Places-to-stay that blow the mind: my most exotic/memorable/unusual overnight stays – ever!

Hi folks!

Krasnoyarsk Krai industrial-site tour series of posts: done.

Coming up – my Altai summer vacation series of posts…

But in-between – here’s a long post that’s kept being put on the back-burner for this (perhaps its length) or that (I’m always so busy?!) reason, the title to which is introductorily self-explanatory.

First – a fuller explanation…

While waiting for our luggage at La Paz Airport (Bolivia) at the end of our January (2025) trip around Latin America, one of my fellow travelers suggested I share my experiences of the most unusual hotels and lodgings I’ve stayed overnight in. And yes – “lodgings” (mesta obitaniya in Russian) is often the right word here, for many of the places I’ve stayed overnight can hardly be called hotels: some rather strange and hard-to-reach spots simply defy traditional categorization.

And I thought – what a great idea! Although I’ve long lost track of quite how many such (unusual, etc.) lodgings I’ve stayed at down the years, memory vividly brings back the ones that are impossible to forget – for all kinds of reasons: unusual decor, stunning surroundings, remoteness, etc. But if the old memory does need a helping hand – handily, I’ve been taking notes on my overnight stays on my blog – since… let me see now… yes – since 2010!…

I’ll immediately set aside for now such overnight stays as those in Japanese onsens and African lodges, and at camping-glamping sites and guest houses in mountains, forests, and tundra. Historically interesting hotels and tropical paradises are also out (also for now) – even though some of those can be quite extraordinary too. Why? Well, such categories are indeed unusual for visitors to such places/lodgings, but they’re abundant enough to be interesting only as a “type of tourist accommodation” rather than in terms of uniqueness or memorability.

Anyway, enough chit-chat – time for some pretty intro-pics. This one’s from Singapore – the view from one of the many hotels I’ve stayed at overlooking Marina Bay ->

Tropics…

…And a colonial-style house on an island in the Caribbean ->

So, where should I begin? Let’s start with full-fledged “hotels”: the most unusual and memorable ones I’ve stayed at. And we’ll begin with the very first, exceptionally unusual accommodation I ever experienced, which was quite a while ago…

1. Hotel Puerta America (Madrid).

The perfect place for an unforgettable stay in Spain’s capital. The reason? Mind-blowing interior design. Each floor (including the parking lot!) was designed by a different architect (including some quite famous ones), and it seems the brief was simply “let your imagination run wild”.

Since I stayed at this hotel in the early 2000s – back when I didn’t carry a camera around with me (rookie mistake) and didn’t blog at all (“what’s a blog?”!), all photos here are borrowed from this website.

The whole of each floor (all of it – elevator lobbies, hallways, rooms) has a unique, consistent design. For example, here’s how the elevator lobbies look on different floors:

And on the same floor as the red-themed elevator zone, logically – here’s a room:

When you check in, reception asks, “Is this your first time at the hotel?” Clearly first-timers get assigned the more “entry-level”-design floors :). Like the “white floor” ->

I stayed on the “angled metal” floor. It was especially weird rolling my suitcase over the jagged, uneven floor of the hallway:

Here’s the black-and-white décor of the “Japanese floor” where one of our colleagues stayed:

Interestingly, the black-and-white theme extended to the bathroom too: there were two rolls of toilet paper. One white, and the other… take a guess.

Would I want to stay here again? Absolutely! But I’d ask to change rooms every night to try different floors :)

2. Cala di Volpe (Sardinia).

A very upscale and fancy hotel, interesting from several perspectives: marketing (targeting the right audience), architecture (the building twists and turns – confusing not just the guests but also itself:) and, of course, design ->

The hotel’s design is fantastic, with the sea-facing side clearly the best bit:

Practically no repeating elements ->

The overlapping internal structures of the hotel’s spatial twists are obviously designed to keep visitors roaming about throughout its various restaurants and boutique stores.

Labyrinths of hallways and stairs. Where are we going? Where did we come from? Where will we end up? A mystery…

3. Santorini hotels (Greece).

A volcanic archipelago of unreal beauty with a rich and complicated human history, Santorini is a magical place I’ve often written about. I’ve been many times – and we even sponsored archaeological digs here (unearthing some real unusual stuff). But never mind that; this blogpost’s about hotels/lodgings, and there are plenty of them here – quite extraordinary ones.

