Have you ever stayed at an unusual hotel or would you like to?
By Porcospino
@Porcospino (31366)
Denmark
October 16, 2010 1:18am CST
Some weeks ago I visited Bratislava in Slovakia. Instead of staying at a normal hotel I found a room at a "botel" That was a boat which had been turned into a hotel. It was nice to try something different and the area around the river was very beautiful.
There was an Indian Restaurant at the hotel. The view from the windows was very beautiful and they had some very delicious food. I would love to try other kinds of unusual hotels in the future, because I find it interesting to experience new things and try things that I haven't tried before.
Have you ever stayed at an unusual hotel? Where was it and what was it like? If you haven't tried it, would you like to try it or do you prefer a "normal" hotel? What kinds of unusual hotels have you heard about or read about?
1 person likes this
12 responses
@doggydimon (1369)
• Philippines
27 Dec 10
I haven't yet tried to book at an unusual hotel but I would love to. I've heard this ice hotel in Sweden and this undersea resort in Fiji. Beautiful but too expensive... I also wanna stay at a hotel underground in the US and the Adrere Amellal hotel in Egypt. It gives you a unique Arabic experience centuries ago...
1 person likes this
@doggydimon (1369)
• Philippines
28 Dec 10
If I were to choose among the 4 I mentioned, I will visit Adrere Amellal first. :D
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@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
18 Oct 10
My husband and I used to stay in somewhat unusual places when we traveled alone together (bed and breakfasts with "character", creaky & possibly haunted houses, that kind of thing). Now that we have younger kids, we stay at more traditional places, although we do still prefer hotel rooms/suites/timeshares with kitchens, balconies and such rather than standard hotel rooms.
Once the kids get a little older, though, I am hoping we can go to even more unusual "hotels" than we have in the past. High on my list would be a castle in Scotland or Ireland, and the ice hotels I have read about in Scandinavia, where everything--even the beds, I believe--are apparently made out of ice! 
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@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
18 Oct 10
It is also one of my dreams to stay in a castle one day, I haven't had the chance to try that. I have read about those ice hotels and I have seen pictures from some of them, and I wonder what it is like to stay at one of those places, I think it could be an experience to try something that different. Maybe I will get the chance to see one of those in hotels in person one day...
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
16 Oct 10
When I visited Stockholm I stayed at a youth hostel moored ship. That was a nautical kind of stay in that lovely city. In Munich I stayed in the youth hostel castle so that was a delightful experience. I loved staying in a thatched tree house in Belize. I liked staying in beach house with a sand floor in Mexico. I love to try staying somewhere different from the norm. I would love to stay at a light house. I dream of staying in another tree house somewhere else in the world. Now I have a disabled son I tend to want ground floor accommodation because he doesn't walk.
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@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
18 Oct 10
It sounds like you have had the chance to stay at many interesting places. I like Stockholm, too, it is beautiful city. I would like to stay in a castle, I think that could be a nice experience. I have visited many castles in Europe, but I have never had the chance to stay in one. I have never seen a light house hotel, but I have seen pictures of some them. I am sure that is also a different and interesting experience.
@puccagirl (7294)
• Israel
16 Oct 10
That sounds like a very nice hotel indeed, I have heard of these boats, and there are also other things, such as old prisons turned into hotels etc. that you can try. I would love to try some of these hotels, but I am usually pretty bad at finding them unfortunately. How did you heard about this botel?
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@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
16 Oct 10
My husband found it on the internet. We used the site www.hotels.com to find to hotels and when he was looking for a place to stay in Bratislava the botel appeared on the list. When we arrived in Bratislava we saw one more botel, so there are at least a couple of them in that city. You mentioned old prisons that got turned into hotels. My brother once stayed in one of those old prisons. He said that there were still bars in front of the window and that they hadn't changed the rooms that much, but I haven't seen one of those places myself.
@starrose_ara (784)
• Philippines
16 Oct 10
I am not shy about experiencing new things so a not so normal hotel would definitely be on my list provided that they are clean, well ventilated and amenities are as they described in their brochure. A month ago I visited a cousin who stayed for just a few hours in a apartment type/hotel. I was amused by the design that the owner had adopted. The rooms were lit with umbrella like fans covered ceiling lights. They have a miniature moat with a drawbridge under it. They also have a big fountain shaped like a boat. The designs were not centered into one theme if you might call it that but it somehow make me stare for a few minutes the ambiance was relaxing.
