Lion Sands Ivory Lodge, South Africa
Lion Sands Game Reserve is home to 4 unique and different lodges but the most incredible one is certainly the Lion Sands Ivory Lodge. You can here stay at the incredible Kingston Treehouse, an utterly intimate, secure platform under the stars with all the 5-star comfort.
You’ll find here a Deluxe king-sized bed, and twin pull-out beds. The lodge will provide a gourmet picnic basket for dinner and drinks and snacks for midnight feasts and breakfast the following morning. There is a rain shower and solar lighting in the bedroom, bathroom, and along the balustrades.
The animals roam beneath the Kingston treehouse for guaranteed thrills. It doesn’t matter which room you pick, staying at the Ivory Lodge guarantee one of the best wildlife experience you can find, as there are no fences between the houses and the reserve. You don’t have to be lucky to spot the animals as Lion Sands Reserve has one of the highest densities of wildlife per square hectare, offering guests a great opportunity of spotting wildlife regularly.
The Aescher Guesthouse, Switzerland
The stunning Aescher Guesthouse is a hotel lodged in the remote mountainsides of Switzerland, accessible by cable car. Guest rooms and restaurant come with unrivaled views of rolling green hills and ice-topped mountains. It’s a great stop if you’re ever visiting the Alps as you’ll probably be happy to rest from your hike at the cosy Aescher.
To get here, you need to take the cable car from Wasserauen-Ebenalp. It will take about 15 minutes to get to the top and then you’ll have to do a short 15-minute hike to get to the restaurant. If you’d rather drive, public parking is also available.
You’ll probably be hungry after the hike. The Aescher restaurant was named one of the five most interesting restaurants in the world in the Huffington Post and it was also featured in the National Geographic as ‘Destination of a Lifetime’. This incredible hotel is open only from May to 1st November each year. Will you be brave enough to stay in a hotel on the side of a cliff?
Ladera Resort, St. Lucia
Ladera Resort is the ultimate 5-Star luxury stay in perfect harmony with nature. The resort was once part of the Rabot Estate, one of the island’s oldest and most famous cocoa plantation and is one of the few beautiful hotels located in the Heart of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Enjoy the stunning view of the Pitons, two mountainous volcanic plugs classed as a World Heritage Site, standing out the deep blue Caribbean Sea. The resort is eco-friendly and constructed from locally harvested tropical hardwoods, stone and tile. Furniture is made on site by St. Lucian artisans. The resort suites open to a private plunge pool and magnificent views for a really romantic stay. The amenities are designed with your ultimate relaxation in mind, from authentic St.Lucian culinary experiences to indulgent treatments at The Spa at Ladera.
If you’re looking for a mind blowing romantic holiday, the Ladera resort is the place to be. Take advantage of the deals, honeymoon and anniversary packages featured on the Ladera website.
Manta Resort, Zanzibar
Pemba island is a treasured, remote island hideaway where you can experience timeless peace and quiet. You’ll find here the exotic Manta resort, which couldn’t be more secluded and is the perfect place to switch off our noisy and stressful world and enter a new world, fully immersed in nature, with sunshine, fresh air, healthy food and colourful sea-life.
The water surrounding the resort hides the most exquisite untouched coral reefs fringed by white sand on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
The Manta Resort features its own marine observatory, The Underwater Room, a floating residence made of three-levels. The top level (above water) is for daytime lounging, whilst the other levels (below the surface) are for sleeping and observing the colourful marine life at an almost 360-degree view. At night, exterior spotlights will attract reef fish and octopuses for an even more spectacular view of the underwater creatures.
You’ll feel so privileged during your stay from the moment you arrive as you will have your own member of staff assigned to assist you personally.
Shangri-La Hotel Paris, France
Is Paris your dream destination? Make your stay unforgettable by staying at the Shangri La hotel. It’s the only hotel in Paris where you can enjoy a view of the Eiffel Tower from your bathtub!
The Shangri-La displays an amazing spa with swimming pool housed in former stables. Flooded with daylight and featuring a grassy outdoor sunbathing area, it’s spacious and luminous where most Paris pools are small and subterranean. Not convinced yet it’s where you must stay in Paris?
The food at the Shangri La is exceptional. Take your pick between three elegant restaurants including the exceptional two-Michelin-starred L’Abeille and the Shang Palace, one of Paris’s best Chinese restaurants. Staying at the Shangri La is also the opportunity to savour your breakfast from a terrace overlooking the Eiffel Tower. An unforgettable experience. Also don’t miss the best things to do in Paris.
