Bathe in a Champagne Glass or Make Out With a Giraffe: Awesomely Odd Hotels Around the Globe

The 7-foot champagne glass whirlpool bath at Pocono Mountain Resorts. (Courtesy hotel)

Hotels can be more than just a place to lay your head: Sometimes, the accommodation is the destination. Case in point, these unusual — and awesome — hotels.

A bubbly bath awaits you

What’s better than a glass of champagne? How about one that’s the size of a bathtub?

A 7-foot-tall Champagne Glass Whirlpool Bath-for-Two is the eye-popping centerpiece at Cove Haven Entertainment Resorts
in northeastern Pennsylvania.

The Champagne Glass suite, offered at the properties’ three locations, was so popular with couples when it was first offered in the ‘80s, it had to be reserved a year in advance. Even though it’s easier to snag a reservation these days, the Poconos have enjoyed a recent upsurge in interest, according to Cove Haven Entertainment Resorts’ Eric Lansberry. “It’s an exciting time.” The four-level Egyptian-themed suite also features a shower for two, a round, king-size bed with a “celestial ceiling,” and a sauna.

Cheers.

(Courtesy: Poseidon Undersea Resort)

The Poseidon adventure

If hotels on land are too pedestrian, consider the future Poseidon Undersea Resort in Fiji. Guests will be transported by elevator from the end of a pier — no scuba gear required. Once under the sea, visitors can take a ride in a Triton submarine. Other features will include an underwater restaurant, a theater, and a wedding chapel.

For folks in Key Largo, Fla., the future is now: If you’re a certified scuba diver, the only underwater hotel in the U.S., Jules’ Undersea Lodge, is open for business 21 feet under the sea. Divers enter the lodge through a swimming pool. They can either sleep there for the night or just stay for lunch and experience a very different kind of pizza delivery.

(Courtesy: The Madonna Inn)

Fantasy by the room

Ever wanted to experience the Old West, go to Harvard, or sleep in the Stone Age? An inn in California can help you live your dream, at least for a night or two. California’s Madonna Inn has been offering tourists wacky and wonderful worlds inside its tricked-out hotel rooms for decades.

Each one of its 110 elaborately decorated rooms is creatively named to match: Pick & Shovel, Harvard Square, and Caveman, to name a few.

Alex and Phyllis Madonna, who opened the roadside attraction in 1958, “wanted to provide their guests with a whimsical escape from their daily lives,” Madonna Inn’s spokesperson Shirley McAtee told Yahoo Travel. She added that repeat travelers request different rooms each time they visit. We can see why.

(Courtesy: Giraffe Manor)

Giraffes are in the house

We can all agree that giraffes are cool. But to have one join you at your table? Now, that’s a selling point, at least for Nairobi, Kenya’s Giraffe Manor.

Guests staying at this old-world hotel must be comfortable with the local, long-necked residents who have the run of the place. The spotted animals stick their noses next to diners in hopes of a snack and can reach your bedroom window without much of a stretch.

“Having the most beautiful giraffes eating from your hand, and joining you for breakfast is what stamps this as a must stop,” Paul from Australia wrote on TripAdvisor.com.

The walls are alive

This Italian hotel brings the amusement park right to your room. Hotel Parchi del Garda, located near Lake Garda’s own theme park, offers four animatronic “experience rooms” that come to life, with “birds singing, perfumed flowers, roaring lions, (and) lapping waves,” according to the hotel website.

(Courtesy: The Library Hotel)

Book a stay at the Library Hotel

Bookworms, take note: If you always wanted to spend the night in a library, this may be as close a chance as you’ll get. The 14-year-old Library Hotel in midtown Manhattan is inspired not just by the nearby New York Public Library, but also by the Dewey Decimal System itself.

Each guest room comes stocked with books based on the topic of that floor, like fairy tales, oceanography, or classic fiction. Along with niceties like free continental breakfast and a wine and cheese hour, the hotel boasts 6,000 hardbound books located around the hotel.

(Courtesy: Hotel de Glace)

Winter wonderland

Cool: Quebec’s Hotel de Glace, made entirely of snow and ice, is constructed each year when the temperatures stay below zero for one week.

Visitors can enjoy a cocktail served in an ice glass or stay the night. “Even if the hotel and its furniture are entirely made of ice and snow, you will be getting a very comfortable bed,” Hotel de Glace’s Marie-Pier Daigle told Yahoo Travel. “When the time comes, a cozy sleeping bag, an isolating bed sheet, and a pillow will be delivered to your room.” Just don’t bring your space heater. The hotel is open from December through March.

(Photo: Christopher P. Bills/Flickr)

Sleep in a teepee

Road trip! Destination: Route 66 to Holbrook, Ariz.,’s Wigwam Village. This 1950 time capsule — and a landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places — is worth a visit. The 15 white tepees decorated with red, zigzag stripes each measure 21 feet wide at the base and 28 feet high and include a TV, air conditioner, bathroom, and shower. Bonus: Vintage cars parked around the grounds add to the retro vibe.

Follow Claudine Zap on Twitter: @zapkidd

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