Crazy Hotels

It all started with a troll. When Bettina Kowalewski was looking for accommodation in Australia a few years ago, a friend recommended her to the "Cave House" in Victoria. There you could sleep in an underground stalactite cave, the entrance of the hotel was designed in the form of a troll sloth. Bettina Kowalewski was thrilled - and wanted more of it. "I quickly realized that finding such outlandish hotels is not so easy." The travel journalist decided to publish her collection in a book. For a year she rummaged through travel sites and Internet forums, she traveled from the north of Finland to the south of New Zealand, took countless photos and interviews. Your effort was worth it. "In each case, I found more on the ground than I had dared to hope: more loving details, more touching stories, more lasting impressions."

B. Kowalewski, Crazy Hotels, 192 p., 19.90 euros, C. Brandstätter Verlag

Kowalewski was particularly fascinated by the owners of the crazy hotels. "Courageous people, full of idealism and verve", who do their utmost to give their guests an unforgettable experience. Anyone who has visited a crazy hotel quickly realizes that sleeping is not just about sleeping. "The special environment shapes the dreams, you immerse yourself in your environment in a different way, you become a part of it," says the author.

Whether ice hotel or tree house, rescue capsule or circus wagon - Kowalewski made sure that there was something for every taste and every budget. "I left out ridiculously expensive hotels." Only the Sunset Villas in the Maldives, which cost over 2000 euros per night and allow visitors fascinating views of the underwater world, they simply had to include in the collection. "It was too impressive." And you also have to be able to dream of something.

Capsule Hotel in The Hague / Holland

Once the orange capsules served the workers of the Norwegian oil rig "Ekofisk" as a lifeboat - Today Den Haag visitors can spend unforgettable nights there. The Dutchman Denis Oudendijk kept the capsules in front of the junkyard and turned them into floating hostels. With a diameter of 4.25 meters, hammocks, water from the canister and chemical toilet, the >> Capsulehotel is certainly not a luxury suite - but, as Kowalewski says, "authentic, playful and inspiring". (Overnight with Survival breakfast box from 70 Euro for two persons)

Propeller Island City Lodge, Berlin

It is by far the most eccentric hotel in Berlin: Each room at the >> Propeller Island City Lodge is a unique piece of art. Colorful fairytale castles, spooky tombs, graphic patterns, mirrored cabinets, rubber walls, upholstered furniture, beds that spin - operator Lars Stroschen sends his guests on a fantastic journey of discovery. (Double room from 65 Euro)

Les Roulottes in Ouroux, Rhône-Alpes, France

Life in a circus car - who has not dreamed of it? In Ouroux, an idyllic area in Rhone-Alpes, romantics can fulfill this dream. The French couple Pascak and Pascaline Patin >> transformed three old circus wagons into stationary guesthouses and affectionately decorated them with oriental furniture and finds. For Bettina Kowalewski "a perfect symbiosis of Asian spirituality and French laisser-faire". (Overnight stay for two persons with breakfast from 47 Euro)

Pension Kamerichs in Bad Laasphe, North Rhine-Westphalia

Not in the cornfield, but on a green meadow is the bed the >> Pension Kamerichs in Bad Laasphe. The owner Marie-Luise Kamerichs gave the idea to a guest who wanted to sleep in the open air a few years ago. He was so excited that the open-air room became a permanent fixture. (Bed and breakfast 33 Euro per person)

Plane Hotel in Waitomo, New Zealand

Two holiday apartments can be found in the huge planeNestled among the green hills of the >> Woodlyn Park in northern New Zealand. There is a kitchen, a shower and from the bed you can look directly at the cockpit, where in the 40's pilots flew their cargo through half the world. "A machine paradise, as little boys dream," says the hotel tester. (Apartment from 75 Euro / night)

Sunset Villas on Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, Maldives

Ever flirted with a ray at breakfast? Such unusual views are offered by the luxurious >> Sunset Villas in the Maldives. By seaplane, guests arrive at modernly equipped 5-star huts standing on stilts in the water. There is also a TV, but it is much more exciting to observe the marine fauna through the glassy floor of the lodge. (Sunset Villa for two persons from 2050 Euro per night)

Even more weird hotels

15 Most Unusual Hotels In The World (May 2024).