Conrad Maldives, Rangali Island
The Conrad Maldives occupies two islands, Rangali and Rangalifinolhu, joined by a 500-metre wooden footbridge over the crystal-clear waters of the Indian Ocean. The resort is located a 30-minute seaplane flight from the capital Mal’.
This resort is the place to relax and forget about the outside world. You don’t really need to leave the island as there is here an impressive number of amenities: 11 restaurants, 4 bars and 2 spas. Each villa leads directly to a perfect white-sand beach surrounded by turquoise waters. And if one day you don’t want to leave your room, a chef can come to you and cook on your private terrace. How is that for a romantic diner?
Fancy diner under the sea? The resort has it covered with its underwater restaurant, the Ithaa Undersea (5 meters under the sea), where you can enjoy the fine and exotic local cuisine and admire colourful fish and shark swimming on your side.
Hanging Gardens Of Bali, Ubud
The Hanging Gardens of Bali features one of the best hotels swimming pools in the world. Designed by a specialist architect, the striking formation is suspended over the dense rainforest, giving swimmers the unique sensation of floating above the treetops. It is one of the most photographed pools and has the unique distinction of being named ‘Number one honeymoon destination in Bali’ by Cond’ Nast Traveler.
At the Hanging Gardens of Bali, you can choose from 44 amazing private villas in the heart of the Balinese tropical jungle, each enhanced by its own granite infinity pool, rippling into the vegetation below. This award winning resort is located between Ayung River and ancient Dalem Segara temple and stands on the edge of a stunning valley, surrounded by a picturesque rain forest.
The resort luxurious Spa combines natural, local ingredients and ancient techniques to create beauty therapies and treatments that soothe the mind and rejuvenate the body.
Also Read: 10 Incredible Reasons To Visit Bali
Montana Magica Lodge, Chile
This unique cone shaped hotel looks like straight out of the enchanting world of Merlin the wizard. The Montana Magica Lodge is hidden away in the middle of a private nature reserve in southern Chile.
The hotel looks like a strange moss volcano spewing water instead of lava. It’s probably the kind of place where Elves like to live. Staying here is basically a full immersion amongst 232 square miles of living-breathing rainforest. If you’re lucky you might be able to spot some unusual animals like the Pudu dear, the world’s smallest deer measuring 1 foot tall.
It’s probably hard to find a better place to disconnect from the world. After a long trek in the jungle, relax in a hot tub carved in a gigantic tree trunk and listen to the calming sound of the nearby waterfalls cascading down the side of the building.
Jukkasjarvi Ice Hotel, Sweden
The Ice Hotel located in the village of Jukkasj’rvi, northern Sweden, is an unbelievable hotel made of ice where you can stay between December and early Spring. It’s a seasonal hotel rebuilt each year in December. It’s a surreal sight and you’ll really feel like you’ve stepped in an other world. A beautiful cold and frozen world.
The entire hotel is made of snow and ice blocks from the Torne river and features a bar, a church, a main hall, a reception area, and about 100 rooms for guests. Sleeping in one of the hotel’s ice rooms, kept at -5 degrees day and night, is most likely something you won’t ever forget.
What to do around? Guided Northern Lights tours, ice sculpting, ice fishing, husky sleighing, moose watching or a snowmobile safari. The Ice Hotel should be on any adventurer travel bucket list. Make sure to book your stay up to a year in advance as it’s hard to get a room.
Giraffe Manor, Kenya
Located near Nirobi, the Giraffe Manor is a unique hotel with twelve luxury rooms which are all en-suite, filled with antique furniture and tastefully decorated with gorgeous pieces of art.
The manor is home to a variety of animal life including Bushbuck (a specie of antelope), Dik Diks (small antelope) and Warthogs, plus some 180 species of birds. Its also home to giraffe residents, endangered Rothschild species that can only be found in East Africa.
From 1974, Giraffe Manor was the home of Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville, whose lifelong ambition became the preservation of this beautiful and threatened species.
At this successful breeding centre you can observe, hand-feed or even kiss the giraffes from a raised circular wooden structure, and it is a remarkable and unique experience. Some Giraffe might put their heads through the windows at breakfast, making it an unforgettable memory as they are always keen to be hand fed!
Laucala Island Resort, Fiji
Laucala Island Resort is a secluded, luxurious resort. Set upon 3,500 exclusive acres the resort is set amidst awe natural beauty made of coconut plantations, sandy beaches and green mountains. The resort’s villas are widely spread on the northern tip of the island and you’ll certainly appreciate their privacy.
