Quick answer: Six of the world’s most unusual places to stay are KumbukRiver in Sri Lanka, where you sleep inside a giant thatched elephant; Aydinli Cave House, a cave hotel in Göreme, Cappadocia; the Icehotel in Swedish Lapland, rebuilt from river ice every winter; the Seaventures Dive Rig, a former oil rig off Mabul Island in Malaysia; transparent “bubble” rooms in the French countryside; and The Liberty Hotel in Boston, a converted 19th-century jail. Prices and availability change, so check each property’s official website before you book.
Most hotels offer the same things: comfortable rooms, modern technology and good service. Some travellers want something different, a stay that becomes part of the story of the trip. The hotels below are known for exactly that.
1. KumbukRiver, Sri Lanka: sleep inside an elephant
KumbukRiver is an eco-lodge at Okkampitiya in the Buttala area of south-eastern Sri Lanka, on the banks of a river at the northern edge of Yala National Park, about 250 km from Colombo. Its best-known room is a large, two-storey, thatched villa shaped like an elephant, where guests sleep inside the “body” of the animal. The property also has other units, including a treehouse-style villa and a boat house. KumbukRiver was named the world’s leading eco-lodge at the World Travel Awards in 2008.
The lodge is in a remote area and uses electricity sparingly, so expect a back-to-nature stay rather than a city hotel.
An earlier version of this article said the hotel is “in Yala National Park, Colombo” and listed room prices of US$75 to US$150 a night. The lodge is near Buttala, far from Colombo, and the old prices are out of date; check the lodge’s own website for current rates.
2. Aydinli Cave House, Turkey: a room carved into rock
Cappadocia, in central Turkey, is famous for its “fairy chimney” rock formations, and many of its hotels have rooms carved into the soft volcanic rock. Aydinli Cave House is a family-run guesthouse on a hillside in Göreme, a short but steep walk up from the town centre. Its rock-cut rooms are spacious and atmospheric, many with fireplaces, and breakfast is served on a terrace with views over the town. Reviewers praise the friendly family who run it.
Room numbers differ between booking sites, so check directly with the guesthouse. The hotel can arrange transfers from Kayseri and Nevşehir Kapadokya airports.
3. Icehotel, Sweden: a hotel made of ice
The Icehotel is in the village of Jukkasjärvi, about 17 km from Kiruna in Swedish Lapland. First opened in 1990, it is built from snow and ice blocks taken from the nearby Torne River, and the main hotel is rebuilt every winter and open roughly from December to April. In 2016, the hotel announced a permanent, year-round part, Icehotel 365, so you can see ice art outside the winter season too.
An earlier version of this article listed Propeller Island City Lodge in Berlin, an art hotel where each room was a different art installation, including one with furniture fixed to the ceiling. Berlin city guides now list it as closed, so we have replaced it.
4. Seaventures Dive Rig, Malaysia: stay on an oil rig
The Seaventures Dive Rig is a dive resort built on a decommissioned oil platform off Mabul Island, near the famous dive site of Sipadan in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. It is reached by boat from the port of Semporna. The former crew quarters are now guest rooms, the old helipad is a sundeck, and the rig’s own house reef, with sunken structures and artificial reefs, lies directly beneath it. It is aimed at scuba divers, with diving packages and PADI courses.
Diving at Sipadan itself requires a separate permit, so ask the resort about availability when you book.
5. Bubble hotels, France: sleep under the stars
Transparent bubble rooms, inflatable clear domes set in gardens and forests, let guests sleep under the night sky in comfort. In southern France, Attrap’Rêves has offered them in Provence, with furnished bubbles that have a bed and lamps inside and private bathroom facilities alongside. Some bubbles are fully transparent, and others have partly opaque panels for privacy.
An earlier version of this article called this the “Bubble Tree Hotel” and gave prices of US$137 to US$625. We could not confirm that name as a hotel, or current prices and locations, so check the operator’s official website for what is open this season.
6. The Liberty Hotel, Boston: a jail turned luxury hotel
The Liberty Hotel, at 215 Charles Street in Boston, occupies the former Charles Street Jail. The jail was built between 1848 and 1851 to a design by Gridley J. F. Bryant, working with the prison reformer Rev. Louis Dwight, and it held prisoners until 1990. After a major conversion it reopened in 2007 as a luxury hotel with about 300 rooms.
An earlier version of this article said the hotel has “more than 295 rooms” and charges US$295 to US$700 a night. It has about 300 rooms; check its website for current rates.
Tips for booking an unusual hotel
- Read recent reviews; unusual hotels can be memorable but less comfortable than conventional ones.
- Check what is included, such as meals, transfers or activities, since many are in remote places.
- Book early for peak seasons, as many have only a few rooms.
- Check access and health requirements, for example cold-weather gear for ice hotels or a recent dive medical for dive resorts.
For more conventional stays, see our list of top-rated hotels in the United States, and if you are heading to Malaysia, our guide to the best beaches in Malaysia.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the elephant-shaped hotel?
At KumbukRiver, an eco-lodge near Buttala in south-eastern Sri Lanka, next to Yala National Park.
Is the Icehotel open all year?
The main Icehotel is rebuilt each winter and is open roughly from December to April. Icehotel 365, a permanent part, lets visitors see ice art all year.
Is Propeller Island City Lodge still open?
Berlin city guides list it as closed. It no longer appears in this list.
Was The Liberty Hotel really a jail?
Yes. It was the Charles Street Jail, built in 1851, which closed in 1990. The building reopened as a hotel in 2007.
This guide was checked in October 2026 against published information on each property, including reports on their current operation.