Because the archipelago has volcanic origins, the slopes of the ancient volcano here aren’t all that sturdy. They subside, collapse, and form amazing landscapes – perfect for building these quirky little hotels!

Here’s how they cling to the caldera’s cliffs – right on the edge:

Many of the island’s interior slopes are studded with all kinds of lodgings – both big and small.

From the balconies of the more upmarket hotels you get absolutely mind-blowing views of the archipelago by day – and magical sunsets come evening.

But getting from one spot to another can turn into a hellish quest! The paths here twist and turn, crisscross, and break every rule of topological logic!

Here’s one such path, snaking between homes for miles:

The roof of most hotel rooms (doesn’t matter which hotel: they’re all similar) = the balcony of the room above. Your balcony = the roof of the room below. A quirky – surely unique – feature!

And the staircase might run right next to your room. So don’t be surprised if someone walks past your balcony early in the morning. Everything here is part of a single, interconnected topological structure.

And the sunsets here are just out of this world. Unforgettable, magical, spellbinding ->

At night, navigating these labyrinths without GPS (even as sober as a judge) – forget it! :)

4. YanQi Kempinski (Beijing).

Time for a spot of extravagant opulence. A super-luxurious hotel on its own island in the middle of a lake. Was here just last year; liked!

The hotel was apparently designed for high-level international government meetings (including those of APEC). It features standard hotel rooms, large villas, and a huge plush conference hall – here:

And inside:

Here are the hotel buildings ->

The view from my balcony:

Just a regular, common-or-garden hotel corridor ) ->

The rooms are enormous:

A hotel made for high-level official meet-ups. And in between such meet-ups, you can host your own conference there – which is exactly what we did.

5. Q1 (Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia).

Eighty stories high, the Q1 – once the world’s tallest building – is where I always stay in Surfers Paradise:

Note: that photo is from 2010. Since then the coastline’s changed a lot, with more high-rises built nearby. Here’s a more current photo:

(source)

Only the first ~60 floors make up a hotel; the rest are private residences. And it’s those upper floors you want to Airbnb to get the best panoramic views of the ocean, the beach, and basically everything else in sight. Curiously, when you look down at the beach from floor 60-something, it feels like the beach is farther from the hotel than your room is from the ground… which is actually pretty accurate. A fantastic place!

At sunset, the shadows of the skyscrapers stretch across the beach:

The view of the beach from where I stayed. Strangely – no surfers in the ocean (despite it being “Surfers Paradise”!). But there are usually plenty – for these are proper Pacific waves.

And the sunrises here – ahhhh!

A magical place! Plus, the area is full of restaurants with cuisines from all over the world – European, Asian, everything.

6. Te Puia Hotel, aka SilverOaks Hotel Geyserland (Rotorua, New Zealand). // The hotel no longer exists.

This was a very simple and modest (and that’s being kind) little hotel: I’d rate it something like a two out of 10). However, its location was easily a 10 out of 10 – directly across from the Pohutu geyser field. You could watch the geyser erupt right from your room’s balcony! Been; loved it!

By the mid-2010s the hotel looked very unassuming (being kind again), or run-down (being honest not-so kind:) ->

Inside, the furnishings were basic – worn furniture, old plumbing. It reminded me of Soviet-era sanatoriums :) ->

But we weren’t here for luxury. We were here to witness the geyser’s power and beauty – right from our balconies!

The geyser’s a beaut: about once an hour or hour-and-a-half it shoots up a jet of water some 30 meters high! Here are the views of such a spectacle from my balcony:

Amazing! Such a shame the hotel is no more.

Reverse view: hotel and geyser:

The hotel became structurally unsafe and so was demolished, but a new one was never built. Apparently, the ground near the thermal field is unstable and shifting. Here’s the spot highlighted on Google Maps – the geyser and where the hotel used to be:

What a fantastic night that was! Too bad you can’t get that balcony view anymore…

7. Marina Bay Sands (Singapore).

This is perhaps the most famous hotel in Singapore – and for good reason: just look at it! Three towers with a massive rooftop terrace, 57 stories high, vast spaces, and phenomenal views inside and out – wow!

