Kasbah du Toubkal

Kasbah du Toubkal

Jbel Toubkal, Morocco

Boutique Hotel

About Kasbah du Toubkal

Berber retreat with the best views and hospitality. Become an honourary berber for the day

The Kasbah du Toubkal is an extraordinary venture, the product of an imaginative Berber and European partnership. There is a shared belief that the beauty of the Toubkal National Park should be accessible to all who respect it. To this end the Kasbah has been transformed using traditional methods, from the home of a Feudal Caid into an unprecedented haven; one that provides a variety of accommodation and event possibilities to meet differing requirements. The Kasbah is a welcoming environment for those seeking comfortable mountain refuge, and for those who wish for superb rooms in a stunning setting. The Kasbah du Toubkal is not a hotel in the traditional sense, it is more an extension of the hospitality that stems from the home of the Berbers who run it.

Run as a partnership with the local Berber community, a five per cent levy is included in guest accommodation bills, funnelled back to the villagers for community projects etc. 

The Kasbah is as much a berber hospitality centre as a traditional hotel, where the genuine friendliness, warmth and hospitality are exceptional.

Facilities

The Kasbah offers a wide range of accommodation from a spectacular Garden Suite (125 sq m) with 12 m of glass wall looking up to Jbel Toubkal, through Deluxe and Standard en suite rooms to Berber Salons with gallery sleeping areas for families and groups.

Nearby Info

 

The Kasbah du Toubkal is just 60km from Marrakech and situated at the foot of Jbel Toubkal - the highest peak in N.Africa.

Talk to the Kasbah team about your transport needs. They can also organise transfers between Marrakech and Imlil for €85 per car. This is arranged with a driver who knows the route and regularly does the run.

At 1800 metres above sea level, The Kasbah unobtrusively looks out over three major valleys carved out of majestic rocky mountains rising to over 4000 metres. This is the home of eleven villages of the Ait Mizane tribe of the High Atlas. Not a lost or uncivilized world but certainly one where you can lose yourself.

Area infoCombine luxurious Riad or hotel accommodation in Marrakech Medina or Palmeraie, with the stunning properties in the mountains like the Kasbah du Toubkal. 

Kasbah du Toubkal,
Toubkal National Park,
Jbel Toubkal,
Morocco.

 

 

Woodlyn Park

Woodlyn Park

Waitomo Caves, New Zealand

Bed & Breakfast

Stay in a Train, Plane or Underground

Woodlyn Park has a variety of Unusual lodging experiences for you to try. Join Billy Black and his team at their famous Woodlyn Park location to experience New Zealand traditional crafts and shows, as well as their adrenaline fuelled U-Drive jet boat course too.

World Unique Motels 
Woodlyn Park has 4 amazing self catering options:

A 1950's Bristol Freighter Plane fully refurbished into 2 beautiful self contained motel units. This plane was one of the last allied planes out of Vietnam and is the only accommodation of its type in the world.

"The Waitomo Express" is a 1950's Rail Carriage beautifully refurbished into a completely self contained motel unit. Having 3 separate rooms, the Waitomo Express sleeps up to 6 people with 1 Double Bed, 2 Single Beds and 1 Double Pullout Couch.

Worlds First Hobbit Underground Motels with circular windows - straight out of middle earth!!! Built alongside the now well established Train Carriage and Aeroplane Motels, the Hobbits add yet another dimension to this unique complex. The Hobbits, like the other motels available at Woodlyn Park, are all self-contained with kitchens and own shower toilet facilities can accommodate between 2-10 people. Each has specially designed furniture and décor. Having been built using polystyrene blocks they are warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
The 2 units available each have a separate room with two sets of bunks and a double bed in the main living area.

An additional property - a beached boat is also opening.

Facilities & Pricing

Rooms: 7 themed accomodation rentals

Nearby Info

Woodlyn Park is between Auckland and Te Kuiti off the SH3. The park is about 5 minutes from the Waitomo Caves village tourist location.

