Top 10 Unique Hotels

Select from the best luxury island hotels to cheap hotel prison deals.

When it comes to vacations, the hotel itself can be as much a part of the vacation as the destination. Before making hotel reservations at any luxury hotel, think about all the options out there. From a tree house to an ice house, here are some of the most unique hotels around the world.

Kamalame Cay: your own private island

The Bahamas: Do you have Robinson Crusoe dreams of living on your own private island? Well, Kamalame Cay offers a private island getaway with Robinson Crusoe adventures and all the luxuries of a four-star hotel. This 96-acre soft-sand island is located just off Andros Bay in the Bahamas and can only be reached by the resort’s private ferry or seaplane. Dotted with private villas, guests can enjoy Caribbean cuisine, some of the best snorkeling and fishing on the island’s pristine beaches, and can take a dip in the island’s freshwater pool. Kamalame Cay feeds the need for adventure while offering romance, luxury hotel accommodations and natural beauty.

Utter Inn: Sleep with the Fishes
Vasteras, Sweden
The Utter Inn, or Otter Inn in English, is a small floating Swedish red house with an underwater bedroom equipped with picture windows, so you can literally sleep with the fish. The inn is an art project by Mikael Genberg, who has done several other artistic hotels like the Hotell Hackspett or the Woodpecker Hotel, which is a tree house, perched more than 40 feet above a Swedish park. I just hope you don’t get claustrophobic, because a boat drops you off and you don’t get picked up until morning.

The Jail Backpackers: A taste of the Big House at a small price
Mount Gambier, South Australia, Australia
Built in 1864, this renovated jail now serves as a hostel for backpackers and travelers alike. Located in Mount Gambier in South Australia, Jail Backpackers offers tourists the chance to spend the night or weekend in the slammer for cheap prices, $45 for a double room, $20 for a dormitory. Don’t worry though; you are not locked in at night. This budget hotel option offers a kitchen, TV room, pool tables, a quiet lounge with a fireplace, walled garden spaces, and a restaurant. The Mount Gambier area offers many outdoor activities, the best known being Blue Lake, which is a lake located on a volcano. There are many hiking trails, cave tours and sand boarding opportunities.

The Queen Mary: Don’t Jump Ship on This Haunted Ship
Hotels in Playa Larga
Recent Reviews in Queen Mary
If spending the night in a prison isn’t spooky enough, try spending the night in a haunted hotel/ship, the Queen Mary. This World War II ocean liner and troop carrier has a haunted history. One of the most haunted areas of the ship is the no longer used first class pool. Women in vintage bathing suits have been seen wandering around and wet footprints have been found mysteriously leading from the deck to the changing rooms. The luxury ship/hotel offers more than appearances, but also historical tours, multiple world-class dining options, cabaret shows, a comedy club, spas and suites. For $459 you can spend the night in one of the haunted cabins, but are you brave enough?

Parrot Nest Lodge: In a tree under the stars
cayo, belize
Spending the night here won’t be as spooky as the Queen Mary, unless you’re afraid of heights and birds. The Parrot Nest Lodge consists of two thatched-roof treehouses, four cabins and two bathrooms and is surrounded on three sides by the Mopan River, which offers a refreshing swim. As the name implies, there are a large number of parrots, as well as hundreds of other birds, making this a prime destination for bird watching. Giant iguanas are also another friendly visitor to the garden. Breakfast and dinner are also included with your treehouse room for just $40-50 a night room rental, making it a budget hotel with resort qualities. I hope you are not afraid of nature.

Heceta Head Lighthouse: on the cliffs
yachts hotels
If spending the night in a treehouse was too high, try spending the night in a lighthouse perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Heceta Head Lighthouse is over a hundred years old and is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful lighthouses in the world. Heceta is also the brightest lighthouse in Seattle, casting light 21 miles out to sea. The Queen Ann-style keeper’s house has been renovated into a bed and breakfast where guests can view the lighthouse at night, a rare opportunity. In addition, a seven-course breakfast is served in the morning, which is included with your room. Magical is the word many guests use to describe the Heceta Head Lighthouse and bed and breakfast.

Beckham Creek Cave Haven: Ecotourism Haven
Parthenon Arkansas Hotels
Beckham Creek Cave Haven, which took over four years to create, was created with the philosophy that the continued preservation of our environment is paramount. Located on a 530-acre property in the Buffalo National River region, this cave hotel offers solitude and plenty of outdoor entertainment among the Ozarks for ecotourists. Alone on the estate is a mountain and plenty of places to hike, bike, and fish.

Ice Hotel: freeze your ice
Sweden A kind of cave, the ice hotel is an ice cavern carved from 10,000 tons of crystalline ice cut from the Torne River. Every year the hotel must be built from scratch, with new designs and new concepts; it is continually being reborn. This luxury hotel includes an ice chapel, an ice art exhibition hall, a cinema and the world famous Absolut Ice Bar. If you can brave the sub-zero temperatures, the Ice Hotel is well worth the trip.

The Gladstone Hotel: 37 artist-designed rooms
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Each room is not designed with ice, but by a different artist. Situated in Toronto, the Gladstone Hotel is a unique city hotel with artist-designed hotel rooms as well as short-term art studios and exhibition spaces. The hotel offers a unique insight into Toronto’s diverse arts scene. Make hotel reservations for the Teen Queen Room and relive your high school years or spend the night in the serene Skygazer Room decorated with an amazing wall treatment of cloud-shaped plastic relics.

The Burj-al-Arab: sail in luxury
Dubai: Located in one of Dubai’s fastest growing cities, this Dubai hotel is more than just a hotel; it’s an experience. That is if you can afford to make hotel reservations. Resembling a billowing sail, the Burj-al-Arab dominates the Dubai skyline at 321 meters. Recognized by some as the best hotel in the world, this all-suite luxury hotel caters to the wealthy and offers 24-hour attention from highly-trained butlers, private reception desks on each floor, and a spa and health club. At night, the hotel is surrounded by colorful choreographed sculptures of water and fire. The Burj-al-Arab is luxury at its finest and extravagance.