I love this hotel for the stunning views in every direction. The view toward the ocean:

And the city view:

The rooftop infinity pool is especially iconic – it’s practically the hotel’s calling card (though it can get a bit crowded) ->

Here are a few drone shots of this truly remarkable hotel:

I can’t wait till my next stay there!…

8. The “Queen Elizabeth 2” ocean-liner hotel (Dubai).

The British QE2 was retired in 2018 and converted into a stationary hotel permanently docked at a pier in Dubai. Stayed there in 2024. Great idea, well executed – and still today rather popular (well, it does make a change from the standard shiny skyscraper hotels in Dubai:).

Its staircases and corridors go on forever, while the layout can appear non-sensical. Finding your way around the first or even second time can prove impossible difficult. The historical interiors have been preserved, and an excursion around the ship is fascinatingly totally worth it.

It even has a garage – for guests who simply can’t travel without their own… Roller!

The captain’s bridge:

Numerous bars:

And even a casino:

9. Longitude 131° (Australia).

Longitude 131° is a luxury resort in the middle of the red desert in the heart of the Australian continent, where I was lucky enough to have stayed waaay back in 2010 (before my English blog took off). It’s made up of really cozy little lodges-cum-tents, like so ->

Here’s the “reception” of the “hotel” :) ->

So – what gives? Why here in literally the middle of nowhere? Well – it just so happens to sit right next to… none other than the world-famous unique rock formation called Uluru, or Ayers Rock; like so:

The views from the windows of these lodges are nothing short of masterpieces:

And if you step outside and walk a bit… pure bliss!

This was my first experience staying at a truly luxury hotel… accessed by dirt roads :). The tricky logistics only add charm to this place, already bursting with magic thanks to the jaw-dropping views of the red mountain through the window. And Uluru itself is a one-of-a-kind natural wonder:

10. Uros Floating Islands (Lake Titicaca, Peru).

Very cool, very unusual – and as unique as you can get. A whole cluster of guest houses on floating reed islands on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca near the town of Puno. Stayed the night there in March 2025.

This was our floating platform:

Yes, it really floats – here’s photographic proof:

And if you jump hard or stomp your feet, the island wobbles a bit – just like a floating object should.

Here’s the dining area:

Though the floor’s a little slanted, it’s actually quite cozy and comfy.

And the guest rooms? ->

Though we’d expected primitive digs, they turned out to be pretty deluxe actually! ->

11. Patriot Hills Base Camp (Antarctica). // Closed since 2010

Also literally in the middle of nowhere (just like Longitude 131°, only the climate couldn’t be more different), this modest base camp was situated at 80° south latitude and 81° west longitude – over 2700km from the southern tip of South America, and about 700km from the nearest Antarctic coast. It was a camp for curious (and deep-pocketed) folks who fancied a vacation deep inside the Antarctic land mass. Tourists were delivered via this means of transportation:

What did tourists do here? Actually, there were plenty of options. Most climbed Mount Vinson – the continent’s highest peak (Antarctica’s contribution to the Seven Summits – the highest mountains on each continent). Some skied from the “last degree” to the South Pole (from 89°S to 90°S – around 100km). While others flew to the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station.

We, however, went the extra mile and sponsored an all-women’s skiing expedition from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole – arriving just in time for New Year. After having flown there, we greeted them with flowers, champagne, a plastic Christmas/New Year tree, and a couple of bottles of very cold vodka :). We stayed overnight at the camp too. And the whole experience was so awesomely amazing I wrote a book about it.

Our “rooms” from the outside looked like this:

Each tent slept two. The temperature inside wasn’t much higher than outside, so we slept dressed in full thermal gear and in serious sleeping bags. Curiously, when the sun came out, the snow inside the tent actually started to melt a little :)

On the table, two green bowls: in the morning, you could fill them with hot water from the communal boiler to get washed and brush your teeth with. No showers back then.