Local culture Woodlyn Park is the only place in New Zealand to bring kiwi culture alive on stage. If you watch a Maori Culture or a Farm Show you shouldn't miss Billy Blacks Kiwi Culture experience. A stage show with New Zealand History, Heritage, Bush Animals, Sheep shearing and the story of how our Farm Landscape was created from a once bush Covered Land.
Hosted by the legendary "Billy Black" or one of his team, will leave you in fits of laughter as you watch or even participate in anything from log sawing & log explosions to helping shear the sheep.
Animals from the bush including a kiwi bear and a dancing pig. Farm animals and working sheep dogs on a farming scene complete this unique story.

Self Drive U-Boats Ride the Huka Jet, Rapid Jet Shot Over or Kawerau Jet then you need to experience the only U-Drive Jet Boating in New Zealand. Like Sky Diving and Bungy Jumping, the U-Drive Jet Boating is a real adrenaline activity.
Woodlyn Park is at present the only place in New Zealand (and probably the world for that matter) that you get the chance daily to drive a jet boat capable of over 100HP around our specially designed course. Try and beat the course record without crashing.

Woodlyn Park,
1177 Waitomo Valley Rd,
Waitomo Caves,
Waikato,
3977,
New Zealand.

  

  

 

 

Utter Inn

Utter Inn

 

Vasteras, Sweden

Bed & Breakfast

About Utter Inn

Floating, underwater hotel, where you sleep in an underwater aquarium.

 

Underwater hotel in a Swedish lake near Stockholm. The Utter Inn is the brainchild of Mikael Genberg, a local artist and sculptor who has chosen to focus on "making art for the public". The single room of the hotel lies 3m below the surface of Lake Mälaren in Västerås, Sweden and contains only twin beds and a table.

It opened in June 2000 on the coldest, rainiest day in the whole summer. Despite that it was a great success. Not only did all the untested solutions work, it also attracted a lot of people.

The Utter Inn stimulates the most typical of Swedish dreams; to have a small Swedish red house with white garbles on your own island. On top of that you can spend your night three meters underwater with panoramic windows in all directions.

This alternative dwelling also includes a sense of risk taking and adventure that tends to expand the sensory input. One should not forget the psychological term "transfer of exaltation". Roughly explained it is about man's tendency to transform the experience of fear to an experience of love. You don't want to feel afraid so the brain changes the emotion to something far more pleasant. You feel more alive. In this sense arranged, controlled fear can be very important.

Guests of Utter Inn arrive at the port of Västerås and they are taken the 1 km out to the hotel on the lake Malaren and provided with an inflatable boat, instructions and are then left alone.
If they have selected the deluxe version they will get a visit later with their supper.
Guests have the opportunity to use an inflatable canoe to visit the closest uninhabited island. Some have enough courage to swim (the UHOTW team were too scared!), or to sunbathe upstairs, or watch the fish (both upstairs and downstairs).

There is a remarkable feeling to go to bed while the fish are surrounding and watching you carefully. You are in an aquarium - for fish to be beholders of man.

Often boats come quite close to get a glance of the daring inhabitants. Swedish boatpeople are however always very polite and never takes more than two trips around your room!!!

Facilities & Pricing

Rooms: 1

Open Period: Open from April/May to Early September

 

The Utter Inn is very popular during the summer months when it is open and we recommend you talk to the Vasteras tourism team of Pernilla, Sara, Jonna or Kristin to find out when there is availability. In winter the property is closed, as although an ice breaker keeps the waterways open and there is a heater in the room, it's not the best time to visit.

 

Nearby Info

Västerås has direct flights from Stansted in the UK and the hotel is a 10 minute taxi ride from the airport to the docks. The town itself is very pleasant and has plenty of shops and restaurants worthy of a weekend visit.

Västerås is under an hour from central Stockholm, where you can connect to the train from the main airport of Arlanda.
If you're visiting the area, there is a lot to do.
You should also check out:

• The Woodpecker treehouse hotel (also in Västerås)
• Langholmen Prison hotel (in central Stockholm)
• Kolarbyn forest huts (one hour from Vasteras)
• The Jumbo Jet hotel in Arlanda airport itself.

Nearest Airport: Vasteras
Airport Distance: 20 mins

Utter Inn

Kopparbergsvägen 1,

Västerås,
72213,

Sweden.

 

                                   

 

 

                 

Hotel Puerta América

Hotel Puerta América

Hotel Puerta América

About Hotel Puerta América

Every floor a different design adventure! Every floor a different designer masterpiece!

