The world is full of strange and wonderful treasures, including places to stay. Here are a few of the delightfully unusual hotels around the world.
Baumhaus Hotel
This is the first tree house hotel in Germany. Embrace your inner child and sleep 10 metres off the ground, among the trees in the Eastern most point of the country.
Found in adventure theme park Kulturinsel Einsiedel, you can stay in one of nine tree houses, each with a lounge, alcove for a bed and a mini bathroom. Every house has its own story and theme. One room is that of Judka, the creative troll-girl with the space decked out with furs and heavy carpets. Fiona's fairy air castle, on the other hand, has floral wallpaper and murals.
Wander from each room with a tree top path, and spend your evenings enjoying the sunsets over the Neisse Valley from your private balcony. This is ideal for those more curious and adventurous souls.
Hotel Unbalance
Hotel Unbalance is a magnificently surreal structure that is yet to be completed. For a start, the hotel is surrounded by the stunning landscape of Peru. It is situated right on the edge of a cliff, with waves crashing beneath and the city of Lima in the background.
The actual hotel looks like a huge, off-centre picture frame. Through one side, it frames the Pacific Ocean, on the other, the striking Andes. It was designed by OOIIO, an architecture firm based in Madrid, to capture the scenery as opposed to blocking it.
The hotel is set to have 125 rooms as well as restaurants, conference rooms and exhibition spaces. Artist rendered photos display the interiors as earthy and chic, with exposed wood, cream tables and chairs, hanging plants and huge windows.
Propeller Island City Lodge
Not only is Propeller Island City Lodge a hotel, but an art installation. Located in Berlin, it was designed by artist Lars Storschen, who is known for pushing the boundaries, thinking outside the box and creating eclectic and elaborate works – including this hotel.
Each room has its own strange charm. One, known as 'four beams', has a bed suspended by ropes and encircled by four large wooden beams. 'Dwarf' is only 1.4 metres high and is filled with plastic gnomes, while the walls and ceiling of the 'mirror room' are completely reflective. The 'circus room' will transport you to a circus train, with the beds as two raised lion cages.
Hotel Marques de Riscal
This hotel is an architectural and artistic masterpiece in the heart of Elciego, Spain, which is also known as the city of wine.
Created by Frank Gehry and opened in 2006, the hotel is now known around the world as a luxurious and contemporary retreat. Here you can enjoy design, art, great food and wine and the gorgeous surrounding landscape.
The exterior is utterly grand and dazzling, with rippling panels all folded together, held up by large metal poles. The interior also boasts Gehry's signature designs, with tilted walls, zigzag windows and ceilings the height of cathedrals.
Jukkasjärvi Ice Hotel
As the world's first and largest ice hotel, this accommodation is truly something special. In Jukkasjarvi, a small village in Northern Sweden, approximately 50,000 people come from around the world every winter to see the spectacle and have a once in a lifetime experience.
To create this grand hotel, 100 people are brought together yearly. Of these, 50 are artists who are given various parts of the hotel to design. Between March and April, 5,000 tonnes of ice is drawn from the Torne River, then in November and December the hotel is constructed. The doors are opened until mid-April when the structure slowly melts back into the Torne River.
When you're planning your trip to the far reaches of the globe, why not book yourself into one of these beautifully strange hotels? At each art meets accommodation – a night here is sure to remain in your memory for days to come.
