Extreme Hotels Pictures
With more than 14 million hotel rooms on the planet, from ice hotels to prison cells, Extreme Hotels explores the most extraordinary and unusual places to spend the night.
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Photo By: Nigel Pavitt
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Solio Lodge
Just a 3-hour drive from Nairobi, Kenya, in the remote valley of Laikipia, is the Solio Lodge. This rhino-breeding African reserve spreads across 45,000 acres of stunning landscape. Kenya is known around the world for its amazing safaris, but at the Solio Lodge, you don't even have to leave your hotel room to get a front-row seat.
Crane Hotel
Located in Harlingen, Netherlands, about an hour drive from the famed red light district in Amsterdam, is the Crane Hotel, built inside — you guessed it — a 150-foot crane. Built in the 1960s, the 65-ton construction crane was originally used for hoisting wood out of ships. Possibly the smallest hotel in the world, the Crane currently has just 1 room.
Groove Cruise
Welcome aboard! Once a year, this portable party, known as the Groove Cruise, sets sail from South Florida for a 3-day rave on the waves. Every January, a new crowd of high-energy dance-music fans hops aboard this Norwegian cruise liner and lets inhibitions go on a round-trip tour from Miami to the Bahamas.
Atlantis
Known for having the largest open-air marine habitat in the world, the Bahamas plays home to the mega-resort Atlantis. From swimming with dolphins to putting the kids to bed and hitting the casino floor, whether you're traveling with family or friends, there is something for everyone at Atlantis.
Mars Desert Research Station
Ever wonder what it would be like to travel to and stay on Mars? Well, then, look no further than the Mars Desert Research Station, a simulated martian habitat in southern Utah. Each pod contains 6 tiny bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining area, a communications center and a research laboratory, all squeezed in to about 1,000 square feet of space.
Palms Hotel Fantasy Tower
Located right in the heart of fabled Sin City and known in some circles as Disneyland for adults, the Palms Hotel Fantasy Tower is a party palace beyond imagination, offering up a variety of over-the-top, high-end suites complete with premium comforts and extras. From bowling alleys to basketball courts to your own private pool, there is nothing this Las Vegas hotel won't do to accommodate its guests.
Hotel Costa Verde
On the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, the lush jungle resort Hotel Costa Verde plays host to more monkeys than people. The hotel is composed of 70 jungle-side rooms with park and ocean views, as well as 3 creatively repurposed airplanes. The most fascinating thing about it? One of the airplanes was a former CIA spy plane that was used to airlift guns and other supplies to Nicaraguan contras during the Cold War.
Elephant Safari Park and Lodge
Located on Bali, Indonesia's gorgeous island getaway, theElephant Safari Park and Lodge is home to 29 endangered Sumatran elephants. Set on 9 forested acres, the park lets human guests stay in the 25 safari-style rooms, while the park's other VIPs … well, they stay just about everywhere else! Not only are the elephants right outside your room, what makes this hotel such an interesting place to stay is that each room has its own private elephant chauffeur service.
Jules Undersea Lodge
Twenty-one feet beneath the ocean's surface in Key Largo, FL, is Jules Undersea Lodge, the world's only underwater hotel. Visitors can explore Key Largo's protected waters and world-famous living coral reef on the way to their rooms. The lodge is filled with compressed air, which keeps the water from rising and flooding the space.
Hotel Kakslauttanen
Hotel Kakslauttanen — and, more specifically, Igloo Village — is the perfect destination for people who want to go nearly to the top of the planet to experience an Arctic wonderland. Made from thermal glass, these futuristic abodes are room temperature inside with modern amenities, as well as comfortable beds and baths. Honestly, where else in the world can you watch the northern lights through the ceiling of your own private glass igloo?
Giraffe Manor
This hotel may look like a normal, quiet place to stay, but when you sit down to breakfast inside its quaint dining room, you're met by some pretty extreme company — 18-foot-tall giraffes. Located in Kenya, Giraffe Manor is known as one of Nairobi's most iconic historical buildings. At the manor, the world's tallest animal is almost always invited inside for a snack, a tradition that attracts guest from all over the world.
The Kempinski
In a climate with temperatures of up to 130 degrees, it's hard to imagine ever being able to strap on your skis and coast down a mountain, right? Wrong. The Kempinski, a 5-star hotel located in Dubai, houses one of the most unique hotel features in the world: a 240,000-square-foot indoor snow park known as Ski Dubai. Set within a massive 25-story dome, Ski Dubai generates about 50,000 pounds of artificial snow daily and is kept at a chilly 23 degrees.