10 Unique Places to Stay

One of my favorite things to do when I travel is to stay in a unique and different kind of place. I am always looking for funky accommodations wherever we go.

I’ve found quite a few of these places over the years and would like to share my 10 unique places to stay. I hope it inspires you to either visit these places or look for similar accommodations when you travel!

Monastery in Amalfi Coast, Italy

This 17th-century monastery, now converted into a 5-star boutique hotel, was a must-do when we were touring the Amalfi Coast in 2013. Once I saw the photos of this sensational cliffside hotel, I knew it would be a highlight of our trip.

The hotel is called the Monastero Santa Rosa Hotel & Spa. If you have the money to splurge on this place (we could only afford one night), you will not regret it! You can read more about its history here.

They had a huge infinity pool overlooking the Amalfi Coast with tiered park areas on the cliffside property. The rooms were quite spacious and the decor was very tasteful to keep the history and feel of this ancient monastery.

I have to admit this place was pricey but I had no regrets to spend a wonderful evening in this unique paradise! You can find more photos of our whole Amalfi Coast trip on my Facebook album.

Beer Cellar Apartment in Ljubljana, Slovenia

I stumbled across this place on Airbnb while searching for our accommodations in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. We stayed here two nights in May 2019 while touring through the beautiful countryside of Slovenia.

I thought the beer-themed apartment was so unique and cute. It had beer-related decorations throughout the apartment. My favorite part was the beer barrel bed frame! I have to say that was my first time ever sleeping in a beer barrel!

If you are interested to stay here, this is the link to the apartment on Airbnb.

Read more about my trip to Slovenia in my blog post Best Slovenia Road Trip Itinerary.

Palazzo Matteotti, The Dedica Anthology Hotel in Milan, Italy

I fell in love with this futuristic, colorful boutique hotel when my daughter and I stayed here for two nights in June 2014. It was a special trip to celebrate her 18th birthday.

Staying at this 5-star luxury hotel was definitely a special event. I wanted to do something fun and exciting for our mother/daughter 3-day trip. We spent some time in their amazing spa and treated ourselves to massages. Sometimes it’s worth indulging, right?!

When looking up the links to this hotel, I discovered that it was permanently closed in December 2019. What a shame. I will definitely look for these types of boutique hotels in the future!

Bubble in Iceland

Yes, I slept in a bubble! I had this on my bucket list for a long time. They offer these bubble hotels in countries like Iceland, Finland, and Norway. They claim it’s the best way to see the Northern Lights, by sleeping under the stars in a plastic bubble.

You can see more of our Iceland trip in my other blog posts Iceland Wonders, Here they are… my top 5 Destinations, and 18 Most Adventurous Things I’ve Done. You can also see our trip video on my dedicated Iceland page.

Zoku Hotel in Amsterdam

I loved the ambiance of the Zoku Hotel in Amsterdam. This unique hotel near the center of Amsterdam is considered a new category in the hotel industry. They market it as a hybrid between home and office and offer a relaxed place to live, work and socialize.

Zoku provides small loft apartments to rent for days or months. Our apartment had a cozy living area, kitchen, and loft bedroom. The place even had suspended rings for practicing your acrobatic moves (which we definitely had to try)! I thought the concept was so original.

When you stay at a place for a few days, it’s nice to have an apartment with more space. The best part for me is being able to make my own coffee in the morning. This unique hotel in Amsterdam was not too expensive and I would definitely recommend it!

One of the highlights of the Zoku hotel was the self-service restaurant on the top floor. It was decorated like your own home with cute knickknacks everywhere. There were sofas for lounging and an outdoor terrace to see the view of the city. They also provided a self-check-in service which was very convenient to pick up your keys.

Castle in Scotland

I did a tour of Scotland with my girlfriend in 2011. We started in Edinburgh and drove all around the country for one week. It was an amazing road trip. The best part was sleeping in some really nice places, especially the Inverlochy Castle near Fort William.

This 19th-century castle was majestically placed in the middle of nowhere. We felt like queens staying on this unique property. They had an excellent restaurant where we ate divine food and sampled the local whiskeys. Paradise!

Read all about my trip to Scotland in my blog post Best of Scotland in One Week.

Igloo in Norway

If you read my post 18 Most Adventurous Things I’ve Done, you will know that this was a very unique experience. Yes, it was cold, but it was definitely worth it to say that I’ve slept in a real igloo.

One night is all you need to have enjoy this unique place to stay! We had our own room complete with an ice bed and sculptures on the wall. It was one of the highlights of our Norway Winter trip!

If you ever get the chance to have this experience, you will never forget it. I slept well in the sleeping bags they provided on the ice bed. It was SO COOL, no pun intended!

Read more about my trip to Norway in my blog post Norway Travel – Two Seasons You’ll Love!

Treehouse

I wrote about my experience sleeping in a suspended tent in my other posts Safe Vacation Ideas for 2020 and 18 Most Adventurous Things I’ve Done. I loved this glamping adventure and would definitely do it again. There’s something special about sleeping outdoors in a treehouse. It makes us feel like kids again!

Castle in Central France

In September 2017, we drove to the Auvergne region of central France and spent the weekend at this delightful castle called Chateau de Codignat.

Our room was in one of the castle towers. We had to walk up the circular tower steps to get to our secluded hideaway. The room was decorated in 16th-century style with velvet bedspreads and antique furniture. We had a small window with a nice view overlooking the lush property.

There were many volcanoes to visit in the area and cute French medieval towns. We even got lucky to be there during one of the medieval festivals. People were all dressed up in attire and we got to watch a fascinating parade!

You will see more photos and videos of our romantic weekend (it was to celebrate my birthday!) in my Facebook album here.

Mountain Pod in Switzerland

Another unique place we stayed was the WhitePod Eco-luxury Hotel near where we live in Switzerland, back in the winter of 2010. Yes, it was on the expensive side but worth it for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

I don’t remember where I learned about these funky cocoon-like pods, but I knew I wanted to have this unique experience. I organized a surprise weekend trip to stay for two nights. This area is only 30 minutes away from where we live.

The concept of Whitepod is ecological with its controlled use of energy and water. The waste is recycled and all restaurant ingredients are purchased from local vendors. You cannot have motorized transport on the property but need to walk between your pod and reception.

You sleep in your pod heated by a pellet stove and overlook the Valais mountains in Switzerland. What can be better?

Have you stayed in other unique places?

I would love to hear your reaction to my 10 Unique Places to Stay and to also know about unique places where you have stayed. We will always remember these types of accommodations compared to staying in just a standard hotel room. Leave a comment below and let us know your ideas about where we can have a unique experience!

If you are looking for assistance to plan your next trip, I am here for YOU! I love to plan travel itineraries for myself and others. For more details on how I provide this service, please check out my Itinerary Planning page and drop me a quick email at jan@janadventures.com to get started!