Generally, we like our hotels luxurious and beautiful. But sometimes,
you just want something a little different—like a hotel shaped like a
donut, or a capsule hanging off a cliff's edge.
Here are our picks!
…a Jet-Setting Plane maybe?
One look at China's "Doughnut Hotel"—otherwise known as the Sheraton
Huzhou Hot Spring Resort—and it's little surprise that its architect, Beijing-born Ma Yansong,
was named as one of the most creative people in architecture. The newly
opened resort actually consists of three buildings, two of which curve
to form a 27-story torus that towers over Taihu Lake, west of Shanghai
in the Yangtze River Delta.
The Ecocamp’s design is inspired by the dwellings of the Kawésqar, the
all-but-extinct nomadic seafarers who devised domed huts to withstand
100-mile-per-hour winds. Though the 24 geodesic domes, run entirely on
hydro- and solar power, provide some domestic comforts—bathrooms have
flush toilets and running water—staying here isn’t for anyone unwilling
to be immersed in the elements.
A "oneness" theme is
central to Tom and Rosey Chudleigh's woodland hideaway on Vancouver
Island: Each of the couple's three rentable spheres was designed to
blend innocuously into its natural surroundings. The cosy modules are
strung to 15 feet off the ground with heavy-duty ropes and are anchored
by nearby timber; they sway ever so gently with the whims of Mother
Nature (or more turbulently as guests move about inside). The orbs are
wired with electricity and stay toasty-warm in winter. Guests must be 16
or older.
A decade ago, a family
decided to make a resort inspired by the way animals live, “perched
lightly on the land.” Five years of permits and two years of
construction later, this collection of 16 yurts dotting 11 acres along a
bluff 400 feet above the Pacific Coast runs on its own generator, has a
65-foot ocean-view bar, sources all of its veggies within 40 miles, and
feeds leftovers from its California cuisine restaurant and sushi bar to
18 resident chickens. Each yurt has hot and cold running water but no
showers or toilets (those are in the main house, which has heated tile
floors).
Snow pods.
Leave it to Las Vegas to bring Barbie's Dream House to life, courtesy of famed potter/interior designer Jonathan Adler, who created the Barbie Suite at the always-over-the-top Palms Hotel. Not a single detail has been overlooked in this 2,350-square-foot hot pink paradise, where girls of any age can live out their Barbie fantasies (the room can hold up to 50 people). Corseted "dress" chairs, custom wall coverings, a two-way fireplace, oversized Jacuzzi, and a sunburst-styled mirror constructed from 65 actual Barbie dolls are just a few of the amenities you'll enjoy in these ultra-girly digs.
This room—one of the
hotel's most popular—drew inspiration from the "tankstelle," or gas
station. Guests sleep beneath a massive pump canopy stained with "petrol
grime" and emblazoned with the Shell logo. The room is also decked out
with authentic 1920s Shell memorabilia, including an authentic Shell
pump station and petrol canisters.
Sea, salt, and sand 
