Would you dare to spend a night here?
There are hotels around the world that are known for their white glove service and quiet luxury. You find comfort and relaxation the moment you enter. Boutique hotels also promise a unique experience to vacationers looking to slow down their pace. And then there are hotels that raise your heartbeat. These are especially designed for thrill-seekers who look for adventure in every aspect of their holiday—even rest time.
From cliffside suites and treehouse rooms to underwater rooms and underground bunkers, these hotels take extreme to the next level with their remote locations and unique designs. Bookmark them for when you want to dial danger to a 100.
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The Frying Tower
WHERE: North Carolina
A hotel on a rusting steel tower in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? Yes, please, say travelers. A video clip of a captain ferrying guests to the Frying Tower in North Carolina went viral recently, but people have been fascinated with this hotel on sticks for many years.
Built in 1964, this former lighthouse stands 278 feet above the Atlantic Ocean in the area called the Graveyard of the Atlantic because of the shipwrecks it caused. Getting here is no easy feat—you need to take a boat to get to this spot 35 miles off the coast or get a chopper to drop you off on its head. Then you spend the night in the hurricane-prone region with shark-infested waters under you in one of its eight rooms. This experience is certainly not for the faint-hearted.
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Skylodge Adventure Suites
WHERE: Peru
How do you normally arrive at your hotel—car, bus, train? At Skylodge Adventure Suites in Peru, you’ll have to climb with cables (Via Ferrata) to your bedroom hanging from the side of a mountain. Perched 1,000 feet in the Sacred Valley of Cusco, these suites dangle from granite cliffside and you need to be reasonably active to be able to get there. Once there, you get a night with glorious views of the valley and a compost toilet. Guests are advised to bring a light bag and a bottle for water, along with personal hygiene products. But fair warning: there is no shower up here. And, you don’t go down the same way you come up—you zipline instead!
Related: Would You Risk a Terrifying Climb up a Mountain to Stay in This Luxury Hotel?
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Deep Sleep
WHERE: Wales
A 19th-century slate mine in Wales opens its door to guests who want to sleep in the deepest accommodation in the world: 1,375 feet underground. Deep Sleep features four log cabins and a small cavern, but it is no easy feat to get here. The website warns: “The route down through the old workings is steep and challenging. There are ancient miners’ stairways, decaying bridges and scrambles to negotiate.” It takes about two hours of walking, ducking, scrambling, and balancing, and guests are recommended to bring bare essentials. Smoking and drinking are not allowed, but you can expect running water, wi-fi (no cell reception), and food.
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Jules Undersea Lab
WHERE: Florida
In Florida, you can stay in an accommodation that’s completely underwater. Jules Undersea Lab was formerly a research lab off the coast of Puerto Rico, but it now allows guests to “experience what it’s like to live and sleep underwater.” But first, you need to be a certified diver because your room is a 22-foot dive away. A guided dive brings guests to the moon pool, and the living quarters are what you would expect from a space built for scientists: basic. You have single beds, wi-fi, fridge, and a TV inside this pressurized lodge, and food—including pizza—is brought in sealed packages.
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White Desert Camps
WHERE: Antarctica
The frozen continent is inhabitable, thanks to its cold, windy, dry conditions. It’s also not a place to build hotels—most adventurers do cruise expeditions to see this otherworldly life. But if you are feeling brave, there is a tour operator, White Desert, with luxury camps on the inhospitable continent. The original camp is Whichaway, located on ice-free terrain in Antarctica, a rarity in itself. But if you want to challenge yourself and push your limits further, go for the Echo Base camp on a glacier with nothing around but icy wilderness. Both camps are heated and luxurious, but the environment is brutal. The activities here include ice climbing, glacier treks, rappelling, and cross country skiing. You might want to spend some time in the sauna to recover from all of this.
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Atlas F Missile Bunkers
WHERE: Kansas
One of the most unique experiences you can have in the U.S. is staying in a missile base. During the Cold War, the U.S. built silos in the country to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles. Now these are privately owned by individuals who are renting them out on Airbnb! You can stay in the launch control unit underground, with an 180 feet missile silo steps away from you. You can rent a stay on Airbnb in New Mexico or Kansas.
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Manta Resort
WHERE: Tanzania
Since 2013, Manta Resort on Pemba Island in Tanzania has offered an under-the-sea room at its hotel. It is located 820 feet away from the shore in the Indian Ocean and features an underwater bedroom. The current generation of the room has three levels: bedroom underwater, a sea-level lounge, and a rooftop deck. It is anchored above a coral reef garden, so the views are spectacular. But swimmers should take caution: in 2019, a guest of this room tragically drowned while proposing to his girlfriend. He dived underwater and pasted a message on a paper on the room window, but couldn’t come up to the surface after.
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Amazon Treehouse Eco-Lodge
WHERE: Peru
Another accommodation that is not easily accessible—this one’s in the Amazon rainforest. Amazon Treehouse Eco-Lodge takes you straight to the forest to live in the trees, but to get here, you need to fly to Iquitos, drive an hour to the river and take a three-hour boat ride. It doesn’t end there, you will need to climb up to get to your door. Depending on the treehouse you booked, it could be 38 feet or 60 feet. Want to go to the main treehouse? That would take trotting on a suspended walkaway.
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Fogo Island Inn
WHERE: Canada
In a remote corner of Canada, a five-star hotel is standing on stilts over the North Atlantic Ocean. Fogo Island is located off Newfoundland and can be reached by a ferry or drive from Gander Airport. Once here, you will find the contemporary Fogo Island Inn with 29 suites on a rocky coastal terrain that’s far away from your idea of a standard hotel. Learn more about the fishing communities on the island, and play your part by staying at a socially conscious resort. If you’re feeling very adventurous, travel in the winter months to experience storms, ice, and snow of the North Atlantic.