Various utility areas:

Dining room! ->

Inside, things were pretty spartan. But when full of people, the mood was lively.

Here we are with the fearless skiers who’d just flown in from the South Pole celebrating the New Year together!

Another crucial piece of infrastructure:

Things were very strict in this department: all sewage was packed up and flown back to the mainland! No plumbing or waste-water disposal here…

Note: not long after we left the Patriot Hills Base, it was moved 70km north to a more stable location with better weather – at Union Glacier (here).

And briefly about Antarctica in general…

Antarctica is simply unreal. It’s a completely different world. No colors (everything’s white or gray, sometimes with a blue sky), there are no sounds (except for wind), and no smells (there aren’t even bacteria there!). And no sense of distance: the air is so clear, it’s impossible to judge how far things are. My brain just short-circuited from the surreal surroundings as I wandered around for hours while waiting for our flight out that was delayed due to weather. Notice the snow’s density – it’s so wind-packed that your boots barely sink into it:

Like I say, the air is so pure that judging distances with the naked eye is impossible. For example: how far is it from our camp to those rocky hills? A stroll, right? When I said I’d walk over, someone looked at me funny and said, “Eugene, have a look at the map.” Turns out those rocks are 20 kilometers away! ->

What an adventure.

And from one Pole to the other…

12. Camp Barneo (the North Pole).

Why it’s called “Barneo” is anyone’s guess. Founded in 2002, it was inhabited for a few weeks every April up until 2018, then it was closed until being re-opened in diminished form 2023. And guess who was the last group to visit it for five years before it was closed? Clue: we were there in… 2018!

What it looks like now I don’t know, but in 2018 it was like this:

Barneo is a camp that sits upon more than two meters of ice near the actual North Pole. Btw, you can see a fresh crack in the ice across the original “runway” here, so they had to prep a second one! ->

Let’s take a walk around the base itself. Here it is:

The tents are kept warm hot with diesel heaters, which I wasn’t expecting: it’s like a sauna inside! After my Antarctic experience, I brought my warmest thermal layers and thickest sleeping bag, but I ended up sleeping on my sleeping bag, not in it :)

The food was great! Easily livable. The dining room:

Even a bar! (In Antarctica, the nearest shop was two or three thousand kilometers away!)

Two other essential features…

…Inside – though unheated, perfectly usable :)

The helicopter crew had their own mini (one-person: standing) sauna banya! Next to it – a plunge hole in the ice. Perfect! This was the only time I’ve done this in my life: totally surrounded by ice, with 4km of water below! ->

And here’s what they use to clear the snow from the runway and around the base. Btw, these are kamikaze vehicles – they’re never going back to where they came from )…

So there you have it folks: Camp Barneo. Unique, unforgettable, extraordinarily well-equipped (and heated!), and just plain awesome! And who knows – maybe I’ll return one day?…

Ok, that’s enough of freezing polar accommodations; next up: something completely different to warm you up (unless you’re in the sleeping quarters of Barneo). Now for a few lodge/camping/glamping habitations. Where weary trekkers collapse in exhaustion and indulge in some much-needed plain-old chair sitting and beer drinking…

13. Tayka el Desierto (Bolivia).

Fresh impressions from our January trip across Latin America. A high-altitude (~4600m above sea level) hotel on the Bolivia-Chile border:

These digs truly are in the middle of nowhere – you can only get here in well-equipped off-road vehicles, and it takes a full day. But despite the remoteness – the place is comfortable, warm, with tasty food, and above all stunningly beautiful all around ->

Reception:

Corridor:

Told you it’s decent! ->

And with all the amenities! Didn’t expect this here…

The restaurant – way above expectations! How do they pull it off out here? I don’t know, but we pull our hats off out of respect )

And outside – views of the Altiplano plateau…

14. Three Camel Lodge (Gobi Desert, Mongolia).

Five-star yurts in the Gobi Desert! Well okay, maybe four stars – but still, absolute luxury! Again (you guessed it), in the middle of nowhere – where even with a compass and GPS you could still get lost at night – everywhere you look: identical! ->

Reception features a gift shop:

Checking in to our yurt:

Not bad at all! And with all the amenities!

