17 best unusual places to stay

• 1/17
  
  Wendy The Aberporth Express, Cardigan Bay, Wales

  Dolphin, seal and sea bird watching boat trips in Cardigan Bay are an exhilarating experience for all the family, whatever the weather. And if you stay in Wendy the Aberporth Express, you can even spot dolphins from the comfort of your own converted Edwardian railway carriage. Previous voted as one of the top five best spots to enjoy the British Seaside by Conde Naste Traveller, your only neighbours are the birds. Sleeps 5.
  From £489 per week www.underthethatch.co.uk/wendy

• 2/17
  
  A Room for London

  There can be few places to stay the night in the capital quite as unusual, iconic and poetic as this one-bedroom “boat” perched on the very edge of the Queen Elizabeth hall at the Southbank Centre. The extraordinary views from both the lower and upper decks include Big Ben out of one window and St Paul’s out of the other and inside, there are all the creature comforts you’d get in a good hotel. Installed in 2012, the unexpected structure was developed by the social enterprise Living Architecture and lucky couples whose applications win the ballot to stay here can stay one night.
  From £300 per night
  http://www.living-architecture.co.uk/the-houses/aroomforlondon/overview/

• 3/17
  
  The Control Tower, North Norfolk

  This two-bedroom gem is a converted 1940’s RAF control tower that has been restored to its former modernist-glory, fusing art deco chic with the simplicities of an environmentally-friendly, 1940s lifestyle. The attention to detail is outstanding and it is run as a vegetarian bed and breakfast that is suitable for both romantic getaways or family breaks. Explore nearby the wide open beaches of Holkham, small independent shops in Wells-next-the-Sea, vintage browsing in Holt and a great choice of country pubs. From £100 per night www.controltowerstays.com

• 4/17
  
  Wanderlust Gypsy Caravan, Cumbria

  This small family business offers the only horse drawn gypsy caravan holidays, as well as stationary bow top gypsy wagons (vardos) in stunning locations in and around Cumbria and the Lake District national Park. You’ll be hard pushed to find a dissatisfied customer, all of whom rave about their memorable stays including wonderful walks, cosy and warm caravans (even in the winter) and cooking over an open fire each night. All the holidays are family friendly and can accommodate a family of four.

  From £65 per night www.wanderlusts.co.uk

• 5/17
  
  Meadow Keepers Cottage, Swallowtail Hill, Sussex

  This place is truly a one-off. Literally a cottage on wheels, it has been hand-built by a local joiner and craftsmen with timber sourced from local woods. There’s only one room, but it sleeps four, with one double bed and two singles that double up as benches for the fold-away dining table between them. Sitting between two wildflower meadows, the surrounding area makes for some pretty special al fresco eating and there’s even a tranquil wildlife pond with your own boat.
  From £100 per night
  http://www.canopyandstars.co.uk/britain/england/sussex/swallowtail-hill/meadow-keeper-s-cottage#back

• 6/17
  
  West Usk Lighthouse, Newport, Wales

  Just two hours’ drive from London, this 180-year-old lighthouse was bought semi-derelict in 1987. Now a grade II listed building, it is a bed and breakfast suitable for small groups of family, friends and couples, with a maximum group stay of eight adults plus two children. The wedge-shaped rooms, which you reach by a stone spiral staircase, have either a water bed or four poster bed and they are all en suite. The real pull is the breathtaking views, although we like the quirky features too, including a life size Dalek, a Dr Who Tardis and a few telephone boxes. They also do small weddings.

  From £150 a room bed and breakfast www.westusklighthouse.co.uk

• 7/17
  
  Number One Carbost, Isle of Skye, Scotland

  Not only does this rural white-washed cottage have an enviable position on the beautiful Isle of Skye, just a few metres from the world famous Talisker whisky distillery, but inside is a super-stylish 1950’s-inspired home. So if natural beauty and retro-style tick the right boxes for you, you’ll love all the nostalgic-inducing attention to detail and quirky, designer finish. Expect comic books and encyclopaedia pages upcycled into artistic wall features, alongside collectible biscuit tins and vibrant, wall colours. There are two double bedrooms and a quaint village of Carbost is on your doorstep.

  From £300 for per week coolstays.com/one-carbost

• 8/17
  
  The House in the Sea, Newquay, Cornwall

  You get to this unique house across a suspension footbridge, which essentially makes it a private island retreat. The far-reaching views of the Cornish coast are alone worth the visit, although the unusual interiors, which fuse a cool New York vibe with a chic coastal feel, are stunning. Six guests can stay in total, including kids, although it works wonderfully as a romantic getaway if there’s just the two of you.
  Prices from £1145 for 4 nights www.uniquehomestays.com/unique/details.asp?id=2246

• 9/17
  
  Alton Towers Enchanted Village, Staffordshire

  This new Enchanted Village, built on a field next to the top theme park, consists of 120 woodland lodges and 5 treehouses, all themed around a quirky village hideaway. All are unusual, with eccentric features and fabulous attention to value, with the crème-de-la-crème being the luxury treehouses, which have their own private hot tub on a sheltered outdoor seating area, as well as VIP parking and fast-track on some rides. At the end of the day, guests can relax and unwind in The Crooked Spoon restaurant, also the Enchanted Village.
  From £125 per night based on 4 sharing www.altontowers.com/places-to-stay/enchanted-village-treehouses/

• 10/17
  
  Eye Pod at the Willows, North Wales

  This unique spherical accommodation is deceptively spacious, as well as being comfy and romantic. The star feature is the large sky dome, which means you can star gaze without having to leave your (very large) bed, although it can be covered, should you want a lie-in. Hidden in the corner of a small, quiet and award-winning campsite, with great facilities, you will also find yourself near some of the best beaches in the whole of the UK. Mod cons include complimentary wi-fi and there’s an outside area with picnic bench.
  From £75 per night http://www.uniquesleeps.co.uk/eye-pod-at-the-willows-glamping-in-north-wales/l.196

