Comfortable hotels are all the same, but interesting hotels are one in a million.
If you’re tired of garden views, sea views, and luxury suites, have you ever thought about sleeping on ice, a cliff, in a crane, or even in the sea?
01 
“Hotel de Sal Luna Salada”
No Licking the Walls, Fines Apply
Salt, besides being edible, can also be used to build a hotel! This hotel, located near the famous Uyuni Salt Flats (Salar de Uyuni) in Bolivia, is known as “the world’s saltiest hotel,” and its uniqueness comes from being built with salt.
The walls and floors inside are made of pure salt, and even the sofas, beds, dining tables, chairs, and wall hangings are crafted from salt from the salt lake. It’s more like a salt museum than a hotel, where you can almost taste the saltiness through the screen.
It’s worth mentioning that the furniture made of salt is just as comfortable as regular furniture. Lying on the salt bed, the small salt particles cling to your skin, creating a tingling sensation. Walking barefoot on the floor, you’ll feel the salt grains underfoot, providing a truly unique experience.
Additionally, there’s an interesting rule at the hotel: guests are asked not to lick the walls. Otherwise, if everyone did, the hotel might collapse!
Staying in such a hotel is an experience in itself, and with the breathtaking views of the Uyuni Salt Flats, it’s hard to leave.
02
“Kruger Shalati”
Sleeping on Abandoned Tracks
This hotel, located in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, sits on a bridge over the Sabie River where rails have been laid.
The entire structure is a transformation of an abandoned steam train, featuring 31 rooms in total, with 24 “train car rooms” and 7 “luxury rooms.” The train car rooms are decorated with African elements, blending modern chic with the wildness of nature, and though luxurious, they are outshone by the views outside the windows.
Floor-to-ceiling windows offer views of the expansive Sabie River, extending to the horizon, with endless wilderness on both sides.
To allow guests to fully enjoy the sights of the Sabie River and the savannah, the hotel has specially designed a viewing platform and a swimming pool that extends from the train tracks, where you can see crocodiles, hippos, and elephants nearby while swimming.
Imagine the joy of waiting for sunrise on the bridge, watching the sunset, and experiencing the raw, wild charm of Africa.
03
“The Manta Resort”
Sleeping Between the Ocean, Living in a Dream
Jumping off the roof into the water during the day and sleeping with fish at night, how magical and carefree would that be? This floating hotel in Pemba Island, Tanzania, fulfills all your fantasies.
Surrounded by coral reefs and isolated on a floating platform, it can only be reached by speedboat. To prevent the main structure from drifting away, cables are anchored at each corner to the seabed.
The hotel has three levels: the top level is a rooftop where guests can enjoy sunbathing, feel the sea breeze, or dive into the clear waters for snorkeling, interacting closely with the fish. At night, you can gaze at the unpolluted starry sky.
The middle level, level with the sea surface, serves as the hotel’s entrance with a lounge and bathroom. The bottom level, submerged four meters underwater, is the bedroom. Through eight floor-to-ceiling windows, you can see the beauty of the Indian Ocean’s underwater world. At night, spotlights attract various rare marine life.
Staying here for one night gives you the feeling of “I’ve got this piece of sea all to myself.” This exclusive experience doesn’t come cheap, with rates at $1,700 per night for two or $900 for a single, but it’s worth it for a honeymoon or a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
04
“The Krane”
Sleeping in a Coal Crane
This hotel was originally a coal crane, located in a beautiful port environment with endless skies and seas, offering panoramic views of Copenhagen.
In the hands of designers, it has been transformed into a modern, soulful space including bedrooms, a spa, a conference room, and a terrace, all of which can be rented out separately.
Upon entering the hotel, you’ll immediately feel the Danish understanding of luxury – less is more, discarding all unnecessary material and keeping only the most essential elements.
The conference room and bedroom are predominantly black, reflecting the dark past of coal mining with cranes, while also minimizing visual distractions, amplifying the ever-changing light and scenery outside, making you feel one with the landscape.
In contrast, the spa room feels light, with stone flooring and ceiling, and large windows offering views of the port.
The water around the hotel is a major highlight, with 80% of the experience coming from the water. Danish summers seem endless, with daylight from 5 AM to 10 PM, and the diffused light along the coastline is very soft. Even during stormy weather, the view outside remains captivating.
05
“Ice Hotel”
A Crystal-Clear Experience Once a Year
This hotel in Kiruna, Sweden, is the world’s first and largest ice hotel. From its architecture to its interior facilities, everything is made of ice and snow, with the indoor temperature maintained at minus five degrees Celsius.
Appearing only during the winter months, the Ice Hotel invites artists from around the world every November to build ice rooms, which melt into the river by May the following year. In essence, this hotel is a massive piece of art.
With the introduction of the Ice Hotel 365 plan, some ice rooms are now permanently preserved thanks to cooling equipment, allowing guests to sleep on ice year-round and experience the ultimate winter romance.
Unlike regular hotels, these rooms have no bathrooms or TVs, just an ice bed and some ice sculptures designed by artists. Each ice bed isn’t standard-sized but is designed according to the room’s theme by invited artists.
Each bed consists of an ice base, a 15 cm thick white mattress, a piece of reindeer hide, and two down pillows. Inside the hotel’s thermal sleeping bags, guests can still enjoy a warm and comfortable sleep even with a sleep cap on.
06
“Null Stern Hotel”
Returning the Night to the Moonlight
It doesn’t have dazzling crystal chandeliers, or even a ceiling; it has no walls, embodying the concept of “surrounded on all sides”; it has no sofa or bathroom, just a bed, two stools, and two bedside lamps!
This unconventional hotel is situated on a piece of grass in Graubünden, next to the Swiss Alps. “Null Stern” means “no stars,” and the hotel’s founders say, “Our hotel doesn’t need stars; the only stars are you…”
By day, lie on the grass at an altitude of over a thousand meters, watching the lake and mountains; by night, under the starlit sky with just a small night light, this is true intimacy with nature.
Even going to the bathroom requires a ten-minute walk.
Food is not a concern here either, as the hotel provides an exclusive butler service, delivering a fragrant breakfast to your bedside when you wake up.
Staying here for a night, you return the night to the moonlight, the solitude to the Milky Way. Even with a bit of apprehension and unease, it’s undoubtedly one of the most unmissable experiences of a lifetime.
Which of these “quirky” hotels would you most like to stay in?
