Top 10 of the world’s weirdest hotels

From hamster dens to beds made of sand here is our guest writers choice for the Top 10 of the world’s weirdest hotels…

Jailhouse Accommodation, New Zealand

Some people travel for the sun, others for the cultural experience, but not many people spend their holidays in a prison. Not out of choice anyway… But thankfully, for those crazy enough to do so, prison hotels do exist -well, hostels do at least. The Jail House hostel in Christchurch New Zealand prides itself on its colourful history and it made it through all of the recent earthquakes intact.

• To book, check prices or availability for The Jail House

IKEA Sovhotell, Sweden

If you’ve spent a weary day shopping and fancy a quick nap, then the Ikea Sovhotell has the answer! The Sovhotell can be found in Swedish shopping mall and it’s the perfect solution to tired legs (and eyes!). Calming music will lull you to sleep while you sink into the comfy beds, and with a bridal suite also on offer, there truly is something for everyone.

Hotel Pozo Azul Tent Suites, Costa Rica

But if sleeping in shopping malls isn’t your style, then how about these tent suites in the mountains of Costa Rica? This isn’t traditional camping; these tents come complete with a direct dial telephone, wireless internet and a balcony. Nature and comfort, what more could you want?

• To book, check prices or availability for the Pozo Azul Tent Suites

Hotel Kakslauttanen, Finland

For our fourth hotel we have to head a little further north, all the way to the Arctic in fact. But if you’re looking for the perfect Christmas Lapland experience, then this may be the ideal place to go. In fact in winter you can even stay in a futuristic glass igloo and watch the Northern Lights from the comfort of your bed. If it starts to get chilly you can always head over to the smoke sauna, and why not hang out at the snow chapel or the ice bar in the evening.

•   To book, check prices or availability for Hotel Kakslauttanen

Winvian, USA

But if one strange hotel just isn’t enough, then why not head over to the Winvian for a truly bizarre getaway. With rooms shaped like the inside of a helicopter and a beaver’s den, it’s sure to be a very unique experience!

• To book, check prices or availability for Winvain

Rangali Islands Resort, Maldives

While this underwater room is a restaurant by day, as part of their wedding package you can stay underwater for your honeymoon night. But with their luxurious bedrooms rumoured to be priced around the $2000 mark, this is definitely one for those who like to splash their cash. With plans for an underwater hotel in Dubai also underway, perhaps sleeping above sea level has become overrated.

• To book, check prices or availability for Rangali Islands Resort

Propeller Island City Lodge, Germany

Just like the Winvian, this hotel can’t quite get enough of being strange. You can live out your lifelong dream of sleeping in a coffin, or wake-up in a room where everything is turned topsy turvy; their mirrored rooms are perfect if you’re always obsessing over your reflection, while the floating beds will quite literally allow you to drift away.

•  Albrecht-Achilles-Straße 58, 10709 Berlin, Germany

Villa Hamster, France

The names of some hotels can’t always be taken literally, but this one most certainly can. The Villa Hamster in France is the perfect retreat if you’ve always dreamed of being a small rodent; you can sleep on a woodchip bed by day and run around on your person-sized hamster wheel at night. There are no guarantees that you’ll get a peaceful night’s sleep, but surely that’s all part of the experience?

• To book, check prices or availability for Villa Hamster

Divorce Hotel, Netherlands

On first impressions the name of this hotel may seem like it’s bad for business, but in fact the divorce hotel has a rather clever way of drawing in customers. The hotel speeds up the divorce process over a single weekend, so that a husband and wife can arrive as a married couple, and then head off their separate ways. It’s a clever way of shortening what can often be a long and painful process and business is apparently booming!

• For more information contact [email protected]

Sandcastle Hotel, UK

Many weird and wonderful hotels have appeared on this list, but the strangest of all can be found in the UK. In the summer of 2008 a sandcastle was built in Dorset, but not just any sandcastle – a people-sized one. For just £10 a night, you could lie on your own sandy bed; gazing up at the stars as you prayed that the tide didn’t wash you out to sea.

Written by guest writer Gavin Harvey.