The resort prides itself on an integral philosophy, incorporating elements of the entire island into each guest’s experience, and offering products and ingredients raised and grown on the island. The food menu is based on the freshest products whether you choose to dine in your villa or to visit one of Laucala’s five restaurants and bars.
You can easily spend 10 days busy days here. You can either swim, fish, dive in a unique underwater world, trek the nearby rain forest, learn to ride a horse, surf, golf on the 18-hole championship course, or meet local artists. The pools at Laucala are sensational, one is glass edged, allowing swimmers to see the beautiful surroundings from underwater, for a very special experience.
Also Read: 20 Most Beautiful Islands in the World
Juvet Landscape Resort, Norway
Juvet Landscape Hotel is a boutique hotel immersed in the spectacular nature of West Norway. It’s the first landscape hotel in Europe located in Valldal.
Essence of a harmonious union of nature and modern design, the hotel’s award-winning minimalist architecture does not distract from the landscape natural scenery, combination of raw Norwegian nature and cultural history. A true adventurer’s paradise beautiful all year round.
In a nutshell, Juvet is entirely designed to unwind. The hotel consists of nine detached rooms sited separately. Every Landscape room has one or two walls entirely built in glass, each of them leading on its own exclusive view of the rugged landscape (the rooms are designed to be very private despite the glass walls).
Once here, there is plenty to explore in the area, and there are hidden gems right on your doorstep when you’re staying here. From water activities, to skiing, hiking or sightseeing the Fjord.
Jumbo Stay, Sweden
Ever dreamt of sleeping on a plane, in an actual bed? It’s possible in one of the coolest hostels in the world. Spend the night in a real, converted Boeing 747’212B jumbo jet, on the ground! You can find the plane at the entrance to Stockholm airport.
This plane is a used out jumbo jet model from 1976, that was completely refitted and converted into a hostel comprising 33 rooms with 76 beds in total. The coolest room is located in the pilot’s cabin. From there you can get a panoramic view of the airport. If you don’t fancy staying the night but would like to take a look inside, you’re welcome to pop in the plane’s cafe where you can purchase breakfast, coffee, cookies, ice cream, sandwiches and warm meals.
Summer 2008 the plane was towed to its final destination at the entrance to Arlanda’s airport where it was placed on a concrete foundation with the landing gear secured in two steel cradles. You can’t miss it when going to Arlanda’s airport!
Bambu Indah, Bali
Bambu Indah is a luxurious, sustainable hotel featuring innovative, bespoke and secluded wooden suites for a truly unique experience. Bambu Indah is for travelers from around the world looking for an authentic Balinese stay while enjoying the luxury of a natural environment and service of an intimate hotel.
Secluded in the surrounding jungle, the most extraordinary suite of the hotel is perhaps the Udang house (Shrimp house) which provides one of the most unique hotel experiences you may come across. This incredible glass bottom suite is located above an actual shrimp pond. The suite has tempered glass floor panels for an underwater panorama of crustaceans and ship swimming in the pond below. Authentic shrimp baskets have been converted into lamps for an immersive fishing village experience.
For the moments when you’re not getting lost in the shrimp pond splendor, step outside onto the private terrace to an orchestra of frogs and crickets. This is the perfect suite to book if you’re looking for cozy, lazy afternoon sun-bathing on the terrace, completely apart from the rest of the world.
Attrap’ R’ves, Allauch, France
Immerse yourself in nature at Attrap’ R’ves (dream catcher in English), where guests sleep in fully-furnished glass pods that make you feel like you’re sleeping outdoors.
These amazing bubble-dwellings allow you the unparalleled experience of slumbering beneath the stars and still being able to see the little twinkles whenever you open your eyes. All bubbles are a short walk away from the hotel’s main building where you can peer through telescopes, eat food and relax in the Jacuzzi.
Bubbles are kept constantly inflated by a silent blower which also recycles the air inside. You can find inside a king-size bed, reading lamp, tables and chairs. Even though you are out in nature, each bubble has electricity and a bathroom with running water. Choose from transparent or tinted types of bubble depending on how much privacy you want.
Mihir Garh Palace, India
The immense Mihir Garh hotel, near Jodhpur in India, was built to look like a sandcastle and was named the ‘most extraordinary place to stay in 2014’ by Lonely Planet.