• 11/17
  
  The Old Windmill, Aylsham, Norfolk

  Located half way between Norwich and the coast at Cromer, this windmill was built in 1826 and existed as a working flour mill for almost a century. After being left derelict for a further 80 years, it has now been converted into homely self-catering accommodation for up to six people. It’s convenient for visiting the north Norfolk coast, as well as the Norfolk Broads, England’s largest protected wetland and their nature reserves.
  From £245 for two nights www.aylshamwindmill.co.uk

• 12/17
  
  Shepherd’s Hut, Bilsdale, Yorkshire

  Located on a working hill farm with sheep and cattle in the beautiful north Yorkshire Moors National Park, this traditionally built shepherd’s hut has a comfortable double bed, a wood burner for heating and a seating area with a table. An internal door leads from inside the hut into your own personal fully equipped kitchenette and bathroom with a shower and toilet. It’s as cosy as you like and ideal for those who enjoy simple, rural living.
  £60 per night; and £50 for following nights www.shepherdshutbilsdale.co.uk/contact-us.html

• 13/17
  
  The Glampervan Hire Company, Faversham, Kent

  Doris, a 1971 early bay VW, sleeps four adults, with integrated fridge, hob, sink and heater. Meanwhile, Wendy is an 80s VW hightop, sleeping four adults and a small child, with revolving front seats, two eating areas, three way fridge, hob and grill, sink and heater. And so the list goes on. All the vans are beautifully upholstered with comfy seats, luxury duvets and sheets and top tunes on the stereo.
  From £350 for 3 nights www.quirkyaccom.com/the-glampervan-hire-company

• 14/17
  
  Chewton Glen Treehouse Suites, New Forest

  Chewton Glen wins award after award for its outstanding, luxury accommodation. Its secret, we think, is always being one step ahead of what even the most discerning hotel guests want and their incredible and unique treehouse suites, with gorgeous interiors and private decks, are a great example of this. Nestled amount the trees, you can indulge in a couple’s 90-minute hot oil candle treatment, star-gaze from the deck of your wrap-around balcony and cosy-up in front of the log-burning stove before enjoying a candlelit-dinner for two.
  From £800 per night www.chewtonglen.com

• 15/17
  
  The Witchery by the Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland

  The Witchery restaurant, close to Edinburgh Castle and arguably just as famous, opened on Halloween in 1979 and although it only has eight suites, my god they are good – all theatrical, decadent, moody and gothic. Cosmopolitan magazine named it “one of the seven wonders of the hotel world” and the list of celebrity guests is long. The most gothic of all the suites, Vestry, an opulent mix of red and black, and with an organ pipe headboard, overlooks the Royal Mile.
  From £325 per night based on 2 sharing www.thewitchery.com/

• 16/17
  
  Chapel Studio, Downhead, Somerset

  This one-bedroom, stylish former chapel is the perfect love nest that’s particularly popular for honeymoons and walkers. Tucked away in a small hamlet, a few miles from Frome, it is located on the edge of the stunning Mendip Hills, which make for lovely walks, whatever the weather. There’s a grand piano to play, while Tim Mercer’s photographs adorn the walls and a Kevin McCloud chandelier hangs in pride of place.
  From £315 for 3 nights www.chapelstudioholidays.co.uk/

• 17/17
  
  Alton Station, Staffordshire

  The platforms at Alton Station once took 12-coach trains from the Potteries, but today guests cook in the former waiting room and sleep in the ticket office and in the stationmaster’s house. Nearby Alton Castle rises out of the trees across the Churnet valley and Alton Towers, with its famous garden, lies immediately behind. Sleeps 8.
  From £527 for 3 nights
  http://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/search-and-book/properties/alton-station-4615

And his tips for trying to avoid itchy, annoying bites? Stay in a better class hotel – or bring a separate sheet or sleeping bag liner, your own pillow case or pillow, and some netting to ward off flying insects or mosquitos. 

And if things are really bad, he says, then don’t sleep in a hotel at all but “sleep in a tent outside”.

Mr Jarvis ends with an anecdote: “The worst case of bed bugs I’ve got was in San Diego, in a 4 Star Hotel! OK in the South Sudan I did catch something dubious, but I survived.

“Couldn’t sleep outside in my tent: land mines. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger….”

I really, really like sleeping naked

Maria Maath

One of the most prolifically read posts of all, from Maria Maath, which has had 875,500 views, is told from the perspective of someone who travels for a living and calls hotels “home”. 

“I really, really like sleeping naked,” she writes. “I like the feel of the sheets against my skin and therefore, as far as the temperature allows, I sleep naked.”

But, she warns, it isn’t always smooth sailing – in Benghazi in Libya in 2011, she slept nude despite warnings about a female journalist who had had to jump from her balcony at another hotel in the middle of the night to escape two would-be attackers. 

And in the middle of the night, hearing gunfire, she rolls over and ducks behind the bed, away from the window, thinking: “Are we under attack? Where’s my damn clothes, I can’t reach them?! What if a stray bullet hits me?” 

She later realises it is, in fact, celebratory gunfire, and “went back to sleep. Naked.”

She adds in the post, which was written last month: “Any sane person would take that as a sign to sleep with some decent clothes on, but, as I said, I’m a reckless one who couldn’t care less.

“I am, right now,  writing from my bed in my hotel room in Dar es Salaam,  Tanzania. Naked.”

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