As a travel editor, I’ve been pretty privileged to have stayed in some truly beautiful, cool and unusual hotels. But the ones that stay with me aren’t necessarily the most luxurious (hello, overwater villas in the Maldives!), but rather, the most quirky accommodations – truly unique places to stay that offer an experience beyond just a room to rest for the night. 

Here are eight of the most unique places to stay around the world that I would go back to in a heartbeat. 

Ice Hotel, Jukkasjärvi, Sweden

We woke up in the middle of the night sweating. But wait, we were sleeping on a bed of ice, in a room made of ice, with the ambient temperature hovering at -8 degrees celsius. So, how exactly were we feeling hot? Turns out, the reindeer hide blanket, thermal sleeping bags, thick mattress and body heat is enough to keep you cosy when spending a night at Ice Hotel. 

This, the OG ice hotel (there have been quite a few imitators since) gets built every winter with fresh ice from the river Torne, as a collaborative effort of artists and designers from around the world who create the rooms and ice sculptures to go with them, making it one of the world’s most unusual places to stay. More recent technological developments mean they now have a year-round ice hotel built with ‘snice’ – snow and ice – called Icehotel 365. 

But there’s more to it than just the unique accommodation. The bustling snow-clad campus houses ‘regular’ hotel-room style chalets, communal changing areas and bathrooms, sauna (because, Scandinavia!) and a dining hall, apart from the two monolithic ice buildings. The ideal way to do the ice hotel experience is to spend one night ‘sleeping on ice’, as it were, and the rest of the stay in one of the chalets – to properly explore the area and go Aurora hunting. 

And the most comfortable way to do this? Booking into one of the deluxe suites which has a modern, Nordic-chic ‘warm area/private bathroom’ attached to the ice room, where you can retreat to when it gets too cold. But don’t worry – in the middle of the night, you’re more than likely to wake up in a sweat! 

Giraffe Manor, Nairobi, Kenya

Breakfast with giraffes, they said. What they didn’t warn me about was the giraffe head poking into my first floor bedroom window at 6am looking for treats. After the initial shock of being woken up by Lynn, I rushed downstairs to join the other guests in the morning ritual that has made this boutique hotel world- and Instagram-famous. The herd of friendly, curious – and hungry – resident Rothschild giraffes are used to being fed by humans every morning; the in-room amenities even include a jar of grey pellets to feed them. 

And kissing a giraffe – where the animal neatly plucks a pellet from your extended tongue – is an actual thing here. Even as we sit down to our cereal, eggs and pancakes in the sun-drenched dining room later, the giraffes mosey about, sticking their heads in the windows looking for food. 

While this delightful encounter is undoubtedly the highlight of this unique holiday stay, as cool, unusual hotels go, the Giraffe Manor isn’t too shabby. The 1930s manor has been sensitively restored to preserve its colonial hunting lodge vibe – think four poster beds, claw-foot tubs and inviting plump couches. And as part of the Safari Collection, which is owned by East African conservation veterans the Carr-Hartleys, it has sustainability at its heart. Simply by staying here, you contribute to the conservation of these endangered wildlife species. Now, that’s what I call a special breakfast!

Belle Isle, Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Castle hotels are fairly common in Ireland, each one seemingly more luxurious than the next. While I’ve stayed in a few, Belle Isle sets itself apart for its authenticity – the unique accommodation literally feels like walking into a period drama set, except, its perfectly preserved centuries-old interiors are all real (complete with imposing family portraits staring down from the walls). 

Set within a sprawling 400-acre estate, the ivy clad granite castle looks suspiciously like Balmoral from the outside. In fact, the interiors, with its sumptuous yet lived-in decor, do too. 

When I visited, Belle Isle was home to an award-winning cookery school, but that has since closed. Activities here currently include the likes of walks, fishing and archery, but if you ask me, the opportunity to live out your Downton Abbey fantasies is experience enough (just add own maid)! 

Elqui Domos, Elqui valley, Chile

Long before dark-sky tourism became as popular as it is now, this Chilean resort has been inviting the lucky few who make it there –  located at the edge of the Atacama desert, it’s not the easiest place to get to – to stargaze. It is one of the planet’s foremost regions for astronomy research.

Seven geodesic domes make up the quirky accommodation here, with retractable roofs that enable falling asleep under the stars, while staying cosy in bed. Spread over two levels, the glamping-style domes are comfortable and well-equipped. Dining takes place communally at the poolside dome – expect comforting traditional Chilean food – and various activities such as horse trekking or biking across the Elqui valley are available.
But the main reason to come here is to enjoy the light pollution-free skies, which is best done with an astronomy tour at a nearby observatory. There’s nothing quite like it to make one feel humbled by the vastness of the universe. 

Since I visited, the resort has expanded to also offer architecturally designed wooden cabins. But the domes remain one of the most unusual places to stay in the world. 

Mnemba Island, Zanzibar 

A long drive to the northeastern tip of Zanzibar’s main island deposited us at seaweed strewn Muoni beach and it looked pretty deserted. “Are we in the right place?” we wondered. Minutes later, our question was answered by the friendly boatman who arrived to ferry us across to the tiny island we could see in the near horizon. Cold towels and fresh drinks on the boat set the tone for the Mnemba experience, where nothing is ever too much trouble. 

