After 25 countries we’ve had our fair share of bizarre beds, different dwellings and quirky accommodation. So much so, we’ve narrowed it down to our top picks of quirky accommodation from around the world to inspire you curious lot, and hopefully help you book the weird and the wonderful whilst making unforgettable memories!
JUNGLE HUT ON THE BIG ISLAND, HAWAII
Starting with one of our absolute favourites – this was an Airbnb gem that nearly killed us, in a good way. Firstly, accommodation on the Big Island was *shocker* incredibly expensive, especially for our modest budget as we were backpacking Hawaii. So when we found this wooden glamping hut on a remote farm, minutes from the beach surrounded by wildlife, we could not believe our luck. When we arrived our host was Hawaii in human form – sleeping in a converted retro school bus – she showed us around.
The shower was outside, there was a communal kitchen with a hammock and the grand finale was our hut complete with mezzanine bed and 4 geckos. Yes, lizards. We could hear them in our sleep, talked to them in the morning and Darren swore he swallowed one on night 3.
After only 3 months backpacking, we knew if we survived the shower (complete with toad) and bed with cheeky lizard guests we could survive anything. Until one night after a bottle of wine, we were introduced to fire dancing. Needless to say it was an unforgettable experience that we would relive (and re-book) again in a heartbeat! If you are looking for unique stays then definitely embrace Airbnb, the hosts you will meet and experiences they will introduce you to are far more exciting than an ordinary hotel ever will.
BELL TENT IN BRIGHTON, UK
21 music festivals later we’re quite the pros at camping check as you maybe know if you have read our Belladrum Guide and Benicassim Guide, however this bell tent in Brighton (also through Airbnb) has taught us what camping can actually be like. Cue a fire pit outside, wood burning stove inside and fairy lights twinkling upon our rather drunken arrival (after a night out in Brighton.) It was one of the most unique stays we’ve ever experienced.
The word “tent” is a tad deceiving as there was a proper double bed with mattress, electricity and it was freakishly warm despite camping in October. The host even picked us up from the train station and the surrounding grounds were an orchard where the apples were turned into craft cider. If you’re looking for quirky accommodation, add bell tents to your bucket list ASAP.
Have a look at the listing here.
BATH IN OUR BEDROOM, BERLIN
Berlin is famous for many things and I’m sure quirky accommodation is one of them. It was also surprisingly one of the most romantic cities in Europe we’ve ever been to. Despite our budget and thinking we were booking an ordinary hotel room, our accommodation in Berlin turned out to be one of the most unique stays in a city we’ve ever had, for one simple reason, the bathtub.
It was literally next to the bed. You could physically roll from bed to bubble bath in a matter of seconds. Of course it ticked all the other boxes too – great location, friendly staff blah blah but yeah, bathtub in the bedroom is always going to be a winner. If you want to take a look for yourself then try here to check prices for Hotel Q! Berlin.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, LAS VEGAS
Booking quirky accommodation in Vegas is all part of the fun and to be honest, it’s hard to book accommodation that isn’t a tad ridiculous. We opted for the New York, New York hotel. You can check it out here! Slap bang on the strip and was exactly what it said on the tin – a baby New York. There was a statue of liberty and a roller coaster on the roof. Casual. Vegas itself is an adult’s Disneyland – we drank cocktails in Venice and placed bets in Paris. All were themed hotels, making it the ultimate destination for unique stays that will be hard to forget. Unless you abuse the free vodka jelly-shots in which case, pretty easy to forget.
TREE HOUSE IN OGENS, SWITZERLAND
If you hadn’t already guessed we’re quite into this glamping shenanigans but our stay in a luxury tree house in Switzerland was unforgettable for numerous other reasons. We were staying with a local family in Switzerland thanks to Workaway. This meant in return for helping to clean these amazing abodes we were rewarded with all food and accommodation.
If you’re looking for quirky places to stay with a hot tub then this delightful glamping site will not disappoint. Not only is there a hot tub and sauna but breakfast is brought to you by basket every morning and traditional Swiss fondue can be delivered to your tree house every evening. It was genuinely a dream come true to stay here. Surrounded by the stunning Swiss countryside in Autumn, the kindest hosts and unforgettable food. It is unique accommodation on steroids (well, stilts) and we loved every minute. If you would like to book one of these beauties then have a look at Les Cabanes De Marie.
ROOFTOP HOT TUB IN ICELAND
Like most things in Iceland, accommodation is also expensive. You literally need a mortgage to afford a weekend away. Yet again however, Airbnb produced the goods and we found the perfect quirky accommodation for our birthday weekend in Reykjavik.
Although it was the pink Smeg fridge that initially caught our attention. The affordable price and the hot tub on the roof was the icing on the cake. After all day at the Blue Lagoon, then a night of partying in Reykjavik we braved the cold, chucked on our swimwear and celebrated the rest of our birthdays under the stars.
We could not imagine a better place to watch the Northern Lights even if we only lasted only 25 minutes due to the snow! If you are looking for quirky accommodation with a hot tub, or just accommodation in Iceland that won’t require a mortgage this is your place!
Have a look at the listing here.
CAMPERVAN IN NEW ZEALAND
We couldn’t put together our top picks of quirky accommodation recommendations without mentioning wee Cathy. Cathy was our campervan that chugged, rolled and toured her way round New Zealand – all 4000 miles of it. We woke up on beaches, picked up hitch hikers and put James Corden to shame with our carpool Karaokes.