The fort stands as a magnificent structure in the vast expanse of the Thar Desert and is an architectural marvel that takes inspiration from the rural village of Rajasthan. The tall mud walls with rounded corners and beautifully placed fireplaces are a reminder of Rajasthan’s glorious history and represent the culture, royal charm and royalty of the state.
The fort also holds nine magnificent suites. Each one is 1700 square feet of pure luxury with private Jacuzzi’s or plunge pools. Numerous alcoves, lounges and common areas commanding a spectacular view have been designed so you can admire the magnificent desert view in peace from the castle. The awe Thar desert landscape will make you want to come back here again and again.
Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, Finland
The Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort is located in the remote wilderness of Finland and directly beneath the Northern Lights. It is one of the most beautiful regions to visit in Lapland.
The resort is famed for its glass igloos that provide perfect views of the green-lit skies. The igloos cabins are very comfortable and the larger versions even have kitchenettes for longer visits (igloo occupancy is rarely for more than a night at a time). Facilities are dispersed and it’s a 10-minute stroll or push-sled trip to the restaurant from some of the farthest-flung cabins in the newer West Village. Spa and massage services are available and the resort features the world’s biggest smoke sauna accommodating up to 100 bathers at once.
Since it does need to be dark in order to see the Northern Lights in the sky, late August/September to the beginning of April is the best time to go to the resort for a chance to see the fascinating Northern Lights.
Also Read: 20 Magical Winter Destinations That You Need To See
Sala Silvermine Hotel Suite, Sweden
Would you sleep 155 metres underground one of the world’s best preserved mine? Sala definitely looks like the mines of Moria in Lord of the Ring and you’ll probably need to take a deep breath before spending the night here.
Sala used to be the largest and most important silver mine in the country. However, the precious silver had run out by the twentieth century, leaving behind the dark, empty tunnels and the cold and humid excavated chambers. Today the mine is a cool travel spot with guided tours, concerts, and an unlikely subterranean luxury hotel suite.
The dark and obscure suite is furnished with a luxurious double bed, champagne and silver furnishings. While the temperature of the surrounding tunnels is pretty humid and cold, the hotel room sits in a warm pocket of air that keeps it at a comfortable 18’C. This is the perfect place for a digital detox as there is no cell phone service that deep underground.
There are plenty of adventures to be had around the place. You can do historical tours, a high-wire assault course, go whizzing on a zip wire and explore the subterranean world of the silver mine through a number of different tracks. Sala is home to the finest cave-diving in the world. Down here, under the water, there is no current and the environment has been untouched by oxygen and light for a magical world of labyrinthine tunnels and plunge-pools.
Wanderlust Hotel, Singapore
Combining a sense of artistic whimsy with cutting-edge design, the Wanderlust in Singapore’s Little India was created for adventurous travelers. Very innovative and well designed, the lobby has a glam industrial vibe.
Upstairs, the 29 guest-rooms run the gamut from vivid candy colours and arty black-and-white minimalism to one-of-a-kind duplex apartments.
Set in a historic 1920s building, the beautiful Art-Nouveau mosaic on the Wanderlust’s facade hints at the patchwork of 21st-century design it now houses. The hotel’s modern bistro Audace, has proved to be an instant hit with the locals. With eye-popping design and friendly service, Wanderlust is like a playgrounds for grown-ups.
The hotel is located minutes away from the bustling city center, they have flexible cancellation policies and they offer long stay packages when you book direct through them.
Mirrorcube Tree House Hotel, Sweden
For the ultimate private retreat, visit the exciting Mirrorcube, a unique Swedish treehouse hotel hidden deep in the forest, camouflaged’by mirrored walls which reflect its surrounding.
Approach the remote Mirrorcube hotel along a narrow gravel path through a glade of birch trees, cross a swaying 12-meter wooden rope bridge and enter your room through a near-invisible door. The mirrored room measures 4x4x4 meters and features a double bed, lounge, heated floorboards and rooftop terrace which you can reach by ladder. Six large windows inside the room provide stunning panoramic views. The hidden room also features a private balcony that allows you to go outside the box without being seen.
You might be tempted to completely hibernate in this private abode, listening to the passing rain shower pattering on your roof, leaving only to pad over to the wood-fired sauna… But there are also lush boreal forests to trek through, husky-drawn sleds to ride, rustic Nordic cuisine to be sampled, and quite possibly the Northern Lights to be peeked at, so don’t get too cosy.
Also Read: The World’s Coolest Treehouse Hotels