Top Tips from our Experts
Unique and Unusual Hotels
Kingston Treehouse, Lion Sands Ivory Lodge, South Africa
Pull up your own drawbridge and find yourself at one with the wilderness.
The Kingston Treehouse in Lion Sands Private Game Reserve is an intimate safari lodge that places you directly into the African bush, surrounded on all sides by wildlife offering you a privileged and entirely private view of the landscape.
With a luxurious space for two adults and two children, unbelievable views over the tree canopy, and a picnic dinner and breakfast, this unique holiday experience will be remembered for a lifetime.
Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi
Palace is not just a name here; this hotel was once actually the residence of a sheikh. The impressive building looks like it could have been lifted directly from the pages of an Arabian Nights adventure.
Featuring gold leaf ceilings, private butlers, opulent restaurants and overlooking a pristine beach and private marina, the Emirates Palace is a truly luxurious, and unique hotel.
Walking from your room to the hotel reception along marble floors and by gold-lined porticos will make you feel like royal guests on a state visit. Try the signature 24-carat gold cappuccino, sprinkled with 24-carat gold flakes.
You’ll be pinching yourself as you watch dolphins frolicking in the Arabian Gulf from the comfort of your balcony or sun lounger.
Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, California
Stay in a treehouse watching Californian Condors circle on thermals above a breath-taking Pacific Coastline.
Daily activities include yoga, cycling and nature hikes in spectacular scenery. This free-standing clifftop eco-residence on stilts has an accompanying treehouse suite, and commands uninterrupted views of the Pacific Ocean.
Fogo Island Inn, Newfoundland, Canada
Found on the coast of Newfoundland in ‘Iceberg Alley’, this hotel is a striking contemporary building, a modern twist on a traditional Atlantic Canadian outpost. The stilts and angles set against the rock formations make it a stunning sight.
The hotel has 29 suites, all with floor to ceiling windows, meaning you are guaranteed unrivalled views of icebergs floating in the Atlantic Ocean. Head to the Lounge Bar and you can enjoy a cocktail made with ice from one of those icebergs. The rooftop deck features wood-fired saunas and outdoor hot tubs, meaning at night you can lie back in the warmth of the hot tub while staring up at the starry sky.
Staying at the Fogo Island Inn allows you to really immerse yourself in the island’s culture, from viewing migrating whales, watching icebergs drift by, exploring forests in search of wildlife, or hiking along the raw and beautiful coastline.
Bubble Lodge, Mauritius
Sleep under the stars, surrounded by nature in an air-conditioned eco ‘dream bubble’.
Mauritius is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful islands in the world with its breath-taking vistas, white sand coastlines and rainforest-clad mountains. Make the most of the stunning landscapes with the unique accommodation of a bubble tent.
The Bubble Lodge is the perfect place to get back to nature. You can spend your days hiking beautiful trails with waterfalls and paddle up the Bois Cheri river in a kayak or foot pedal boat. Enjoy fishing and wildlife spotting, as well as tea tasting on the Tea Estate.
The Manta Resort, Pemba Island, Tanzania
Sleep with the fishes in your underwater suite.
The Manta Resort is one of the most unique and thrilling marine experiences in the world, a place to stay in total isolation, adrift in calm seas on your very own Swedish-engineered floating overwater/underwater villa.
The three-storey suite floats in the ocean, tethered 250 metres from the shore. By day the suite is bathed in glorious sunshine, coral sparkling around you in crystal clear waters. Enjoy soaking up the sun, sipping drinks, or diving of the deck. By night the suite really comes into its own, as underwater spotlights illuminate the night-time shoals of reef fish.
Soneva Kiri, Koh Kood, Thailand
Enjoy stargazing in the observatory and the novelty of treepod dining at this paradise family resort.
Just an hour’s flight from Bangkok you’ll find the epitome of barefoot luxury, with architecture beautifully entwined into the natural landscape of Koh Kood. Villas offer authentic wooden interiors and private pools, plus your own golf buggies to tootle about the resort.
Children will be thrilled when they set eyes on The Den. A play centre thoughtfully constructed in the shape of a manta ray, it is dedicated to learning and the creative arts, whose programme also offers rainforest walks and cultural tours to local schools and communities. Adults will adore the Treepod Dining suite, set high in the canopy among the birdlife with views across the ocean.
Volcano House, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
Experience hypnotic views of nature’s great land builder – Kilauea, the world’s most active volcano.
Stay at the only hotel located within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. From the hotel’s incredible vantage point you can gaze out over the rim of Kilauea’s Halemaumau smoking lava-clad crater.
Discover the Steam Vents and Thurston Lava Tubes on bicycle tours. The walking trails of the region contain the fossilised footprints of ancient Polynesians who passed this way centuries before. When you return from your exploration of the beautiful and fascinating surrounding countryside, your evening meal will provide an unrivalled light show of the world’s most active volcano.
Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, Vancouver Island, Canada
On the west coast of Vancouver Island is the UNESCO Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve: a diverse mix of ecosystems including coastal rainforest, forest valleys, oceans and rocky coastal shores.
Nestled on the coastline is the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, a unique and remote resort, a perfect escape into the wild and away from modern life.
The turn of the century inspired outpost brings a touch of luxury to this idyllic setting. Stay in a huge, luxurious tent, arrive by seaplane and leave by horse-drawn wagon, and enjoy some incredible experiences that get you back to nature along the way. Take the chance to go bear watching and whale watching. Take a hike or go paddleboarding, try your hand at fly fishing or take an excursion in the resort’s on-site helicopter. Alternatively, relax in the beautiful surroundings and indulge in beautiful gourmet cuisine, drink locally produced wines and a sumptuous spa.
Jungle Beach Resort by Uga Escapes, Sri Lanka
Jungle Beach enjoys seclusion and remoteness that few hotels can match. Nestled on the beachfront of Sri Lanka’s untouched northeastern coast, this boutique resort offers up delicious local cuisine in a treehouse-style restaurant. The villas are hidden away in mangrove and jungle, and the sandy beach is virtually deserted.
The mix of sandy shores and tropical jungle surroundings make this a unique hotel, and one that makes you feel like a luxury castaway.
Giraffe Manor, Nairobi, Kenya
What could be more unique than sharing your breakfast with a Giraffe?
This stately home, with its impressive façade, elegant décor, sun-filled terraces and lush gardens, brings to mind to the 1930s – a time when Europeans were first making the journey to Kenya to embark on a safari.
The most surprising thing about this hotel though, is the herd of resident giraffes, who often pop their heads into the breakfast room.
More unusual holidays
Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar
Anantara Medjumbe Island Resort and Spa
Why choose Hayes & Jarvis for… Unusual Holidays?
We understand that one size doesn’t fit all – and thoroughly believe your holiday should be as unique as you are. As Award-winning travel enthusiasts, we’ve spent over 60 years scouring the globe for the most distinctive hotels and exceptional destinations, and only offer the best in bespoke travel. Plus, our Destination Specialists offer the added benefit of their personal experience at each location, so they can inform and inspire your getaway with real-life tips. Let us know your dream locations and bucket-list goals and we’ll create you the holiday of a lifetime.
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