10 Novelty Hotels Around The World You’ve Got To See To Believe

You might be used to taking trips to see certain cities or sights, staying in a chain hotel just to have a place to sleep at night. Instead of traveling that way, what about staying in a hotel that IS the sight you’re seeing? These ten hotels offering unique experiences and extravagant rooms that will have you re-thinking how you want to spend your vacation.

1. Croatian Lighthouse Rentals

If you want to visit Croatia’s popular pebble beaches but avoid the crowds, you can rent a lighthouse. Each of the 11 lighthouses has one or two rooms that sleep anywhere from two to eight guests. These lighthouses include bedding and fully-equipped kitchens, along with solar-powered hot water. Several of the lighthouses are still active lighthouses with full-time keepers; and those keepers can prepare meals for the guests, elevating your stay from a secluded hotel to a luxurious retreat.

2. Cedar Creek Treehouse

If you’ve ever wanted to sleep in a treehouse, look no further than Ashford, Washington. Cedar Creek Treehouse is a magnificent hotel treehouse 50 feet off the ground near Mount Rainier National Park. Reservations include a special tour of the “Stairway to Heaven” suspension bridge and observatory. The inn is open year-round, but some winter reservations may not be available if the weather is bad.

3. Norfolk Bay Convict Station

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Image via Discover Tasmania

Norfolk Bay Convict Station was Australia’s first convict railway station, carrying goods to Port Author convict prison several kilometers away. Each of the five rooms in the station has a bathroom, television, and refrigerator, and the rest of the home is open to all guests. You can have a breakfast featuring local produce and jams, have Tasmanian wine or beer in front of the fireplace, or enjoy the gardens overlooking Norfolk Bay. The Tasman Peninsula is famous for its sea cliffs, so take beautiful walking tours while you visit.

4. The Library Hotel

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Image via Library Hotel

Book nerds, start planning your vacation now! The Library Hotel in New York City has 10 floors themed with Dewey Decimal numbers, and each room has art, decor, and, of course, books relevant to their category. The rooftop has a Writer’s Den and Poetry Garden where you can sit and read while taking in stunning views of New York City. At night, the roof becomes Bookmarks Lounge, a bar that serves literary cocktails.

5. Anatolian Houses

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Image via Anatolian Houses

Have you ever wanted to live in a cave? With the Anatolian Houses in Turkey, you can finally have this experience, but you won’t feel like a caveman. While the rooms are set up within natural cave formations and are decorated with stone carvings to really set the scene, your stay will be very extravagant. Each cave suite has a minibar, Jacuzzi, and fireplace. On the grounds, you can take advantage of the indoor and outdoor swimming pools, Turkish baths, and a wine fountain.

6. Fossil Rim Wildlife Center

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Image via Facebook/ Fossil Rim Wildlife Center

If you dream of going on an African safari, but can’t afford to get overseas, why don’t you head to Texas? That’s right — in Glen Rose, Texas, you can stay at a lodge or camp on the grounds of the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. The nature reserve is 1,600 acres, and you can get close-up views of the animals with safari tour packages.

7. Hotel de Glace

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Image via Hotel de Glace

The Ice Hotel in Quebec, Canada, will make you feel like you’re staying in a five-star igloo. The hotel is made of ice but the rooms have comfortable beds, and some suites even have special fireplaces. You can soak in outdoor hot tubs if you get too cold in your room, or warm up with some cocktails at the Ice Bar. There’s also an Ice Cafe, Ice Chapel, and the Grand Slide. The hotel is only open the first week of January through the last week of March each year, so you might want to book your stay well in advance.

8. Jules’ Undersea Lodge

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Image via Facebook/ Jules’ Undersea Lodge

It doesn’t sound like much of a getaway to say you’re staying at a former research facility, but when you find out that place has been remodeled to be a hotel under the sea— well, that’s something completely different. The lodge is located in Key Largo, Florida, and offers scuba lessons. In fact, if you’re not a certified scuba diver, you have to take a certification through the lodge because checking in requires you to dive 21 feet below the surface of the sea! Once you’re in the lodge, however, you’ll find all the comforts of a regular hotel, including a kitchen, shower, and air conditioning. The large windows allow you to look out at the water around you, and you’ll get to sleep with the fishes that night.

9. The Underground Motel

If being under the sea isn’t your cup of tea, what about sleeping underground? The Underground Motel in Coober Pedy, South Australia, has rooms that were dug into a sandstone hill. Located in the Australian Outback, the rooms have natural ventilation which keeps them cool in summer and warm in winter. While the location of the rooms might be unique, the services the Underground Motel offers are in keeping with any other lodging — private bathrooms and showers, complementary continental breakfasts, and clean, comfortable rooms.

10. McMenamins Kennedy School

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Image via McMenamins

“Fall asleep in class” at McMenamins Kennedy School, a unique hotel in Portland, Oregon that — you guessed it — used to be a school! There are still desks and chalkboards in the classrooms, where you’ll sleep if you spend the night. The detention hall is now a bar and cigar lounge, and the old auditorium has been turned into a movie theater. Instead of soggy flavorless food, the cafeteria is now a restaurant. You know you’re definitely going to have a unique experience when you walk into the girls’ restroom and find a brewery.