One of the most unique stays we can ever recommend is waking up in a campervan and taking that first peek out the back window at today’s sunrise. It’s the best feeling in the world. The freedom of waking up, driving to a completely new destination and having no idea where you’ll sleep that night. It’s freedom on another level. Road-trips are not for everyone but even if you can hire a campervan and drive it for a weekend, we swear you will fall in love and if you get the opportunity to explore New Zealand in a campervan, you won’t regret a single second of it!
BEACHFRONT BURES, FIJI
Our backpacking Fiji trip was plagued with disaster – our initial flight was delayed by over 5 hours and we arrived slap bang in the middle of Cyclone Gita. Although Cyclones are not fun for anyone involved they do turn a pretty much ruined trip into one of the most unique stays we’ve ever had. Due to the terrible weather, the guests at our resort in Fiji had left early.
This meant when we arrived those three people you see on the beach (housekeeper, chef and waitress) were the only other people in our entire resort. The traditional accommodation in Fiji is beach bures which are essentially huts on the beach – minimal electricity, definitely no WiFi yet the most tranquil, unforgettable stays we’ve ever had.
In total we stayed in 4 bures in 4 islands– with Botaira being our absolute favourite. Partly because we were the only people there, partly because the staff were the friendliest people we have ever met. The chef took us snorkelling, the house keeper took us to the local village to meet his family and we all had a wee karaoke session with a guitar after a vino or two.
If you’re looking for quirky accommodation, you can’t book a cyclone but it’s definitely a lesson in finding a silver lining and all that jazz. Although initially, we thought our dream trip had turned into a nightmare, looking back it was the best experience we’ve had… yet
COTTAGE WITH OUTDOOR BATH TUB, NEW ZEALAND
We started with one of our favourite unique stays and will end that way too. After travelling New Zealand in a campervan for 5 weeks, our birthdays were coming up. Yes birthdays (Loz’s is the 24th of March, Daz the 26th) so we usually have a joint birthday party. This year, away from our families and with a lil spare cash we decided to spoil ourselves.
What began as a “treat yo’self” last minute decision, turned out to be an unforgettable weekend which we cannot recommend enough. Although we love quirky places to stay with a hot tub, an outdoor bath tub is even better. As we sipped Prosecco in our party hats in the sunshine we couldn’t imagine a better birthday. That was until the owner informed us the property sits on a private river which leads to the sea and we had free use of their kayaks. Cue a birthday kayaking adventure before a candle lit bath under the stars. You can check out Takou River lodge here.
I absolutely love finding unique places to stay like this! All look amazing but I definitely have my eye on those tree houses now!
Loved going through this list. Campervan in New Zealand, and tree house in Switzerland is my favourite.
To be honest, they were probably our favourite too 🙂
I love this! We are always on the lookout for unique places to stay and have stayed in some amazing ones over the years! Thanks for this!
It’s so much more fun than you’re average hotel…we never stop searching for unique stays!
Kind of quirky, but really cool ones too. The first in Hawaii looks great to me and I heard of the hotel in Berlin with the bathtub next to the bed. I know someone who copied the concept at his home after staying in this hotel
Haha so funny!! I don’t blame him, I’d love a bath tub in my bedroom too!!
These look so cool. Think the outside bathtub in New Zealand is my favourite.
I love the sound of these places! Especially the hot tub in Iceland, we did something similar in Finland. Great post and photos. x
Would love to visit Finland – my sister stayed there for a while, but we never had the chance to squeeze in a visit..next on the bucket list!
Wow! You have really found some unique places to stay around the world. I don’t know what’s more unique – having a bathtub next to the bed or to outside – but now I want to try them both.
Ha ha we should maybe have named it, “unique bath tubs around the world” – on the roof, outside, next to the bed…you name it, funky bath tub we’ll book it!!
These kind of travel posts give me the most wanderlust! I love how unique these all are! One time I stayed in a yurt for a glamping trip in Switzerland and it was awesome. I would TOTALLY travel somewhere just for a quirky accommodation!
These are all such unique stays! I’m so jealous btw haha. I think my favorite was the Brighton tent and the bathtub room in Germany. So quirky!?
If you ever get the chance to visit Brighton, do it!! Such a vibrant city….the bell tent was just the icing on the cake 😉
Great ideas for future travels! I love to stay in such unique places!
Great post I love finding quirky places to visit, although I do feel for you having a cyclone hit you in Fiji, the bonus you got the resort to yourself. I am also so desperate to see the Northern Lights I am going to have to book myself a trip to Iceland plus I can visit the lakes that way, but I blame you haha.
I guess every rain cloud has a silver lining…a disastrous trip turned out to be the most memorable! We are spoiled that we see the Northern Lights in Scotland quite often…but far more exciting from a hot tub in Iceland!
Those are some crazy stays! I love Airbnb for just that reason…although our Big Island host def did not introduce us to the whole fire thing you mentioned. And next trip to NZ, we will for sure be looking into the camper vans.
It’s definitely the best way to see New Zealand as there are so many beautiful spots to park up for the night! Amazing you’ve been to the Big Island too, where about did you stay?
Hahaha, love the bath outside, super cozy. The tree house looks like it would be right up my alley. So unique! Thanks for sharing!
The tree house was like staying in a fairy tale!
I love how you seem to focus on 1) glamping and 2) unique bath/hot tub situations – I love both! The treehouses would definitely my favourite – would love to try those!
We realised that after we put this post together…absolute suckers for cool bath tubs haha!!
These look AMAZING! I’m always looking for places to stay with personality so my lodging becomes part of the adventure.
These look AMAZING! I’m always looking for places to stay with personality so my lodging becomes part of the adventure.
These are all soooo cool! I love weird accommodation but I haven’t actually stayed in many! Need to up my game. ?
Thanks so much! We’re obsessed with waking up in weird & wonderful places, so much more fun than a boring hotel haha!
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