The world’s weirdest hotels and holiday accommodation – from a bomb shelter to a sewage pipe
- Fancy bunking down in a Nazi-built bomb shelter? How about a floating cottage, complete with underwater bedroom?
- These eccentric overnight options offer more than Instagram appeal, promising an out-of-the box experience
Quirky hotels and gimmicky guest houses are nothing new. Travellers seeking unusual accommodation have long been able to spend the night in lighthouses and tree houses, superyachts and yurts, but for genuine eccentricity, the following list of lodging options really raises the bar.
Find it difficult to sleep on a plane? Then arrange to stay at the Hotel Costa Verde and request the Fuselage suite. The 1965 Boeing 727 appears to have crash-landed in the Costa Rican rainforest but was in fact rescued from San Jose airport and stylishly refurbished. The recycled rooms boast private balconies with Pacific Ocean views and jungle canopy neighbours include sloths, monkeys and toucans.
In Brno, Czech Republic, a Nazi-built bomb shelter converted into Soviet nuclear hideout has been repurposed as a retro hostel. Originally designed to accommodate up to 500 people for days on end, the underground refuge, code-named 10-Z, has been left much as it was at the height of the Cold War, with original bunk beds, antique typewriters and tape recorders, and gas masks for visitors to try on. The shelter is permanently 14 degrees Celsius, damp and somewhat spine-chilling. One night is enough.
“Champing” refers to camping in churches that are no longer used for regular services. Britain’s Churches Conservation Trust has 350 ecclesiastical buildings on its books and 27 are currently available for overnight stays, with there being plans to open more. Champers need to provide their own bedding and should bring plenty – large medieval stone structures can get chilly.
As darkness descends, ghost hunting guests will be tempted to tiptoe around the tombstones while the easily spooked might ditch their religious digs entirely and opt for a warm, welcoming B&B instead.
If you’re seeking a stopover with "sole", then a New Zealand B&B that offers accommodation for the well-heeled and the strait-laced may be just the place to get your kicks. Constructing The Boot with wire mesh and concrete was no small "feet" for a Kiwi couple whose guiding philosophy is, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing humorously.”