With 12 floors and communal spaces providing a unique style designed by 19 design agencies, your choice of room is critical at Hotel Puerta América.

 Some floors are a triumph of style over substance and there are stories of guests whose frustration to dim the walls, or use hi-tech appliances forced them to change rooms.

Although floors have a similar layout, when you exit the elevator on each floor you feel in altogether different worlds - from futuristic red plastic to black marble through to traditional leather and wood.  With every floor a different artistic design, this hotel challenges the senses in an architectural assault course of design.

Thankfully the front desk staff anticipate guests changing rooms. A menu of design choices for the different floors is provided at check-in and you are recommended to study closely, or make an inquiry for details and availability in advance.

Facilities & Pricing

Rooms: 342 bedrooms

Hotel Puerta América has 342 bedrooms including a number of suites on the 12th floor.

Designer OverviewFirst Floor Example
The first floor by Zaha Hadid, where everything seems to come out from the wall. The bathroom is a single structure from floor to ceiling which changes colour according to the room. Most frustratingly the waste basket is intended as a challenge for guests, because it is not so easy to find. Or you can just drop your rubbish on the floor with frustration.

Eighth Floor Example
The eighth floor by Kathryn Findlay titled "Light in motion" intends to suggest a feminine touch. Refusing to consider walls or doors, Findley provided for sweeping white curtains that separate the bathroom from the room. The entire room is white and forms a single space.

Ninth Floor Example
Patience is required on the ninth floor of Richard Gluckman with his 'Boxes of colours' concept as you need to find everything in the room and bathroom, because it is hidden in a box. The biggest box, in the middle of the room, houses the television. In the bathroom, the first thing you see when you enter the room, is a large glass box containing the shower, with a sliding door separating it from the bedroom by means of a white metal curtain. Contrasting a raw industrial look with back-lit illumination, it is critical for guests to ask how to turn off the lights, otherwise you'll struggle to get to sleep.

Nearby Info

The hotel is midway between the airport and the city centre and is not in the centre of town. A taxi from the airport should cost around €15, and around €10 into town. Alternatively consider the metro stop next to the hotel, but be prepared to change a couple of times to get into the centre.

Area infoWhile there is a pool and spa treatment room advertised at Puerta América, they are not a major feature of the hotel. There isn't much to visit locally, so you need to be prepared to take a taxi into town for restaurants and entertainment. 

Hotel Puerta America,
Av de America 41,
Madrid,
28002,
Spain.

   

   

Capsule Hotel

Capsule Hotel



About Capsule Hotel

 Your own survival pod! Escape pod hotel in a city centre dock location.

Moored in The Hague, your room is a bright orange survival pod which once saw service on an oil rig platform. Originally built in 1972 they are 4.25 metres in diameter and unaltered apart from the addition of a lock on the outside and an ‘emergency’ chemical toilet inside. While not everyone’s luxury choice, each pod provides cosy protection from the elements for up to three occupants.

First created for accommodation as an art project in 2004, owner Denis Oudendijk has 8 different models ready for use and is currently working on additional locations in central Amsterdam and Nantes, France.

Facilities & Pricing

Rooms: Two pods

A number of overnight packages are available from a basic survival package with a sleeping bag and emergency rations, through to a James Bond themed luxury offering. This package has to be tried, (think the final escape pod scene of “The Spy who Loved me""), for its kitsch factor of a provided disco mirror ball, fairy light decorations and sleeping bags with silk liners replacing the basic cotton.

To get you in the correct mood, the luxury package also includes a DVD player with all the Bond movies on disc. In addition, your survival box is transformed into a luxury version with goodies including sparkling wine and a collection of vodka bar miniatures to create your own Martini’s shaken or stirred!

Nearby Info

The pods are moored in a quiet area of the water, but rock a little when you’re inside. While the bars of The Hague are appealing, a little caution is advised as you need dexterity and a firm hold to enter and don’t really want to risk falling into the docks.

Activities
Bikes with locks are provided for the Luxury and Survival+ packages, which are useful to tour this coastal town, considered as one of the most elegant in Holland with a network of canals and city parks. The Hague is home of the Dutch parliament and there are a number of official buildings, art galleries and museums to visit.

Capsule Hotel,
Verheeskade 287,
Den Haag,
Netherlands.