FORGET everything you thought you knew about what a hotel room should look like. There are some accommodations around the world that are less about the room itself; it’s their architecture or design that is the Instagram-worthy surprise.

Over the years, unusual hotel rooms for the adventurous traveler have been well-documented. To add to your bucket list, here are some more eclectic, and sometimes jaw-dropping, overnight options to pique your wanderlust.

The view from above

Guests can sleep under the stars in Kenya’s Loisaba Sands’ Star Beds, part of the Elewana Collection, while perched above a cliff known for active animal gatherings. A safari in Kenya is a bucket list experience, but sleeping alone on this protected platform is mesmerizing with sparkling stars and the endless savanna views framing the experience.

At Elewana Collection’s Tarangire Treetops, guests can watch giraffes and elephants from their treetop perch. These rooms are said to be among the largest in East Africa and are located in the sixth largest national park in Tanzania. The main lodge itself is encased by a thousand-year-old baobab tree.

Pods, tents, bubbles

and everything else

The jungle bubble tents at Thailand’s Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort allow guests to sleep in privacy and comfort while watching the resident elephants wander by their bed. The two popular tents debuted last November and have been exceptionally popular with guests.

For more of that great outdoors feeling, head down under to New Zealand. Composed of heavy-duty glass from top to bottom, the PurePods scattered around the countryside show off the starry night sky and the indigenous plants growing beneath the structure. These solar-powered, free-standing glamping abodes immerse you in nature. Don’t worry, there’s a working bathroom with shower and toilet.

Across the Tasman Sea, these inflatable bubble tents give guests the chance to stargaze before they snooze. Bubble Tent Australia is located on a working farm in Australia’s Capertee Valley (the world’s second largest canyon). In addition to the bedroom, there’s an ensuite bathroom plus outdoor terrace and fireplace. Don’t worry about privacy as these tents are placed in isolated locations so guests can truly absorb nature.

In Norway, guests can sleep in a transparent igloo offering 360-degree views of the Trondheim Fjord in Trondelag. The year-round Trones Eye accommodation is surrounded by cultural monuments as well as natural beauty.

If your 2020 travel plans may feel like a wreck, then why not sleep in one on your next vacation? Travelers to Namibia can sleep in a shipwreck (or at least a replica of one). Natural Selection’s Shipwreck Lodge has accommodations that are purposely designed to look like one of the many 20th century shipwrecks that already line the country’s Skeleton Coast. Wood-burning stoves and fake fur blankets coddle guests as they sleep amid these famous sand dunes.

Life on the high seas can indeed be treacherous, especially if you get seasick. Luckily, the boat suites at Melia Koh Samui in Thailand are fixed into place. They have the appearance and design of an authentic Thai-Chinese fishing boat (complete with furnished decks), but without the motion of the ocean. They also come with access to The Level lounge for complimentary breakfast and evening cocktails.

Guests of the Manta Resort can enjoy the Exotic Zanzibar experience with African Travel, Inc., including the option to sleep underwater. With an above-the-water living area and below-the-water bedroom, guests can keep an eye on the marine life from all angles.

Reef Suites in the Great Barrier Reef’s Whitsunday Islands puts guests face to face with even more underwater creatures. Glass panels on the floor add even more variety and angles for endless scenery changes.

Guests at Domaine de Montcy in the French Loire Valley can sleep in a wine barrel overlooking the vineyards. If you prefer not to be amid the budding grapes, the estate’s suite is another option to get some rest.

You’re alone with your thoughts while overlooking Norway’s Lysefjord at these fully-equipped accommodations known as The Bolder Sky Lodges. They blend luxury with wilderness living. Views from this vantage point are stunning no matter what time of day or night. That’s a good thing because in Norway, sometimes daytime looks like night, and nighttime looks like day.

If you’re a general fan of the industrial-chic look or the mechanics of a construction site, crane life might be for you. At Hamburg’s Hafencity harbor across from the city’s Elbphilharmonie, guests can sleep in the crane operator compartment of a renovated construction crane with glass-walled views of the city from its modern and cozy guest room and terrace.

Copenhagen has a crane of its own, known as THE KRANE, where guests can sleep in a luxury accommodation in the old engine room with views of the harbor. This one-room hotel comes with two terraces, complimentary breakfast, and free bikes to cycle around town.

(SD-Agencies)