Even comes with your own… saddle! That’s Mongolia for you ) ->

The bar:

Ooh – I could get used to this! ->

The dining room yurt:

And all around you – endless expanses of high-altitude steppe desert. And at night the stars literally explode out of the sky!

And now – continent change…

15. Lodges in African (and other) savannas and deserts.

It’s just amazing – when you’ve been driving across deserts or dry savannas for hundreds of kilometers, and then suddenly you end up somewhere that feels like paradise: where the comforts are high-end, the food is rich and varied, there’s a swimming pool, and everything just feels… right. The only thing making it not quite heaven is the absence of angels singing (or similar heavenly artefacts of other religions).

My first time in such a place was in Tunisia, near the oasis town of Douz back in 1999. I can’t quite remember the name of the hotel: I’ve no photos left, and the place has probably changed completely since then anyway. But I do have plenty to say and show from more recent trips in other parts of Africa; for example, this stunning place: Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge in Tanzania. It’s a great place to stay because it’s perched right on the rim of the giant Ngorongoro Crater (~20km across!) – from where you can watch wildlife right from the pool area:

Since the crater walls are some 500–600 meters high, this is what the view looks like from above. Those tiny black specks down there? Buffaloes, zebras, elephants, rhinos… They swarm around like ants ->

Oh, but what’s this?… Google Maps shows some bleak imagery…

Looks like the lodge was torn down or is under reconstruction. Who knows?

But when we were there it was comfy, cozy, and had stunning views. The kind of place you leave with a sense of regret – should’ve stayed an extra day, explored the area more slowly, soaked it all in. But no – you rush off like you’re late for a doctor’s appointment. Arrive at sunset, gone by sunrise, when really you should stay and absorb the full beauty and uniqueness of the place… Or maybe I’m just prepping myself for retirement? :)

There were also some great lodges in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. Even though our stays there were short, the impressions – and views in all directions – were unforgettable:

Then there was Namibia, which left me with memories… the size of a massive dune! We came across some great lodges there too. For example, here’s the entrance to Canyon Lodge Gondwana ->

Here it is on Google Maps surrounded by nothing but rocks, sand, and desert. But inside – it’s paradise!

The little cottages are so carefully and thoughtfully integrated into the landscape ->

And the plants and trees? Surprisingly diverse:

They even have an ~infinity pool! Though the water was a bit too cool for African standards:

And at night, wildlife wanders among the buildings! ->

15.1. But it’s not just Africa that does lodges.

There’s also glamping in the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan. A stunning tourist destination for a two or three-day stay – or even longer. Red sand, massive rock formations – it’s just spectacular. And there are plenty of places to stay there:

Sadly, we didn’t get into the most hyped place – it was fully booked. So we stayed somewhere a little simpler: the Wadi Rum Night Luxury Camp. We arrived just before sunset, with everything already in the shade thanks to the nearby cliffs. But still – very cool, and unusual: the roofs of these pods are transparent – through which stars are advertised as being perfectly viewable. Alas, you can hardly see them through the sand-scuffed plastic sheeting; stargazing outside the pods was a better option.

We had high hopes for a dramatic sunrise, but the nearby mountain layout crushed those hopes completely:

So early morning we instead trekked out into the dunes to catch it. And it was worth it! ->

The next few “lodgings”, while technically similar to the tourist lodges we’ve seen, truly stand out in terms of quality and thus comfort: they’re a bit lot more than “mere” lodges…

16. Elephant Hills Hotel (Zimbabwe).

I first stayed at this place 15+ years ago, then again in 2020, and it hadn’t changed all that much in the interim…

I didn’t manage to dig up great photos of the hotel interiors, but I remember there were lots of cool little statues dotted along the balconies, hallways and staircases. For example:

But statues are hardly the main thing here. The main thing is that the hotel is located on the banks of the Zambezi River, right on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, near none other than Victoria Falls (been twice). The hotel was built specifically to attract tourists to the area. And to make it even more appealing they even built a golf course around it (here). Here it is framed in red:

But being near the famous falls isn’t the best thing about this place. The highlight for me was being so close to African nature. Like these “carrot trees” I was amazed by. They really do look like carrots, but they grow upward! Turns out they’re just young baobabs! ->

There were mature baobabs too – right on the hotel grounds. Who knows how many centuries (millennia?) they’d grown there before the hotel came along, and how many more they’ll survive after it?