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@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
16 Oct 10
That sounds nice and different. It is interesting to see the different designs that the owners have chosen. At the hotel where my husband and I spent our honeymoon the owners had chosen a different decoration for each room. The rooms were called "Japan", "Mexico", "Africa" etc according to their decorations. We stayed in the Indian room and it was very beautiful with huge drawings on the walls and other kinds of decorations.
@keithleenm (51)
• Philippines
16 Oct 10
Me and my friend's stayed in a hotel in East Java, Indonesia they call it "Rumah Hantu" means, haunted house. That was around 10 years ago. It was an old house turned in a hotel. It is creepy, everything there was old, the lights, chandeliers, the stairs, the bath tubs, the doors and as well as the smell and the gloomy feeling and there were black swallows flying around the hotel's roof...just the hotel's roof, they wouldn't go anywhere. We stayed for the night and hoping to feel or see an entity, but we didn't see any. But, its really creepy, it feels like someone is watching you or probably it was just what we felt that time.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
16 Oct 10
I would like to stay at a haunted house if I ever get the chance. You description of "Rumah Hantu" made me curious, and I would like to visit a place like that. I write ghost stories and horror stories and I guess that it would be a great place to find new inspiration. It sounds creepy and interesting at the same time. I don't think that we have that kind of places in my country, at least I have never heard about it, but maybe one day when I get the chance to travel around in other parts of the world.
@bhanusb (5709)
• India
16 Oct 10
Hi Porcospino, really it's a great experience. There are many "botel" like hotels in Dal Lake in Kashmir. It is always enjoyable to experience unusual things. Still I don't get opportunity to stay in a unusual hotel. I like to enjoy abnormal things.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
16 Oct 10
I agree with that. I also find it interesting to experience things that are different or unusual. It was my husband who found this botel on the internet, and when he told me about it, I liked the idea, I thought that it would be a nice experience, and it was. It is not the right choice for people like mother or my brother who don't like sailing, but for me and my husband it was a nice experience. I hope that I will get the chance to stay at other unusual hotels in the future.
@gunagohan (3414)
• India
16 Oct 10
A few months before me and my friends went on a tour and we landed to watch out a few animals in animal conservative or reserve . We went for a trekking later and in the night we asked our room.
They showed us an old looking building and told us, u have to stay here for the night, we were shocked by looking outside, it was very old .
When we went inside and to our surprise it was very beautiful and furnished in excellence and the room was above par in maintenance.
We really enjoyed the light settings .
It was the best stay outdoors .
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@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
16 Oct 10
Your trip sounds interesting. Yes, sometimes we get very surpriced, because there is a huge difference between the outside and the inside of the same building. It must have been a very nice surprice to see the inside of the building where you stayed. Last year I went to Latvia and my husband and I had made a reservation at a hostel in Riga. When we got there the building looked very old and very dark, and we didn't really expect much, but the inside of the hostel was actually beautiful and the rooms were nice, so sometimes we can't trust the initial judgement.
@Suzieqmom (2755)
• United States
18 Oct 10
My husband and I used to stay in somewhat unusual places when we traveled alone together, such as bed and breakfasts "with character" or where famous people had stayed, creaky and possibly haunted houses, and that kind of thing. Now that we have young(er) kids, we stay at more traditional places, although we do still prefer hotels/suites/timeshares with kitchens, balconies and such over standard hotel rooms.
Once the kids get a little older, though, I am hoping we can stay at even more "unusual lodging" than we have in the past. High on my list would be staying at a castle in Ireland or Scotland, and the ice hotels in Scandinavia I have read about, where everything is made out of ice, even, I believe, the beds!
1 person likes this
@jypsyjulia (912)
• United States
16 Oct 10
My friends and I visited Casadaga, FL and we really wanted to stay at this haunted hotel, but unfortunately we ALL had to be 21, not just one of us :/ But yeah, I would like to stay at an unusual hotel. I think that when they're strange, that's what makes them fun! I like hostels more than hotels, personally :)
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
16 Oct 10
It is too bad you didn't get the chance to stay at the haunted hotel, because it sounds like an interesting experience. I hope that I will get the chance to stay at a place like that one day. I have stayed at hostels as well as hotel. Last time I only stayed at hostels, and this time I stayed at hotels. I like both, at the hostels I met a lot of young people from around the world and that was nice.
