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Saved from abandonment on Antwerp’s docks, this collection of shipping containers has been revamped and artfully furnished for a new life as a roaming hotel. The four-room pop-up container village boasts everything you’d find in a traditional guesthouse – a comfy bed with luxury linen, air-conditioning, iPod docking station and a bathroom complete with a rain shower – all squeezed into a 20-metre box.
There’s a separate lounge container for breakfast in the morning and a glass of red before you slip off to bed, and plans for a sauna are hot in the works. So far the hotel has graced the city’s riverfront and partnered with a pop-up restaurant called Glow, but its future destinations are at the behest of public votes.
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Where to rest your head at night
La Balade des Gnomes
Be swept up in your own magical fairytale at this Hobbit-meets-Game of Thrones-meets-Star Trek oddball. At La Balade Des Gnomes (the Walk of Gnomes) you can throw yourself into the narrative of your choice in one of 10 peculiar handcrafted rooms. Each is made from natural materials – think mud, lime and straw – and sculpted into an otherworldly masterpiece.
Nab the Trojan Horse suite, complete with a drawbridge entrance and built within (you guessed it) a giant wooden horse, bunk down in the troll’s lair – with running stream and goldfish – or beam yourself up into a spaceship odyssey. One of the rooms even has a mermaid to keep you company.
CasAnus
Add a little quirk to your holiday album and squeeze in a night in a colossal colon at CasAnus. Reminiscent of an oversized slug, this distal digestive tract is plonked on an island in the 30-acre Verbeke Foundation Sculpture Park. Windows illuminate the anatomically correct intestine, while the puckered rear boasts a porthole view.
The bowels of the polyester apartment house a double bed, shower and toilet, as well as a heater to keep you toasty warm. If you’re feeling social, the onsite bar-cum-cafe is full of art lovers looking for a gasbag. While other accommodation options might give you the arse, we’ve got a great gut feeling about this place.
Wiesergut
This alpine hideaway blends traditional Austrian charm with minimalist design – think untreated wood, natural stone, exposed concrete and vast panes of glass. Located two hours outside of Salzburg, owners Sepp and Martina Kröll have transformed what was Sepp’s great-grandmother’s guest house into a chic mountainside retreat.
Tumble from the huge, freestanding tub to a cozy spot by the fire then into bed, without ever losing sight of the mountains outside. Devour a book under the warm glow of hand-blown glass chandeliers or share a glass of wine in the hot tub on the terrace (if you’re in one of the garden suites). The restaurant has several intimate dining areas and much of the produce – meat, eggs, herbs and vegetables – is grown on the hotel’s farm, which will come as a deserved reward after a day of biking, hiking or skiing in the mountains.
Tanja Lagoon Camp
Set on the edge of a coastal lagoon on the doorstep of Mimosa Rocks National Park, just north of Tathra on the New South Wales coast, Tanja Lagoon Camp offers offers accommodation integrated with nature. Formerly a dairy farm and saw mill, the property is undergoing a transformation as the owners return the land to its original state. The three safari tents have private bathrooms, queen-size beds, writing desks and timber decks built with locally milled wood.
Kangaroos graze on the grass, spoonbills lurk about the dam and there is plenty of other wildlife to keep guests entertained. During the day, you can relax and watch the rosellas from your deck or take a canoe out across the water. More active visitors can hike along the edge of the lagoon to Middle Beach’s surf breaks to spot migrating whales.
Belle Tout Lighthouse
Perched atop Britain’s highest chalk sea cliffs, Belle Tout Lighthouse occupies a commanding position 160 metres above the English Channel. Leave your vertigo on the doorstep and ascend the tower for a night in the original lighthouse-keeper’s loft.
The quirky, round, brick-walled room features a fireplace and loft double bed, or you can opt for one of the more luxurious downstairs rooms, with sweeping ocean vistas. Hang out in the lantern-room lounge and enjoy 360-degree views so breathtaking you’ll choke on your gin and tonic. The lighthouse is decommissioned, so you’re guaranteed a good night’s sleep.
Casapueblo
When artist Carlos Páez Vilaró found a wooden shack on the beach at Punta Ballena, near Maldonado, he decided it was where he would work. Inspired by the architecture of Santorini, he added some rooms to the original structure then kept on building – for 36 years.
Now, the massive and distinctively quirky hotel – which deliberately features a total of zero straight lines – consists of 72 apartments across 13 floors, all of which have terraces overlooking the ocean. There’s also a studio and museum showcasing the work of Vilaró, who died in 2014.
Michelberger Hotel
Set in a former factory in the trendy Friedrichshain district, the Michelberger Hotel embodies Berlin’s eccentric personality. Quirky objects unearthed in the city decorate the interior, hand-built furniture features in suites and there are even graphic designers holed up in room 132 working their creative magic.
Voyeurs will love the Cosy rooms with showers overlooking the bed, but if the thought of bathing with your loved one looking on sets your skin crawling, opt for a Loft instead. Feed your inner nerd within the book-lined walls of the The Clever One pad or chill in the hotel’s library. There’s free wi-fi, a DJ in the courtyard and live music at the bar.
Almonds and Corals Hotel
Considered one of the most stunning spots in Costa Rica, Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge boasts more allure than just powder-white sand. On one side of its beaches you’ll find wetlands and lush rainforest, while the other side borders the Caribbean Sea, with its thriving coral reefs, manatees and dolphins. Scattered through the forest are 24 tents raised on wooden platforms. Walkways wind through the trees – look for howler monkeys, sloths and tapirs – and lead down to the beach.
During the day, book a massage at the Jungle Spa Pavilion or choose from a range of excursions offered nearby, including horse riding, canopy zip-lining, kayaking and diving. If the company of nature isn’t entertaining enough, you can relax in your personal hammock and hot tub.
Tree House Lodge
Experience pura vida (the happy life) Swiss Family Robinson-style when you visit the villas of Tree House Lodge, set in a lush jungle with the Caribbean at your doorstep. The super eco-friendly guesthouses were built using recycled materials (the wood is sourced only from fallen trees), and are solar powered.
Check out the Beach Suite, decked out with a massive bathroom that’s a psychedelic mix between a space pod and a seashell. Spend your days snorkelling and practising yoga on the beach, or hang out in a hammock with monkeys and sloths perched nearby.