It was so surreal to watch and hear the sounds of African wildlife outside my window at night.

All these photos were taken right near the hotel buildings:

Even a little crocodile by the fountain lake! ->

And herds of hoofed animals roaming the golf course:

The hotel’s grounds were supposedly fenced off with electrified wire so that large beasts like elephants, hippos, and predators couldn’t get onto the greens.

That was many years ago (May 2008), so things have surely changed. At least on recent satellite images, there are no roaming herds – or golfers, for that matter.

// I know I’m telling and showing a lot here, but maybe someone reading this has had a chance to stay somewhere equally unusual (by choice!), and could add to this collection? If so – please don’t be shy: join in and share your own experiences…

17. Qasr al Sarab, UAE.

Let me start with the map so you can see what this is. Zoom in and you see endless dunes in shades of red and orange:

All around – nothing but vast expanses of orange sand, dunes, and salt flats. The views at sunrise and sunset are mind-melting – just absolutely insane! Especially when the low sun paints the desert in impossible crimson colors.

Again, look at the color of the surrounding sands and the architecture of these… what to call them? Lodgings. It’s just surreal how it all looks here. And btw, all the water is piped in from 200km away!

The pool adds another level of head explosion – behind the palms in the center over there ->

The topology of the internal spaces is… non-binary (for lack of a better word); as it should be in a tourist palace of this kind. Where would you even go on a walkabout? We didn’t even try it (no time).

Inside was just as 7-star as on the outside. Honestly, I don’t need this level of luxury – but if it’s there, why not enjoy it? :)

18. Hippo Point (Naivasha, Kenya).

Somewhere deep in the vast savannahs and mountains of Kenya lies an old English colonial estate that’s these days rented out to traveling tourists:

It comes with stables and various utility buildings:

Inside, everything’s authentically old-school. The layout of the main house follows traditional English quirks – you’ll never figure out where all the staircases and corridors lead.

But if when you do eventually find your way, this is what awaits:

A bedroom:

Heading out to dinner on the lawn. Hmmm… not bad! ->

Ooh – even better! ->

Just beyond the fence you’ve got antelopes, giraffes, and zebras roaming around:

And from the lake you’re being observed by… ->

In all – a great place to stay!

19. Sofitel Winter Palace Hotel (Luxor, Egypt).

Another historical hotel from the days of the British empire. Stayed here in November 2022. It’s so noteworthy it even has its own Wikipedia page. Located on the banks of the mighty Nile, from the outside it doesn’t look like much:

But inside it’s like you’re transported to a not-so-distant colonial past:

Imperial halls and restaurants, cigar lounges and bars, and hallways that are really something:

The staircases are… pompous:

The hallway to your room – you could probably drive a juggernaut down it ->

The rooms themselves aren’t super remarkable, but the interior decor and garden area are just delightful:

“But what about the Metropol? Angleterre? Astoria?” you might ask. Yes, I’ve stayed in those too, but they didn’t leave a sense of “specialness” like I got with the Winter Palace.

20. The Mitre Hotel (Hampton Court, London).

There are plenty of classy old hotels in places like Paris, Barcelona, Berlin, Rome, Florence, etc., but not many… stay with you. Whereas this classy old hotel has never left me since I spent the night there 2021. There’s just a certain unforgettable je ne sais quoi about it! ->

All the classic elements of a traditional British boutique hotel:

1. Bizarre and confusing internal layout;
2. Narrow, creaky old wooden staircases;
3. That distinct combo of British carpet, fireplace smells and sounds;
4. It’s like a period film set – you could shoot something historical here with zero modifications!

