ll find the utmost in sophistication inside and out, making Giraffe manor a perfect place to start or end a safari. Sadly the giraffes don’t pay for their share of the room and board, leaving you with a $1000 a night hotel bill…
Conrad Hilton, Maldives
The Conrad Maldives is one of the few places where “sleeping with the fishes” is something you’d actually ask for. With water clearer than your swimming pool, you’ll find abundant light and fish everywhere you look. You can even eat some at the underwater restaurant…
Private villas, plunge pools and total peace, all sadly with a price, starting at $750 and moving on up, way, way up per night.
Explora Patagonia, Chile
Sure, it looks like a Bond villains layer, nestled in the remote reaches of the Patagonia’s, and minus the bond villain part, it is. The Explora Patagonia is a home away from earth, nestled in the foot hills of some of this planets most dramatic terrain.
To sleep in a room perched atop a waterfall, surrounded by glacial beauty, you’ll need to have a windfall of cash, with prices starting at $1200 per night. Probably worth it though!
Manta Resort Floating Villa, Zanzibar
Just about everyone has thought about leaving the world behind. At the Floating Hotel in Zanzibar, you can literally do it, snagging your own private villa on top of a natural blue hole in a pristine ocean.
With an underwater bedroom, you won’t have to worry about peeking neighbors, minus the tropical fish, which will surely be interested in all of your activity. For the privilege of sleeping in your own ocean cottage, you’ll find prices reeling in $1500 a night…
Costa Verde 727 Villa, Costa Rica
Those that absolutely cannot wait to get out of the thin aluminum tube that transports you to your destination might not be too excited by this Costa Rican gem, but for all the aviation geeks out there, this is the best form of plane crash in the world.
Like an episode of Lost, you’ll find yourself in the jungle, in a luxuriously tangled aircraft fuselage, offering a private villa in the Rainforest. Very cool. You won’t need to be raining money to experience this aviation dream, with rates starting at $260 per night, for the whole plane. It’s a lot cheaper than flying!
Jade Mountain, St Lucia
A picture is worth a thousand words, and for a night at this breathtaking St. Lucia resort, that’s about how many dollars you’ll need to take one with this view. Unobstructed, untouched and otherworldly.
Unfortunately, I was serious, rates start at $1,185 per night. If it makes you feel better, almost every room features a personal infinity pool with these near priceless views…
TreeHotel MirrorCube Treehouse, Sweden
Some people never grow up, some wish they never did. Whichever side of the mirror you’re on, a stay in a luxury five star treehouse, in pristine Swedish woods will do you right. Summer hiking, winter adventure, it’s hard to find a more unique place to spend a holiday…
The TreeHotel features six individually styled luxe “tree houses” including the Mirrorcube, a UFO and something called the Birds Nest. You’ll have to see it to believe it, and with prices starting at $500, you have a better chance than some of these other stunners…