One of the most unique places to stay in the world, the private island resort (part of the high-end lodge collection And Beyond) is home to just 12 spacious bandas (the local term for villas) set within casuarina groves. It’s all natural materials and wide open spaces with mod cons cleverly integrated into the rustic-chic design. There are no doors in the banda, but privacy is so carefully guarded here, it doesn’t matter. 
Private butlers turn up at pre-agreed times to deliver whatever one needs (think sundowners to enjoy on your private patch of beach or breakfast in bed), but beyond that, one has complete autonomy over one’s time – the ultimate luxury, in my mind.

The resort chefs have a personal chat with each guest in the mornings to plan the day’s meals – my other ultimate luxury! – which will likely include fresh-off-the-boat seafood that has just been dropped off by a fisherman, and local produce from within a six-hour sourcing radius. And activities can be as adventurous or as relaxed as one wants – the white-sand beaches fringed by the warm ocean is ideal for swimming and snorkelling, but this is also home to some of the best dive sites in the world. I’m no diver, but I had one of my life’s most memorable water adventures right here when I got to swim with dolphins (it’s just one of the many excursions on offer)

Maybe that’s why this place feels special to me. Or maybe it’s because of the warm, low-key luxury vibe that Mnemba has perfected, that makes one feel like one is exactly where one should be. 

The Peninsula, Hong Kong

Arrival by Rolls Royce? Check. A private helicopter flight from the rooftop to take in the Hong Kong skyline? Check. A telescope as part of the in-room amenities when staying in a harbour view suite? Unusual, but check! This unique stay needs no introduction for hotel-lovers, setting the bar for opulent luxury in a city known for its grandeur, for over 90 years. The hotel’s classic design manages to hit that sweet spot between being lavish and understated – think gleaming marble, crystal chandeliers, bespoke art, designer beds featuring Quagliotti linen, plus hi-tech accoutrements. Add multiple Michelin-starred dining options, plus a beloved daily high tea in the lobby, and you can see why it is an icon. 

Is it steeped in a few colonial tropes? Yes. But the truly sincere, personalised service makes it easy to look past that, and indulge in what is unashamedly a hedonistic experience. 

Yurt stay, Kyrgyzstan

A complete contrast to some of the ultra-luxury properties on this list, a night sleeping in a yurt nonetheless remains one of my most memorable when it comes to unusual places to stay. These traditional nomadic dwellings, which can be loosely described as circular tents built of felt and wool around a wooden frame, are still in use all over Central Asia. The insides are typically padded with numerous carpets on the ground as well as the walls, the kaleidoscope of colours making for some dazzling decor. 

The best way to explore Kyrgyzstan is with CBT, a community organisation that helps travellers navigate the nation with personalised tour bookings and advice, ensuring a genuinely authentic, grassroots experience. Homestays or yurt camps are the two main accommodation options when exploring Kyrgyz countryside. 

My first night spent in a yurt was at the Bel Tam yurt camp on the south shore of Issyk-Kul Lake, the world’s second largest alpine lake (I also spent a night in a yurt in the Chong Kemin area). It’s a magical place of clear blue skies and double rainbows, sensational sunsets, cool lake swims, horse trekking through the impossibly beautiful valley, camaraderie built with fellow intrepid travellers over drinks and dinner in the ‘dining yurt’ feasting on traditional plov (a one-pot rice and meat dish, similar to pulao), and collapsing in a tired but happy heap on a mattress in your designated yurt… 

As unique accommodations go, this $10 a night experience is priceless.

Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, Saariselkä Fell, Finland

It’s the unique holiday stay you’ve seen splashed all over your Instagram feed. There are now several igloo hotels primed for northern lights viewing in the Arctic region, but this is perhaps the best known. 

That visual of glass domes peeking out of the snow-clad landscape, as the Aurora Borealis lights up the sky, is every bit as magical in real life. But what’s worth knowing is, the igloos are pretty small. It fits a double bed (draped in dramatic zebra print bed linen), a cruise ship-sized ensuite, and little else. 

We spent little time in the igloo however, as Kakslauttanen is a bit of a village in and of itself – with multiple dining areas, activity options, from the usual suspects like snowmobiling and husky-sledding to the unique snow tank safari, so the days are easily filled. 
The resort is also home to other non-igloo accommodation options including traditional chalets, and a best of both worlds option – the kelo-glass igloos. These roomy, rustic log chalets complete with fireplace and private sauna also include an igloo-topped bedroom to have the full ‘lying-in-bed-viewing-the-northern-lights’ experience in style. 
Regardless of whether the sky is lit up in an otherworldly green or glittering with stars, staring up at it from inside a glass igloo in the wilderness of Finnish Lapland is right up there as one of the most cool, unusual hotel experiences. 

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All this is not to say good old fashioned luxury is ever going out of style – I’ll take the flawless butler service at Evason Hua Hin in Thailand, the elegance of the George V Paris, the full-size Hermes products that are par for course when staying at Dubai’s Burj al Arab, or the sheer decadence of a gourmet breakfast being whipped out in the bush at a luxury safari camp in Kenya any day, thank you very much. 

But for people who like to try new things when they travel, like me, these unique stays are truly worth the while.

Have you stayed at any of these unusual accommodations? Let me know what you thought in the comments. And, if you need any tips for travelling to any of these beautiful destinations, get in touch.