The building is… 400 years older than me! It was built by order of King Charles II to house royal guests who didn’t fit into the main palace. How cool is that? ->

My room was called Henry VIII:

And if we’re talking about the most memorable places to stay, it’s not always about luxury or history. Sometimes it’s a situation – something so unusual. Case in point:

21. Termas de Papallacta (Ecuador).

Hot springs with a great design, and a cozy boutique hotel surrounding them. Simply perfect! All this high up in the Andes at ~3600m above sea-level. Ecuador! Lush nature and a fragrant, fresh atmosphere all around:

We stayed in cute little cabins with natural hot spring pools right next to them. Larger pools are just a short walk away. Just one night was spent here – right after completing a three-day hike along the high-altitude Condor Trek near Antisana Volcano.

…But it wasn’t just any old night. It was New Year’s Eve! Yes, we rang in 2019 right here!

And we even managed to re-watch for the thousandth time Irony of Fate, which is shown every New Year in Russia. It started drizzling at one point – but we just had to have our Irony! So we placed the laptop underneath a chair for shelter and carried on – poolside – till the end of the movie! ->

22?… When will this ever end?!…

…Actually, these are the final lodgings in this post, but they’re extra special so here come a lot of words – and pics…

And so to traditional Japanese places to stay and relax (without going overboard): ryokans (traditional Japanese inns), which are often situated next to onsens (hot springs). I highly recommend trying them – especially if you’re traveling with Japanese friends who can help you navigate the customs and etiquette.

All righty: finally!…

22. A traditional Japanese Ryokan (Japan, obviously).

A ryokan isn’t anything unusual for the Japanese themselves or foreigners who visit often.

A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn, the kind that traveling Japanese would stay at in ancient times. These days, they’re mostly tourist attractions. Modern Japanese travelers on business tend to stay in the standard Marriotts, Hiltons, and the like. Not because they dislike ryokans – it’s just that modern business travel has made the economics of these older, exclusive formats less viable.

So how is a ryokan different from a regular hotel? Main thing: you live in traditional Japanese surroundings: rooms with almost no furniture, tatami mats on the floor, and paper walls on bamboo frames. You sleep on the floor on straw mats. Like this:

That’s luxury (if you’re alone). Usually, folks traveling together all sleep in one room on parallel futons. If there are women, they sleep together in a nearby room, separated by a thin paper wall or sliding door. Sadly, I don’t have any photos of everyone sleeping in rows, but this shot gives you the idea. The room in the back is the women’s quarters. After dinner, the little table and “sitting chairs” are removed and mats are laid out for the men.

They also give you traditional Japanese robes (no idea what they’re called), which are super pleasant to wear in this setting:

Ryokans are usually small blocks with two or three floors (20–30 rooms), or clusters of stand-alone houses. Each room or cottage can accommodate several people. Once, we had eight or even 10 people in one cottage.

From the outside, how ryokans look can differ greatly. Usually they’re just regular buildings that blend into their surroundings. The only giveaway is the entrance – it’s not a private home but clearly meant for guests:

Some feature classic Japanese designs. Others are very modern. There are even “German” ryokans :)

The entrance is often modest, but some go all out – with European chandeliers, no less:

You leave your shoes at the entrance and change into the inn’s slippers // which are so small you may not fit into them; my modest size 43 feet sure wouldn’t :). Then it’s off to your room and all about relaxing. Enjoying the balcony view…

Or getting ready for dinner…

But before dinner – the onsen (if the ryokan has one)! And in volcanic Japan, hot springs are everywhere. Usually, the onsen is like a public bath, but instead of a steam room, there are several pools with varying temperatures. Sometimes it’s just man-made pools filled with thermal water. Other times they’re beautiful natural springs (but those cost more). Some cottages even have their own private onsen.

Bathing area:

Pool:

And after a hot bath – time to eat! The meals are soooo Japanese. Small portions, but a dozen courses. All kinds of things: meat, fish & shrimp, vegetables, and other delights. The presentation is stunning. Very oi-shii! (delicious).

And that, in a nutshell, is a ryokan for you folks. Highly recommended if you’re ever way out east!

And with that, this list of the most unusual and memorable places I’ve stayed at finally comes to a close. Phew – it turned out to be long, but I think it was worth it. And I also think it might be worth bookmarking, for, who knows, you may one day be visiting some of the places mentioned and could book into one of the listed… “lodgings” :). Happy travels folks – and even better overnight stays…